Low Carb Mash Potatoes - Celeriac

[dalsingh101]

I low carb.

I miss mash potatoes.

Discovered celeriac which is a root vegetable that can be used as a passable alternative.

Thought I'd share.

[BhagatSingh]

I low carb.

I missed butter.

Discovered butter in the fridge.

I ate lol.


I looked up Celeriac and Potatoes...

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2395/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2770/2

not much difference tbh in terms of carb %. But the glycemic load shows a huge difference. Because celeriac has less carbs and protein per 100 grams than Potatoes but has more fat. So it sounds pretty good, I might pick it up and try it out.

That said I think it's ok to have a cheat day. You can't have whole without hole. I don't eat potatoes at all but every so often my dad makes aloo pakoray and they are irresistable!

Edited December 5, 2014 by BhagatSingh

[dalsingh101]

Butter is cool on a low carb diet.

In fact dairy in general is cool.

It felt real good getting back to all that creamy goodness after years of self-imposed abstinence. Strange, by low carbing and increasing dairy (with regular exercise!) I'm looking better than ever. Goray dietitians are phudhoos. All that money spent on science and research and still off the mark....

Yeah I have cheat days too..... lol

Just checked:

Dude it's 6 grams of carbs in celeriac versus 21 grams in potato........ BIG difference

Edited December 5, 2014 by dalsingh101

[BhagatSingh]

Yeah potatoes has a lot more carbs than celeriac, hence it's higher glycemic load.

Butter has almost 0, is mostly fats, fat-soluble nutrients and proteins.

It felt real good getting back to all that creamy goodness after years of self-imposed abstinence. Strange, by low carbing and increasing dairy (with regular exercise!) I'm looking better than ever.

I know that exact feeling. I've abstained for butter and gheo for a looong time thinking it was unhealthy.

I have only been eating butter for a month or two, I have added huge chunks of it to my regular diet, morning and afternoon (I don't eat any during dinner). I have noticed that it keeps me satiated for longer periods (like almost 2 hours longer).

Also I haven't noticed any weight change over the period. NONE!

[dalsingh101]

Yeah potatoes has a lot more carbs than celeriac, hence it's higher glycemic load.

I don't think glycemic load directly corresponds to carb levels.

Apparently chana daal has one of the lowest glycemic loads of a carb rich food (it's about 60 odd grams of carbs per 100).

My friend is pregnant and really craves it. I think it helps with all the extra processes taking place in her body by producing a steady stream of glucose for all the extra respiration needed for the developing baby?

You have to be careful though: My massi has type 2 diabetes and we tested her blood sugar levels after chana a couple of times at 1, 2 and 3 hours after the meal. Chana made her bs levels go up and stay up for hours!

[dalsingh101]

Very interesting related article:

Epileptic seizures are brought on by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The causes can vary, from a defective gene to a head injury, but one common mechanism of the condition is chronic inflammation throughout the whole body. Geyelin wondered what precisely happens during fasting that might be acting to counter this.

He found changes in two particular molecules in the blood: falling blood glucose and raised levels of fat metabolites, called ketones. So how to achieve this without starving the patient? Over the following decade the ketogenic diet was developed: a strict programme enforcing a 4:1 ratio of fats to proteins and carbohydrates.

Nuts, cream, butter and foods high in fat are encouraged while bread, pasta, sugar and grains are all forbidden. This results in ketones replacing glucose as an alternative fuel – and this transition from glucose to fat metabolism reduces the systemic inflammation that can underlie epilepsy and many other diseases. In addition, it induces a process of healthy weight loss. This differs from losses that occur as a result of insufficient nutrition.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/07/ketogenic-diet-high-fat-epilepsy-weight-loss

[BhagatSingh]

That's an interesting article. Reading it now.

[BhagatSingh]

I don't think glycemic load directly corresponds to carb levels.

Glycemic load directly corresponds to the level simple carbs in a food.

So chana probably has more complex carbs. Simple carbs are easily broken down whereas complex carbs take some time. Thus they provide sugar to the body over a long time as opposed to short bursts.

My friend is pregnant and really craves it. I think it helps with all the extra processes taking place in her body by producing a steady stream of glucose for all the extra respiration needed for the developing baby?

