I was having a conversation over the holidays with an old, old friend of mine who recently took up a new diet and was going to the gym almost every day.  She's struggled with losing "the last fifteen pounds" for the last fifteen years.  At 48 years old, this was her last attempt.  "Claire, if I can't do it now, I'm done.  I'm just going to eat whatever I want, because no matter how hard I try nothing is changing."

She was really upset about three things:

1. She was exhausted all the time, to the point she could barely get through the day at work, much less do anything afterwards.
2. She was meticulously counting calories and staying under 1,200 calories a day - which was extremely time consuming and consisted of almost no food. She's also a professional chef, so this extreme restriction was impacting her professional life as well.
3. She hadn't lost any weight even though she was working out 4 or 5 times a week.  

Sound familiar?

People (women in particular) have been told for years that the only way to lose weight is to enter into extreme caloric deficit... a.k.a. starvation.  And, add in a good dose of cardio every day for good measure.  The enemy in this scenario is The Calorie.  Calories are bad... to be restricted and watched very carefully when they are around.

There's only one problem with that approach... calories are the things that fuel our bodies.  Without them we literally don't have the energy to do stuff, we get "hangry."  And your body isn't stupid, it learned years before you were even born (way back when humans were hunting and gathering) that when energy is not plentiful, the body will hold on to whatever it has... translated into modern concerns: you won't lose weight. 

So what are calories then? They are the literally the little energy units that keep you alive. We consume them through food, and there are three basic macronutrient forms: protein, carbs, and fat. [There are micronutrients too, but that's for another day.]  We need all three of those kinds of energy for our bodies to function.  Even when you aren't doing anything at all your body is burning calories because you are breathing, your heart is pumping, etc.  The more you move, the more you need to keep going.

If you are a moderately active person (working out 3 to 4 times a week), and have a job that requires you to move around, or kids, or an overly active dog, or anything like that... you probably need more than 1200 calories to get through your day without feeling like crap.  So, how do you know?

There are four things to consider here:
1.    How active are you?  Not just working out, but other stuff like I mentioned above.  
2.  What is your body type?  There are three kinds: endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph (see below).

3.  What is your goal? Are you trying to lose weight, maintain, or gain muscle mass?

If you know these three things you can calculate your true caloric needs, and how they are best achieved.  Wait?  What?  Yes, calories are calories, but depending on our body type, how much we move, and what our goal is, there is an optimal ratio of those macronutrients I talked about above that will get you there fastest.

Again, macro-nutrients are protein, carbs and fat.  We eat them to make energy (referred to as kcals).  It's good to note that every gram of protein and carbs you eat yield 4 kcal (calories) of energy; fat yields 9.  Yes, there are different kinds of fat and some are better than others, but that's for a different day... we're talking calories here.  Depending on your body type and your goals, you need to eat a different mix of those three things to optimize performance and reach your goals... aka live your life and look the way you want to.

So, if you are an endomorph - you carry weight, have a slow metabolism, and tend to be "thick"; and your goal is to lose weight- your body will do better with restricted carbs, and more fat and protein.  That's cool. Only eat one slice of bread, but put double the meat, a slice of cheese and a bunch of veggies on it.

If you're like my friend, a mesomorph who is athletic, moves a lot and wants to build muscle AND cut down on fat then you need closer to 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fat.  Have a second roll.

That's the basics of it.  You don't need to figure your macro-analysis out yourself... I'll do it for you (it's even FREE in January!), and I can develop a meal plan around that, and we can check in on progress.  Or you can download an app that will do it for you.  I use My Macros+.  It won't build your meal plans (or make your food), but you can figure out your macros and track them there.  It's the best interface I've found... and I look at these things a lot.

However, you do it... or don't do it, the point of this blog post is that calories are not the enemy.  Food is not the enemy.  You need food... protein, carbs AND fat in some combination to keep living.  Reflecting on who you really are right now, and where you really want to be are the first steps to really understanding how to develop the very personal macro-mix that will work for you. 

This is an act of self-compassion and self-care.  Love yourself enough to nourish your body with the things it wants and needs.  Calories are the compassionate friends your body needs to be the true you.  You’d be surprised.  Sometimes the answer to the elusive question “why aren’t I losing weight or getting stronger,” is that you aren’t eating enough. 

