The author of that passage is blunt, but 100% correct. So in the spirit of that, I finally started a serious diet this past week. Not a starvation diet, just an “eat healthy food” diet. It’s been a whole 4 days with minimal carbs and about a 50-50 mix of veggies and lean meat. Also no beer which has been the hardest part. I really do like relaxing with a cold one (or four or five) after work and on weekends.
I also started the exercise program outlined in Convict Conditioning. I’m only doing arms (pushups and pullups) for now. Last time I tried squats I blew out a knee and was laid up for a week. Once I get my weight down a little I’ll start working on the squats again. I also ordered an exercise pad so I can lay on the floor in my bedroom and work on core exercises. My goal is to lose 15 lbs by the end of April.
Homemade beef jerky…
I’ve been wanting to try making homemade beef jerky for awhile. Lately in Walmart I noticed they have some really lean cuts of beef that are about 3 – 4 inches around and 1/2 – 5/8 thick. Perfect for chunk style jerky, so I bought a pack. First try was a disaster – I marinated them in a salt/garlic brine for 2 days. I figured the meat needed time to absorb the flavor. Well, it absorbed the flavor all right. The crap was so salty I couldn’t eat it. The texture was fine so at least I was on the right track…
For my second try I didn’t bother marinating it, just sprinkled some salt on both sides and cooked it. Actually came out pretty good but not quite salty enough. Also, a little too soft and not dry enough. On the third try, I used a little more salt and adjusted my cook times and temperatures. Finally I think I’ve got it. I’d say it’s just as good as my formerly favorite beef jerky from Mahogany Smoked Meats. Plus mine doesn’t have MSG… It does take about 6 hours to cook but that’s a good excuse to not have to go shopping with the wife.
What did you do to prep this week?
Peace out,
porcupine