That makes sense.

You have to be careful though: My massi has type 2 diabetes and we tested her blood sugar levels after chana a couple of times at 1, 2 and 3 hours after the meal. Chana made her bs levels go up and stay up for hours!

Also makes sense.

My dad got me eating roasted chaney as snacks. He used to eat them a lot when he was young. He said he did that to maintain his energy levels during intensive physical stress and such. He recommended them to me and I started munching on them as well.

As for a purely fatty diet sans sugar, I will need to look into it more. There are apparently videos of bodybuilder guys talking about it all over youtube.

Have you experimented with such a diet?

Edited December 17, 2014 by BhagatSingh

[dalsingh101]

As for a purely fatty diet sans sugar, I will need to look into it more. There are apparently videos of bodybuilder guys talking about it all over youtube.

Have you experimented with such a diet?

Yeah I have. (lowish carbs not just sans sugar - I don't take sugar btw)

The strange thing is that my body fat levels are lower than ever and I have decent lean muscle.

[BhagatSingh]

By sugar I just mean carbs btw. It's almost the same. Carbs are just sugars strung together.

As for refined sugar, yeah I avoid that too. That's the smallest form of a Carb that you can consume. It should be avoided.

Do you workout? weight train? jog? or are you solely seeing results with your diet?

Edited December 17, 2014 by BhagatSingh

[dalsingh101]

I work out; nothing obsessive though. Weights, occasional sprints, calisthenics - they play their part.

PS - About carbohydrate breakdown and glycemic index. You said:

Glycemic load directly corresponds to the level simple carbs in a food.

The GI of a food appears to be down to more factors than this. Take a look -

http://www.montignac.com/en/the-factors-that-modify-glycemic-indexes/

Edited December 18, 2014 by dalsingh101

[dalsingh101]

Reminder to self:

Monosaccharides and disaccharides = simple carbs (m=glucose, fructose and galactose, d=sucrose (table sugar), lactose and maltose).

Polysaccharides = complex carbs (3 or more linked sugars/starches)

[BhagatSingh]

Reading the article now.

Dude what's your diet like on a good day?

[dalsingh101]

Remember I eat meat (I know you don't or at least didn't the last time we spoke about it). I like nice doses of protein and am not averse to natural fats. I feel they give me more energy and keep me lean. Carbs make me feel seriously sluggish.

On a good day I might:

Have a cup or 2 of coffee with full fat cream to wake up.

Then have 2 or 3 egg omelette. Maybe I'd put filling in like cheese and mushroom, or a mixture of fried onion, peppers, mushrooms and cheese with bacon.

I'll most likely have a toasted slice of super low GI bread with that (Burgen Linseed and Soya - check it out).

ALWAYS a green tea afterwards!

Lunch depends on the season:

In summer/spring, I'd go for a salad with some grilled or pan fried chicken or oily fish. This year, I've been lucky to go organic because I've been growing my own veg and tomatoes and spinach and chillies. When I feel like I'm verging on the kudhoo side, I might omit the meat/fish and just go for a salad. I put olives, walnuts, olive oil, apple cider vinegar or balsamic dressings on my salads.

If I need to snack it might be nuts (almonds, pumpkin seeds, hazlenuts, walnuts, cashews) or my naughty treat of choice.... peanut m&ms (the macros ain't too bad on them!)

Dinner:

In the evening I might have grilled chicken (with seasoning) and a large portion of steamed veg (broccoli, carrots); or possibly a meat curry (lamb/chicken/pork) with rice and yogurt - which I always pair with some fried karela to keep that sugar spike low! This Christmas I'm going to be making goat curry for the first time.

Might have sausages (good quality ones!) with celeriac mash and steamed cabbage/carrots in gravy.

Home made tandoori chicken wings.

Most of the times I end meals (especially heavyish ones) with a hari cha.

Top tip: never sit around after a meal. Move about a bit.

PS: I also occasionally make low carb versions of old favorites like raas malai (with paneer balls and sugar free maple syrup). Or I'd get besan especially made - with halve the usual amount of gurh.

