I decided to make my sister a lovely, delicate breakfast of eggs Benedict this morning, thinking that cooking really isn't turning out to be all that difficult, and an inexperienced cook like myself can turn out some pretty good tasting things.
I started with the hollandaise sauce. Setting up my makeshift double boiler, I threw two egg yolks into the top and started whisking. It's very possible that the water was boiling too rapidly, or I'm just an idiot, but the egg yolks cooked much faster than I anticipated, which meant that when I added the butter, nothing incorporated like it should have. It ended up being an buttery egg drop soup.
So I threw it out and tried again, this time mixing all the ingredients before adding them to the double boiler. Perhaps I was not whisking enough, perhaps the water was too hot yet again, but the second try was only slightly better than the first. It tasted just lovely, but the texture was all wrong. I think the next time I try this, I'm going to bring my electric hand mixer to the double boiler, and hopefully that would make a difference.
And then I poached the eggs. I prepared each egg by cracking it in a cup and setting each cup near the two pots of boiling water I had going. Because I was to poach four eggs, I had a much larger pot for three of them, and then left the smaller pot I made my double boiler from on the stove and used it as a second. I added vinegar to the water, then I took a deep breath.
I grabbed the first cup of egg in my hand and let it plop from a height of several inches above the surface of the water. As an experienced cook would suspect, the egg dove straight down where it splatted all over the bottom of the pot. It resembled how we would imagine a yellow comet with a white tail. This made the yolk cook weirdly, and the whites ended up looking more friend than boiled.
I transferred the eggs out with a slotted spoon, which was so much more difficult than the YouTube videos made it look. Because I didn't have any paper towel, I had to use a normal, clean wash cloth and try to move everything from the water to the towel without breaking the yolks.
It was then that my sister called and said she'd be an hour late.
Moving the eggs from a cloth back to some hot water to preserve them was horrible. The wash cloth proved to cling right to the delicate whites of the eggs and simply wouldn't let them go. And it left purple strings on them that I had to pull off. Once my sister got here, I fished the eggs out of the water a second time and put them on a different cloth--one not so furry--and only managed to break one of my yolks and one of hers when I put them on a toasted English muffin smeared with sun dried tomato pesto and topped with Canadian bacon. The hollandaise was even less attractive. Because it had separated into a liquid of butter and egg yolk flocculation, the yellow stuck all over the egg and bread, and the butter just kinda spread out all over the plate.
But it tasted very delicious, and we were all grateful to be eating it.
Then I introduced my sister to a kettlebell routine. We were there less than one half hour, and she's now in love. She said how much she loved to get such a good workout for all parts of her body in such little time. We went online and started shopping for some so she can add kettlebells to her exercise room at home.
1/29/10
Baked Omelettes
Today was the first day of me cooking breakfast for my friends. And to say the least, I think it was absolutely delicious.
What I did was this. I browned onions in a skillet with some sun dried tomatoes and added spinach right at the end. I scooped this mix to the bottoms of three ramekins, added three whipped eggs, topped them with feta, and baked them. I thought they'd only need to be in the oven for twenty minutes, but 45 is what did the trick. Then I sprinkled brown sugar over grapefruit halves and baked them for a few minutes, just enough time for the sugar to melt into the flesh of the grapefruit. The combination was surprisingly perfect, and everyone was pleased.
I'm actually excited to cook for my sister in the morning. We're going to have eggs benedict, and I'm planning on making everything, including the hollandaise. I'm kind of concerned about poaching the eggs--the act seems strange and unnatural to me, and the eggs are so delicate when poached--but I'm going to meet this challenge without shying away.
As for working out, I took the day off yesterday because I hadn't allotted myself a recovery day. Because of things at work this evening, I didn't work out tonight, either. So I'll punch it hard tomorrow morning when I introduce my sister to kettlebells once we're done eating.
What I did was this. I browned onions in a skillet with some sun dried tomatoes and added spinach right at the end. I scooped this mix to the bottoms of three ramekins, added three whipped eggs, topped them with feta, and baked them. I thought they'd only need to be in the oven for twenty minutes, but 45 is what did the trick. Then I sprinkled brown sugar over grapefruit halves and baked them for a few minutes, just enough time for the sugar to melt into the flesh of the grapefruit. The combination was surprisingly perfect, and everyone was pleased.
I'm actually excited to cook for my sister in the morning. We're going to have eggs benedict, and I'm planning on making everything, including the hollandaise. I'm kind of concerned about poaching the eggs--the act seems strange and unnatural to me, and the eggs are so delicate when poached--but I'm going to meet this challenge without shying away.
As for working out, I took the day off yesterday because I hadn't allotted myself a recovery day. Because of things at work this evening, I didn't work out tonight, either. So I'll punch it hard tomorrow morning when I introduce my sister to kettlebells once we're done eating.
1/28/10
Breakfast Eve
Every Friday morning, two of my friends and I go out to have breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants. Recently, we noticed we could save a notable amount of money by simply having one of us (me) cook for the group and having the rest of us contribute ingredients. So tomorrow is when this new plan is going to start. That means I have to wake up early to start cooking, and I have to go to the store right after work to get some ingredients, but it'll be fun. Honestly, I'm excited.
I've also come to grips with the fact that I probably won't be losing much weight this week, compared to last Sunday morning. And you know what, that is alright. This is one thing that I will not allow myself to get discouraged about, otherwise I will lose interest and modivation. That means this week may have little more than half a pound overall weight loss, but it'll still be some weight. And I've learned my lesson about the dangers of a good binge on birthday cake.
I've also come to grips with the fact that I probably won't be losing much weight this week, compared to last Sunday morning. And you know what, that is alright. This is one thing that I will not allow myself to get discouraged about, otherwise I will lose interest and modivation. That means this week may have little more than half a pound overall weight loss, but it'll still be some weight. And I've learned my lesson about the dangers of a good binge on birthday cake.
1/27/10
Playing with Fire
As I was looking in my freezer the other day, I noticed I still had a massive amount of tilapia that I simply had to use. So I did some research and found a fantastic recipe for fish tacos. All the ingredients were natural and fresh, and things appeared to be pretty good.
