Week 6: Running, Sugar Alcohols & Valentine's on the SCD

Happy belated Valentine's to all you other slow-carbers out there :) Hope you all had a good one! Unfortunately my Valentine's day was not my cheat day this week, but Joe & I made up for it by hitting up a local churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse)! We enjoyed many cuts of delicious meats and an endless salad bar - definitely SCD approved! Too bad we couldn't enjoy the chipá (South American cheese bread - I grew up on this stuff :) or fried bananas this time! To the right is a pic of one of Joe's many plates from the meal... Sadly there was no chocolate or sugar involved in this Valentine's day but we'll definitely make up for that on our next cheat day!!

So I've been at work practicing the pose method of running recommended in the 4HB and I finally think I've got it down correctly. When done properly this method definitely works! I still need to time my run times exactly, but since practicing running this way I have significantly increased my speed - a couple key things to keep in mind - try to take 90 steps per min, lean forward with your entire body not just at the hips, keep your arms and wrists close to the body, and pull your heels up to your butt at a 45 degree angle. In simple terms: lean, fall, catch, and pull. It definitely takes more focus to run like this, but the results are well worth it. I'll also mention that after running this way I felt soreness in muscles that have never been sore after running before ;)

Chocolate....one of my favorite sweets to indulge in pre-SCD...although still something I love to enjoy on my cheat days. But wouldn't it be nice to consume some chocolate occasionally throughout the rest of the 6 days without the carbs and sugar? A friend of mine, that visited last week from my home state of California, knew I was on the SCD and was sweet enough to bring over some Simply Lite Dark Chocolate bars from Trader Joe's (I wish we had one here in ATX!)....After glancing over the nutritional facts I found that the chocolate bar contained 0 grams of sugar, however what it did contain were Sugar Alcohols - 9 grams, which it says on the label do not actually count as carbs, etc.... - Wanting to believe these would be SCD approved I enjoyed sharing a bar with my friend....but decided to do some research later on these sugar alcohols. I found that this particular bar contained Maltitol - a type of sugar alcohol derived from starch - and all other information I came across regarding maltitol did not look good. The bottom line: It is still a carbohydrate and it's affects on blood glucose levels are nearly the same as table sugar!!! It is also known to cause intestinal discomfort...so I would stay away from anything that has maltitol in it or any sugar alcohols for that matter....looks like the chocolate craving is going to have to wait for cheat days :(

Now to the good stuff, cheat day #6. So this past cheat day was moved up to Saturday to accommodate for a huge family event, which we rode along with my in-laws down to Houston for. Even though the day got off to a good start, both Joe & I ended the day feeling unsatisfied and hungry - not the way to close out a proper cheat day! Here's what it looked like (I did do plenty of air squats and a few kettlebell swings too)

AM:

• Grapefruit Juice
• Ganoderma Coffee
• Omelet with basil pesto and goat cheese
• 1/2 Cinnamon Roll

LUNCH:

• Apricot Macadamia Nut Kind Bar (halved with Joe)
• Guava Kombucha (halved with Joe)
• Lemon/Grapefruit Macaroon
• 1/2 bite size chocolate mouse cake

AFTERNOON SNACK(on the road to Houston):

• 2 Chocolate Almond Horns

PM (at catered family event):

• Several bites of Steak (too much fat - so didn't eat much)
• Assorted Vegetables
• Spoonful of Mashed Potatoes
• Tiny Slice of Almond Chocolate Birthday Cake

Well that's it - can't wait for Sunday to come around for our next cheat day! Weigh-ins and measurements again this Saturday too. 

Till next time...