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| Recipe below |
an you change a habit you've developed over the course of two years in two weeks?No, but you might be able to do it in one week.
But how? How can you change a behaviour that you've spent years developing, refining and routinizing in a matter of days, let alone a matter of weeks?
Well, the way I figure it, there are two ways. One is to stop the behaviour abruptly and totally; just cease the cycle of repetition that goes in to every habit—the cue, the routine and the reward—for example, reaching the end of a task (the cue), reaching for the packet in your pocket, taking out a cigarette and lighting it (the routine) and inhaling it noisily, receiving a jolt of nicotine (the reward).
Just stop it: next time you reach the end of the task, you don't reach for the packet. Maybe because the packet isn't there. Maybe because it is, but you don't have a lighter. Maybe because you reach for a stick of gum instead.
But you don't reach the packet, and you don't smoke the cigarette. Or drink the beer. Or eat the chips. Or roll the dice. Or check the phone.
And the moment passes. The task is done, but you didn't smoke a cigarette.
Now, if you do that enough times, eventually you will reach a day when reaching the end of a task will no longer prompt the thought of lighting a cigarette . . . but you have to repeat the whole cycle enough times that your basal ganglia—the little man in your head pulling the wires and flicking the switches—will have forgotten why he made you want a cigarette in the first place, and move on to other things.
That's Theory #1.
Theory #2: I'm working on Theory #2.
MEANWHILE
I'm just about to embark on Week 2 of Phase II and it's . . . tough.
As you recall, I've reduced sugar to zero, and carbohydrates to as few as I can get away with; just those in fruits and the pathetic one (1) thin slice of gross low-carb toast I've allowed myself in the mornings.
And so what have I gained?
Well, for one thing, a blood sugar reading of—so far—nothing above 8.0mg/dl (144.0mmol/l) but usually below 7 (126). And then there's the small matter of five pounds, gone *poof* in seven days.
But at what cost.
I feel great! When I told an ER nurse friend of mine what my resting pulse rate was, he grew alarmed. "Dude, you could faint at any time!"
But I didn't faint.
I'm dying to find out what's going on with my microbiome . . . I took my first sample for Viome last Sunday and this coming Sunday I'll take another sample.
Today Brigitte looked at me in dismay. "You're getting so thin!" she cried dismay-ly.
All I could say was "It took me so looooooong!"
Absurdly Easy Shrimp Recipe
Serves One
You'll need two nonstick frying pans with covers for this: maybe one small and one medium.
Ingredients:
You should just make the amounts in the proportions that you like. The more the better! All the following should be raw and well washed.
1 White onion, cube-chopped like in Chinese restaurants
1 Red pepper, cut in thick strips
I head Broccoli, cut in florets. Size doesn't really matter.
3-4 large cloves Garlic, sliced thinly
6-7 frozen raw Jumbo (21/25 lb.) Gulf shrimp, shelled, tails still on. Wash thoroughly or brine (see below) and remove tails before cooking. Wait until shrimp have thawed completely before cooking.
Bean sprouts, extremely fresh, thoroughly washed
Thai Kitchen bottled Spicy Thai Sauce or other spicy Asian sauce that you like
Chili oil
Sesame oil
or any suitable stir-fry oil but NOT olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Celery, sliced on diagonal
Snow Peas, backbone strips removed and stems cut
Bamboo Shoots, washed thoroughly
Ginger, frozen then grated (2-3 Tbsp)
Method
Prefrying shrimp
In small frypan, heat on medium-high about 2-3 tbsp oil(s) until almost smoking or when a drop of water starts sizzling; about 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile get second, larger pan ready by pouring in 4-5 tbsp of oils. Set aside while doing shrimp.
Drop in plenty of sliced garlic; wait until sizzling. Drop in shrimp. Stir with wooden spoon but don't turn shrimp. Don't let garlic stick to bottom of the pan and burn.
Add cracked pepper to taste. When shrimp have browned on one side, about 2-3 minutes, flip shrimp and then stir all. Cover pan and cook about 2 minutes. Set aside, covered, and put 2nd pan on burner.
Prefrying vegetables
In the bowl you're going to be eating from, assemble all the chopped, washed raw ingredients except the bean sprouts. This way it's easy to see how much food you're preparing and how much the finished dish is going to be.
Heat the oil in the pan until almost smoking, 3-4 minutes. Dump in ALL raw vegetables EXCEPT bean sprouts (and snow peas, if using).
Stir thoroughly for about 30 seconds or until all the vegetables are coated with oil.
Let cook without stirring, about 3 minutes. Now stir all the vegetables and then keep stirring from time to time (but not constantly) another 3 minutes.
Add bean sprouts (and snow peas, if using) and mix thoroughly. Fry an additional 1-2 minutes.
Quickly, using a spatula, transfer garlic-shrimp mixture to the pan and stir all ingredients briskly.
Quickly pour in about four good shakes Thai chili sauce, making sure the shrimp are well covered; stir all ingredients together quickly, COVER PAN tightly and turn off heat but let pan rest on the stove.
Get serving bowl ready and transfer contents of pan to bowl. DO NOT LET SHRIMP MIXTURE STAY IN PAN MORE THAN A MINUTE OR TWO. The key is to serve this dish immediately upon its being finished. Otherwise you will end up with limp broccoli and shrivelled bean sprouts and rubbery, overcooked shrimp.
Enjoy!
Quick-Brining Shrimp
For a pound of shrimp (20-25 critters)
1/2 C. sea salt
1/3 C brown sugar
In a large glass 2-cup measuring cup, put in salt and sugar and 1 C hot water. Microwave for about three minutes on high or until low boil.
Stir the salt-sugar mixture in the heated water with a tablespoon until everything is as dissolved as possible.
Drop in several ice cubes, if you have them, or add about a cup of the coldest water you can manage. You want the water to be higher than room temperature but not boiling—enough that you can put a finger in comfortably. Add the frozen shrimp directly to the brine. If they don't fit in the glass measuring cup, use some suitable container.
Stir thoroughly.
Set a timer for about 20 minutes.
Et viola! Experiment with the timing to see how salty you like the shrimp; 20 minutes seems to be a safe bet.
Remove the tails and proceed with above recipe.