And I spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon before going in to work cooking and preparing these fish tacos. You all might cringe when you realize how the tilapia was prepared. After marinating the fish in lime for several hours, I cut it into chunks, dusted it with flour, dunked it in egg, then bread crumbs and FRIED IT IN PURE, UNADULTERATED BUTTER! I can't believe I actually find justification in this by thinking it was butter rather than hydrogenated oils that these fishies fry in. Two and a half sticks.
Once the chunks are browned on both sides, they are transfered to a paper towel to get rid of excess butter, then I baste them with a glaze made of honey, olive oil, cumin, and lime. I was amazed at how delicious it was.
It's eaten on a tortilla, and topped with a slaw blend, and topped with chipotle sauce if desired.
I guess a good thing is because everything is fried in butter, it sits in my stomach like a rock, and I can only handle a little bit of it. If I end up gaining tons of weight from this, it may be the end to frying things in butter as we know it.
And I spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon before going in to work cooking and preparing these fish tacos. You all might cringe when you realize how the tilapia was prepared. After marinating the fish in lime for several hours, I cut it into chunks, dusted it with flour, dunked it in egg, then bread crumbs and FRIED IT IN PURE, UNADULTERATED BUTTER! I can't believe I actually find justification in this by thinking it was butter rather than hydrogenated oils that these fishies fry in. Two and a half sticks.
Once the chunks are browned on both sides, they are transfered to a paper towel to get rid of excess butter, then I baste them with a glaze made of honey, olive oil, cumin, and lime. I was amazed at how delicious it was.
It's eaten on a tortilla, and topped with a slaw blend, and topped with chipotle sauce if desired.
I guess a good thing is because everything is fried in butter, it sits in my stomach like a rock, and I can only handle a little bit of it. If I end up gaining tons of weight from this, it may be the end to frying things in butter as we know it.
1/26/10
Doubles
I actually did two workouts today. That's right; two. This morning after aiding a student lab and going to the wellness center like I normally do on Tuesdays, I did a nice general kettlebell workout. And then later tonight, I did another with a friend from work, focusing on my arms. That means we're lucky I can even type this.
I've decided to try a new recipe starting tomorrow that I am so stoked about. Fish tacos. Considering all the tilapia I have frozen in my freezer, it sounds so delicious. It'll be served with a cilantro sauce and a chipotle sauce. How perfect.
Hopefully I'm one step closer to shedding the weight I gained Sunday.
I've decided to try a new recipe starting tomorrow that I am so stoked about. Fish tacos. Considering all the tilapia I have frozen in my freezer, it sounds so delicious. It'll be served with a cilantro sauce and a chipotle sauce. How perfect.
Hopefully I'm one step closer to shedding the weight I gained Sunday.
1/25/10
Birthday Cake, and Such...
Every time I use the Wii Fit, it tests my balance, takes my BMI, and shows my current weight. On any day I've gained one pound or more, it makes me explain myself to it as if it were my personal trainer. The screen changes to a word bank of options like "I ate too much," "I snacked too much," or "I ate a big meal before going to bed." And I'm forced to choose one of them. Then it prepares two graphs; one with my BMI, the other with my weight progress, taking everything day-to-day. And my Mii, the little fat dude who embodies everything I am as a cartoon animation, stands at the bottom of the screen. If I hover the cursor over a day of significant weight gain, a word bubble pops out of his mouth as if he were saying, "I ate too much," or "I ate too much before bed." That way, these little failures are forever logged away into the Wii memory so I will never forget them.
Since last night, I gained 2.2 pounds. So I had to hang my head in shame and explain to the Wii Fit why it happened.
I think it's unfair that "Birthday Cake" is not an option. I feel Nintendo should build into the software a selection of special occasions where a person could blimp out and not feel too bad about it. These could include "Financee's Birthday Cake," or "Anniversary Dinner," or "Bad Day at the Office." After selecting one of these, the Wii Fit could take you to another screen where you rate just how good the cake was--or the donuts and rootbeer, if it were from stress at work--and if your weight gain was proportional to how good the cake was, the Wii Fit Balance Board (the host of the program) could give your Mii a high-five. Or a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, of it was because of the office.
Perhaps I'll be writing Nintendo a letter.
Either way, I have an additional 2ish pounds to lose. If this ends up being a repeat of last week, then I'm not too worried about it. But, it does mean that if I wish to be down at least 2 pounds from Sunday's reading, I have to lose 4 pounds this week. Considering I'll be doing kettlebell workouts everyday at work, sometimes twice a day, I'm confident it'll come off like it did last week.
I decided to start things off seriously today by doing an hour kettlebell workout at the wellness center this morning. While the whole "one hour" idea didn't happen, the challenging workout definitely did. I feel there comes a time when it's best to just stop exercising before killing myself, and that came about 35 minutes into the workout. When I finally stopped and drove home, I actually felt sick to my stomach for about 20 minutes. Though a total one hour workout on kettlebells may be yet in the future, it's comforting to know that I can work myself out nearly to death with 30 minutes of kettlebells, rather than an hour of running, and with more significant benefits.
Since last night, I gained 2.2 pounds. So I had to hang my head in shame and explain to the Wii Fit why it happened.
I think it's unfair that "Birthday Cake" is not an option. I feel Nintendo should build into the software a selection of special occasions where a person could blimp out and not feel too bad about it. These could include "Financee's Birthday Cake," or "Anniversary Dinner," or "Bad Day at the Office." After selecting one of these, the Wii Fit could take you to another screen where you rate just how good the cake was--or the donuts and rootbeer, if it were from stress at work--and if your weight gain was proportional to how good the cake was, the Wii Fit Balance Board (the host of the program) could give your Mii a high-five. Or a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, of it was because of the office.
Perhaps I'll be writing Nintendo a letter.
Either way, I have an additional 2ish pounds to lose. If this ends up being a repeat of last week, then I'm not too worried about it. But, it does mean that if I wish to be down at least 2 pounds from Sunday's reading, I have to lose 4 pounds this week. Considering I'll be doing kettlebell workouts everyday at work, sometimes twice a day, I'm confident it'll come off like it did last week.
I decided to start things off seriously today by doing an hour kettlebell workout at the wellness center this morning. While the whole "one hour" idea didn't happen, the challenging workout definitely did. I feel there comes a time when it's best to just stop exercising before killing myself, and that came about 35 minutes into the workout. When I finally stopped and drove home, I actually felt sick to my stomach for about 20 minutes. Though a total one hour workout on kettlebells may be yet in the future, it's comforting to know that I can work myself out nearly to death with 30 minutes of kettlebells, rather than an hour of running, and with more significant benefits.
