plythacur Member

I frequently buy the club packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts, season them, and freeze them in sous vide bags for easy weeknight dinners. I always start with salt and pepper then add sub sauce, rosemary and lemon, garlic and sage, cumin lime and garlic, creole seasoning, or some other combo. Just add about 30…

Similar to the five stars for a recipe where the person changed half the ingredients, I hate it when someone reviews a recipe and only gives it one star but then admits to substituting out half the ingredients! At that point you are essentially just reviewing your own bad cooking skills, not the actual recipe.

I make my own Caesar dressing in large batches and it keeps for about 2 months in the fridge: full head of garlic, can of anchovies, juice of one lemon, one egg yolk, splash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Combine everything in a food processor and pulse, add 1/4 cup white wine vinegar. Then while the food…

I agree with the the summary above, but thought I would add in my own anecdote from muscle building at a calorie deficit. I found that if I wasn’t super mindful of getting enough protein and fats in my diet, I would have crazy levels of tendon soreness, and even my regular old DOMS would last much longer than usual.…

You can also try standing pushups against a wall, a counter edge, or using TRX straps. TRX straps in general can be really helpful for doing assisted or partial body weight upper body exercises. There are a ton of videos out there with demonstrations for those.

Hit a personal record on my deadlift (205lbs) because apparently I can’t add and lift weights at the same time, and I accidentally loaded too much weight! It seems I’m stronger than I thought.

Bench 125 Squat 160 Deadlift 185 Hip thrust 230 Definitely at the gym since I don’t have most of the equipment at home, but I also routinely mix in body weight and TRX based workouts at home as well. You might want to look into something like that as well if you want to keep working out at home but increase difficulty…

Hip thrusts, probably because they are my heaviest lift by far and have given me the most noticeable changes to my physique. I also love just about any aerobic exercise that involves my upper body: battle ropes, rowing, kayak, stand up paddleboard, etc.

Roasted brussel sprouts, celery root, turnips, or parsnips. I like rutabaga that has been boiled and mashed like potatoes. Adding just a teaspoon of sugar to the boiling water will keep the bitterness at bay. Raw jicama or watermelon radishes. Okra sautéed or in soups. Regular radishes are pretty good in soups as well, but…

So I don’t have any advice for the OPs question since I don’t use them, but I just wanted to support NEVER wearing metal rings when you are lifting weights. All you need to see is one image of a “degloved” hand or finger torsion to understand why metal rings and lifting don’t mix. If you are worried about losing your…

Spanish rice (i.e. what comes with Mexican food). Sauté chopped onion and garlic in a neutral oil like vegetable oil, add rice and sauté until very lightly toasted. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup plain tomato sauce, a large pinch of salt, and water or stock and cook like you would regular rice. The toasted rice makes all the…

A lot of Chinese, Japanese and Indian food recipes should work for you. Mexican would be okay too if you stick to corn tortillas instead of flour. For example fajitas with corn tortillas and guacamole instead of crema or cheese would be fine. You could also eat most stir frys and any curries that don’t have coconut milk.…

Have you tried salads that aren’t lettuce based? I often make salads with left over roasted or raw veggies, chickpeas, beans or cooked grains like bulgur or quinoa, and some sort of vinaigrette. They are good cold or at room temperature. You can also add cooked or cured meats or have a couple hard boiled eggs on the side…

I bulk prep a few different savory breakfasts and freeze portions so that I have a quick source of morning protein without needing to cook during my limited morning time. I’ll usually just take out whatever I plan to eat the next day and let it defrost overnight in the fridge. I also pre-chop veggies that I know I will be…

I’m currently all about Soybu because most styles have leg pockets large enough for my phone, they are comfy, and they aren’t see through. I also like Adidas, New Balance, North Face, and the thicker ones from Fila (the thinner ones aren’t totally opaque). Adidas has the most comfortable wide waistbands I’ve found if you…

If you want to up your cooking skills and techniques, Serious Eats is a good one to check out. You can learn about all sorts of cooking styles as well. For example I’m currently very much into sous vide for keeping all the lean meats I eat nice and tender and they have all sorts of guides and recipes.

I’d recommend seeing a sports doc or PT who can tell you where the nerve impingement is along your arms. They may also be able to suggest specific exercises or nerve glides to do to help. If this is pretty new, you might not have nerve damage yet. I have ulnar impingement/cubital tunnel syndrome and have to sleep on my…

I make beans from dried without the pre-soak in mine all the time. They take about an hour to cook, and this generally works better with darker beans (pinto or black). White beans tend to get a little gummy and need rinsing (like canned) and chickpeas don’t have the best texture when cooked this way, so I only cook them…

I’m an afternoon slump person as well. For getting past it I’ve found that I need a good restful night of sleep, to get most of my caffeine in the late morning/early afternoon, and to eat lunches which don’t have much in the way of simple carbs but have a decent amount of protein. I also frequently work out during my lunch…

So it turns out that pork rinds don’t have that much fat and actually have a decent amount of protein. If I want savory and salty and to eat an entire bag of something, a microwave popcorn size bag only has 200 or so calories and tastes great with most of those popcorn seasoning sprinkles. I feel like I get a lot more…

My job is super sedentary so I use one of those under desk epiltical machines and probably pedal on that for three to four hours every weekday. I like it because I can easily do it while focusing on other things. I’m the opposite of a fidgeter in public and instead practice “statue” moves where I purposely engage a set of…

Fitness Blender is a website that has a ton of workout videos for beginner to intermediate ranges and requires little or no equipment.

A lot of berries are in season right now so you could have an assortment of fresh berries with or without additional sweet stuff. I usually just eat whatever fruit is in season with a bit of pudding, fruit dip, or chocolate ganache if I want to bump up the sweetness even more and I have room for the calories.

Dill pickles, kimchi, pickled okra, and other pickled or fermented veggies really hit the spot when I have a craving for salt and vinegar, and have a fraction of the calories of chips and other foods you mention. Alternately, I also find that simply acknowledging that a craving is hormonally driven or just a response to…

So I’m also lifting weights on a deficit, and I’m not a newby to weight lifting by any means. What I’ve noticed is that I can slowly but consistently gain strength (I’ve hit a number of PRs in the last few weeks), but I get only small to moderate changes in actual muscle size. This generally agrees with what other people…

I guess I’ve always eaten hummus and dips with veggies, so that one isn’t too odd to me. I add sautéed mushrooms and/or beets to Italian red meat sauces to bulk them up and sneak in some extra veggies. Shirataki noodles instead of ramen noodles in soup. Sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of mayo in chicken salad, artichoke…

I thought I hated exercise until I tried enough types to find the things that I really like doing. Running, cycling, and most classes bored me out of my mind, but I love rowing and weight lifting. If you keep trying new things instead of latching on to one exercise you think you should do, eventually something clicks, it…

I sometimes do a modified version of the P90X chest and back workout with bands instead of actual pull-ups because I don’t have the strength for those yet. You alternate between different types of pushups and mimic pull-ups with exercise bands anchored in a door. Given the high reps and variety of push/pull exercises, you…

I focus on how I feel after I work out, which is almost always good and better than I felt before going. That way it works like a positive feedback loop, rather than focusing on what I don’t like about going to the gym. I also make workout bargains with myself. Like if I really don’t feel like putting in the full effort or…

I personally prefer static holds for core strength. I may move other parts, but my core remains stationary. Planks, mountain climbers, walking planks, side planks or dual leg lift and hold, and bananas (i.e. you lay on your back, lift your arms over your head, and lift feet a foot or so off the floor so you make the shape…