In all likelihood, if you're reading this post, you read my recent post summarizing my 2011. In re-reading it, I noticed that the blog might've come across slightly more negatively than I intended. While 2011 was by no means a rousing success, it certainly had its bright spots. Some I'm happy to talk about, some I'd rather not talk about, and a few I can't really remember. But enough that I should probably look back on the year a little more fondly than I do. And maybe, from a farther vantage point (aka in the future), I will.
But for today, we'll look into the near future, and make plans for 2012. Not concrete plans (though I did cash in on my concrete plans to visit Disney World last week), but a variety of..."intentions." I won't call them resolutions, because I feel like resolutions are either too vague (eat better, exercise more, be less of a racist asshole) or too easily dismissed as impossible after six weeks (see the previous list). I like the word "intentions," because it captures my sentiments. I intend to do these things.
What things, you ask? I'm not telling.
Not now, at least. I have written them down, and I even created a little worksheet for myself to track some of them. But some of them are too personal, and some are irrelevant to most of you. Most of all, though, I've found that I rely far too heavily on other people for my happiness. Involving other people right from the get-go just sets me up for disappointment, when I don't get two dozen emails and comments regarding my list.
But, because I like living in the limelight, I'll give you a little glimpse into my list of intentions. If you're looking for "train a team of guinea pigs to row a tiny boat" though, you may be disappointed.
- I am hoping to get myself back on the fitness train. I had a real nice first half of the year in 2011, but I undid way too much of that good work over the second half. I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to try to find a way to get myself back on that horse.
- Similarly, the first half of last year I spent a lot of time working on creating a board game. I even had a test playthrough of the rough draft. The playthrough was informative, though it ended up with me deciding that the concept had to be split into two different games. My goal this year is to finish one of those games.
- I also want to be more social this year. I have a couple different concepts on how to make that happen which I won't go into, but the general idea is to get out more and do more.
Whether or not I'll be successful at these and my other, private or uninteresting goals remains to be seen, but no matter what, I hope to have an enjoyable and productive 2012, and I wish the same for all of you.
Also I hope the world doesn't end.
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diet. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Pizza
Listen. I like pizza. If you've spent any time with me at mealtime over the past few years, you know that I have a slight tendency to default to pizza. It's a decent enough meal with plenty of potential variety, it's pretty clean most of the time, and most people like it.
The problem is, pizza isn't very diet-friendly. Well, that's not fair to pizza. Pizza, like almost any food, can be diet-friendly when enjoyed in moderation. But most of the time that you eat pizza, you get a whole pie, and eat several slices, and boom, 1400 calories. Since I'm on a diet, that's a "bad" idea.
Enter Boboli. I bought a couple crusts the other day, and the calorie numbers look manageable. I made a "white" pizza the other day, the whole pizza was 1080 calories. It had shredded Parmesan cheese, butter, garlic salt, oregano, sliced onions, and sliced red pepper. I know I can actually save a few calories by switching to a lower calorie version of cheese, maybe get the whole thing down to a thousand. And this is for the bigger crust, I think 10 or 12 inches. They've also got personal size ones, which obviously make for an even more calorie-friendly meal.
So I'm reaching out to you folks. Let's figure out some pizzas I can make. Give them names, if you like. But we're looking to make them fairly healthy, so I can keep on my weight-loss train. Lean meats are good, we can work with most cheeses, and I'm open to vegetables and fruits...except mushrooms and olives. Those are a no go fo sho.
Here, I'll start it off (please note that I have not tried these pizzas; they're just ideas. And yours can be as well):
The Jerry's Cheesesteak Pizza
The problem is, pizza isn't very diet-friendly. Well, that's not fair to pizza. Pizza, like almost any food, can be diet-friendly when enjoyed in moderation. But most of the time that you eat pizza, you get a whole pie, and eat several slices, and boom, 1400 calories. Since I'm on a diet, that's a "bad" idea.
Enter Boboli. I bought a couple crusts the other day, and the calorie numbers look manageable. I made a "white" pizza the other day, the whole pizza was 1080 calories. It had shredded Parmesan cheese, butter, garlic salt, oregano, sliced onions, and sliced red pepper. I know I can actually save a few calories by switching to a lower calorie version of cheese, maybe get the whole thing down to a thousand. And this is for the bigger crust, I think 10 or 12 inches. They've also got personal size ones, which obviously make for an even more calorie-friendly meal.
So I'm reaching out to you folks. Let's figure out some pizzas I can make. Give them names, if you like. But we're looking to make them fairly healthy, so I can keep on my weight-loss train. Lean meats are good, we can work with most cheeses, and I'm open to vegetables and fruits...except mushrooms and olives. Those are a no go fo sho.
Here, I'll start it off (please note that I have not tried these pizzas; they're just ideas. And yours can be as well):
The Jerry's Cheesesteak Pizza
- Roast beef or sliced steak
- Provolone cheese
- Onions
- Green peppers
- Onions
- Light ranch dressing
- Taco seasoning
- Mozzarella cheese
Monday, January 10, 2011
A Fitness Challenge
For those of you interested, I've started a fitness challenge with my cousin. It's basically a head-to-head competition between us, a Biggest Loser grudge match. If you want more details, or want to follow the action, you can go to the link below:
http://psychotronvsgargantuar.blogspot.com/
I'm Psychotron, obviously.
http://psychotronvsgargantuar.blogspot.com/
I'm Psychotron, obviously.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Top 5 Best-Developed Cartoon Characters
Cartoon television shows are a larger part of today's popular culture than I think people grasp. To try to illustrate this, here's my Top 5 Best-Developed Cartoon Characters (based on my own lifetime and experiences). There's also another point I want to make on this subject, but I'll do it after the list.
5. Eric Cartman, South Park
From his hatred of hippies to his lust for authori-tah, we've seen quite a bit of what makes Cartman tick. He's been the featured character on South Park from the very beginning, always the most compelling (and funniest). He also offers the most frequent social commentaries in the show, acting as Trey Parker and Matt Stone's little political machine.
4. Peter Griffin, Family Guy
I actually think we've got a pretty good grasp on the depth of Peter Griffin; there's just not all that much there. Seth McFarlane took the concept of Homer Simpson, magnified the stupidity, and eliminated pretty much everything else. But he's got a whole mess of quotes and one of the most recognizable laughs in the world. Is it possible that Family Guy is the American version of the fake Extras TV show "When The Whistle Blows?" Think about it.
3. Marge Simpson, The Simpsons
Of course Homer Simpson is #1, but over the course of the 20+ seasons of The Simpsons, we've come to know Marge and Homer as one of the more enduring and (surprisingly) realistic couples on television. They deal with legitimate problems, albeit in wild and wacky ways, like infidelity, financial problems, gambling, alcoholism, and raising a family. Our understanding of Marge is really just in those two regards (wife and mother), but it's extensive. And while I'd pick my mom over anyone else's, you could do worse than having Marge as your mother.
2. Stewie Griffin, Family Guy
Stewie has become the star of the show, offering the highest LPMs (laughs per minute) of pretty much anyone on television. But through the various experiences of Stewie, we've found more than just a baby that talks like an adult. He's dealt with a hard-swinging love/hate relationship with his mother, had a bout with alcoholism, and (sometimes) attempted to hide his homosexual tendencies. And try this on for size: the most famous gay fictional character in American culture might be a cartoon baby. So, in case you were wondering why the world thinks we're fucked up, there it is.
1. Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
He's basically got all the development that Marge has as far as a family man, but we've also seen Homer extensively in his work and social environments. Through 20+ seasons of animated mayhem, we've seen Homer in a thousand different situations. While his stupidity has ranged from childish to dense to oblivious to downright brain-dead, I'd venture to say we all feel like we know him. And although we wouldn't really want Homer as our father, we've seen his redeeming qualities and not just his flaws. Remember? The one thing he could offer Marge that other guys couldn't: complete and utter dependence. See? Redeeming.
So what's interesting about this list? All five of these people are, for the most part, physically unattractive. Three of them are fat guys. Compare that to the ratio of fat people in standard, live action television, and you'll find that fat people are either over-represented in cartoons or under-represented in live action television shows. Walk down any street in the country and you'll see that it's an under-representation.
In last summer's "The Hangover," Zach Galifianakis was often called a fat guy. He's not skinny, but he's not really all that fat either. He's just noticeably thicker than the average American actor. Ricky Gervais uses his unexceptional physique as a point of humor as well, and while he is completely unexceptional, he's not a true fatty. And of course, if you've ever seen Dan Castellaneta (voice of Homer) in real life, he's a skinny guy. People who aren't really fat are using fat jokes as if they were, and it's unfair. Get your own jokes, marginally overweight guys.
Are there successful fat actors? Of course. John Goodman is a heavyweight in both senses of the word. Jonah Hill has had an up and down beginning to his career, but he's certainly been solid. Jorge Garcia has become one of the most (only?) endearing characters on ABC's super-hit Lost. But when you look at "headliner" level actors, or even B-list actors who are the stars of their own TV shows, you'll only very rarely find heavy people. Roseanne was a particular anomaly, with a cast that was perfectly middle-America. And at least for a while, the show kicked ass, too.
I guess what I'm saying with all of this is that it seems strange that main characters in cartoons can be as fat as we want, but for live action shows, the main characters had better wear medium shirts. I wouldn't mind seeing an overweight main character/hero sometime, Hollywood.
5. Eric Cartman, South ParkFrom his hatred of hippies to his lust for authori-tah, we've seen quite a bit of what makes Cartman tick. He's been the featured character on South Park from the very beginning, always the most compelling (and funniest). He also offers the most frequent social commentaries in the show, acting as Trey Parker and Matt Stone's little political machine.
4. Peter Griffin, Family GuyI actually think we've got a pretty good grasp on the depth of Peter Griffin; there's just not all that much there. Seth McFarlane took the concept of Homer Simpson, magnified the stupidity, and eliminated pretty much everything else. But he's got a whole mess of quotes and one of the most recognizable laughs in the world. Is it possible that Family Guy is the American version of the fake Extras TV show "When The Whistle Blows?" Think about it.
3. Marge Simpson, The SimpsonsOf course Homer Simpson is #1, but over the course of the 20+ seasons of The Simpsons, we've come to know Marge and Homer as one of the more enduring and (surprisingly) realistic couples on television. They deal with legitimate problems, albeit in wild and wacky ways, like infidelity, financial problems, gambling, alcoholism, and raising a family. Our understanding of Marge is really just in those two regards (wife and mother), but it's extensive. And while I'd pick my mom over anyone else's, you could do worse than having Marge as your mother.
2. Stewie Griffin, Family GuyStewie has become the star of the show, offering the highest LPMs (laughs per minute) of pretty much anyone on television. But through the various experiences of Stewie, we've found more than just a baby that talks like an adult. He's dealt with a hard-swinging love/hate relationship with his mother, had a bout with alcoholism, and (sometimes) attempted to hide his homosexual tendencies. And try this on for size: the most famous gay fictional character in American culture might be a cartoon baby. So, in case you were wondering why the world thinks we're fucked up, there it is.
1. Homer Simpson, The SimpsonsHe's basically got all the development that Marge has as far as a family man, but we've also seen Homer extensively in his work and social environments. Through 20+ seasons of animated mayhem, we've seen Homer in a thousand different situations. While his stupidity has ranged from childish to dense to oblivious to downright brain-dead, I'd venture to say we all feel like we know him. And although we wouldn't really want Homer as our father, we've seen his redeeming qualities and not just his flaws. Remember? The one thing he could offer Marge that other guys couldn't: complete and utter dependence. See? Redeeming.
So what's interesting about this list? All five of these people are, for the most part, physically unattractive. Three of them are fat guys. Compare that to the ratio of fat people in standard, live action television, and you'll find that fat people are either over-represented in cartoons or under-represented in live action television shows. Walk down any street in the country and you'll see that it's an under-representation.
In last summer's "The Hangover," Zach Galifianakis was often called a fat guy. He's not skinny, but he's not really all that fat either. He's just noticeably thicker than the average American actor. Ricky Gervais uses his unexceptional physique as a point of humor as well, and while he is completely unexceptional, he's not a true fatty. And of course, if you've ever seen Dan Castellaneta (voice of Homer) in real life, he's a skinny guy. People who aren't really fat are using fat jokes as if they were, and it's unfair. Get your own jokes, marginally overweight guys.
Are there successful fat actors? Of course. John Goodman is a heavyweight in both senses of the word. Jonah Hill has had an up and down beginning to his career, but he's certainly been solid. Jorge Garcia has become one of the most (only?) endearing characters on ABC's super-hit Lost. But when you look at "headliner" level actors, or even B-list actors who are the stars of their own TV shows, you'll only very rarely find heavy people. Roseanne was a particular anomaly, with a cast that was perfectly middle-America. And at least for a while, the show kicked ass, too.
I guess what I'm saying with all of this is that it seems strange that main characters in cartoons can be as fat as we want, but for live action shows, the main characters had better wear medium shirts. I wouldn't mind seeing an overweight main character/hero sometime, Hollywood.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Twenty for Thirty Update - 2/16
So it's been a month and a half, and I've converted two of the easier goals from my list:
2) Move out of my mom's house.
This was in the works before the list was even released, but it was still one of the things I wanted to do this year. Living at home has its perks, but getting out of my mom's house has far more perks. I'm hoping that, by getting out of the house and living much closer to my work, I can use this as a jumping off point for trying to lose weight (through complete diet control) and having a successful party.
18) Host a Joe and Joe trivia show.
As I had mentioned, this has been in the works for a while, so it was nice to finally get it done. You can listen here; the show is just under an hour, and I think it's one of our best shows yet at Joe and Joe Sports. In fact, one of the contestants, my cousin Michael, had such a fun time doing the show that he has taken it upon himself to arrange the next baseball trivia show. Success!
2) Move out of my mom's house.
This was in the works before the list was even released, but it was still one of the things I wanted to do this year. Living at home has its perks, but getting out of my mom's house has far more perks. I'm hoping that, by getting out of the house and living much closer to my work, I can use this as a jumping off point for trying to lose weight (through complete diet control) and having a successful party.
18) Host a Joe and Joe trivia show.
As I had mentioned, this has been in the works for a while, so it was nice to finally get it done. You can listen here; the show is just under an hour, and I think it's one of our best shows yet at Joe and Joe Sports. In fact, one of the contestants, my cousin Michael, had such a fun time doing the show that he has taken it upon himself to arrange the next baseball trivia show. Success!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Twenty for Thirty - The List
Alright, you may remember that a while ago, I talked about my plans for the 30th year of my life, and how I wanted to set some goddamn goals. Well, mission accomplished. On setting the goals, that is. I still have a long way to go before actually completing them.
I've grouped them based on some arbitrary headings, to help you (and more so myself) keep them organized.