Edited December 19, 2014 by dalsingh101

[BhagatSingh]

Yes I knew you ate meat still I wanted to see what your diet was like and compare notes.

I am on a vegetarian + gluten-free diet. I stopped eating wheat and anything with wheat in it. I think gluten was holding back my digestive system and causing IBS. And since taking the gluten-free diet I have noticed some big changes.

So basically I replaced Macci di roti with the regular Kanak di roti. Gave up pizzas, pastas, burgers, noodles etc. Started eating more butter and paneer. Added brocolli to my diet. Started eating white rice. Started adding oils and ghee to my milk.

I used to eat quite a bit of fruit, I lowered that and now I stick to mostly vegetables.

My diet is mostly a punjabi diet, even more now with the removal of gluten-rich foods.

Last time we talked about it. I used to eat 3 meals. Then after listening to and reading some material on bodybuilding, I started to eat 5-6 times a day. Didn't keep up the routine of working out and gained 50 pounds of fluffiness lol. I reduced that back to 3 main meals. And now I am at 2 meals. In the process I also lost 20 pounds.

I think I am gona cut it down to 1 big meal. Eating in general makes me sluggish. I found I had more energy in the morning and at night. So I am trying intermittent fasting. I do it very naturally as I don't eat for several hours after I wake up and several hours before sleeping, which extends the fasting period that happens during sleep.

[dalsingh101]

I think I am gona cut it down to 1 big meal.

I wouldn't advise that AT ALL!

I'm an advocate of all day grazing, eating every 2/3 hours. Just keep the portions reasonable and the food clean!

I can't stress how important daily exercise is. Time bigger meals just before working out - that way you train your body to raise its metabolism and the food doesn't get stored as churbee!

My theory is that most working class Panjabis (that includes fudu jats despite their delusions of being 'lords of the manor') have a biological (probably genetic) need for inordinate amounts of physical activity to stay healthy. For those of us whose families haven't been business men or politicians over the centuries, I think we've just physically evolved like that through natural selection.

Get on the prison style workout regime. It requires minimal equipment (not that that should be an issue for you!) as it uses your own body weight. And it can be fun!! Get into gymnastic style stuff. Invest in a pull up bar if you ain't got one already (why not!!??)

Eat properly man!

I know protein can be an issue for veges. Try cottage cheese. Pumpkin seeds. Brazils.

Years ago you told me that green leafy stuff is REALLY good for you - you were right. Just makes sure you get a variety of things to get the full spectrum of nutrients.

Check this out:

[BhagatSingh]

Lol 1 meal per day is hard! Not as easy as stuffing yourself.

I used to graze all day and advocated it as well. But I am experimenting with different things especially fasting which I was very resistant towards. It's actually very hard for someone who loves food.

Time bigger meals just before working out - that way you train your body to raise its metabolism and the food doesn't get stored as churbee!

I have heard the opposite working as well. When you train in a fasted state to get the body to use fats as calories.

+

The body tends to become sluggish and sleepy after a big meal and so there is less energy available for working out.

Have you heard of breatharianism?

It's living solely on one's breath.

I used to hear all about it when I was growing up in India. About yogis who left the world and lived in a jungle only to feed on fruits and berries, whose diet would slowly diminish further to just leaves, then just water and then to just air. They basically stopped eating and lived healthy lives still.

Now that's pretty intense but the basic idea is that we are eating more than is necessary, whereas is if we were more conscious and peaceful we could survive and do well with a lot less.

That's something to think about.

I am thinking about getting a pull-up bar plus a work-bench for bench press. That's all I need for now as I got a few set of dumbbells already.

What kind of green leafs have you been eating?

[dalsingh101]

Lol 1 meal per day is hard! Not as easy as stuffing yourself.

I used to graze all day and advocated it as well. But I am experimenting with different things especially fasting which I was very resistant towards. It's actually very hard for someone who loves food.

I don't agree. Planning, buying cooking and organising so you have lots of healthy variant meals readily available for you is much more challenging and time consuming than single meals.

We have to remember the whole purpose too: don't forget that we are essentially trying to retrain our metabolic rate with the whole grazing and exercise thing. The more lean muscle we build the more aerobic respiration that takes place naturally - as you know muscle requires energy whilst fat doesn't. So buffing out actually helps keep you lean by using up you food intake more efficiently.

