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Yoga

yogatiger

I realized I started practicing Yoga 10 years ago thanks to a friend dragging me out to a class. Prior to that class my knowledge of Yoga was what I had seen from the old PBS 70’s show and Street Fighter. To my surprise it was a lot better than the PBS yoga but sadly not as cool as spitting fire and stretchy limbs. Over the years my Yoga practice has fluctuated from dedicated to nonexistent but what is great about yoga is you always carry it with you. For me it has always been about the breath and meditation. The physical aspects of yoga are cool but secondary to my practice. In time I will need to master them all but for now I am calm and happy with my breath and meditation.

Progress?

tiger-face-snarl-hiss-close-up_20246_990x742

So not really progress. In the last 2 weeks I have gained 2 pounds and my BMI went up by 2%. Not exactly the number progress I was working for. Now if I go for appearance some parts of me have thinned out some and my arms and legs have a lot more muscle. I also learned how to use one of the workout equipment pieces I was unsure of this weekend which add a few more weight exercises to my routine. Its not all about the numbers. Still going and working hard.

Slow Cooking

slowcooker

I brought to India my slow cooker but like many of my electric appliances it does not work. So I am getting a new one because nothing makes being Paleo easier than a slow cooker. Easy way to make a large batch of food for the week. Some vegetables, some spices and a nice piece of meat thrown in the slow cooker and BAM awesome meal. Looking forward to trying out some old recipes with some new indian spices.

Cravings

Tiger eatingAfter a delicious morning of Bacon and Eggs I went on to eat 5 samosas (not paleo), a fruit plate, my chicken breast and spinach salad, a plate of chicken lollipops for lunch, some mutton and spinach for dinner, pomegranate seeds and half a mango. Also through out the day I snacked on on pistachios. I knew it was a lot of food but my body was craving it and I felt hungry. I made the mistake of doing a morning weigh in and was a couple pounds heavier. What is interesting is I had a desire to go to the gym after work even though I did my morning workout. I didnt but I think next time I will. Also need to stop doing daily weigh ins and just do a weekly one.

Bacon and Eggs

Bacon and eggsThis morning coming back from the gym I remembered that I forgot that I hadn’t boiled any more eggs for the week. Then I remembered I had leftover bacon from my rumaki in the fridge and fresh eggs. So I made the best paleo breakfast I know of Bacon and eggs. Seriously I think it is the one meal that converts most people to Paleo. “I can have bacon? Fuck yeah sign me up!”

Monsoon

Tiger rain

Monsoon season is here and it makes walking even the 5 minutes to the gym a little unbearable at times. However that doesn’t stop me from working out at home. I just do a lot more body weight exercise which when you are fat are great because you have a lot of weight to lift. I also do a lot more yoga and stretches. I am going to be getting some resistance bands for home and travel so I can limit the amount of excuses I have for not working out. Seems I can do most of the exercises I do in the gym with them. We will see how that goes. In the mean time I am going to be trying to stay dry.

Rumaki

RumakiSo this weekend in addition to my normal mutton and chicken breast cooking I decided to try to make one of my favorite dishes Rumaki. I was first introduced to Rumaki in New Orleans at a Chinese food restaurant my first day down there. Later I discovered the most amazing Rumaki at the Chinese Kitchen along with their amazing giant egg rolls. I cant have their egg rolls anymore but I can have Rumaki.

Rumaki is pretty Paleo with a few minor substitutions. At the heart of it is Chicken Livers wrapped with bacon. Organ meat and Bacon is like the ideal Paleo thing. I think water chestnuts are in there too. You cook the bacon but not too much, Then you soak the Chicken Livers in soy, garlic, pepper, salt. You can sub out the soy sauce for something more Paleo. I cook the chicken livers in some ghee or butter. Once both bacon and chicken livers are cooked I let them sit a little then once cool I wrap the chicken livers with the bacon. I think you put a water chestnut in there too if you have them. I did not. You secure the wrap with a tooth pick, Then you would put it in a broiler but I do not have a broiler here in India so I throw them back in the frying pan.