Finances
1) Buy a car. (New, old, whatever, just purchase a vehicle to replace my current one)
2) Move out of my mom's house. (I'm actually fairly close to getting this one accomplished)
3) Make $500 doing something besides my job. (Switching jobs doesn't count)
Social Activities
4) Do something very embarrassing for other people's enjoyment, and laugh it off.
5) Host a party with 25+ people, 10+ girls. (This will probably be helped by the moving out)
6) Participate as a member of an organized sports team. (Coaching is acceptable)
7) Make a new friend.
8) Reconnect with an old friend.
9) Have a romantic kiss on New Year's Eve. (I've never done this; sad, right?)
Fitness
10) Weigh 250 pounds. (For those of you unfamiliar with me, that would constitute losing a lot of weight)
11) Bench press 200 pounds. (I don't know how much I can bench press now, but 200 seems enough to be a goal)
12) Go an entire week without drinking any caffeinated beverage. (We'll say Monday AM to Monday AM)
Creation
13) Design a board game or card game.
14) Complete a first draft of an entire book. (Because I've got the first chapter of nine different books written)
15) Make a movie. (I'm leaving this open to include a big movie, a series of episodes or webisodes, or something else I haven't thought of yet)
16) Write and record a song.
17) Record a CD with 10+ tracks. (Original content not required, but I could knock out two of the twenty if I were to write a song for it)
18) Host a Joe and Joe trivia show. (I've been trying to do this for years; it shouldn't be as hard as it's been to get it together)
Celebrity
19) Get mentioned in local news. (The medium is irrelevant; TV, newspaper, Internet, they're all fine)
20) Have a 60+ second conversation with a celebrity. (I'm not sure where I'll draw the line on celebrity, but I figure I'll know it if it happens)
Well, that's the list. If/when I accomplish any of the goals, don't worry, you'll hear about it.
I've grouped them based on some arbitrary headings, to help you (and more so myself) keep them organized.
Finances
1) Buy a car. (New, old, whatever, just purchase a vehicle to replace my current one)
2) Move out of my mom's house. (I'm actually fairly close to getting this one accomplished)
3) Make $500 doing something besides my job. (Switching jobs doesn't count)
Social Activities
4) Do something very embarrassing for other people's enjoyment, and laugh it off.
5) Host a party with 25+ people, 10+ girls. (This will probably be helped by the moving out)
6) Participate as a member of an organized sports team. (Coaching is acceptable)
7) Make a new friend.
8) Reconnect with an old friend.
9) Have a romantic kiss on New Year's Eve. (I've never done this; sad, right?)
Fitness
10) Weigh 250 pounds. (For those of you unfamiliar with me, that would constitute losing a lot of weight)
11) Bench press 200 pounds. (I don't know how much I can bench press now, but 200 seems enough to be a goal)
12) Go an entire week without drinking any caffeinated beverage. (We'll say Monday AM to Monday AM)
Creation
13) Design a board game or card game.
14) Complete a first draft of an entire book. (Because I've got the first chapter of nine different books written)
15) Make a movie. (I'm leaving this open to include a big movie, a series of episodes or webisodes, or something else I haven't thought of yet)
16) Write and record a song.
17) Record a CD with 10+ tracks. (Original content not required, but I could knock out two of the twenty if I were to write a song for it)
18) Host a Joe and Joe trivia show. (I've been trying to do this for years; it shouldn't be as hard as it's been to get it together)
Celebrity
19) Get mentioned in local news. (The medium is irrelevant; TV, newspaper, Internet, they're all fine)
20) Have a 60+ second conversation with a celebrity. (I'm not sure where I'll draw the line on celebrity, but I figure I'll know it if it happens)
Well, that's the list. If/when I accomplish any of the goals, don't worry, you'll hear about it.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Week 10 Fitness Wrap-Up
Not much new to discuss, but it's time to face the music and allow myself to be accountable. It's better than the secret weigh-in I had last time, but not by much. I'm just so easily seduced by tasty food; it's my Achilles' heel.
Pizza Tycoon
I did rediscover a game I've enjoyed on several occasions, Pizza Tycoon. It's a simulation game that puts you in the role of (surprise surprise) a pizza restaurant entrepreneur. You start out with a little money and a dream, and you open a pizza restaurant to start living that dream. The game isn't terribly intuitive, and I'm still having trouble figuring out how exactly people like their pizza, but I do well enough to bring in customers.
The "Tycoon" might elicit thoughts of Rollercoaster Tycoon, but this game is a much less refined program. Still, it's pretty complex, and while some things are a little mysterious (like how much money I actually have), there's enough that can be figured out to make for a fun time. I've got seven restaurants now, and I just made my first 100 rated pizza last weekend at Mike's place. So, yeah, I'm pretty good.
Week 10 weight: 314.0 lbs
Pizza Tycoon
I did rediscover a game I've enjoyed on several occasions, Pizza Tycoon. It's a simulation game that puts you in the role of (surprise surprise) a pizza restaurant entrepreneur. You start out with a little money and a dream, and you open a pizza restaurant to start living that dream. The game isn't terribly intuitive, and I'm still having trouble figuring out how exactly people like their pizza, but I do well enough to bring in customers.
The "Tycoon" might elicit thoughts of Rollercoaster Tycoon, but this game is a much less refined program. Still, it's pretty complex, and while some things are a little mysterious (like how much money I actually have), there's enough that can be figured out to make for a fun time. I've got seven restaurants now, and I just made my first 100 rated pizza last weekend at Mike's place. So, yeah, I'm pretty good.
Week 10 weight: 314.0 lbs
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Week 8 Fitness Wrap-Up
So, I didn't really diet this week. I mean, I tried to focus on eating the kinds of foods I'm supposed to eat, but I didn't do a particularly good job. I managed to dodge excessive amounts of alcohol on the weekend, which when you spend two nights hanging out at Eddie P.'s house is not an insubstantial feat. But it's time for me to get back on the horse, start eating right again, and start walking/lifting/Rock Band drumming again, basement situation be damned.
Please note that there will not be a weigh-in for this wrap-up. It's not that I didn't weigh in; it's that I'm utterly embarrassed at the resulting weight, and I'm giving myself a week to clean up my act before we go public with the story.
Plants vs. Zombies
You may recall that I talked about playing the demo for this PC game in my last fitness post. Well, since that time, I did in fact purchase the full game, as did my brother and my cousin Mike. I'd venture to say that we are each happy with our purchase. I've played the game for no less than twenty hours, which puts it in favorable company when compared to several games I've bought recently, such as Crackdown and NFL Head Coach '09 (neither of which I've played at all yet).
The game isn't ground-breaking by any stretch, but it's fun and clean. Everything is pretty intuitive, and it mixes in humor very well. I think I'm almost done with the game, as far as defeating every challenge it offers, but I can definitely see playing around with it for a while longer, just for kicks. There are several defensive plants I have yet to employ, and I'm interested to see what the "Cob Cannon" does.
Illness Strikes
Yes, unfortunately, I've gotten sick. It feels pretty much like a cold, so I've been treating it like a cold: a DayQuil/NyQuil two-pronged attack, with cough drops mixed in. I've missed two days of work so far, and I'm really hoping not to add in a third. It's not that I find my job particularly rewarding or interesting. I just generally like to be in the black with regards to leave hours, and these are two days I hadn't planned on using up.
It's interesting how when people find out that I'm sick, their automatic (joke?) response is, "Is it swine flu?" If you're among the people who said so, don't worry, you're one of many. It's just weird that this illness that's struck 5,500 Americans (roughly .002% of the United States population) has received enough media coverage that many persons' first response, joke or otherwise, is to make some reference to the swine flu.
