SobaAddict70

Oh yoohoo... Here's another pic, this time by tetsujustin: and I'm off to the gym. Be back later with dinner, and stuff. Had some trail mix and fruit an hour ago. Enjoy the food porn.

Oh yes, Otto is definitely a possibility. Keep 'em coming, folks.

Only if they're sauteed in a TON of butter like what Craft does to morels. Speaking of Craft, if dinner didn't have the potential to cost over $200 for one person, I'd be there in a heartbeat. This pic still causes me to drool uncontrollably:

You know, it's funny Stash expected this reaction and is getting it. I don't think it sounds bad at all - although I'm more of a Spike fan than Mrs. Dash. I used to eat canned tuna on cottage cheese, and thought they balanced each other rather nicely. (I suppose now I'll be shown the door, having exposed my odd tastes.) ← What is this Spike you speak of? I have to look into that. Lately, I've been on a hot sauce kick. My newest addiction is chipotle Tabasco in addition to the cc/tuna/Mrs. Dash mix.

Initially I had the bright idea of trying to combine food in a way to maximize protein intake. Some people I'm familiar with have on occasion eaten an entire jar of natural peanut butter in one sitting. I'm not like that. As for tasting good, if you eat something often enough, you can train yourself to like it. When I'm cooking for myself, my foodie card goes flying out the window.

I think it's more like fascination born of the awareness that there's a cliff and I'm walking backwards with no knowledge of what lies behind me.

I've gone from barely being able to bench 20 lbs. to 105 lbs. in the course of slightly over a year and a half. I utilize free weights for the most part, yes. Currently bench is at 105 lbs., squats at 125 lbs. and deadlifts at 255 lbs. I don't want to go too off-topic here; if you'd like more specifics, please feel free to PM me.

I think it is just you . I think Lactaid seems thinner to me... and sweeter. I always assumed it was because the sugar is broken down in Lactaid. Have you tried using the drops rather than the pills? I find the pills are hit-and-miss and don't like relying on them. For some reason I've never tried the drops - but if Lactaid is more expensive than other milk, it may be worth trying them. I avoid this issue by not consuming much milk ← Hm, I don't think I've ever seen the drops. I'll have to look into it. I also consume vast quantities of other types of dairy products (cottage cheese being a prime example). 1 tub of cottage cheese -- approx. 4 cups worth -- lasts for a couple of days. For instance, I had half a tub last night before bed, and I'll have the remainder tonight. I haven't seen a cc manufacturer that's made them in larger-sized containers. As soon as one appears on the market, I'll be the first one in line. As far as cottage cheese goes, I prefer Breakstone's over Friendly's any day. I think Breakstone's has a cheesier/creamier taste and has a fresher consistency. It's around this time that I begin thinking about dinner. I think steak is on the menu tonight.

Not bad for a Wednesday... Lunch was pasta and meatballs -- two rather oversized meatballs composed of ground pork and beef, in a chunky tomato sauce, with linguini that had been tossed in some garlic, EVOO and parsley. Had some eggplant and squash medley, a glass of milk and a piece of fruit. They were also serving eggplant lasagna. Um, no thanks.

If McDonald's went back to their original mode of operation, would people try it? The thing is, there hasn't been a completely new sandwich from McD's for quite a long while. The last one was...the Big and Tasty? As I understand it, there's the Lobster Roll in New England, fan kao in Taiwan (think burgers with rice patties instead of buns) and McSpaghetti in of all places, the Philippines.

And here I thought it was because I'm approaching my mid-30s. (I'll be 35 in less than two months.) Off to get lunch in a few. Being that it's a Wednesday, it promises to be exciting. Is it just me or do most interesting/good offerings in corporate cafeterias worldwide perk up towards the middle of a week? I don't think I can take another day of roast beef though.