1/24/10
Chinese Food and a Brown Betty
Again, here comes the time where I sit back and evaluate the week's progress.
As mentioned in a previous post, I figured I'd be doing most of my losing throughout the week, and then gaining some of it back on the weekends. Week two was no exception. Even though my finacee and I had a wonderful time at the gym, it still wasn't proactive enough to counter the effects of Chinese food and a Brown Betty that we would be eating last night.
Even though portion control was not an issue--I only had one plate of food and stopped--I figure all the simple sugars in the ice cream and Brown Betty (a type of apple cobbler) were the things that done me in again. It gives pause to consider if that meal and dessert were worth the pound and a half I gained back from it.
My goal for next Saturday is to at least maintain the weight I have on Friday, rather than add to it.
The workouts have been going well. I'm going to start doing kettlebells every night at work with the new group I've joined, so that means I'll be doing an additional four workouts this week, some two a day. This may be overkill, but I'll see how it goes. I think it'll still be worth it. If I end up hurting myself by the end of the week, then I'll cut back on something. Easy as that.
So, for this previous week, I've lost 2.9 pounds, which is still more than my weekly goal, and is still very admirable. I feel I've done well.
As mentioned in a previous post, I figured I'd be doing most of my losing throughout the week, and then gaining some of it back on the weekends. Week two was no exception. Even though my finacee and I had a wonderful time at the gym, it still wasn't proactive enough to counter the effects of Chinese food and a Brown Betty that we would be eating last night.
Even though portion control was not an issue--I only had one plate of food and stopped--I figure all the simple sugars in the ice cream and Brown Betty (a type of apple cobbler) were the things that done me in again. It gives pause to consider if that meal and dessert were worth the pound and a half I gained back from it.
My goal for next Saturday is to at least maintain the weight I have on Friday, rather than add to it.
The workouts have been going well. I'm going to start doing kettlebells every night at work with the new group I've joined, so that means I'll be doing an additional four workouts this week, some two a day. This may be overkill, but I'll see how it goes. I think it'll still be worth it. If I end up hurting myself by the end of the week, then I'll cut back on something. Easy as that.
So, for this previous week, I've lost 2.9 pounds, which is still more than my weekly goal, and is still very admirable. I feel I've done well.
1/23/10
Card Games
My fiancee came down, and we decided to start off the day by going to the gym. While there, instead of doing the normal elliptical and random weight sets, I decided we'd play a card game, something that makes any workout with a friend far more entertaining.
At the wellness center, there is a back room we occupied and brought in mats, medicine balls, and a couple other things for our activity. After a 5 minute warm up, the games began. What we did was select 8 exercises, 4 of which could be done high-rep, the other four typically done in sets of 12. So, out a standard deck of cards, I drew, and my fiancee would have to do whatever the card dictated, and at the same time she drew for me. For number cards, each suit represented a different high-rep exercise, and the number represented how many of that exercise the person had to do. Each face card represented an exercise with a set number of reps (which were typically more difficult). Of course, I got stuck with most of the face cards, including all 4 aces, and Steph got practically nothing but high-rep numbers. We went through until the pile was out. It ended up being a rather enjoyable 30 minute workout.
At the wellness center, there is a back room we occupied and brought in mats, medicine balls, and a couple other things for our activity. After a 5 minute warm up, the games began. What we did was select 8 exercises, 4 of which could be done high-rep, the other four typically done in sets of 12. So, out a standard deck of cards, I drew, and my fiancee would have to do whatever the card dictated, and at the same time she drew for me. For number cards, each suit represented a different high-rep exercise, and the number represented how many of that exercise the person had to do. Each face card represented an exercise with a set number of reps (which were typically more difficult). Of course, I got stuck with most of the face cards, including all 4 aces, and Steph got practically nothing but high-rep numbers. We went through until the pile was out. It ended up being a rather enjoyable 30 minute workout.
1/22/10
Kettlebells
Yesterday was the first day this week that I did not do 12 reps of all exercises requiring that number while working out. The first reason is I forgot to bring my workout routines with me when I came in to the wellness center, which means I just kinda had to pull parts of different routines from my head. I still exercised pretty well, however. The other reason I didn't put my heart and soul into the workout is because I knew I'd be exercising again that night.
Every evening around 11:15, a group of girls at work go down to the wellness center and do a routine of kettlebells, something I'd never done before. And then all of them rant and rave about how awesome it works you out, and how amazing you feel afterward. Last night I figured, what the heck! And I went down and joined them, being the only man among them.
The workout really was the best I've had in many months (all things considered). And it was all total body movement, which means I was working so many muscles in my body at once, which beats the pants off traditional weight lifting. I wasn't able to do all they were doing mostly because I wasn't used to swinging that weight around, and because the girl in charge who might as well be a fitness coach said she wanted to watch my technique to make sure I wouldn't strain my back. Very nice of her.
When the routine was done, which lasted less than 20 minutes, I found I couldn't even step down the stairs to go out to my car without some difficulty. And now today, I'm really feeling it in my legs.
So I think I'll do it again tonight.
Every evening around 11:15, a group of girls at work go down to the wellness center and do a routine of kettlebells, something I'd never done before. And then all of them rant and rave about how awesome it works you out, and how amazing you feel afterward. Last night I figured, what the heck! And I went down and joined them, being the only man among them.
The workout really was the best I've had in many months (all things considered). And it was all total body movement, which means I was working so many muscles in my body at once, which beats the pants off traditional weight lifting. I wasn't able to do all they were doing mostly because I wasn't used to swinging that weight around, and because the girl in charge who might as well be a fitness coach said she wanted to watch my technique to make sure I wouldn't strain my back. Very nice of her.
When the routine was done, which lasted less than 20 minutes, I found I couldn't even step down the stairs to go out to my car without some difficulty. And now today, I'm really feeling it in my legs.
So I think I'll do it again tonight.
1/21/10
The Glory of Peanut Butter
During this diet, I have had an uncanny craving for a good, old fashioned PB and J, so I tailored my diet to include a PB and J every day.