Anyways, from my understanding, no, it's not swine flu. It's a cold, most likely brought along by lack of sufficient sleep and not eating enough fruits and vegetables. I think I've caught up on sleep (but I need to get into the habit of regularly getting enough sleep), and I'm working on the fruits and vegetables thing. That shit is expensive, though. Grapes are like $3/pound. So I'll be talking to my mom about buying fruits and such when she goes out. I think we've got some bananas and some oranges right now, so that'll do.
And congratulations to Joe Mandi on fixing the Hubble space telescope! (I will congratulate no one else at NASA; my assumption is that they're all worthless...except for Monkey Dude).
Please note that there will not be a weigh-in for this wrap-up. It's not that I didn't weigh in; it's that I'm utterly embarrassed at the resulting weight, and I'm giving myself a week to clean up my act before we go public with the story.
Plants vs. Zombies
You may recall that I talked about playing the demo for this PC game in my last fitness post. Well, since that time, I did in fact purchase the full game, as did my brother and my cousin Mike. I'd venture to say that we are each happy with our purchase. I've played the game for no less than twenty hours, which puts it in favorable company when compared to several games I've bought recently, such as Crackdown and NFL Head Coach '09 (neither of which I've played at all yet).
The game isn't ground-breaking by any stretch, but it's fun and clean. Everything is pretty intuitive, and it mixes in humor very well. I think I'm almost done with the game, as far as defeating every challenge it offers, but I can definitely see playing around with it for a while longer, just for kicks. There are several defensive plants I have yet to employ, and I'm interested to see what the "Cob Cannon" does.
Illness Strikes
Yes, unfortunately, I've gotten sick. It feels pretty much like a cold, so I've been treating it like a cold: a DayQuil/NyQuil two-pronged attack, with cough drops mixed in. I've missed two days of work so far, and I'm really hoping not to add in a third. It's not that I find my job particularly rewarding or interesting. I just generally like to be in the black with regards to leave hours, and these are two days I hadn't planned on using up.
It's interesting how when people find out that I'm sick, their automatic (joke?) response is, "Is it swine flu?" If you're among the people who said so, don't worry, you're one of many. It's just weird that this illness that's struck 5,500 Americans (roughly .002% of the United States population) has received enough media coverage that many persons' first response, joke or otherwise, is to make some reference to the swine flu.
Anyways, from my understanding, no, it's not swine flu. It's a cold, most likely brought along by lack of sufficient sleep and not eating enough fruits and vegetables. I think I've caught up on sleep (but I need to get into the habit of regularly getting enough sleep), and I'm working on the fruits and vegetables thing. That shit is expensive, though. Grapes are like $3/pound. So I'll be talking to my mom about buying fruits and such when she goes out. I think we've got some bananas and some oranges right now, so that'll do.
And congratulations to Joe Mandi on fixing the Hubble space telescope! (I will congratulate no one else at NASA; my assumption is that they're all worthless...except for Monkey Dude).
Friday, May 8, 2009
Week 6.5 Fitness Wrap-Up (and other stuff)
Alright, truth time. I haven't posted a blog in a while because I've been a little scared to step on the scale. I've been a lot more lax with the diet, and with the basement getting worked on, I haven't had the easy access to lift weights or do any Rock Band drumming. For the most part, I've been completely inactive recently, and I was terrified to see how unforgiving the scale was going to be. You'll catch the exact numerical results at the end of this blog post, but I was completely floored by how much that wasn't the case.
Plants vs. Zombies
My cousin Mike posted this link in his AIM profile, and made the extra effort to tell me to check it out. It's a music video for a video game that came out a few days ago called (as you might have guessed) Plants vs. Zombies. If you've ever played any of the "maul" games online on Warcraft III
, it's the same concept. You have an area that you're trying to defend from waves of enemies; in this case, your defenders are plants, and zombies are the attackers. You start out with simple plants, and get more sophisticated and powerful plants as time goes on. Of course, the zombies also get more powerful.
I fully expected the game to be a nice little game that I wasn't going to be willing to pay for, but the demo has got me very seriously considering shelling out the $20 to get the full game. Partly because I'd like to play the rest, but also partly just because I'd like to reward the programmers for creating a fun (and funny) game. I'm trying to figure out if I'd actually play it more than once, and that's really the question that's tempering my action. I've played Warcraft III mauls hundreds of times, but there are several dozen different versions of those. I'll let you know if I do end up buying it, and whether or not I'm happy about the purchase.
The Price of a Gamerscore Bump
I've been playing NBA Street Homecourt
and Grand Theft Auto IV
(the 360 version is only $36 right now, pretty good price) with the specific intention of acquiring some gamerscore points. I bought Homecourt recently, and found that I was probably going to be able to get at least 800 of the points without having to be particularly skillful (which is good, because I'm finding out that I'm not all that good at video games). I've already beaten GTA IV, but there are a few decisions you have throughout the game that you can do differently to see different consequences, and there's an achievement you receive for completing the story in 30 hours, so I figured it was worth another go-through.
I've completed the "campaign" on Homecourt, and have 800+ points from that game. I also beat GTA IV last night, getting the "Liberty City Minute" achievement for beating it quickly. However, towards the end of the evening, I started to notice my left hand was getting very sore (I know what you're thinking, but I said left hand...so it's not from writing). I realized it was actually from playing so much 360 over the past few days, which is shocking and a little embarrassing. So, going to take a break from the gaming for a little bit, give my hand a chance to recover. Movies, I guess? Speaking of...
Netflix
Netflix has a free two-week trial that I'm in the midst of, and so far, I'm liking it. The service offers movies both via mail on DVD and instant viewing online and (more importantly) the Xbox 360. The subscription plan I have gives unlimited access to the instant viewing movies/TV series, as well as one DVD at a time for $8.99. It's like $5 more a month to bump it up to two DVDs at a time, and there looks to be more than enough content on the instant access list to keep me occupied without running out of movies to watch while I'm in between DVDs. For now, my intent is to keep the service for a few months and see how much I use it.
PS: It would get used a lot more if I had a girlfriend who came over to watch movies all the time. So, heads up ladies, I've got a ton of movies we can watch. Does that make me a little more appealing? I bet it does.
I've heard Chip's opinion on this, but I figure I'll toss it out there to the masses. Do you prefer one big blog post like this, or several split up blog posts over the course of a day or two? I'm probably going to only be writing up posts once or twice a week regardless, but do you prefer that it be collected like this, sort of in a newsletter form, or would you prefer a variety of posts, each about a specific topic? Let me know.
Week 6.5 weight: 311.8
Plants vs. Zombies
My cousin Mike posted this link in his AIM profile, and made the extra effort to tell me to check it out. It's a music video for a video game that came out a few days ago called (as you might have guessed) Plants vs. Zombies. If you've ever played any of the "maul" games online on Warcraft III
, it's the same concept. You have an area that you're trying to defend from waves of enemies; in this case, your defenders are plants, and zombies are the attackers. You start out with simple plants, and get more sophisticated and powerful plants as time goes on. Of course, the zombies also get more powerful.I fully expected the game to be a nice little game that I wasn't going to be willing to pay for, but the demo has got me very seriously considering shelling out the $20 to get the full game. Partly because I'd like to play the rest, but also partly just because I'd like to reward the programmers for creating a fun (and funny) game. I'm trying to figure out if I'd actually play it more than once, and that's really the question that's tempering my action. I've played Warcraft III mauls hundreds of times, but there are several dozen different versions of those. I'll let you know if I do end up buying it, and whether or not I'm happy about the purchase.