You see guys who are strong and muscular nowadays who AREN'T particularly restrictive with their diets. They just make sure their training compensates for anything they might eat - junk food included. On my cheat days I'd plan bigger workouts around junk food consumption.

The body tends to become sluggish and sleepy after a big meal and so there is less energy available for working out.

That's largely conditioning (psychological) in my opinion. I've experimented and no, you can get your body used to heavy training straight after a meal. I'd say if you start within 20 minutes of eating, it's better; after that lethargy does get more pronounced.

I have heard the opposite working as well. When you train in a fasted state to get the body to use fats as calories.

Definitely, how much have you got though? Remember also, that we make fat cells that have memories; so although we can train and empty them, they can fill up very quickly. Intermittent fasting is a good idea to get at your fat stores but I doubt your body fat levels are anything exceptionally high? Have you turned into some sort of porker or something?

Have you heard of breatharianism?

It's living solely on one's breath.

I used to hear all about it when I was growing up in India. About yogis who left the world and lived in a jungle only to feed on fruits and berries, whose diet would slowly diminish further to just leaves, then just water and then to just air. They basically stopped eating and lived healthy lives still.

Yeah. I recall a story but a European about a yogi who got himself buried (in a box in the ground) in M. Ranjit Singh's time for one year. The box was dug up and checked by Ranjit himself during this and a plant was grown on top. The yogi had his ears and nose sealed and when they later excavated him they unsealed his orifices and massaged him with oil to bring him to. So i know it's possible.

Now that's pretty intense but the basic idea is that we are eating more than is necessary, whereas is if we were more conscious and peaceful we could survive and do well with a lot less.

That's something to think about.

Yeah but that is going into pussy mode Singh. My own environment is hardly peaceful and (in an increasingly violent and volatile world) you should be training up to be tyar bar tyar. Think about that. Remember: ਸਭ ਲੋਕ ਸ਼ਸਤ੍ਰ ਵਿੱਦ੍ਯਾ ਸਿੱਖਦੇ ਸਿਖਾਂਵਦੇ ਘਰ ਬੈਠੇ ਹੀ ਪੱਕੇ ਸਿਪਾਹੀ ਬਣੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਸੇ ।

I am thinking about getting a pull-up bar plus a work-bench for bench press. That's all I need for now as I got a few set of dumbbells already.

Defo: I'm an advocate of ALL Sikh families having easy access to fitness equipment and encouraging boys (especially but not solely) to keep strong. Dip stations are good too. Don't forget you have your own body weight too. DO THOSE LEGS TOO! Squats, lunges, calve raises - deadlifts when you are ready. If you do legs at the beginning of a workout you'll release most testosterone helping you build more muscle as well.

What kind of green leafs have you been eating?

Man I've been growing different varieties of broccoli - purple, monaco, you can eat some of those leaves too! Red cardinal and viking spinach. Rocket, lettuce. I wan't to get into kale in future too.

Edited December 21, 2014 by dalsingh101

[BhagatSingh]

I don't agree. Planning, buying cooking and organising so you have lots of healthy variant meals readily available for you is much more challenging and time consuming than single meals.

Yea I agree that is hard to prepare more meals than less meals.

However 1 meal is challenging your hunger instinct. Because your instinct tells you to eat more. It gets hungry and then you want to eat but you can't. It's tough to do it as a discipline. 2 meals is the lowest I can go so far.

It's very difficult to deal with the desire of hunger. It is a desire just like any other.

We have to remember the whole purpose too: don't forget that we are essentially trying to retrain our metabolic rate with the whole grazing and exercise thing. The more lean muscle we build the more aerobic respiration that takes place naturally - as you know muscle requires energy whilst fat doesn't. So buffing out actually helps keep you lean by using up you food intake more efficiently.

That can be achieved without grazing though. All it requires is an exercise routine to keep those muscles working.

That's largely conditioning (psychological) in my opinion. I've experimented and no, you can get your body used to heavy training straight after a meal. I'd say if you start within 20 minutes of eating, it's better; after that lethargy does get more pronounced.

