Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Wednesday Weigh-In 20161026

I wish I could say that I've been sticking to the lo-carb diet 100%. But alas, I caved in to some sweet treats since last week: candy-coated almonds; jelly beans; candy corn. Also, yesterday and this morning I ate Chinese food, which undoubtedly contained wheat and sugar in the sauce. I'm glad I didn't gain more than a half pound!

Waist = 41.0"
Height = 5' 9"

References:
  1. Wikipedia BMI page
  2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
  3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Easy Homemade Mayonnaise

Ever since I found out how easy it is to make mayonnaise from scratch, I've been whipping together one-cup batches.  I follow the basic process described by The Healthy Foodie and use my own ingredients, which includes (in addition to the large egg and 1 cup extra light olive oil):

¼ teaspoon dry ground mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional, for a taste more like "Bell Menz")

Be sure to keep the immersion blender at the very bottom of the jar until the emulsion stops "blooming."  (If you lift the blender too soon, the mayonnaise will be very runny, but it might be salvageable by adding another egg.) Then slowly lift the blender to incorporate the rest of the oil.

Why go through all this fuss?  Why not just eat store-bought mayo?  Commercial mayo is made from inferior, highly-refined, GMO oil.  Even the products sold in health food stores are made from canola oil, whose ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 is not favorable.  Besides, homemade mayonnaise is so much more delicious, and you can vary the recipe to make a dressing.  For example, you might add horseradish to complement roast beef, or Worcester sauce for a spicy sushi dish.

A batch lasts at least two weeks, but you'll probably finish it before then.

Try it!

2016-12-30 SPG Edited to add the optional maple syrup.
2023-12-26 SPG Add details about egg and oil, plus the paragraph about keeping the blender at the bottom of the jar.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Wednesday Weigh-In 20161019

Just another weigh-in...

Waist = 41.0"
Height = 5' 9"

References:
  1. Wikipedia BMI page
  2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
  3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Wednesday Weigh-In 20161012

I'm really frustrated by the preponderance of low fat food. I even think that the "meat" bars, such as those from Epic and Tanka, are lower in fat than I'd like them to be. Folks like me who cut back on carbs need to get some of those lost calories from fat.

Waist = 41.25"
Height = 5' 9"

References:
  1. Wikipedia BMI page
  2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
  3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Wednesday Weigh-In 20161005

I finally found a source of additive-free heavy cream. But I also found that I can't tolerate too much of it. Dairy fat is a convenient source of fat, which I use to offset the lost calories from the carbs I'm cutting out. And it satiates me very well.

Waist = 41.75"
Height = 5' 9"

References:
  1. Wikipedia BMI page
  2. Tanita Scale with Body Fat monitor
  3. Javascript must be enabled to view the data.