The Price of a Gamerscore Bump
I've been playing NBA Street Homecourt
and Grand Theft Auto IV (the 360 version is only $36 right now, pretty good price) with the specific intention of acquiring some gamerscore points. I bought Homecourt recently, and found that I was probably going to be able to get at least 800 of the points without having to be particularly skillful (which is good, because I'm finding out that I'm not all that good at video games). I've already beaten GTA IV, but there are a few decisions you have throughout the game that you can do differently to see different consequences, and there's an achievement you receive for completing the story in 30 hours, so I figured it was worth another go-through.I've completed the "campaign" on Homecourt, and have 800+ points from that game. I also beat GTA IV last night, getting the "Liberty City Minute" achievement for beating it quickly. However, towards the end of the evening, I started to notice my left hand was getting very sore (I know what you're thinking, but I said left hand...so it's not from writing). I realized it was actually from playing so much 360 over the past few days, which is shocking and a little embarrassing. So, going to take a break from the gaming for a little bit, give my hand a chance to recover. Movies, I guess? Speaking of...
Netflix
Netflix has a free two-week trial that I'm in the midst of, and so far, I'm liking it. The service offers movies both via mail on DVD and instant viewing online and (more importantly) the Xbox 360. The subscription plan I have gives unlimited access to the instant viewing movies/TV series, as well as one DVD at a time for $8.99. It's like $5 more a month to bump it up to two DVDs at a time, and there looks to be more than enough content on the instant access list to keep me occupied without running out of movies to watch while I'm in between DVDs. For now, my intent is to keep the service for a few months and see how much I use it.
PS: It would get used a lot more if I had a girlfriend who came over to watch movies all the time. So, heads up ladies, I've got a ton of movies we can watch. Does that make me a little more appealing? I bet it does.
I've heard Chip's opinion on this, but I figure I'll toss it out there to the masses. Do you prefer one big blog post like this, or several split up blog posts over the course of a day or two? I'm probably going to only be writing up posts once or twice a week regardless, but do you prefer that it be collected like this, sort of in a newsletter form, or would you prefer a variety of posts, each about a specific topic? Let me know.
Week 6.5 weight: 311.8
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Week 5 Fitness Wrap-Up
So after last weekend's debauchery, I committed to staying strictly on the diet during the week. Additionally, while I planned on doing some drinking and eating some funnel cake, the plan was also to stay pretty good in Atlantic City. Here are the results.
Oh, before I forget, I've integrated a new thing into my diet over the past two weeks or so that has made me feel 100% better. I had been feeling uncomfortable on a gastrointestinal level for a little while. I tried increasing my beans and nuts, but I still felt a little..."irregular." It got to the point that I just wanted to eliminate that feeling, and if I didn't, I was going to abandon the diet. So I had a bowl of Raisin Bran for breakfast one day, and the whole day I felt like a million bucks. I've been having a bowl of high fiber cereal (Raisin Bran or Special K) every day since then, and I've been feeling good and still losing weight. I might not be losing weight as quickly as I had been, but there's no doubt in my mind that what I'm doing now is better for me than dealing with that bizarre, half-constipated/half-nauseous feeling.
Okay, back to the week. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I behaved very well. I didn't eat anything that was unacceptable on the diet, and I continued to notice that my pants weren't fitting as snugly as they have been. (By the way, if successful, this diet is probably going to end up costing me like $1,000 in new clothes). I didn't get a ton of exercise, but I had to move some stuff out of the basement (more on this later), so that got me a little active.
The weekend arrived a day early for me, as I found out that my good friend Adam was going to be in Atlantic City Thursday and Friday for a conference, and he had a room at Bally's Thursday night. I left work a little early and hit the road just early enough to avoid most of rush hour...from DC. I hit plenty of the Baltimore rush hour, but it wasn't even remotely as bad. I arrived in AC about 7:30, met up with Adam, and immediately started drinking. We gambled and drank until the wee hours, then woke up and gambled and drank some more.
Adam left town Friday afternoon, and I wandered Atlantic City for a few hours, gambling and drinking (along with a delicious pretzel dog from Auntie Anne's), and finally met up with my cousin and his buddy. As a change of pace, we decided to gamble and drink, then do the same thing the next day. All told, I don't think it'd be outrageous to say I had 80+ drinks between 7:00 PM Thursday and 4:00 AM Sunday. Not a ton of food, though, which must have helped some, because I managed to keep going down in the weight department. The continued positive progress makes me feel great about the benefits that my diet and exercise routines are giving me, and is helping me stay committed to it.
Now, the basement. My mom is having the basement finished. In order to do that, the vast collection of things in the basement has to be moved out. Initially, the belief was that the process would take place over time, and we'd be looking to have a yard sale or two to get rid of some of the unwanted stuff from the basement (toys, books, furniture, etc). Now, however, it's looking like the entire basement is going to need to be cleared out pronto, and so my brother and I have spent a few hours over the past two days (including Sunday, when I was exhausted after getting back from AC) moving boxes and furniture into the garage. While it's a pretty solid workout, the downside is that, at least for the time being, the basement will be off-limits for playing Rock Band or lifting weights. I'm hopeful that the job will be done sooner rather than later, so I can get back into my groove.
FYI, I'm also applying for a new job at my current company. I'm working on a cover letter right now, but I've also been told that I need to put an objective on my resume. Try as I might, though, I've found that everything I start to write out just sounds completely useless for proving that I'm a good fit for the position. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The job position is managing a resume system for a large company.
Week 5 weight: 318.4
Oh, before I forget, I've integrated a new thing into my diet over the past two weeks or so that has made me feel 100% better. I had been feeling uncomfortable on a gastrointestinal level for a little while. I tried increasing my beans and nuts, but I still felt a little..."irregular." It got to the point that I just wanted to eliminate that feeling, and if I didn't, I was going to abandon the diet. So I had a bowl of Raisin Bran for breakfast one day, and the whole day I felt like a million bucks. I've been having a bowl of high fiber cereal (Raisin Bran or Special K) every day since then, and I've been feeling good and still losing weight. I might not be losing weight as quickly as I had been, but there's no doubt in my mind that what I'm doing now is better for me than dealing with that bizarre, half-constipated/half-nauseous feeling.
Okay, back to the week. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I behaved very well. I didn't eat anything that was unacceptable on the diet, and I continued to notice that my pants weren't fitting as snugly as they have been. (By the way, if successful, this diet is probably going to end up costing me like $1,000 in new clothes). I didn't get a ton of exercise, but I had to move some stuff out of the basement (more on this later), so that got me a little active.
The weekend arrived a day early for me, as I found out that my good friend Adam was going to be in Atlantic City Thursday and Friday for a conference, and he had a room at Bally's Thursday night. I left work a little early and hit the road just early enough to avoid most of rush hour...from DC. I hit plenty of the Baltimore rush hour, but it wasn't even remotely as bad. I arrived in AC about 7:30, met up with Adam, and immediately started drinking. We gambled and drank until the wee hours, then woke up and gambled and drank some more.
Adam left town Friday afternoon, and I wandered Atlantic City for a few hours, gambling and drinking (along with a delicious pretzel dog from Auntie Anne's), and finally met up with my cousin and his buddy. As a change of pace, we decided to gamble and drink, then do the same thing the next day. All told, I don't think it'd be outrageous to say I had 80+ drinks between 7:00 PM Thursday and 4:00 AM Sunday. Not a ton of food, though, which must have helped some, because I managed to keep going down in the weight department. The continued positive progress makes me feel great about the benefits that my diet and exercise routines are giving me, and is helping me stay committed to it.