So I went on the hunt for natural peanut butter, not the regular Jiffy with tons of sugar and other oils that make it a delightful spread. I bought Adam's brand peanut butter simply because the only ingredient on the back was PEANUTS! It required mixing, and it had an initial strange texture, but once I got past that I found it had the same delicious flavor as most of the other peanut butters.
I was talking to a friend last night about my diet and workout program, and calorie counting came up as it typically does when discussing diets with others. We figured that an entire PB and J had to have at least 400 calories, and that if going low-cal was the goal, these yummy little sandwiches were normally the first to go.
My program says not to be a fanatic about calorie counting (which I definitely can say that I hate doing, and love the fact that this program recommends being "calorie conscious" rather than worrisome). This leads to me not paying attention to food labels as much as just eating natural, healthy food. But as I sat at my table after work last night, I figured I might as well figure my caloric intake just to get a good bearing. Using Google's food calculator, I went around and looked at the labels of food I bought. Because I knew exactly how much of each food I was consuming, figuring the total caloric daily consumption was easy.
And here was the good news:
One day of normal meals as I have them planned out, including one daily PB and J with a small glass of organic 2% milk--which is surprisingly tasty--equated to between 2,000 and 2,100 calories per day. And a person my height, weight, and age requires exactly that to maintain a healthy weight loss!
Go me!
So I went on the hunt for natural peanut butter, not the regular Jiffy with tons of sugar and other oils that make it a delightful spread. I bought Adam's brand peanut butter simply because the only ingredient on the back was PEANUTS! It required mixing, and it had an initial strange texture, but once I got past that I found it had the same delicious flavor as most of the other peanut butters.
I was talking to a friend last night about my diet and workout program, and calorie counting came up as it typically does when discussing diets with others. We figured that an entire PB and J had to have at least 400 calories, and that if going low-cal was the goal, these yummy little sandwiches were normally the first to go.
My program says not to be a fanatic about calorie counting (which I definitely can say that I hate doing, and love the fact that this program recommends being "calorie conscious" rather than worrisome). This leads to me not paying attention to food labels as much as just eating natural, healthy food. But as I sat at my table after work last night, I figured I might as well figure my caloric intake just to get a good bearing. Using Google's food calculator, I went around and looked at the labels of food I bought. Because I knew exactly how much of each food I was consuming, figuring the total caloric daily consumption was easy.
And here was the good news:
One day of normal meals as I have them planned out, including one daily PB and J with a small glass of organic 2% milk--which is surprisingly tasty--equated to between 2,000 and 2,100 calories per day. And a person my height, weight, and age requires exactly that to maintain a healthy weight loss!
Go me!
1/20/10
Recovering from Fried Shrimp and Cheesecake
And I'm back in the 220's! What a relief. It really sucks that it took three days to drop the weight I gained on Saturday.
I went grocery shopping again today and spent what I would consider another sizeable amount of money on food. It's not that spending 50 bucks for an entire week of meals is much for anyone else who is used to cooking, but spending that much on food at one time is still hard for me to wrap my head around. But still, with preparing food as I am, I'm only eating out about one time a week, and I'm not blowing money on the grill at work, which is saving me between 5 and 10 bucks a shift. I figure I'm breaking even financially. If I'm eating better than before, then I consider it a plus.
Also, I'm becoming creative with my cooking abilities. Well, creative from a non-cooker perspective ends up being pathetic and unremarkable, but I'm getting better at what goes together to make a tasty but healthy meal. For instance, a tuna melt with onions browned in olive oil, then done up with green onions, chopped parsley, two cans of tuna, and then mixed together with cottage cheese and sliced grapes and served on a wrap or toasted bun makes for a wonderful meal. (Actually, I didn't add sliced grapes because I forgot to buy them. But it still sounds delicious.)
I continue to find that my body thinks it's not losing weight unless I'm hungry, which would lead me to eat less to maintain that hollow dieter's hole in the pit of my stomach. So I have to constantly remind myself that eating enough (a.k.a. NOT STARVING ALL THE TIME!) and exercising are what make it work. Going without food is bad. And eating crappy diet food is also bad.
There are my words of wisdom for the day.
I went grocery shopping again today and spent what I would consider another sizeable amount of money on food. It's not that spending 50 bucks for an entire week of meals is much for anyone else who is used to cooking, but spending that much on food at one time is still hard for me to wrap my head around. But still, with preparing food as I am, I'm only eating out about one time a week, and I'm not blowing money on the grill at work, which is saving me between 5 and 10 bucks a shift. I figure I'm breaking even financially. If I'm eating better than before, then I consider it a plus.
Also, I'm becoming creative with my cooking abilities. Well, creative from a non-cooker perspective ends up being pathetic and unremarkable, but I'm getting better at what goes together to make a tasty but healthy meal. For instance, a tuna melt with onions browned in olive oil, then done up with green onions, chopped parsley, two cans of tuna, and then mixed together with cottage cheese and sliced grapes and served on a wrap or toasted bun makes for a wonderful meal. (Actually, I didn't add sliced grapes because I forgot to buy them. But it still sounds delicious.)
I continue to find that my body thinks it's not losing weight unless I'm hungry, which would lead me to eat less to maintain that hollow dieter's hole in the pit of my stomach. So I have to constantly remind myself that eating enough (a.k.a. NOT STARVING ALL THE TIME!) and exercising are what make it work. Going without food is bad. And eating crappy diet food is also bad.
There are my words of wisdom for the day.
1/19/10
Advantages of Living Alone
Some of you might have noticed that I posted nothing yesterday. In my defence, I did at least change the weight tracker. I ended up being ridiculously busy, and what with the holiday and my finacee not having school, I had a full day planned.
And I really did not too bad considering we ate out at the Desert Star Theatre and had delicious pizza and a pina colada. The food really was great. Instead of losing tons yesterday, I ended up staying at about the same weight. Perhaps a little less.
This is the thought that hit me as I was preparing my meals last night: it is becoming apparent that if I expect to continue slipping down that rocky, painful road we call the BMI, I'm going to need to lose most of my weight during the week because with things as it is, I indefinitely will gain some of it back on the weekends.