JEL -- Thanks for your reply. The cardio that I do is primarily for cardiovascular benefit, to be done AFTER a workout session. I usually keep it to 15 to 20 minutes tops on either the bike or treadmill. I'm well aware of the dangers of doing extended periods of cardio while on a bulking diet; hence, why I limit the amount of cardio during any given week. If I were engaging in a cutting diet, I would do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio. HIIT has the benefit of boosting metabolism for hours after a session has been completed. It's more difficult than lower intensity cardio and may hinder recovery more as well. However, it's one of the best forms of cardio for fat-burning purposes. I limit my consumption of egg yolks primarily due to the cholesterol count. I find that I'm able to get other types of fat in my diet, that I can easily do without the egg yolks. I don't know about you but six whole eggs consumed on a daily basis isn't particularly healthy from my standpoint. As for monthly supplements, I tend to buy my whey powder in bulk. At Large Nutrition is where I get most of my supplement needs. I usually order two tubs of Nitrean at a time and creatine fairly infrequently. I've only just started using ETS in the last two months. I also order when there are sale offerings. On average, I spend about $60 for supplements -- but NOT on a monthly basis. I learned a long time ago that you don't need to spend a huge amount of money on things like whey and creatine. All you really need are LOTS of quality food, LOTS of sleep and CONSISTENT training to be able to achieve results. If you don't want to use whey powder from a supplement manufacturer, you can buy your whey powder in bulk online to the tune of less than $20 (click here for a sample which I googled on the Internet). I would also order dextrose, as a little goes a long way towards improving taste and blood absorption. One tub of Nitrean will last me approximately five to six weeks, while a bottle of creatine will last for more than three months. I patronize At Large Nutrition because their products have proven to be reliable in my experience over a long period of time. Without delving too much into off-topicality, my current routine consists of mostly compound exercises over a three to four day split. This routine has proven to be quite beneficial both in terms of mass and strength gain, and one I've followed for quite a bit of time with some variations incorporated here and there. I hope this was helpful.

Lactaid tastes just like regular milk, except there seems to be a creamier taste...as if the butterfat/mouthfeel were more concentrated. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's just me. If I drink regular milk on a regular basis, I spend an inordinate amount of time on the ivory throne. It's funny, because when I was growing up, my mom always complained that I went through a gallon jug of milk too quickly. It'd be half gone after a day or two. Then one day in my early 20s, bam! I could no longer drink regular milk without suffering some kind of consequence. Breakfast #2 is six hardboiled eggs (5 egg whites and 1 whole egg), a glass of whole milk and a couple of nectarines.

Almost forgot. That's a pic of a bowl of chicken feet from the Chicken Feet thread. They're amazing as dim sum. I'm not that good a cook that I would dare to cook something like chicken feet at home. Try them, you'll either like it or hate it....but at least you'll be able to say you tried them.

Off to go get breakfast #2. I actually didn't get up until 8 this morning, so I'll get to the gym in the evening. It's just as well, really, since if I workout in the morning, I tend to want to take a nap around lunchtime. (The effect is quite accelerated on leg/lower body day.) Breakfast #1 this morning was two scoops of chocolate-flavored whey mixed with a couple of teaspoons of natural peanut butter and a glass of Lactaid. That's 465 calories at 18 g fat, 18 g carb and 60 g protein. I keep a count of all macronutrients consumed each day. It's helpful in tracking caloric consumption so that if I'm behind in terms of weight or mass gain, I can then make the necessary adjustments. I'm mildly lactose intolerant so I have to consume Lactaid as opposed to regular milk. At work, they don't have Lactaid, so I resort to drinking regular milk. I've tried the pill form of Lactaid but didn't react well for some reason. I don't know how much people pay for a gallon of milk, but a gallon of Lactaid -- that's two half-gallon containers since the manufacturers don't market Lactaid in gallon jug containers -- costs slightly over $9. At the rate I consume it, a gallon is usually gone in three to four days.

With all due respect Jack, many individuals (including myself) are at odds with this statement. All of the food and supplements that I consume are either natural or derived from natural sources. There's hardly anything artificial about whey protein or creatine, so I'm not quite sure why this perception exists. Furthermore, there are studies which have been performed by physiologists and scientists which demonstrate that principles of weight training are beneficial for individuals of all stripes. Click here and here for examples. However, since this line of discussion has the potential to stray far afield from the scope of this Foodblog, I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree for now.

