Quick look!! A recipe book up for grabs!

I promised and I have delivered!

I have up for grabs a copy of this great book!

I am loving this.  

Not only does it have some great recipes perfect for summer, such as:

Chargrilled Lamb kebabs with coconut dressing

Barbecued pork belly on skewers

Green Mango salad

and paleo doughnuts!!!!!!  (I know, right!)

It also devotes the first half of the book to exercises.   

Luke and Scott share their knowledge to help you gain muscular strength and fitness from home or at work.

There is a large range of exercises to work on all your body.  Each one has an easy and hard version with clear instructions and a page of photos for you to follow.

You can follow Luke at:
www.trainerluke.com
www.facebook.com/thebondiPT
www.instagram.com/trainer_luke

Or Scott at:
www.scottgoodingfitness.com.au
www.facebook.com/ScottGoodingFitness
www.instagram.com/scottyfit

I am not one for the gym so I was really excited when this came in the post and wasn't JUST a recipe book.

So, how do you get yourself a copy???

Simply leave a comment telling me what your fave paleo/low carb high fat/primal meal is, come visit me over on facebook and share the love!

My son the foody will choose his favourite meal suggestion on 12 December so we can have your copy in the post before christmas.

It is that easy!

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This competition ‘is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.’  A copy of Clean Living Quick & Easy was supplied to me for review and a copy to give away by Luke & Scott and Hatchett Australia.

Open to residents of Australia only.

Question time with Luke and Scott

In my journey of reaching and maintaining good health I have come across some great people, recipe books and speakers.  I am loving the path I am on and love being able to share what I have learnt with others.

When I received a copy of Clean Living Cookbook by Luke & Scott 

for my birthday I was rapt.  

I have said previously what a fabulous book it is, filled with amazing recipes.  

I have since got their Paleo Sweets book (OMG!) and their Paleo Breakfasts book,both of which I would thoroughly recommend.

But, I wanted more.  I emailed the guys and told them how much I appreciated their books and asked if they would like to answer some reader questions.   These guys are awesome and very kindly agreed to not only a question/answer session but also a give away of their newest book Clean Living Quick & Easy.  

How great is that!!

So, to get the ball rolling, here are the answers 

to your questions.

1. Were you eating a paleo diet completely before MKR or did you develop more afterwards?

Luke: I was eating what I considered to be healthy, but certainly not paleo. It was a great and exciting learning curve for me once the show finished, as I really wanted to regain my health and look and feel my best, so I 100% completely embraced paleo upon completion of filming. My physical and mental transformation was quick and really quite exceptional. 

Scott:  Prior to MKR I was paleo but arguably not as purist as i now am.  My understanding of nutrition has evolved over the last 2-3 years and so has the foods I include and don't include in my diet.

2. Many sporting people will insist on eating carbs for energy.  What are your views on this?

Luke: I have trained my body to use ketones for energy. Which in its simplest form is when our body uses fat as energy as opposed to carbohydrates. If I need to exert myself in an intense way and need more of an energy burst, I will make smart carb choices such as a banana or some berries for the added boost my body needs. At the end of the day, you need to listen to your body and do what works for you.

Scott: Generally speaking we fixate on carbs being the source of our energy for training and sport. The fact of the matter is we can perform exceptionally well on a ketogenic diet, I would say that if you training volume include considerable amount of high intensity training then some safe starches are fine.

3. Will your sweets book come out in hard copy?

Luke: All of our books will be released in the same format as the others in the Clean Living Series. We look for uniformity across the brand. One day down the track we might bring out a massive hard copy collection. You will have to wait and see.

Scott: Our next book FAST FOOD has heaps of amazing sweet recipes, all of which can be made in no time, with little fuss.

4. You use a huge amount of seafood in your current book.  Will the next book have more land animals?

Luke: Yes, you will see lots of land animals ranging from grassed beef, organic free range chicken to free range pork, and of course, lots of different varieties of sustainable seafood choices.

Scott: It's not deliberate to include more seafood vs land animals, I guess it just works out that way.  We do try to keep the sources of protein as varied as we can and include some cheaper cuts to keep budgets low.  We feel its important that if you do choose to eat meat then you should respect the animal and eat nose to tail. 

5.  You seemed a bit reluctant to use high fat in MKR.  Do you still follow this principal as strictly or have you changed your views?

Luke: We were very reluctant to use bad quality food sources, but have always been really excited to use good quality fats that come from meat, avocados, nuts and seeds. On the show we really wanted to reflect making the healthier choice with the options on offer. And we certainly steered away from sugar.