That's what happens when you have a beautful future bride with a lovely family who all enjoy good food. To be perfectly fair, the things these people make for meals tend to have very natural ingredients, and everything is homemade and rather healthy. It's the desserts that stick me. It's hard to refuse homemade brownie-lava-fudge cakes, or raspberry pound cake, or lemon mousse, or chocolate marble cheesecake. These do me in every time. However, if I do go and visit family this weekend, I'm sure there will not be as many snacks as are at my sister's house, and I'll simply refuse to eat anything fried. There is a large possibility that we will have Thai food, and in my heart of hearts, I'm okay with that.
Tomorrow, in addition to about a billion other things I need to do before 1 pm, I need to make another shopping list for meals. The good news is I don't have to buy everything I bought last time because it seems the food I bought has lasted about 11ish days instead of just 7. Thank goodness.
And I really did not too bad considering we ate out at the Desert Star Theatre and had delicious pizza and a pina colada. The food really was great. Instead of losing tons yesterday, I ended up staying at about the same weight. Perhaps a little less.
This is the thought that hit me as I was preparing my meals last night: it is becoming apparent that if I expect to continue slipping down that rocky, painful road we call the BMI, I'm going to need to lose most of my weight during the week because with things as it is, I indefinitely will gain some of it back on the weekends.
That's what happens when you have a beautful future bride with a lovely family who all enjoy good food. To be perfectly fair, the things these people make for meals tend to have very natural ingredients, and everything is homemade and rather healthy. It's the desserts that stick me. It's hard to refuse homemade brownie-lava-fudge cakes, or raspberry pound cake, or lemon mousse, or chocolate marble cheesecake. These do me in every time. However, if I do go and visit family this weekend, I'm sure there will not be as many snacks as are at my sister's house, and I'll simply refuse to eat anything fried. There is a large possibility that we will have Thai food, and in my heart of hearts, I'm okay with that.
Tomorrow, in addition to about a billion other things I need to do before 1 pm, I need to make another shopping list for meals. The good news is I don't have to buy everything I bought last time because it seems the food I bought has lasted about 11ish days instead of just 7. Thank goodness.
1/17/10
2.5 Pounds More
This is the email where I sit back and reflect on how the previous week went and see where I can have some improvement.
With the workouts, I feel I've done very well, all things considered. The Health Fair should not happen again until next year, so that means I should always have room to do all the exercises that I fell comfortable in doing. I made it to the gym and exercised every day planned last week, but it wasn't entirely my fault that I could not do a complete workout every single days. Hopefully 4 full workouts this upcoming week will make a serious impact on my weight loss.
The things I need to improve upon withe exercising is doing a full amount of reps. For most of the routine, it requires 12 to 14 reps per move, and I've been doing 10. A personal goal for this week is to do 12 every time.
With food, I also feel I've done well with the exception of yesterday. I've kept my portions correct, I've avoided simple sugars, and I got used to eating 5 small meals throughout the day. I've found that because of this, I have more energy throughout the day when I'm at work, and I even got less headaches than expected. (I was expecting one per day, but I didn't get any last week.)
But I think the most important lesson learned is the evil of simple sugars and vegetable oil. Yesterday I had soda, lemonade, cheesecake--which I forgot to mention in yesterday's post--and tempura shrimp, and it resulted in me feeling sick, and having a 2.4 pound weight gain! I almost fell off my Wii Fit when I read that on the TV screen. Though 2.4 pounds gained in one day is typically just as easy to lose, it did thwart my attempt to stay in the 220's and never re-enter the 230's.
That means for Week One, I lost about 5 pounds, which is still admirable. I will definitely achieve my goal if I continue that trend, so all is well today.
And now is the start of Week Two.
With the workouts, I feel I've done very well, all things considered. The Health Fair should not happen again until next year, so that means I should always have room to do all the exercises that I fell comfortable in doing. I made it to the gym and exercised every day planned last week, but it wasn't entirely my fault that I could not do a complete workout every single days. Hopefully 4 full workouts this upcoming week will make a serious impact on my weight loss.
The things I need to improve upon withe exercising is doing a full amount of reps. For most of the routine, it requires 12 to 14 reps per move, and I've been doing 10. A personal goal for this week is to do 12 every time.
With food, I also feel I've done well with the exception of yesterday. I've kept my portions correct, I've avoided simple sugars, and I got used to eating 5 small meals throughout the day. I've found that because of this, I have more energy throughout the day when I'm at work, and I even got less headaches than expected. (I was expecting one per day, but I didn't get any last week.)
But I think the most important lesson learned is the evil of simple sugars and vegetable oil. Yesterday I had soda, lemonade, cheesecake--which I forgot to mention in yesterday's post--and tempura shrimp, and it resulted in me feeling sick, and having a 2.4 pound weight gain! I almost fell off my Wii Fit when I read that on the TV screen. Though 2.4 pounds gained in one day is typically just as easy to lose, it did thwart my attempt to stay in the 220's and never re-enter the 230's.
That means for Week One, I lost about 5 pounds, which is still admirable. I will definitely achieve my goal if I continue that trend, so all is well today.
And now is the start of Week Two.
1/16/10
Greasy Tempura Shrimp
Today is the second I stayed in the 220's, and I was hoping to stay there. So of course I decided to eat at a restaurant and eat way too much, and then finish the evening eating lovely Tempura shrimp (courtesy of Derek). Though the food was delightful and healthy at the restaurant, there was just too much of it that I ate. And then on top of the simple sugary lemonade I had, and then the fried shrimp and root beer I had tonight, my body just was no longer used to that kind of nourishment. And so it just hurt. It's amazing that my dietary needs have changed so much in 10 days. Then, I would have downed that much fried and restaurant food without an issue, and carried on with one or more root beers. But not tonight.
So as some type of deathbed repentance, I decided to do my 20 minute high intensity running workout as encouraged by the dietary plan. Yeah, about 10 minutes into it, my stomach cramped up, and it was difficult to breathe, so I stopped.
The scales will tell all tomorrow.
So as some type of deathbed repentance, I decided to do my 20 minute high intensity running workout as encouraged by the dietary plan. Yeah, about 10 minutes into it, my stomach cramped up, and it was difficult to breathe, so I stopped.
The scales will tell all tomorrow.
1/15/10
Entering a Whole New Realm
I woke up this morning expecting to have lost nothing simply because I didn't feel hungry. Like, not even hungry for breakfast, let alone the "I'm on a diet" permanent hole in my stomach feeling. But, I'm down another 1.7 pounds! Yesterday's workout really did the trick. So now I'm in the 220's for the first time in a year, and hopefully I can kiss the 230's good-bye forever!