A couple days before Thanksgiving we got some interesting news... the kitchen space we rent was closing.  That is a big, big bummer.  However, as with most things in life, this ended up being a good thing for us because it's allowed us to make some changes in how we do things.  We've gotten a lot of great feedback from folks on what we are doing, and this change in location helps us address several of those requests.  So, here they are...
​

1. Folks have requested a slight shift in our order days so that we would deliver (or you could pick up) on Monday, fresh for the work week.  Well, we're happy to announce that is going to be the case.  Starting in Januray 2019 we will be delivering on Mondays.  That also means that we will be publishing new menus on Friday, and you'll need to get your order in by Tuesday.
2. "Waukesha is awesome, but I work downtown and I can't get to your place in the window for pick up."  Yep, that has been a drag.  We're very excited to announce that our new kitchen space is in downtown Milwaukee.  The new kitchen is part of La Merenda.  They will be opening a butcher & gourmet goods shop in early 2019, and you'll be able to pick up your meals there on Mondays... and grab a bottle of wine and maybe a steak or two for when we aren't cooking for you.
3. We are in transition, but don't anticipate this affecting anything.  Our last week of orders for 2018 closes on Monday, December 17th.  We'll be taking the following week off to prepare your holiday meals, and enjoy the holidays.  We'll send out our first menu of 2019 on December 27th.  As we get closer to that day we'll let you know if anything changes.
4. "All this food looks great, but what the hell am I supposed to order?"  We got it... just because you're on a nutritional plan doesn't mean you know what foods are.  In the next week or so you'll see a change to how we organize our menu.  We'll have things convienently sorted into specific categories like: paleo, keto, family sized, and of course, vegan.  The goal is to make it easier for you to order what you need to meet your nutritional goals. 

​So, the moral of the story is... when life hands you an undesirable condition you gotta roll with it.  Sometimes the weight on the bar is pretty heavy.  You might miss the lift, but the only time you fail is when you don't get back under the iron and try again.

Here's to explosive growth for all of us in 2019!

​Now that you had a chance to read about Claire and purchase our delicious to_go boxes I figured it’s time for me to introduce myself.
 
Growing up I have always participated  in some kind of sport: baseball, football, wrestling, track & field but when my high school days were coming to an end it was clear there was one sport that I excelled at: football. I decided to continue playing football in college and that is where I really learned about my passion for fitness.
 
Entering college I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer. It only took a semester to realize my artistic abilities are comparable to my 3 year old, so I knew I needed a change. While training in the offseason we had a strength coach who was also the exercise science department head. I struck up a conversation with him and asked about his job. From that point on I knew I found my calling.
 
After graduating college I did a summer internship with the Houston Astros as a minor league strength and conditioning coach. I had the opportunity to travel with the team, prepare them for games, and learn about professional baseball. There are still philosophies in my training that have been with me since those days 10 years ago. Two summers with the Astros was a wonderful experience but I needed more.
 
I was fortunate to get my first collegiate experience as an intern at Marquette University. Working at Marquette taught me the difference in working with males and females. Prior to that I had only trained male athletes but I soon realized I was able to connect with females and motivate them without the screaming and yelling.
 
When my time at Marquette was up I enrolled at Ball State University to earn a masters in sports performance. My time at Ball State gave me the opportunity to work with athletes of all different backgrounds, sports, strengths and weaknesses. It was there I truly understood what it took to motivate the individual and further study the science behind what we do from a fitness standpoint.
 
Upon completion of my graduate degree my wife, Emily, and I packed up and moved back to the Milwaukee area. We have planted our roots here and are now raising two wonderful, happy, healthy, challenging, and fun boys.
 
I believe in balance in everything we do. I balance working long days and odd hours with savoring the time I get to spend with my family. I balance eating healthy with a “cheat day” here and there. I balance my workouts with things I like to do and things I need to do.  
 
I can’t wait to help you find balance in your life and achieve your fitness goals!

Back in the early days of Girlchef, we took a month long trip starting in Omaha, winding up to Seattle and then down the California coast and back east to Kansas.  We stopped at state and national parks the entire way.  One thing that emerged from that trip was a series of spice blends designed to compliment the different foods we found in those regions.