I didn’t have a plum sauce/Duck sauce to go with it so I substituted a thai pineapple sauce which was good too. They were delicious. The above photo is not my end result but is about what they looked like

Strength Training

Tigerstrength

Last time I was on the Paleo Path I didnt do any kind of strength training or real exercise. It was pure diet and a little walking. This time I am determined to see how adding strength training to the mix will be. Luckily I have a gym in my building that I can walk to in five minutes. Conveniant means I am more likely to go. Granted it has been there for over a year and I bought sneakers to use it last year when I went 3 times but now I am determined to make it part of my life and for the last two weeks I have.

Every day I hit the gym. I am not an hour long gym enthusiast and for now I just want to get in the gym and do something. I am finding I do a nice rotation at the machines working arms and legs doing heavy weights and short reps. I try and cycle through twice and going to work on three times next week. I am already seeing muscle growth and better body definition. Sadly my weight seems to maintain and I am not really sure of the muscle weighs more than fat excuse but I am going to go with that for now.

Thanks for reading.

What Does a Tiger Eat?

Tiger eatingA Tiger probably eats a ton of meat. I try to eat a lot more meat these days too. My daily intake is a couple of hard boiled eggs in the morning. I get to work and have a fruit plate which usually contains pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon and papaya. Lunch is a spinach salad with sliced cucumber, tomato, and pieces of chicken breast I prep on Sunday. Dinner is whatever my maids make for a vegetable side and mutton I prep on sunday. I don’t mind the same meal every day because on the weekends I give myself some variety.

For prep I buy 6 chicken breasts which I marinate in Italian dressing and fry in coconut oil. I cut it up and put in a bowl to distribute in my salads through the week. So far that seems enough. The mutton I get 1kg of mutton cubes which is two legs worth. I cook that with spices, usually a mutton masala. I add stew vegetables to go along with it. So Carrots and okra and if in season mushrooms. I buy bags of spinach (sadly not baby spinach) and assorted vegetables. My maids cook up a variety of vegetable dishes through the week with whatever I buy. They use my coconut oil for cooking or ghee so it is all paleo friendly.

Right now I am still cheating a little with a samosa here and there or a croissant but as I am going along I am finding them not to be as much of a treat any more and feel bad after eating them so I will soon remove them from the diet all together. 80/20 is still my goal for this diet and enjoyment.

Another cheat I am working out of my diet are liquid calories. I have a rose shake and a chai everyday. While not the worst cutting them out entirely and just having water will be best.

Thanks for reading.

Paleo in India

Goat in India

Being Paleo in India can be challenging at times if you eat out. Food either involves bread, rice or fried batter. However those are the things that usually accompany your meal. Mainly to temper the fiery heat of the spices of the food. If you can eat masala with no issues on its own then cutting out the carbs is easy. Its even easier if you cook at home.

Great thing about India is that you get fresh vegetables and meats pretty readily. Everything is seasonal and sourced locally. It sucks when a vegetable or fruit you like is out of season but when something is in season it tastes that much better. Every week or day if needed I can walk to my local street vendor and grab the veggies and fruits I need for my meals. Generally I just stock up on the weekend but it is nice that like 5 feet outside my home is a guy selling vegetables and if I dont like his vegetables I walk 5 minutes to the next guy.

Getting meat is easy and tricky here. I can get all the chicken I want. All the mutton I want. A variety of fish. Beef. Well that one is banned in the state I live in so getting beef is not an option. Pork is tricky and some pork product can be acquired threw some vendors but not as readily as the rest. I know where to get bacon and that is all that matters.

Sourcing meat though is easy. I have a great local butcher and they deliver. I order my boneless chicken breasts and my mutton cubes and they come about an hour or so later. Since the cubes come from the leg they give me the bones as well which is great for soups. I can get organ meat if I want too. Again the animals are all local. How do I know because I see them tied up in front of the shops.

Aside from the temptations of somasas, chapati, naan and biryani eating and staying paleo is easy to do.