1/14/10
On the Exercise Ball
I made more protein shake last night in preparation for a complete workout today. As mentioned before, I've found that protein shakes are tastier if blended with something fruity (like a frozen fruit blend, or a banana) and left in the fridge overnight. The only problem with blending a protein shake is it doesn't take much for the mix to get as thick as tar. Have you ever dealt with whey protein powder? It turns anything into plaster. I decided to add milk (in addition to coconut milk) when I smelled the motor of my blender burning because it couldn't take the strain any longer.
And today was the very first day I got to do a workout in its entirety at the wellness center. What better modivation can a heavy person get than another morning with a 0.7 pound weight gain! Hardly anyone was around, and I did all the exercises I was comfortable with doing. I found that my endurance is lacking, but that is to be expected.
On the medicine ball, I discovered that balance is also lacking. I kept bouncing around and nearly bouncing off as I performed. This is when I was especially grateful that no one was there to watch me barrel over the ball and face plant into the floor as I started my reverse back extensions. I felt like a large sea-faring mammal trying to balance on a kiddie raft.
But the overall workout felt so good... afterwards. I really feel like I've accomplished something today.
And today was the very first day I got to do a workout in its entirety at the wellness center. What better modivation can a heavy person get than another morning with a 0.7 pound weight gain! Hardly anyone was around, and I did all the exercises I was comfortable with doing. I found that my endurance is lacking, but that is to be expected.
On the medicine ball, I discovered that balance is also lacking. I kept bouncing around and nearly bouncing off as I performed. This is when I was especially grateful that no one was there to watch me barrel over the ball and face plant into the floor as I started my reverse back extensions. I felt like a large sea-faring mammal trying to balance on a kiddie raft.
But the overall workout felt so good... afterwards. I really feel like I've accomplished something today.
1/13/10
Mental Exhaustion
I was unusually tired this morning. I managed to wake up on time to weigh myself, but after that I took nearly a 3 hour nap. I didn't get much done in the as I'd have liked, but I did manage to read up a bit more on some exercises for my routines. When I do them tomorrow, the wretched Health Fair should be gone, so I'll be able to do an entire workout. To be honest, I'm kinda nervous. Now I won't have anything to blame buy myself if I don't do an entire workout. But I'm sure it'll be good.
As for the dinner we did for my friend on Monday, we had about half a gallon of French onion soup left over. So I've been eating that every day. Considering it is mainly onions, broth, and wine, I'm sure it's a healthy choice.
Perhaps next week I'll get a membership at a swim pool near work. We'll see just how good I look in a swim suit, I guess.
As for the dinner we did for my friend on Monday, we had about half a gallon of French onion soup left over. So I've been eating that every day. Considering it is mainly onions, broth, and wine, I'm sure it's a healthy choice.
Perhaps next week I'll get a membership at a swim pool near work. We'll see just how good I look in a swim suit, I guess.
1/12/10
The Health Fair Strikes Again
As the past few days have gone by, I've come to realize that this whole getting used to eating 5 smaller meals a day is starting to grow on me. I'm no longer starving my head off between times I eat, and I'm therefore in a better mood. I do, however, think the person who made this program should forewarn those who follow the program that they should be patient and allow a week for their body to adjust to the meal schedule.
The best part is I'm not depriving myself of anything. Because I'm staying away from foods with artificial sweetener and keeping things as natural as possible, I end up eating good, healthy, tasty food that I really enjoy. Last night my fiancee and I had a friend over for dinner, and I don't care the diet, I'm not going to skimp on entertaining people. So we had a delicious French onion soup (which is surprisingly healthy, considering it is largely onions and broth), a yummy spinach salad with homemade vinaigrette, and lemon curd for desert. When it comes to desert, I've found I would much rather have something made with real butter, real eggs, and real lemons than something made with chemicals and artificial flavorings. Not only does it taste better, but I claim the more natural ingredients are a far better choice for your health than the other stuff. Even after this meal, I found out the next day that I still lost some weight. I love how this program isn't restrictive, but rather educates a person on what food does to the body so they can make better health-conscious decisions.
I did another workout in the wellness center, and the red carpet gimmick happening yesterday was still going on today. So I openly complained, asking a friend there if it was bad that I hated the health fair and wanted it to die. In response to this, a lady at a booth piped up and said it was the last day, so it should no longer be cramping my style when I go in on Thursday and workout on the exercise ball. I only did half a workout again, but I was sore from the other half a workout I did yesterday.
The best part is I'm not depriving myself of anything. Because I'm staying away from foods with artificial sweetener and keeping things as natural as possible, I end up eating good, healthy, tasty food that I really enjoy. Last night my fiancee and I had a friend over for dinner, and I don't care the diet, I'm not going to skimp on entertaining people. So we had a delicious French onion soup (which is surprisingly healthy, considering it is largely onions and broth), a yummy spinach salad with homemade vinaigrette, and lemon curd for desert. When it comes to desert, I've found I would much rather have something made with real butter, real eggs, and real lemons than something made with chemicals and artificial flavorings. Not only does it taste better, but I claim the more natural ingredients are a far better choice for your health than the other stuff. Even after this meal, I found out the next day that I still lost some weight. I love how this program isn't restrictive, but rather educates a person on what food does to the body so they can make better health-conscious decisions.
I did another workout in the wellness center, and the red carpet gimmick happening yesterday was still going on today. So I openly complained, asking a friend there if it was bad that I hated the health fair and wanted it to die. In response to this, a lady at a booth piped up and said it was the last day, so it should no longer be cramping my style when I go in on Thursday and workout on the exercise ball. I only did half a workout again, but I was sore from the other half a workout I did yesterday.
1/11/10
The Intimidating Influence of a Health Fair
I went for my very first time in a long while to go work out at the wellness center at work. Considering I don't work Mondays, it's a big sacrifice to go to that place on my day off.
I was dressed up in my gym clothes all ready to go, and then I saw the gaudy theatre lights someone had put up at the entrance of the wellness center. They were doing some "red carpet" gimmick where you were supposed to feel like a star as you entered into the atrium and got bombarded with people promoting exercise equipment, medications, books, and various other products. I pushed through all these people crowding my way until I made it to the main workout areas.