This one is a modern take on Harissa, a Tunisian chili paste.  Ours is unique because it integrates Urfa Biber, an dark red Turkish pepper that has an almost raisin taste to it.  These peppers are covered with fabric when they are dried, which gives them a unique, more robust flavor.  Because they "sweat" under the cloth they retain a moisture that gives this pepper a more mellow heat that sun dried peppers like guajillo.  Of course, we throw in some ancho and a bit of coriander, which gives this spice blend a floral note.

I personally love this as a dry rub on flank or sirloin.  However, it's great on seafood and vegetables as well.  It's not very spicy, but it does add a bit of heat to whatever you put it on.

I love pasta and pizza, but marinara gets old sometimes.  This sauce is incredbly easy to make and can be used with pasta, in lasagna (like last week's butternut squash and spinach lasagna), or on top of pizza.  Honestly, it's so easy to make, and holds up really well for about a week in the fridge, or freeze it for later use.  And... it's vegan!  Pairs really well with pinot grigio or a hard cider.

Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

1 Butternut Squash; peeled, seeds removed, and chopped into pieces
1Tbsp  Rubbed Sage (you can use fresh if you like)
1 Tbsp Garlic; minced
1 Tsp  Himalayan Sea Salt

Put the squash into a pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until squash is well done (approximately 15 minutes).  Drain, and save the cooking liquid.  In a food processer place the cooked squash, sage, garlic and salt.  Add about one cup of the cooking liquid and puree until well mixed.  You can add additional cooking liquid if you prefer a looser sauce, but we like our thick.

Keeps for about a week in the fridge, or it can be frozen for longer storage.
​

Happy Halloween, or Samhain for the traditionalists!  In a fun happenstance I went for my body composition test (DXA) today,and received a nice little scan of my skeleton.  I wanted to share some of the results from that scan, and the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test I also did today because I'm a geek for this kind of stuff, but also because it is tangible evidence of the work Dan has been doing with me over the last six months.  Yeah, I lifted the weight and cooked all the food I put in my pie hole, but he programmed this, and he deserves a lot of credit for that... and putting up with me.

Let me start off by saying that shortly after I started lifting in February I decided to have a Bod Pod and RMR test done at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Department of Kinesiology.  Those were baseline tests for me to know where my body's general composition was at before I started powerlifting.

Six months later I returned to have a more comprehensive DXA scan and another RMR test.  The DXA is like lying in the bed of your printer's scanner.  A big arm goes over you and produces an x-ray of sorts that shows essentially three things: your fat and lean mass, and your bone density.  Unlike the BodPod, which only factors out fat and then lumps together lean and bone mass. With the DXA you get to see your bone density and lean muscle mass. 

The RMR test is a more precise way of knowing how many calories you burn at rest.  So, if you never got out of bed in a day, this is what your body needs to survive.  It also breaks out how much of that caloric burn is through carbs, versus fat.

So, what does six month of powerlifting do to a 48 year old woman?  Here's some basic stats from my test today...

• I gained almost ten pounds (72kg in April, 76kg today).
• I reduced my body fat by 4%.
• My bone density is at an age adjusted 2.5 (3 is the highest you can go).
• 66% of my body is lean mass - muscles.
• 4% of my body is bone.
• 30% is fat.
• Overall I'm in the 34% percentile of body composition for my age and gender.
• In April I was burning a carb to fat ratio of 35% to 65%, now I am burning 43% carbs versus 57% fat... my metabolism is working more efficiently, even when (especially when) I'm not doing anything.

That's really interesting for a lot of reasons... I gained weight, and lost fat... so, I'm leaner.  You can see this in my measurements... less around the middle, more on my thighs and arms.  I'm metabolically more efficient now.  And my bone density is that of a person in their twenties.  At the present level of activity I engage in I need to eat 2,800 calories a day.  Yes... 2,800 calories a day.

Here's the thing about this... the journey over the last eight months of lifting has been an incredible gift to receive at this point in my life.  I've genuinely enjoyed every day on the weight floor, and every conversation with my coach (Dan-Dan, Superman) about how to move through this process.  I've learned to see food in a completely different way.  It is not a restrictive, prohibitive regime any more... I eat to build my muscles and my bones - and I've achieved that.  Lifting itself is intensely philosophical for me... I no longer see a goal weight, but a process of acceptance of what my body is capable of now, and what it is capable of in the future with proper training, rest and food.