I have done it before. So I know it can be done.

What I mean is that your body is spending energy digesting the food after a meal. And yeah going for a light walk is fine.

However, is it a good idea to get into a heavy workout right after?

Definitely, how much have you got though? Remember also, that we make fat cells that have memories; so although we can train and empty them, they can fill up very quickly. Intermittent fasting is a good idea to get at your fat stores but I doubt your body fat levels are anything exceptionally high? Have you turned into some sort of porker or something?

After university I realized I was super-weak at 145 lbs. I always worked out but wasn't seeing much difference.

So I figured I needed to eat more and keep working out to put on some weight. During summer I went to India for 3 months, and started eating bigger meals there and kept exercising and working out. I gained some weight I think. However once I came back to Canada, I was working and studying from home, I lost the workout routine and gained like 40 -50 lbs of fat in like 5 months.

So that summer I was like 210 lbs. And I started doing more cardio, low-intensity cardio like playing tennis and also high-intensity cardio (workout program). I lost 10 lbs after doing 2 months of this.

Then after months I lost another 10 lbs from just diet change with just walking. Nothing else.

After several months of experimenting with gluten diets and gluten free diets and eating more butter, I am now trying intermittent fasting, and starting to get back into weight training. I am at 180lbs now.

Yeah. I recall a story but a European about a yogi who got himself buried (in a box in the ground) in M. Ranjit Singh's time for one year. The box was dug up and checked by Ranjit himself during this and a plant was grown on top. The yogi had his ears and nose sealed and when they later excavated him they unsealed his orifices and massaged him with oil to bring him to. So i know it's possible.

Well that's even more extreme than the extreme I was talking about lol!

Living on breath is extreme enough, no need to go further and become a vegetable.

My point is that we're usually eating due to desire and instinct rather than based on what our body needs to keep functioning.

What moves me to eat is not higher consciousness but simply hunger. If there was no hunger, I'd probably die from not eating. So my point is that eating should come from a desire-less mind. It should come from a place of greater awareness of yourself and your body.

This is the same principle that applies to desire in general. We should come from a place of pure awareness.

Yeah but that is going into pussy mode Singh. My own environment is hardly peaceful and (in an increasingly violent and volatile world) you should be training up to be tyar bar tyar. Think about that. Remember: ਸਭ ਲੋਕ ਸ਼ਸਤ੍ਰ ਵਿੱਦ੍ਯਾ ਸਿੱਖਦੇ ਸਿਖਾਂਵਦੇ ਘਰ ਬੈਠੇ ਹੀ ਪੱਕੇ ਸਿਪਾਹੀ ਬਣੇ ਰਹਿੰਦੇ ਸੇ ।

I am a pussy dude. That's something I am always working on whether I am eating 2 meals or 5 meals.

Fear was always something that held me back. Even holds me back in meditation, from getting consumed into the sunnyatta of samadhi.

And laziness.

So pussy mode is my default lol. I often need to go into courage mode through keeping a routine of meditation, proper diet and working out, and being present constantly. And outside of routine, doing random acts of courageousness, which sometimes are also random acts of kindness.

If you do legs at the beginning of a workout you'll release most testosterone helping you build more muscle as well.

Where are you getting that from?

Man I've been growing different varieties of broccoli - purple, monaco, you can eat some of those leaves too! Red cardinal and viking spinach. Rocket, lettuce. I wan't to get into kale in future too.

I don't eat enough green leaves. That's something that I should work towards more actively.

[dalsingh101]

Yea I agree that is hard to prepare more meals than less meals.

However 1 meal is challenging your hunger instinct. Because your instinct tells you to eat more. It gets hungry and then you want to eat but you can't. It's tough to do it as a discipline. 2 meals is the lowest I can go so far.

It's very difficult to deal with the desire of hunger. It is a desire just like any other.

That can be achieved without grazing though. All it requires is an exercise routine to keep those muscles working.

You studied biology mate: I hear what you are saying on a metaphysical level, but I think you should focus on your physical health. Get all the food groups going on in your diet! Go easy on the carbs cos whiteys underestimated their 'energy' giving potential. You can't skimp on the protein, you know protein breaks down into amino acids to be used up in repairing/building muscle cells. Then you also have the issue of deficiency diseases if you miss certain nutrients, minerals and vitamins!