Scott: I don't recall being reluctant to use fat - we often spoke of the benefits of eating full fat over reduced fat products.  Im a huge advocate for the high fat diet; we have lived in a world where saturated fat has been the bad guy for 40-50 years and now the tide is slowly turning which is good news for health.  The sooner we pull away from vegetable oils and trans-fats the better off we'll be. 

6. Will you be doing a book tour with the next book?  How about a visit to Tasmania?

Luke: We will be doing a series of pop-up restaurants around the country. Melbourne and Sydney are first of the block and we will announce more dates to follow. We love being able to reach our fan base and connect with people who really embody our clean living lifestyle.

Scott: We would absolutely love to come to Tasmania to do book tour.  Tasmania is one of my favorite places to visit and boasts some of the best scenery I've ever seen.

7.  Eating a paleo inspired diet isn't the norm for most people, particularly those who are active. What prompted the shift from a high carb diet to this for you?

Luke: In fact, we have seen the opposite to this statement. We have seen that highly active people are more so switched on to how they fuel there bodies and what effect food has on their performance. It is sometimes the supermarkets and advertising campaigns in health and fitness magazines that tell a different story that we still need high amounts of carbs to function. To me, it seems the healthier more active people are the more educated and informed, because they care.

Scott: The shift came from listening to my body and witnessing the telltale signs of a high carb diet - lethargy, mood change and energy dips.  The shift was also a consequence of reading as most as i could around the subject - arming myself with as much info to make informed choices around nutrition.

8. What are your thoughts on electrolyte replacements such as Hydralyte during sustained physical activity (eg 4+ hours of cycling, tri, ironman etc). Do you have any ideas on alternatives?

Luke: My choice is always to go natural. Coconut water is natures superfood sports drink, 100% natural and so good for you. A way better option.

Scott: Its imperative to ingest some form of electrolyte replacements during sustained exertion, otherwise performance will be impaired and diminish.

9. What are your thoughts on the HCG Protocol and the concept of reaching leptin sensitivity.

Luke: Not my specialty thanks x

Scott: My thoughts are that we should shift our focus from weight management to health.  Once we start eating for health then our weight will naturally revert to its optimum.  Forget quick fixes, fads and short cuts - food should be enjoyed with an eating plan which has longevity and one you can sustain indefinitely.  I encourage people that are hoping to lose weight to eat real food, minimise their intake of carbs/sugar and embrace a high fat diet.

Thanks to both Luke and Scott for helping out here and their generous offer of donating a copy of their latest book for a competition.  

Keep your eye on this space

 if you 

would like to win your own copy.

Must be update time

Round two is drawing to a close for me.  I am planning on starting my third round of HCG Protocol on 27 September.  It was going to be a bit earlier but have had an upsetting week with the death of a good friend, so decided I need a clearer mind to concentrate on phase two.

Round two hasn't been as successful as my first round and despite expecting that and knowing it wouldn't be I am still disappointed.  I guess the positive is that I haven't gained and I have maintained well in phase four.

I certainly don't feel like I have missed out at all.  I have celebrated birthdays, had time away and eaten what I have wanted without any real drama.

The two things that upset me most is rice and almonds.  I gain on both and rice tends to make me feel a bit heavy and stodgy in the gut.  Luckily the only time I have it is if I get sushi with the kids, I don't use it at home at all.

We have really hit the ground running with the LCHF (low carb high fat) and the kids are transitioning well and feeling great with the change.  I am fortunate to have two intelligent and open kids who will look at research and discuss what and why.  (even at 10 and 12)

Cut to the chase I hear you say LOL

So, my stats for this round are as follows:

R2/P1/D1                 90.7kg

R2/P2/D42               82.3kg

current weight          76kg

Total loss                 14.7kg

Phase 4/5 has been up and down in weight but have sat in that 76-77kg range for the past few weeks.

Measurements haven't changed dramatically, however I feel that my skin has tightened a bit.  Might be my imagination but it just feels that way.  And, yeah I am a bit slack with measurements.  My excuse that is has been too cold to swan about in the raw measuring LOL   More regular with warmer weather LOL

DATE	WAIST	HIPS	THIGH	ARM	CHEST	CALF
2 Feb 14	112	141	71	41	119
wk3	109	136	68	38	119
wk4.5	107	135	66	38	116
17 Mar '14	107	130	63	38	112
3 Apr '14	105	125	63	38	112
12 May'14	103	120	61	38	111
25 May'14	103	120	59	35	109	40
13 Jun'14	98	107	59	35	105	36
29-Jun-14	98	110	55	34	104	36
19-Sep-14	94	110	55	32	102	34

I think I am going in to round three with less inflammation and feeling much better than I did when entering round two.  I hope this means I will have a more successful round this time.