As I've described this place, it may make it seem like a large, open facility with tons of extra room to allow some privacy to people who with to exercise without being bothered, but it really isn't that big. There is a comfortable amount of space where there are only about 10-15 people there, so that's why I chose to workout around 9:30 when most people would be working. Few people were exercising, and even more red tables with storyboards and salespeople congested the entire open floor where it was ideal to use a medicine ball and any other exercises that require space. Because probably half my workout uses the medicine ball, I wasn't able to do much of it. In fact, I only exercised for like 15 minutes because I was completely bothered by the men dressed up as sailors or the Phantom of the Opera (again keeping the "movie star, red carpet" theme...?) walking around the weight machines. And I didn't want these strangers to sit around and stare at me.
So I left.
I was dressed up in my gym clothes all ready to go, and then I saw the gaudy theatre lights someone had put up at the entrance of the wellness center. They were doing some "red carpet" gimmick where you were supposed to feel like a star as you entered into the atrium and got bombarded with people promoting exercise equipment, medications, books, and various other products. I pushed through all these people crowding my way until I made it to the main workout areas.
As I've described this place, it may make it seem like a large, open facility with tons of extra room to allow some privacy to people who with to exercise without being bothered, but it really isn't that big. There is a comfortable amount of space where there are only about 10-15 people there, so that's why I chose to workout around 9:30 when most people would be working. Few people were exercising, and even more red tables with storyboards and salespeople congested the entire open floor where it was ideal to use a medicine ball and any other exercises that require space. Because probably half my workout uses the medicine ball, I wasn't able to do much of it. In fact, I only exercised for like 15 minutes because I was completely bothered by the men dressed up as sailors or the Phantom of the Opera (again keeping the "movie star, red carpet" theme...?) walking around the weight machines. And I didn't want these strangers to sit around and stare at me.
So I left.
1/10/10
Plus or Minus One Pound
Yesterday was difficult for me. The author of this program claimed that anyone following the diet wouldn’t get any type of cravings if they followed the plan, but I’m sure he lied. If “won’t get any cravings” means “won’t get hungry” instead of “won’t get weird pregnancy cravings where you want to eat dirt and ice cream,” then I’m not sure how sound this person was when he wrote it. The fact of that matter is any time we adjust our diet to a smaller calorie intake and take out the delicious fatty, salty foods and replace them with wholesome rabbit food, our body definitely feels the change, and adjusting can be uncomfortable. I felt that starving wasn’t the way to do it, so I ate some peanuts to hold me over to my next meal.
And the next meal was wonderful Thai food, one of my favorites. I wasn’t about to refuse it, so I took a little bit of everything and had no more than one plate. After that, Becca made home-made raspberry pound cake with raspberry sauce, and that was another thing I couldn’t refuse. So I had one small piece and felt perfectly satisfied with myself.
I weighed myself this morning, and to those who are tracking my weight, I had actually gained a pound. Before freaking out, let me explain why I grinned to myself and carried on with my day.
Firstly, it is perfectly normal for a person’s weight to fluctuate one pound or more from day to day. That doesn’t mean they’ve fallen off the weight-loss wagon, nor does it mean they were gluttonous and gorged themselves all day, nor that their present tactic for becoming more healthy is failing. It means that for that one day, they weigh slightly more than they did the previous. Weight loss success is best if measured a week at a time to monitor progress. While it’s important to weigh every day so we can remain motivated, real, lasting success can’t be seen from one day to the next, but from one week to the next.
Secondly, I didn’t step on the scale at the same time as I have the other days. I had to work at 6 a.m. today, which meant I stepped on the ole Wii Fit at just after 5 a.m. This happened at 9 a.m. all the other days, and those four hours really can make a small difference.
1/9/10
Health Food Doesn't Suck Too Bad
I woke up today ready to start cooking and prepare at least half a week of meals. It started with a shake made of protein powder, coconut milk (which I found near the peanutbutter!) and mixed frozen fruit. I was surprized at how palatable it was. It wasn't sweet, which I would have preferred, but it seemed wholesome. The only drawback was the awful aftertaste the whey protein left in my mouth that wouldn't leave on its own. This isn't my first encounter with whey protein, so I was expecting the wretched sensation of flour and pennies at the back of my throat when I was done. But it went away with a glass of water.
Then I dove right in to the chicken wraps. Y'know, grilling chicken really isn't all that difficult, and they have some whole grain wraps nowadays that are pretty good. I put 2 strips of chopped grilled chicken on a wrap and heaped on a mountain of leafy greens (I seariously added way too much but refused to put any back because I wasn't about to be bested by a chicken wrap) and added a homemade vinaigrette. And it was good. It was so big and full of leafy greens that I actually couldn't finish it, but it was pretty alright as far as a meal goes. The only problem with eating vegetables like these is it leaves a meat eater like me feeling as though they've been stuffed with hay.
I was annoyed yesterday that I could only buy 1 quart of organic yogurt rather than individual cups because WalMart simply doesn't sell it any other way. But I've come to terms with it. One reason being that most yogurt cups are 6 oz (just under a cup), and if you read the label on yogurt sold in quarts, the serving size is generally a full cup. And I'm okay with eating more yogurt. So I spooned it out into smaller tupperware containers and added raspberries and slivered almonds. I really don't feel cheated about that.
Oh, and I'm down another pound!
Then I dove right in to the chicken wraps. Y'know, grilling chicken really isn't all that difficult, and they have some whole grain wraps nowadays that are pretty good. I put 2 strips of chopped grilled chicken on a wrap and heaped on a mountain of leafy greens (I seariously added way too much but refused to put any back because I wasn't about to be bested by a chicken wrap) and added a homemade vinaigrette. And it was good. It was so big and full of leafy greens that I actually couldn't finish it, but it was pretty alright as far as a meal goes. The only problem with eating vegetables like these is it leaves a meat eater like me feeling as though they've been stuffed with hay.
I was annoyed yesterday that I could only buy 1 quart of organic yogurt rather than individual cups because WalMart simply doesn't sell it any other way. But I've come to terms with it. One reason being that most yogurt cups are 6 oz (just under a cup), and if you read the label on yogurt sold in quarts, the serving size is generally a full cup. And I'm okay with eating more yogurt. So I spooned it out into smaller tupperware containers and added raspberries and slivered almonds. I really don't feel cheated about that.
Oh, and I'm down another pound!