Here's the other thing, it's not over... it's never over.  I have some goals with those numbers (I want the z-score to stay up as I age, and I'd like to drop the fat percentage down a few points), but those are in process... and it's a process I love and derive incredible pleasure from.  I love going to the gym.  I love prepping my food.  I love giving Dan shit about everything.  And I love building a business that's in alignment with all of that.  There is no "when I lose ten more pounds I'll be good," or "when I get to 700# cumulative weights in my lifts I can back off."  I'm actually at the place of happiness right now, I'm totally fulfilled with being in the process of living life like this.  

Life is a quick ride when you get right down to it... make it as fun and fabulous as you can.  And lift heavy... it's good for your bones.

There are a lot of health benefits behind this dish: miso is a fermented soy paste that is great for helping balance your microbiom.  And salmon is an excellent source of protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin B.  I garnish this with shiso, an Asian herb from the mint family.  It's a fabulous and easy meal, but if you don't want to make it, we'll take care of that for you - it's on our menu this week!

I love to serve this with white rice and steamed vegetables.  It pairs particularly well with sauvignon blanc, or a pale ale.

Miso Glazed Salmon Filet

Ingredients:
2 Salmon Filet (we prefer coho salmon, but you can use any kind)
1/4cup  Miso Paste (We use white, but you can use red... it's just more intense)
2 Tbsp  Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Mirin
Scallions or Shiso to garnish (optional)

Method:
Whisk together the miso, maple syrup and mirin and cover the filets with the marinade.  Refrigerate overnight, or atleast a couple hours.  When you are ready to eat preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the fish in an oven safe dish and cover with aluminum foil.  Cook for approximately 6 minutes.  Remove the foil and cook until the salmon is firm to the touch (approximately another 6 minutes).  Garnish and serve.

I don't really like labels when it comes to people, but on food they are really important.  For us, the label is a critical way for us to communicate information about the product we lovingly made, and you are about to make a part of yourself... so, it's important.

Food labels are also notoriously confusing to read and understand, so we simplified our version to tell you exactly what you are getting in that little box/bowl of joy.  We tell you the name of the product, the macros, the nutritional information, ingredients, and that's about it.  Allergy information is also highlighted on the bottom of the label, if there is any.  If it's vegan, gluten free, or anything else of note, you'll also find it down there.

So, how do we figure all this out?  We use a program called Nutritics to analyze every recipe we make.  The analysis they do is FDA compliant, so you know what is on the label is what is going into your body.

What's not on the label is cooking instructions.  Why?  Because everything we send to you is 100% edible as is.  If you want to eat it cold... go for it.  If you want to heat it up, throw the container in the microwave for a couple minutes, or until it's the temperature you want it.  Personally, I like my stuff a bit on the 'not-so-hot' side, but we'll leave that up to you.

This week's menu includes several dishes with an Asian theme.  Although I was trained in classical French techniques, I've always been drawn to the flavors and ingredients of Asian cuisine.

One of my favorites is an herb called Shiso, or perilla frutescens.  A member of the mint family, this particular herb has an almost peppery flavor.  The green leaves are most commonly known as the liner for wasabi paste on sushi platters, but I grow the red variety.  Why?  Because it's a great way to add a slightly pink hue to the foods you cook it with.  Most notably, umeboshi, or pickled plum, is made pink by including shiso in the brine.  I put a few leaves into rice and it makes it a beautiful rose color that I find really attractive.

Shiso was originally cultivated in China, but is used throughout Asian cuisine.  Fortunately for me, it's easy to grow, even in Wisconsin.  I plant it from seeds that I purchase from the Kitazawa Seed Company.  I broadcast the seeds in my grow boxes in spring and get huge bushes of the plant.  Like mint, it's tough to kill these babies and they spread, so it's a good idea to be careful if you plant them in your garden beds, or they tend to take over.  The red leaves are beautiful in planters though, and you'll most likely have more than enough for your culinary endeavours.  

This week's Miso salmon has some chiffonade of shiso as a garnish.  I also put some into the Udon Badger Bowl.  You can eat the leaf in salads, but be careful the flavor is intense - a little bit goes a long way!  I use shiso with my mint when I make mojitos - which might need to be a recipe of the week at some point.  The plant is said to have antibacterial properties, so basically that makes that mojito medicinal in my book!