Now, the basement. My mom is having the basement finished. In order to do that, the vast collection of things in the basement has to be moved out. Initially, the belief was that the process would take place over time, and we'd be looking to have a yard sale or two to get rid of some of the unwanted stuff from the basement (toys, books, furniture, etc). Now, however, it's looking like the entire basement is going to need to be cleared out pronto, and so my brother and I have spent a few hours over the past two days (including Sunday, when I was exhausted after getting back from AC) moving boxes and furniture into the garage. While it's a pretty solid workout, the downside is that, at least for the time being, the basement will be off-limits for playing Rock Band or lifting weights. I'm hopeful that the job will be done sooner rather than later, so I can get back into my groove.
FYI, I'm also applying for a new job at my current company. I'm working on a cover letter right now, but I've also been told that I need to put an objective on my resume. Try as I might, though, I've found that everything I start to write out just sounds completely useless for proving that I'm a good fit for the position. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The job position is managing a resume system for a large company.
Week 5 weight: 318.4
Monday, April 20, 2009
Week 4b Fitness Wrap-Up
So the weekend didn't go very well. It wasn't a full-fledged disaster, but it was right there. The fact that I was able to stay under 320 was pretty encouraging, to be honest.
Friday was normal, stayed on the diet, but didn't get any exercise. The main reason I didn't get any exercise is that our basement is being worked on, so the weight bench and the exercise bike have stuff on/hanging off of them, the weights are tucked away to make room for the work to be done, and the television/Rock Band stuff has been moved to avoid the massive amounts of sawdust and regular dust that have been kicked up.
Saturday I did manage to get a little bit of exercise in my first swimming session of the summer. I had forgotten how nice it is to have the pool available, and with the diet/exercise combo going pretty well for me, I'm looking forward to integrating it into my regular activities.
Food on Saturday, however, was another story. I had a couple hamburgers, a couple of bratwursts, a couple slices of pizza, some potato chips, and some Doritos at two different cookouts. There were a lot of cookies and brownies of which I didn't indulge, so that's something.
Sunday I behaved better, but still ate a lot of food, definitely more than I needed to, and again, exercise was an issue. Eddie and I started to go through some of the stuff in the basement, preparing for a yard sale (to be held May 2nd, in case anyone needs, you know, stuff). It probably won't help the basement work get done any faster, but moving boxes and hauling stuff up the stairs is at least a little bit of a workout. I'm also hoping to rearrange my bedroom so as to make room for a Rock Band drum set, again, to at least get a little bit of a work out.
I'm heading to Atlantic City this weekend, which means two things. First, I may not get a blog done this Friday, so you may once again have to wait until Monday for an update. And second, I'd better be pretty damn strict on the diet this week, because I'm going to be drinking my ass off in AC.
Week 4b weight: 319.8
Friday was normal, stayed on the diet, but didn't get any exercise. The main reason I didn't get any exercise is that our basement is being worked on, so the weight bench and the exercise bike have stuff on/hanging off of them, the weights are tucked away to make room for the work to be done, and the television/Rock Band stuff has been moved to avoid the massive amounts of sawdust and regular dust that have been kicked up.
Saturday I did manage to get a little bit of exercise in my first swimming session of the summer. I had forgotten how nice it is to have the pool available, and with the diet/exercise combo going pretty well for me, I'm looking forward to integrating it into my regular activities.
Food on Saturday, however, was another story. I had a couple hamburgers, a couple of bratwursts, a couple slices of pizza, some potato chips, and some Doritos at two different cookouts. There were a lot of cookies and brownies of which I didn't indulge, so that's something.
Sunday I behaved better, but still ate a lot of food, definitely more than I needed to, and again, exercise was an issue. Eddie and I started to go through some of the stuff in the basement, preparing for a yard sale (to be held May 2nd, in case anyone needs, you know, stuff). It probably won't help the basement work get done any faster, but moving boxes and hauling stuff up the stairs is at least a little bit of a workout. I'm also hoping to rearrange my bedroom so as to make room for a Rock Band drum set, again, to at least get a little bit of a work out.
I'm heading to Atlantic City this weekend, which means two things. First, I may not get a blog done this Friday, so you may once again have to wait until Monday for an update. And second, I'd better be pretty damn strict on the diet this week, because I'm going to be drinking my ass off in AC.
Week 4b weight: 319.8
Week 4a Fitness Wrap-Up
A little belated, but I'm going to go ahead and do both posts for week 4. Post 4a is going to have a story that I found humorous (and I believe found me humorous), and post 4b will give a wrap-up of my current situation, as well as how the weekend went.
Week 4a (Fat People)
The story will be completely true, but to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent, I'm going to replace real names with the names of various classic professional wrestling personalities. And for the purposes of this story, the part of Joe Mattingly will be played by Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
Our story starts with a fairly standard happenstance: someone posted something on Facebook. I have no problem with the original post, but the topic of the post was inevitably going to invite some questionable comments. The actual original post, by a friend of mine from school, "Miss Elizabeth":
Hacksaw Jim Duggan loves being called "collateral bullshit."
I received a message from Jannety shortly after posting that status walking back his comments a little bit, and I generally accepted his half-apology. It didn't do me any good to hammer it down, and I do believe that he regretted his choice of words, just as the real Marty Jannety regretted trusting Shawn Michaels, a mistake we can all learn from.
Jannety's comment, however, was the second most bothersome comment on the original post. The number one comment was as follows, by the guy I will ironically call "Mr. Perfect":
Week 4a weight: 317.8
Week 4a (Fat People)
The story will be completely true, but to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent, I'm going to replace real names with the names of various classic professional wrestling personalities. And for the purposes of this story, the part of Joe Mattingly will be played by Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
Our story starts with a fairly standard happenstance: someone posted something on Facebook. I have no problem with the original post, but the topic of the post was inevitably going to invite some questionable comments. The actual original post, by a friend of mine from school, "Miss Elizabeth":
- "...United is making larger people buy two seats. So their employees are being paid to tell people they're fat, embarass [sic] the shit out of them, and make them pay extra for being ginormous...I'm torn between never flying United, or applying for a job."
- "its more f'd up for the person that pays the same price for their seat and has to deal with collateral bullshit (i.e. fat person next to them). F that. Good for United."
Hacksaw Jim Duggan loves being called "collateral bullshit."
I received a message from Jannety shortly after posting that status walking back his comments a little bit, and I generally accepted his half-apology. It didn't do me any good to hammer it down, and I do believe that he regretted his choice of words, just as the real Marty Jannety regretted trusting Shawn Michaels, a mistake we can all learn from.
Jannety's comment, however, was the second most bothersome comment on the original post. The number one comment was as follows, by the guy I will ironically call "Mr. Perfect":
- "Haha is been like that for a long time, and not just United. I thought pretty much every airline charged for two seats if your fat. Haha unless they have somne thyroid or medical condition I have no sympathy for fat people. Fucking work out. Simple as that."
- "Lizzie, your friend Mr. Perfect is an ass. I doubt he asks overweight people whether or not they have glandular or medical conditions before he judges them to be less-than. But to hopefully justify his obvious fear of fat people, you can let him know that, given the opportunity, I'll eat him."
