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Archive for the ‘fitness’ Category

Wait Weight – Wrong Way!

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Say that title five times fast!

I’ve been delaying an update on the first week of my Six Week Plan challenge results for a couple reasons:

Disappointment
New toy has not arrived

I’m disappointed because, despite not having a drink since Friday, the last day in July, no nut butters since Tuesday (when the opened jars were finally finished off), and a major reduction in coffee to two cups of black in the morning, I’ve actually gained 2.6 lbs from August first to today (Sunday, Aug 9th).

I hypothesize a few contributing factors.

The approximately 145 calories in a bottle of beer being replaced by real food. (See Alcohol Calories and Weight for some references suggesting they don’t count as much.)
Less exercise than I would’ve liked.
Still had some corn tortillas to clean out (just one a day, but still… now going grain-free for a while to test it).

Maybe it’s all the beans too, though I don’t want to lay any blame at their feet; legumes rule!

So, what’s this new toy for which I was holding off posting an update? Well, it shipped early in the week, so I expected it’d be here by Thursday. Still no show. I’m like a kid on Christmas eve.

Anyway, I got myself a treadmill laptop holder and was looking forward to doing my update from there. Next one will be. I’ll let you know how it goes!

The good news is, if you were to have asked me how it was going, without aid of a scale, I would’ve told you great. I feel slimmer and better. Weird. Now my body just has to get the message.

Posted in fitness, food | 9 Comments »

Exercise and Motivation

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

I think we all experience it at some point… You have a nice groove going, exercising every morning, controlling your coffee intake (instead of the other way around), eating until satiated then stopping, etc..

You’re on top of the world and don’t understand how others don’t find it enjoyable too. Since when is exercising a chore, right? It’s fun and makes you feel good!

Then suddenly, some disruptive force throws your “mojo” all out of whack. Maybe it’s a big life change: you lose your job (hmmm), a loved one, a marriage. Maybe it’s a little thing — harder to put your finger on — that wouldn’t seem like it should matter, say, a loooong cold and rainy streak (hmmm).

Whatever it is, you notice some weeks or even months later, what used to be routine requires extra effort to motivate yourself. Or, you’ve simply stopped doing it altogether.

Well, I’m there now. Still skinny by most standards and appearance, and still eating healthy vegan, but according to my scale, my body fat percentage (and weight, to some extent) is increasing. And, I can tell.

So, here’s the plan, I’m getting back to regular, daily, exercise, even if it’s only a 20 minute walk outside or a 10 minute jog on the treadmill. (I think that’s part of it; we get to saying, “if it’s not all then it’s got to be nothing,” but where does that leave SOMETHING?)

In addition to exercise, I want to get back to calorie restriction. To that end, I’ll be doing some sort of personal food challenge as a sort of wash-out period to banish cravings. I haven’t decided yet whether it’ll be another two-week green smoothie diet or the full six week Eat To Live plan with my online friend Em.

Either way, I’m starting on August 1st or 3rd (Monday’s seems like logical start days to me, but so do the first of a month). So, anyone want to join me in putting their foot down and committing to recommitting this summer? Which challenge would you prefer I take up with you? Please leave a comment and let’s do this!

p.s. – Have you watched my silly behind-the-scenes video of Roger Haeske’s new raw Savory Stews yet?

Posted in fitness, food, mental health | 4 Comments »

Alanis Morissette Goes Vegan

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Just read this story in the UK’s Daily Mail. Seems Alanis Morissette had gained weight after her break-up and now, at 35 years of age, has put her foot down, changed her diet, and started exercising regularly. She’s now dropped 1.5 stones (that’s 22 lbs) following the Eat To Live plan of our favorite doctor, Joel Fuhrman!

I remember going to see her in concert while at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH with my sister and some mutual friends. We had pretty decent seats diagonally up and to the right of the stage.

It was a great show! Her stamina really left an impression on me. You see, before it began, we’d all learned (I think they made an announcement, or she told us, I forget) she’d been quite sick that day, to the point of maybe canceling. Yet she decided “the show must go on” and damn, did it ever! You never would’ve guessed she’d been ill. Amazing stuff.

Posted in fitness, food | 3 Comments »

Recession And Its Effects On Diet

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

So, I’m curious…
How has the recession affected your diet and food choices?

For me, as I wrote previously, I planned and have undertaken a shift to more beans, carrots, corn, and the like (you know, heartier stock) in order to keep costs down; the price on greens around here is often just outrageous.

What I didn’t anticipate was how strongly these foods and that other legume, the peanut (in butter form), would cause the ‘ole “carb cravings.” Still a healthy diet, mind you, but it’s made controlling calories all the more difficult.

In some ways, stress is likely a contributing factor as well. And yet, I’m having fun and doing what I want. It’s largely the same work (programming), except now it’s for my own and other entrepreneur’s projects rather than for a corporation and is more web-based than what I was doing at the j.o.b..

It’s also easy to see why there’s been a reported trend toward beer and away from wine and spirits. The reasons given in the aritcle where I read this in the latest Beer Advocate magazine attribute it to a money saving trend (though they point out wine and spirit drinkers don’t immediately jump to Bud, but instead to high end beers which are still less expensive). I blame it on the carbs! Just kidding… I think… a little.

Apropros the times, I thought you might enjoy this clip. There’s such truth in comedy, wouldn’t you agree?!