The biggest thing I have got from this round is that if you are doing multiple rounds then there is no need to introduce too much.  Just take it easy and stick to your tried and tested with good fats.  When I ended the first round I felt terribly inflamed with pain and bloating because I tried to do too much.  This time I have stuck to foods I know are ok, eaten really high fat and I think this is why I feel so much better.  

Anyway. onwards and upwards, tally ho and all that!  Tell me how you are going on your journey!

Primal Living Tasmania conference - Part One

I was fortunate enough to grab a last minute ticket for the Primal Living, Changing The Way We Eat conference held this weekend in Hobart.  Talk about spur of the moment and the planets colliding stuff! Tickets = no money, Money = no tickets and then someone had a ticket and couldn't go KAPOW!    

Hobart I am in you!!

I headed down to Hobart on Friday afternoon.  An 8am registration and icy morning roads didn't appeal to me.  Now, if you haven't heard of airbnb for accommodation I suggest you check it out!!  Some great places to stay and at a reasonable price.  I stayed with Sarah (and Ruby) in Harrington St.  Nice and close to the north Hobart eateries, quiet area and a lovely home.

Take your own water bottle!

Seriously, if you are going to the Wrest Point, take your own.  $4.70 for a small bottle of water is just crazy!  I had run out and forgot to go to the supermarket on the way, so was pinched.   I also thought the set up might have been tables to sit at with water.  It was theatre style auditorium so I was busted!  Fortunately, the conference had water filters dotted around the trade room so I could refill my bottle.

I am Bulletproof, hear me roar!

So, if you haven't heard of the bulletproof phenomena that is taking us by storm you have obviously been living under a rock.  Me, hadn't had one because I don't think any cafes serve them and I am basically lazy.  So I broke my cherry yesterday (twice)
The OptimOZ team providing the coffee use their brand of MCT oil to make their coffee.  I did find it incredibly creamy and tasty, however it did react and I was very bloated afterwards.  Will test with home made to see if it has the same effect or is just their blend.

There were around 20 trade tables and they all offered great deals on the day, samples and plenty of information about their products.  Many of them contributed to the food served which was great.
One thing I dislike when I go to something like this is being harassed by the stall holders and all but one avoided doing this.
I didn't buy a heap of stuff.
What I did indulge in was some raw honey from Miellerie,  King Island Beef Jerky 
and some Rumbles Paleo bars.

Who doesn't like a goodie bag!

I love a goodie bag.  Mind you my kids do even more.  This one didn't fail to please and had loads of samples (although a few were missing from mine so I am thinking they may have run out.  Which was a bit disappointing).
Loved the magazines included and the discount vouchers that last longer than a week.
A suggestion for future events would be that they avoid including brochures for trade table holders.  Because no one gets a chance to have a good look through until they get home they tend to grab brochures off the table.  This is a complete was of paper and money (on the business's part) because it is a double up that ultimately ends up in the recycling.  If I go past a table and am interested I will grab their brochures etc  I don't need them in the bag as well.
It was awesome to see Urban Farm Tasmania including seeds in the bags too!

The food!  OMG!  THE FOOD!!!!!

I only wish I had written it all down so I wouldn't have to go from memory.
Did I mention it was awesome!
OMFG!
I am sure it was quite alien for the hotel chef to cook this way and I hope it was a learning experience for him and his staff.
It truly was delicious.

Morning tea consisted of bone broth, pumpernickel bread with pesto and butter, Kind Island Beef Jerky,  Mt Gnomon sausages, organic apples, terrines, nuts, cured meats and more coffee!

A few hours later lunch was served.  Again, we were not disappointed.
It is so nice to go to an event that I can actually eat at and not have to take my own food.
I cannot remember all the dishes for lunch but the ones I do remember wet dishes of beef, lamb, offal, wallaby kofta (divine!), meatballs, veg, salad, sauerkraut, spiced cauliflower 'cous cous', sweet potato, chia puddings and raw coconut rough chocolates.

So much happening and I haven't even started on the speakers!  
Watch this space or subscribe for updates
and I will share my thoughts and notes on all the speakers on the day.