You can't get all that by eating like a bird. And remember to gain hard muscle, you have to rip/tear them to facilitate growth/repair and then feed those muscles with the amino acids to build them up. Without sufficient food, you may struggle to find the energy to do a truly vigorous workout in the first place. Chicken and egg situation.

I have done it before. So I know it can be done.

What I mean is that your body is spending energy digesting the food after a meal. And yeah going for a light walk is fine.

However, is it a good idea to get into a heavy workout right after?

What I've found is that 'heavy' is cool but stuff that requires 'jumping around' (like cardio) isn't. I think all that swoshing around in you digestive tract isn't helpful. But a heavy meal prior to a workout can even give you energy to push more. Remember people like bricklayers, carpenters on building sites go straight back to labour intensive work after a lunch break.

After university I realized I was super-weak at 145 lbs. I always worked out but wasn't seeing much difference.

So I figured I needed to eat more and keep working out to put on some weight. During summer I went to India for 3 months, and started eating bigger meals there and kept exercising and working out. I gained some weight I think. However once I came back to Canada, I was working and studying from home, I lost the workout routine and gained like 40 -50 lbs of fat in like 5 months.

So that summer I was like 210 lbs. And I started doing more cardio, low-intensity cardio like playing tennis and also high-intensity cardio (workout program). I lost 10 lbs after doing 2 months of this.

Then after months I lost another 10 lbs from just diet change with just walking. Nothing else.

After several months of experimenting with gluten diets and gluten free diets and eating more butter, I am now trying intermittent fasting, and starting to get back into weight training. I am at 180lbs now.

So you've gone from 66 kg (145 llbs) to 81 kgs (180 llbs): that's some serious fluctuations! lol

As I said before; once you build muscle mass, it allows you to get away with eating more because of the natural respiration of muscle - so you're working out just by having muscle.

I just had a relative stay with me for a year, in that time he's gone from an obese 108 kilograms (238 llbs in your money) to a more muscular 98 kg (216 llbs) in exactly one year to the day (we recorded figures meticulously). But then he trained 5x a week, often hardcore - mixed up heavy weights, with cardio and calisthenics.

What moves me to eat is not higher consciousness but simply hunger. If there was no hunger, I'd probably die from not eating. So my point is that eating should come from a desire-less mind. It should come from a place of greater awareness of yourself and your body.

My point is that you shouldn't totally ignore realities around you. take care of you health; build up your strength. The last thing we need now is more Singhs that are weak or lacking masculinity. You draw all these muscular, virile characters. Aspire to them!

I am a pussy dude. That's something I am always working on whether I am eating 2 meals or 5 meals.

So pussy mode is my default lol. I often need to go into courage mode through keeping a routine of meditation, proper diet and working out, and being present constantly. And outside of routine, doing random acts of courageousness, which sometimes are also random acts of kindness.

At least you're honest about it. Getting into good physical shape is ESSENTIAL to combat the above. The more strength you have, the more your confidence will grow. The more you train and eat right, the stronger you'll get!

As for 'courage mode'; you're on the right track. You just have to keep doing it until IT is your default mode! Try stay in it as much as possible.

Where are you getting that from?

It's a well known fact! The leg muscles are the biggest ones. Working them out heavily stimulates the release of growth hormones.

I don't eat enough green leaves. That's something that I should work towards more actively.

Set your plates up to have the spectrum of the food groups. Lowish on carbs, high in protein and lots of different coloured veg over the week!

[BhagatSingh]

You studied biology mate: I hear what you are saying on a metaphysical level, but I think you should focus on your physical health. Get all the food groups going on in your diet! Go easy on the carbs cos whiteys underestimated their 'energy' giving potential. You can't skimp on the protein, you know protein breaks down into amino acids to be used up in repairing/building muscle cells. Then you also have the issue of deficiency diseases if you miss certain nutrients, minerals and vitamins!

Yea dude that's the plan. However, you can always experiment with different things, different diets, etc. It's not as metaphysical as you are thinking. It's biological but it's not completely materialistic.