There is, but what those diet pundits seem to have forgotten is that exercise is a necessary component of the equation. Most vigorous exercise performed on a consistent basis has a tendency to accelerate your metabolism, thus making it easier for you to consume calories. The key is in consuming quality as opposed to empty calories; in addition, if you were on a cutting or weight-loss diet, you would strive to maintain a slight caloric deficit whilst maintaining a high degree of intensity of exercise. PM me if you'd like more information. And thanks for the compliments.

Hm, do you have anything to recommend to a recreational drinker? Although I am getting better. I prefer wine to hard liquor (i.e. vodka, gin, Cognac). Little interesting tidbit: About a month ago, a few lawyers and I went to Molyvos for a farewell luncheon since a partner from my practice group was leaving my firm. They were serving lemon martinis. Now, I've *never* had a martini prior to that point, so I decided to take a couple of sips. It tasted like lemonade, very drinkable. We theorized that perhaps they were using some lemon-infused vodka with some simple syrup in addition to the mix. No harsh notes either. Well...twenty minutes later, I started feeling the effects. This was only from a couple of sips!!!! Of course there was one lawyer who knocked back at least two of them. I think I'll stick to wine for now. (Then again, when I first joined eGullet, I wasn't a wine drinker. Perhaps this will change with time. )

Heh. I have friends who use whey powder and protein isolate when making pancakes. Does that help? I'm afraid I'm not THAT adventurous, at least not yet. Of course, there's always something like this: This is courtesy of NulloModo, from his Foodblog. So you see, whilst cooking with such ingredients is not uncommon, it's also not out of the realm of the ordinary either.

Ok, time for bed...but first a bedtime snack. A whey shake (two scoops of chocolate whey/dextrose mixed with a glass of Lactaid), and....a bowl of 2% cottage cheese topped with a drained can of water-packed tuna, with a little Mrs. Dash. Don't say you weren't warned. Cottage cheese is a mostly casein-based protein and is perfect for a late-night snack, since it's digested over a relatively long period of time overnight. The tuna's just there for an extra dose of protein since I was running around all day and am probably in a protein deficit.

Typically I use either Nitrean or a tub of chocolate whey/dextrose mix from GNC. Most supplement companies will try to sell you on the latest designer drink of the moment. I'm sure they work for some people, but as far as I'm concerned, you can achieve equal results just by eating quality food and lots of it. Most of my daily caloric intake is derived from solid food and tends to be the same from day to day, at its most basic form. I don't mean that I eat the same dishes every day. I try to vary what I eat so I that I don't die of boredom. What I mean is that the basic composition remains the same: cottage cheese, tuna, milk, peanut butter, nuts, meat/poultry/fish, eggs, cheese, soy products -- along with your usual mix of fruit, vegetables, grains and a small amount of fat. I strive for 250+ g of protein a day. Roughly 45% of that is in liquid form. Sometimes I come up short. Sometimes I overcompensate. Sometimes I'm right on target. The important thing is that I try to be consistent.

A friend of mine tried to go on an all-liquid diet to the tune of 6000 calories a day. That lasted for two days before he reverted to a mix of liquids and solids. Another friend in Texas hates eating so most of his calories are in liquid form. Still, he can't say no to a nice juicy steak. Come to think of it, neither can I.

I described it in my opening post.

Chefs Jim Botsacos and Jake Addeo offer simplicity at its best in West Midtown. Abboccato (Marian Burros) Related discussion regarding Frank Bruni, his colleagues and the New York Times star system can be found here. Soba

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in many foods, typically meats and poultry. More information can be found here. Dinner tonight is chicken piccata, steamed broccoli and rice pilaf with currants and almonds. Oh yes, and a glass of Lactaid. I guess this'll make up for my bedtime snack -- which will probably make you gag when I mention it. It makes my meathead friends gag (the snack, not tonight's dinner), and most of them aren't foodies.