1/8/10
A Shopping Nightmare
I've never been one to have a meal plan, but I put one together yesterday consisting of good, natural food and decided to go find these foods today.
And I will tell you that if you're planning on finding anything organic (like yogurt), you'll have one heck of a time finding it at WalMart. Sure, there was plenty of yogurts promoting weightloss, but the program I'm following suggests organic. They sold one type in a large tub in one flavor, so it was all I could buy.
Also, one of the recipes of the meal plan calls for coconut milk. I had an entire coversation with my mom on my cell phone as I pushed my cart around on the hunt for coconut milk. About 5 minutes after the call was over, I eventually found it near the peanut butter, jelly, mustards, and other condiments (of course!).
Then I came home and threw away mostly everything in my fridge. Not because it was unhealthy, but because it was expired and growing things on it. The freezer was just as bad. I thought I wouldn't have to buy frozen chicken because I already had some, but the two partial bags of freezer-burnt poultry proved to be rather undesirable.
Tomorrow I plan on preparing an entire week of meals (which really isn't a lot of work), and then i'll be set.
And I will tell you that if you're planning on finding anything organic (like yogurt), you'll have one heck of a time finding it at WalMart. Sure, there was plenty of yogurts promoting weightloss, but the program I'm following suggests organic. They sold one type in a large tub in one flavor, so it was all I could buy.
Also, one of the recipes of the meal plan calls for coconut milk. I had an entire coversation with my mom on my cell phone as I pushed my cart around on the hunt for coconut milk. About 5 minutes after the call was over, I eventually found it near the peanut butter, jelly, mustards, and other condiments (of course!).
Then I came home and threw away mostly everything in my fridge. Not because it was unhealthy, but because it was expired and growing things on it. The freezer was just as bad. I thought I wouldn't have to buy frozen chicken because I already had some, but the two partial bags of freezer-burnt poultry proved to be rather undesirable.
Tomorrow I plan on preparing an entire week of meals (which really isn't a lot of work), and then i'll be set.
The Game Plan
Weight loss for me, like for so many other people, has just been a wonderful dream I've kept in the back of my head. I wish I could say I've been to the gym countless times with little or no success, or I've tried this or that diet only to instantly gain back what little I lost. But to be honest, I've never really given weight loss a good effort. I've always found my couch too comfortable, or fast food was just too tasty, or the gym was just too far away. But what really held a firm grip on my physical condition was WHO CARES!
Let me explain myself. Up until recently, I've never done tons of dating or many activities that would cause one to be concerned about his/her appearance. Though I do enjoy water sports (which require a certain amount of physical exposure), there is little to no modivation to look sexy when a person is surrounded by people who expect to see nothing impressive when he takes his shirt off. It sounds depressing, but understand I am totally NOT sensitive about my weight, so I think the previous idea is kinda funny.
Everything changed when I got engaged. Over the past few weeks I've seen my future bride exercise to get in shape in preparation for our wedding. And I don't understand it, but I somehow have a burning desire to do the same thing. :)
Here is how things will go down. Instead of going on some radical diet that will put me through mood swings until I get sick of it and give up, I'm going to follow the guidelines of a book I recently read. It talks about eating good, healthy, natural foods in balanced proportions, and eating 5-6 smaller meals everyday (instead of 2 meals a day like I normally did, one of which was a Totinos pizza).
As far as exercising goes, I have a wellness center at work with everything I need. Because I work in the afternoon, I'm planning on getting there about an hour early so I can exercise, clean up, and then start my shift. I found in the same book that doing straight cardio is not the best way to lose weight, but to do total body workouts with multijoint exercises is far more effective. I plan on doing 4 workouts per week, and we'll see how it goes.
In addition to working out and eating healthily, I'll be tracking my weight progress daily via my Wii Fit, and posting my current weight and stories on this blog. Though Day 1 is technically Sunday, Jan 10, I've already adjusted my diet and have seen some weight loss. So I'm counting those couple shed pounds and considering them to be "preconditioning" before the start time on Sunday. If I lose one to two pounds a week--a healthy and achievable weight loss--I will achieve my goal of 195 pounds by May 15. (Yes, according to the BMI, 195 pounds for someone my height is still considered overweight. But it's a very good start.)
That's the game plan.
The only problem is i normally begin these things with a good enthusiastic--even explosively impressive--start and then peter out a couple weeks into it. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Wish me luck!
Let me explain myself. Up until recently, I've never done tons of dating or many activities that would cause one to be concerned about his/her appearance. Though I do enjoy water sports (which require a certain amount of physical exposure), there is little to no modivation to look sexy when a person is surrounded by people who expect to see nothing impressive when he takes his shirt off. It sounds depressing, but understand I am totally NOT sensitive about my weight, so I think the previous idea is kinda funny.
Everything changed when I got engaged. Over the past few weeks I've seen my future bride exercise to get in shape in preparation for our wedding. And I don't understand it, but I somehow have a burning desire to do the same thing. :)
Here is how things will go down. Instead of going on some radical diet that will put me through mood swings until I get sick of it and give up, I'm going to follow the guidelines of a book I recently read. It talks about eating good, healthy, natural foods in balanced proportions, and eating 5-6 smaller meals everyday (instead of 2 meals a day like I normally did, one of which was a Totinos pizza).
As far as exercising goes, I have a wellness center at work with everything I need. Because I work in the afternoon, I'm planning on getting there about an hour early so I can exercise, clean up, and then start my shift. I found in the same book that doing straight cardio is not the best way to lose weight, but to do total body workouts with multijoint exercises is far more effective. I plan on doing 4 workouts per week, and we'll see how it goes.
In addition to working out and eating healthily, I'll be tracking my weight progress daily via my Wii Fit, and posting my current weight and stories on this blog. Though Day 1 is technically Sunday, Jan 10, I've already adjusted my diet and have seen some weight loss. So I'm counting those couple shed pounds and considering them to be "preconditioning" before the start time on Sunday. If I lose one to two pounds a week--a healthy and achievable weight loss--I will achieve my goal of 195 pounds by May 15. (Yes, according to the BMI, 195 pounds for someone my height is still considered overweight. But it's a very good start.)
That's the game plan.
The only problem is i normally begin these things with a good enthusiastic--even explosively impressive--start and then peter out a couple weeks into it. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Wish me luck!
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