Week 4a weight: 317.8
Monday, April 13, 2009
Week 3b Fitness Wrap-Up
The funny thing about goals is, what the hell do you do if you don't reach them? I did complete one of my three goals for the weekend - I exercised at least 30 minutes each day.
Eating was good on Friday and mostly good on Saturday, but Easter was a step backwards. I had a healthy portion of potato chips and onion dip, as well as a slice of Easter pie. It was good, but I felt a little off afterwards, which I guess is a good thing. It makes me think that my body really doesn't want much in the way of sugars and simple carbohydrates. I'm confident that this week I can do enough good to get back on track, and this coming weekend shouldn't have any circumstances that tempt me into going off the diet. Shouldn't.
Still working on the new catch phrase.
Week 3b weight: 321.2
- Friday - Back and biceps weightlifting for a half hour, walked the family dog for about 15 minutes, and played catch with my uncle for an hour.
- Saturday - Chest and triceps weightlifting for a half hour.
- Sunday - Played softball with some family for an hour and a half, and played catch with my uncle and cousin for an hour.
Eating was good on Friday and mostly good on Saturday, but Easter was a step backwards. I had a healthy portion of potato chips and onion dip, as well as a slice of Easter pie. It was good, but I felt a little off afterwards, which I guess is a good thing. It makes me think that my body really doesn't want much in the way of sugars and simple carbohydrates. I'm confident that this week I can do enough good to get back on track, and this coming weekend shouldn't have any circumstances that tempt me into going off the diet. Shouldn't.
Still working on the new catch phrase.
Week 3b weight: 321.2
Friday, April 10, 2009
Week 3a Fitness Wrap-Up
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I did almost no exercising, and that's bad. The idea behind this project isn't just to lose weight, which a diet can do on its own for a while. The idea is to become more healthy, to be more fit, to be able to wrestle an alligator. Well, that last part is probably a pipe dream, but the rest is true. I'm not just looking to slim down, even though that's the criteria I've been using to evaluate my progress. And even if that were all I wanted to do, adding in exercise is obviously going to help me in that regard.
As such, my goal this weekend is to exercise each day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) for at least 30 minutes. If it ends up being Rock Band drumming, though, I'm mandating a full hour; the drumming is good, but it's certainly not the same as "real" exercise. I'm also going to set a goal for next week: at least twice, I want to wake up early and lift. I want to see how it affects my weigh-ins, my appetite, and my energy.
Well, one of my goals is to do that exercise. Another is to get below 320 pounds. And the last is to come up with a catch phrase. All three are vital.
Week 3a weight: 321.8
As such, my goal this weekend is to exercise each day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) for at least 30 minutes. If it ends up being Rock Band drumming, though, I'm mandating a full hour; the drumming is good, but it's certainly not the same as "real" exercise. I'm also going to set a goal for next week: at least twice, I want to wake up early and lift. I want to see how it affects my weigh-ins, my appetite, and my energy.
Well, one of my goals is to do that exercise. Another is to get below 320 pounds. And the last is to come up with a catch phrase. All three are vital.
Week 3a weight: 321.8
Monday, April 6, 2009
Week 2b Fitness Wrap-Up
Friday was a low-key day, I played some Rock Band and rode the bicycle a little, staying on the diet. Saturday morning I lifted, but Saturday evening I went out to eat and then did some drinking. The downside is that I probably stifled what could've been a big positive over the weekend. But the upside is that even with multiple mistakes, I still lost weight. That tells me that one of these weekends, when I stay on target, I'll have a big weight loss.
I also did some reading and found a few interesting nuggets that I'm going to try to (or continue to) incorporate. The general focus is on increasing my metabolism, and maintaining that increase. While I found at least a dozen ways, these were the two I would like to embrace the most actively:
Week 2b weight: 322.8
I also did some reading and found a few interesting nuggets that I'm going to try to (or continue to) incorporate. The general focus is on increasing my metabolism, and maintaining that increase. While I found at least a dozen ways, these were the two I would like to embrace the most actively:
- Lift weights - I knew weightlifting was a good idea, but the information I've read shows that the benefits go well beyond muscle definition and burning calories. First, lifting earlier in the day gives you a metabolic boost that persists throughout the day, and which you can complement with other strategies to really pump up your calorie-burning power. Additionally, having greater muscle mass increases your basal metabolic rate.
- Sleep - I've always felt like sleep was important and that not getting 8 hours a night was causing some sort of problem for me, but now I've got the reasons why. The piece of information that struck me the most goes back to weightlifting: if you don't get 7-8 hours of sleep, you aren't allowing your body to build muscle, and so your weightlifting can be less productive.
Week 2b weight: 322.8
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Diet & Exercise Log - April 2nd, 2009
Breakfast
1 slice wheat toast
Lunch
Chipotle salad with barbacoa
Diet Coke
Dinner
4 slices thin crust homemade pizza
Side salad with ranch dressing
1 slice apple pie
Snacks
2 oz. sugar-free chocolate-covered peanuts
1 oz. cashews
Exercise
20 minutes weightlifting (back, biceps)
20 minutes stationary bike/singing
Thoughts
Today was Eddie's birthday, so I splurged a little on dinner. Okay, a lot on dinner. I also had a slice of bread for breakfast, which I'm not supposed to have until phase 2. My stomach was a little upset, and I knew pudding wasn't going to help that, so I made an executive decision. I didn't suffer any substantial damage on the scale, so I'm going to just focus on straightening out again, and probably staying on phase 1 for a few more days.
You might also notice that part of my exercises for the day were "stationary bike/singing." As you probably know if you read this blog regularly, I've got a thing for Xbox achievements. One achievement I haven't earned yet is for the completion of the solo singing tour on the original Rock Band. To combine two things I want to do, I rode the stationary bike and sang at the same time, a more difficult feat than I had hoped, but I was able to do it. I also think it might help me build up stamina by demanding more out of my lungs, so I'm going to add it to the list of exercises I do. I'm debating whether to try playing guitar (Rock Band or real life) while biking as well.
Finally, this will be the last daily log of my diet. I'm going to post my weigh-ins from Monday morning and Friday morning, and I'll continue to chime in with any interesting thoughts from in between, but I figure you're not crazy about reading a food list every day. As interesting as it is to see how many peanuts I eat on a given day, I'm thinking you can live without it. I'll try to get back to posting about my interests, like Rock Band, other video games, TV shows, music, and what-not.
Day 12 weight: 325.8
1 slice wheat toast
Lunch
Chipotle salad with barbacoa
Diet Coke
Dinner
4 slices thin crust homemade pizza
Side salad with ranch dressing
1 slice apple pie
Snacks
2 oz. sugar-free chocolate-covered peanuts
1 oz. cashews
Exercise
20 minutes weightlifting (back, biceps)
20 minutes stationary bike/singing
Thoughts
Today was Eddie's birthday, so I splurged a little on dinner. Okay, a lot on dinner. I also had a slice of bread for breakfast, which I'm not supposed to have until phase 2. My stomach was a little upset, and I knew pudding wasn't going to help that, so I made an executive decision. I didn't suffer any substantial damage on the scale, so I'm going to just focus on straightening out again, and probably staying on phase 1 for a few more days.
You might also notice that part of my exercises for the day were "stationary bike/singing." As you probably know if you read this blog regularly, I've got a thing for Xbox achievements. One achievement I haven't earned yet is for the completion of the solo singing tour on the original Rock Band. To combine two things I want to do, I rode the stationary bike and sang at the same time, a more difficult feat than I had hoped, but I was able to do it. I also think it might help me build up stamina by demanding more out of my lungs, so I'm going to add it to the list of exercises I do. I'm debating whether to try playing guitar (Rock Band or real life) while biking as well.