In the end, of course we are trying to be as healthy as possible. I eat as much paneer as possible (is paneer cottage cheese?) I hear it has tons of protein for a vegetarian food.

So you've gone from 66 kg (145 llbs) to 81 kgs (180 llbs): that's some serious fluctuations! lol

That's over 2 years.

And that's nothing. In highschool, I went from 185 lbs to 150 in 5 months. With a combination of fasting (which I didn't realize I was doing), and weight training. I didn't gain muscle but I did gain some strength and lost most of my fat.

That's why I am trying intermittent fasting now.

I just had a relative stay with me for a year, in that time he's gone from an obese 108 kilograms (238 llbs in your money) to a more muscular 98 kg (216 llbs) in exactly one year to the day (we recorded figures meticulously). But then he trained 5x a week, often hardcore - mixed up heavy weights, with cardio and calisthenics.

Yea I tried that kind of a routine for two months with high-intensity cardio, 5x per week.

It was brutal and I didn't get much work done during that period lol.

My point is that you shouldn't totally ignore realities around you. take care of you health; build up your strength. The last thing we need now is more Singhs that are weak or lacking masculinity. You draw all these muscular, virile characters. Aspire to them!

Haha the funny thing is that's why I draw them. When I work out a lot I paint warriors and war. When I meditate a lot I paint saints and mystics.

At least you're honest about it. Getting into good physical shape is ESSENTIAL to combat the above. The more strength you have, the more your confidence will grow. The more you train and eat right, the stronger you'll get!

As for 'courage mode'; you're on the right track. You just have to keep doing it until IT is your default mode! Try stay in it as much as possible.

That's the plan.

It's a well known fact! The leg muscles are the biggest ones. Working them out heavily stimulates the release of growth hormones.

You got an interesting artcle?

Set your plates up to have the spectrum of the food groups. Lowish on carbs, high in protein and lots of different coloured veg over the week!

You set up plates? What do you do?

[dalsingh101]

I eat as much paneer as possible (is paneer cottage cheese?) I hear it has tons of protein for a vegetarian food.

It has about 20 grams per 100 grams according to the Internet. It's ok. For variety try the white man's cottage cheese from the supermarkets - it's okay in taste. Very moist and spreadable.

Other protein sources vegetarians might want to look at include: Almonds - which have about 25 g protein per 100g, but also pack about 20g carbs per 100g. Eat them both raw with skin (skin acts like fibre and slows carb release), as well as soaked and peeled.

Peanuts - The roasted salted ones I've got in front of me now have 25g of protein per 100g, and 13g of carbs per 100g.

Haha the funny thing is that's why I draw them. When I work out a lot I paint warriors and war. When I meditate a lot I paint saints and mystics.

lol! Okay, when you get back into the training grind, make me happy! Try drawing the type of brother that I've currently got as my avataar - A Singh wasp killer! lol

And no I'm not going to pay you or commission you for it - Mr. Business man! lol

RE: Training legs and hormone release - here's a starting point for your research.

You can maximize the hormonal response to exercise—and, over time, the

increase in muscle size—by paying attention to the structure of your resistance

training program. In general, the hormonal response to exercise is greatest when

using high exercise volume (three or four sets of 6 to 12 repetitions for each

exercise), heavy loads (greater than 80 percent of maximal strength), short rest

periods (one to two minutes between sets), and exercises that target large muscle

mass (squats, deadlifts, power cleans, and so forth). (For a review of the hormonal

responses and adaptations to resistance exercise, see Kraemer and Ratamess 2005.)

It may be helpful to keep in mind that the hormonal response to exercise is generally

correlated to the amount of metabolic stress. Therefore, workouts that are structured

using high volume and intensity, short rest periods, and that use large muscle

mass will maximize the body’s natural capacity to stimulate muscle growth.

The significance of the relationship between an increase in the anabolic hormones

circulating in the bloodstream and gains in muscle strength was demonstrated in

a clever experiment performed by a group of scientists in Denmark (Hansen et

al. 2001). First, the scientists tested the arm strength of a group of subjects and,

subsequently, divided the subjects into two groups: One group trained only their

arms (A group), and the other group trained their arms and their legs (AL group).

