The scale is frozen!

That's right. Sometimes, that scale won't budge.

If you're counting calories, or doing low-carb diet, or whatever diet you're into right now, it's going to happen. You're going to step on that scale (I recommend just once a week, I'll explain why later), and that number will be the same from last week. 

What happened!?

Your body weight fluctuates throughout the week. It's normal. Sometimes we retain more water than usual. Maybe you ate that double-cheeseburger and didn't log it out of guilt. Or two? The point is, it doesn't matter. You heard me--It doesn't matter! As long as that scale is not moving upwards, you're OK! It's called a plateau, and it happens to everyone.

As a matter of fact, it happened to me. This morning, I stepped on that scale, and saw a very identical number from last week. At first, I was devastated. For a split second, I wanted to give up. I wanted to just throw away the scale and eat bad food. 

Well, I didn't throw away the scale. Nor did I eat bad food. I kept at it today. Healthy Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Well, I might have had some plain m&m's from work, but only a handful. I know, that next week, that scale is going to be lower. Because I KNOW, that I'm not going to cheat myself. 

Seriously, I know why the scale didn't move. It's my fault. Not anyone else is responsible, but me. No outside force caused me to eat nachos last night. No one put a gun to my head and told me to go out with my coworkers at lunch break and eat burritos at the local Cantina. Those were my decisions and my consequences. 

Awesome Egg and Avocado Breakfast!

The egg is very versatile

You don't have to eat it for breakfast, because the egg can go in anything. Think about that. We use eggs to bake cakes, or to make a boring ramen bowl amazing. Sometimes people even put them on their already cholesterol laden bacon cheeseburgers. 

My favorite way to eat an egg is on top of guacamole, which sits on top of rye bread. If you've never had guacamole, you are missing out. Guacamole is an easy mixture of avocado and various spices, like garlic, salt and pepper, and sometimes even some salsa goes great with it. It's all mixed up into a delectable concoction which also goes on everything!

This recipe is super easy! You will need:
2 Boiled Eggs
1 Avocado
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Salsa of your choice (optional).
German Rye bread

Boil your eggs to your liking. If you're not sure how to boil eggs to perfection, here's a link on how to do so flawlessly. Peel and set aside.

Half your avocado. But be careful! There's a large seed inside, so don't push down with your knife, otherwise this might end in disaster. Just cut around the seed in a circle, and separate the two halves, and discard of the seed. Now, use a spoon and scoop out the green stuff (meat) into a bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado a bit until it turns into a soft paste. Now throw a few pinches of each of the seasonings, and a couple teaspoons of salsa. Mix again. BAM! You have guacamole. You can use less or more of each of the ingredients -- just use your taste buds.
Of course we didn't forget about the eggs. Use an egg slicer and slice up the eggs. Spread your guacamole on the rye bread, and lay the slices of egg on top of that. Add some more salt and pepper to the top of the eggs. 

You're done! 

Enjoy that amazing breakfast, because not only is it tasty, but very healthy. You've got your two eggs which make up about 12 grams of protein, and of course that Vitamin D. The Guacamole is super healthy too, full of Potassium (708 mg), Vitamin C (24%), and Vitamin B-6 (20%). That bread, has no wheat flour whatsoever, which means it has a very low carbohydrate count. It's just made from rye flour. 

Stay tuned for more!

The Almighty Salmon

I love fish.

I love salmon the best. Salmon is good for you for many reasons. Not only is it very healthy, what with all the Omega-3 Fatty Acids, potassium, selenium, vitamin B12, and of course all the protein; but it's very lightweight too.

A 100g serving of salmon contains just 231 calories, 25g protein, 85mg of cholesterol and 3.2g saturated fat. Not bad at all!

It's easy to make. No, seriously. It is. It may seem daunting at first, but you can stick to some basics and have it turn out half-way decent. There are many ways to cook it, but my favorite is to grill it!

I buy salmon from Costco, usually. The variety I have for this meal is a boxed, pre-marinated salmon. Each salmon steak is individually sealed, so it's easy to defrost however many you need. Most fish defrosts very quickly. All you have to do is submerge the unopened packets in cold water (never use hot water!). In about 15 - 20 minutes, they should be defrosted well enough for the grill. You can make sure by lightly pinching the steak between thumb and forefinger. If it feels like there may still be ice in the middle, let it sit in the water a bit longer.

Pre-heat your grill to about 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it's hot, use a grill brush to take any gunk/food off from your previous grilling adventure (it's easier to do this when the grill is hot). This is also a good time to heat up a side dish of your choice, preferably some vegetables. 

Place your salmon skin side down on the grill first. After about 5 minutes, flip the steak(s) and let sear another 5 minutes. Do this two more times. If you're good enough, you get criss-crossed grill marks!

Serve up with whatever veggies you were cooking before, and enjoy! 

See? That wasn't so hard now was it?

Om nom nom nom nom!

Super Healthy Broccoli and Goat Cheese Soup

Staying True to Your Goals

Staying on point with a diet is hard. It's very easy to just go back to the way things were before, when you just ate whatever you wanted.

You know what's also hard? Being overweight. It's tough. When you're heavy, something called metabolic syndrome sets in. This is when your organs are saturated with fat. Even your heart. So your heart and organs have to do double or triple the work they normally do.

Simple tasks like walking up some stairs or even getting out of bed leave you winded. That shame you feel when you get on the elevator instead of taking the stairs.

One thing that's always stuck with me is a quote from someone online (I'm sorry I don't have a source): "You see elderly everywhere. But something you never see are fat old people." Let that sink in for a minute. Fat kills you. It will eventually end you. I don't want to die young. I'm 33, but I feel like I'm in my 60's. I know I'll never feel like I'm in my 20's ever again, but I do want to at least feel like a healthy 33 year old!

So here I am, in my early thirties, on my way to feeling like it. I want to look good naked. I want to enjoy sex again. I want to feel like I can do anything. I'm getting there.

This delicious chicken salad! Yum!

Fresh off the grill!

Just some chicken breasts ready to go in my salads!

Grilled these puppies up after slicing them lengthwise and lightly seasoning with seasoning salt. Grilled them low and slow.