Finally, this will be the last daily log of my diet. I'm going to post my weigh-ins from Monday morning and Friday morning, and I'll continue to chime in with any interesting thoughts from in between, but I figure you're not crazy about reading a food list every day. As interesting as it is to see how many peanuts I eat on a given day, I'm thinking you can live without it. I'll try to get back to posting about my interests, like Rock Band, other video games, TV shows, music, and what-not.
Day 12 weight: 325.8
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Diet & Exercise Log - April 1st, 2009
Breakfast
Sugar-free jello
Lunch
Chipotle salad with chicken
Diet Coke
Dinner
Chicken Caesar salad
1 stick string cheese
Diet Mountain Dew
Snacks
1 oz. sugar-free chocolate-covered peanuts
2 oz. salted peanuts
1 oz. beef jerky
Coke Zero
Exercise
20 minutes stationary bike
Thoughts
[none]
Day 11 weight: 325.4
Sugar-free jello
Lunch
Chipotle salad with chicken
Diet Coke
Dinner
Chicken Caesar salad
1 stick string cheese
Diet Mountain Dew
Snacks
1 oz. sugar-free chocolate-covered peanuts
2 oz. salted peanuts
1 oz. beef jerky
Coke Zero
Exercise
20 minutes stationary bike
Thoughts
[none]
Day 11 weight: 325.4
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Diet & Exercise Log - March 31st, 2009
Breakfast
2 cups sugar-free jello
1 oz. salted peanuts
Lunch
Chicken Caesar salad
Dinner
1/2 T-bone steak
1 stick of string cheese
Snacks
2 oz. salted peanuts
1 oz. salted cashews
1 oz. beef jerky
1 tbsp. sugar free peach preserves
Exercise
15 minutes weightlifting (chest, triceps)
15 minutes stationary bike
Thoughts
All these nuts are taking a toll. Better buy some more cottage cheese as well as some vegetables to keep things in balance. Technically, you're only supposed to have like 1 serving of nuts per day on the South Beach diet. Obviously I'm not holding to the prescribed diet strictly, but I understand why nuts shouldn't constitute that large a part of your daily food. They're fairly high in fat and also contain some carbohydrates, not to mention all the sodium. Another trip to the grocery store is in order for tomorrow.
Day 10 weight: 325.8
2 cups sugar-free jello
1 oz. salted peanuts
Lunch
Chicken Caesar salad
Dinner
1/2 T-bone steak
1 stick of string cheese
Snacks
2 oz. salted peanuts
1 oz. salted cashews
1 oz. beef jerky
1 tbsp. sugar free peach preserves
Exercise
15 minutes weightlifting (chest, triceps)
15 minutes stationary bike
Thoughts
All these nuts are taking a toll. Better buy some more cottage cheese as well as some vegetables to keep things in balance. Technically, you're only supposed to have like 1 serving of nuts per day on the South Beach diet. Obviously I'm not holding to the prescribed diet strictly, but I understand why nuts shouldn't constitute that large a part of your daily food. They're fairly high in fat and also contain some carbohydrates, not to mention all the sodium. Another trip to the grocery store is in order for tomorrow.
Day 10 weight: 325.8
Monday, March 30, 2009
Diet & Exercise Log - March 30th, 2009
Breakfast
3 eggs, hard-boiled
Lunch
Chipotle salad with barbacoa
Diet Coke
Dinner
Chipotle salad with steak
1 chicken breast
1 cup mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
Coke Zero
Snacks
1 oz. salted peanuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Exercise
20 minutes walking
20 minutes Rock Band drumming
Thoughts
If I'm going to have two salads in one day, I probably shouldn't have them both be with red meat. The barbacoa was very spicy, but pretty good. Also, I think I'm ready to start integrating a regular walk or stationary bike ride into my daily routine. The lifting is okay, and playing the drums is fun, but I want to work on my stamina, and the only way to do that is to focus on some cardio work. Today was a start.
Day 9 weight: 325.8
3 eggs, hard-boiled
Lunch
Chipotle salad with barbacoa
Diet Coke
Dinner
Chipotle salad with steak
1 chicken breast
1 cup mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
Coke Zero
Snacks
1 oz. salted peanuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Exercise
20 minutes walking
20 minutes Rock Band drumming
Thoughts
If I'm going to have two salads in one day, I probably shouldn't have them both be with red meat. The barbacoa was very spicy, but pretty good. Also, I think I'm ready to start integrating a regular walk or stationary bike ride into my daily routine. The lifting is okay, and playing the drums is fun, but I want to work on my stamina, and the only way to do that is to focus on some cardio work. Today was a start.
Day 9 weight: 325.8
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Diet & Exercise Log - March 28th/29th, 2009
Saturday
Breakfast
4 slices of bacon
3 eggs, fried
Lunch/Dinner
Chinese buffet: beef & broccoli, chicken & broccoli, scallops, egg drop soup
Snacks
1 hard-boiled egg
3 Pop-Tarts
4 shots Everclear
Exercise
20 minutes Rock Band drumming
Sunday
Breakfast
3 eggs, scrambled
Diet Mountain Dew
Lunch
Diet Sierra Mist
1 oz. beef jerky
1 oz. cashews
Dinner
2 grilled chicken breasts
2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots
1 cup sugar-free pudding
Snacks
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
2 oz. cashews
Exercise
20 minutes weightlifting (back, biceps)
Thoughts
I decided to group Saturday and Sunday together, and I think I'll group Friday, Saturday, and Sunday together from now on. It keeps it so I don't have to do one of these on a weekend night, which is preferable. I bought some new shoes Sunday, mostly because I got tired of the tattered insoles of my current shoes, courtesy of the puppy Franklin. I still have two other outdated pairs of shoes to replace, but I can assure you that these will be put to use immediately.
As you can see, I strayed on Saturday. We went over to BizJoe's place, had a few drinks, a few laughs, and that was that. I'm actually feeling good about getting back on track, though, which is different from before.
I do owe Joe a box of Pop-Tarts, though.
Day 8 weight: 328.6
Breakfast
4 slices of bacon
3 eggs, fried
Lunch/Dinner
Chinese buffet: beef & broccoli, chicken & broccoli, scallops, egg drop soup
Snacks
1 hard-boiled egg
3 Pop-Tarts
4 shots Everclear
Exercise
20 minutes Rock Band drumming
Sunday
Breakfast
3 eggs, scrambled
Diet Mountain Dew
Lunch
Diet Sierra Mist
1 oz. beef jerky
1 oz. cashews
Dinner
2 grilled chicken breasts
2 cups steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots
1 cup sugar-free pudding
Snacks
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
2 oz. cashews
Exercise
20 minutes weightlifting (back, biceps)
Thoughts
I decided to group Saturday and Sunday together, and I think I'll group Friday, Saturday, and Sunday together from now on. It keeps it so I don't have to do one of these on a weekend night, which is preferable. I bought some new shoes Sunday, mostly because I got tired of the tattered insoles of my current shoes, courtesy of the puppy Franklin. I still have two other outdated pairs of shoes to replace, but I can assure you that these will be put to use immediately.
As you can see, I strayed on Saturday. We went over to BizJoe's place, had a few drinks, a few laughs, and that was that. I'm actually feeling good about getting back on track, though, which is different from before.
I do owe Joe a box of Pop-Tarts, though.
Day 8 weight: 328.6
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