Both groups spent the same amount of time training their arms; however, the AL

group performed additional leg exercises to increase the concentration of circulating

anabolic hormones—that is, testosterone and growth hormone (as already

mentioned, the amount of anabolic hormones in the blood will increase more if a

large amount of muscle is exercised). At the end of the experiment, the scientists

found that the A group increased their arm strength by 9 percent, while the AL

group increased their arm strength by 37 percent! This study clearly shows the

importance of recruiting a large muscle mass during resistance exercise, because

doing so causes a large increase in anabolic hormones and a greater increase in

strength. -Strength Training by NSCA -National Strength & Conditioning Association & Lee Brown

You set up plates? What do you do?

What I meant by this is that you consciously look at the plate that contains your meals and consciously endeavor to make sure they broadly have the food groups and amounts you need.

Portionwise, go with having enough protein to be able to fill up a single hand if you out-stretched your fingers and made a big cup with it! Half that plate should be a big pile of steaming veg (melt some butter on it! and/orgrate some cheese). Mixed or single veg it cool. I like a mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrot slices. Sometimes cabbage. Then you could have a portion of coleslaw (add peanuts to it - my lil secret tip - fried courgettes! (yuuummm!)

Point is: look at the effing plate and make sure it has a good mix of food groups (hence 'set up plates') - you can make it look better at this stage too, which often helps stimulate your appetite.

Edited December 30, 2014 by dalsingh101

[BhagatSingh]

It has about 20 grams per 100 grams according to the Internet. It's ok. For variety try the white man's cottage cheese from the supermarkets - it's okay in taste. Very moist and spreadable.

Other protein sources vegetarians might want to look at include: Almonds - which have about 25 g protein per 100g, but also pack about 20g carbs per 100g. Eat them both raw with skin (skin acts like fibre and slows carb release), as well as soaked and peeled.

Peanuts - The roasted salted ones I've got in front of me now have 25g of protein per 100g, and 13g of carbs per 100g.

What I meant by this is that you consciously look at the plate that contains your meals and consciously endeavor to make sure they broadly have the food groups and amounts you need.

Portionwise, go with having enough protein to be able to fill up a single hand if you out-stretched your fingers and made a big cup with it! Half that plate should be a big pile of steaming veg (melt some butter on it! and/orgrate some cheese). Mixed or single veg it cool. I like a mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrot slices. Sometimes cabbage. Then you could have a portion of coleslaw (add peanuts to it - my lil secret tip - fried courgettes! (yuuummm!)

Point is: look at the effing plate and make sure it has a good mix of food groups (hence 'set up plates') - you can make it look better at this stage too, which often helps stimulate your appetite.

All those are making me salivate lol.

I started eating a lot more dried fruits and nuts like almonds and peanuts when I started intermittent fasting.

I fast for 60% of the day, then in the 40% I try to make up all the calories I need.

Overall the fasting has cut down my calories, which is what I needed to do anyway and intermittent fasting just helped with it.

I used to eat tons of cabbage but never tried coleslaw.

I'll try steamed veggies too with butter and cheese. I normally like them cold and raw or with gravy in sabzi.

[dalsingh101]

All those are making me salivate lol.

I started eating a lot more dried fruits and nuts like almonds and peanuts when I started intermittent fasting.

I fast for 60% of the day, then in the 40% I try to make up all the calories I need.

Overall the fasting has cut down my calories, which is what I needed to do anyway and intermittent fasting just helped with it.

I used to eat tons of cabbage but never tried coleslaw.

I'll try steamed veggies too with butter and cheese. I normally like them cold and raw or with gravy in sabzi.

WATCH OUT(!!) for dried fruit. All the ones I've seen in England pack a stonking amount of carbs (like 70-80g per 100!!)

I think they commonly add fruit juices (fructose) or sugar to sweeten them?

The other top vege draw for protein is pumpkin seeds: a phenomenal 30g(!! yes you read that right!) per 100g, with only about 5g of carbs!

[BhagatSingh]

Yea they do. I hate how much sugar they add so I don't eat those.

Pumpkin seeds taste so bad lol.