Less Food, More Exercise. STAT.

Well, everything worked out with the car yesterday, it turned out that part of the plastic handle enclosure broke, and once removed I was able to open the hood.  I'll have to find that piece to replace it soonish.

Now this morning I weighed in at 264.  I expected a gain, but that is a bit much!  I ate rather poorly this weekend and didn't get much exercise in.  I was going to head for a bike ride this AM, but for whatever reason (getting paged and working for an hour at 1AM probably didn't help), I felt crappy when the alarm went off at 5 and opted for another hour of sleep.

So....  Now I have to crack down and get into a routine of good eating and regular gymming.

FML!

Yeah, so my luck is pretty much legendary.

Cut to last night.  Roommate is home, offers to jump start my car for me.  We head out and I reach in to pop the hood - has some issues with this, usually takes a few tries.  Second pull and SNAP!  cable breaks.  Soooo.....  Now I have a car with a dead battery, and am unable to pop the hood to jump it.  MOTHER FUCKER.

Conveniently there is this cool tool that plugs into the cigarette lighter to charge/jump your car and that would be awesome, but it does not seem to be sold at any brick-and-mortar stores, only online.  My friend is supposedly coming by this morning to help out, hoping to be able to pop the hood somehow...

Until then :(

Oh, did at least get a bike ride in this morning, maybe about 4 mi.

Half Productive

I got a bit done this morning!  Got the temporary registration for my car all set, just need to take it through emissions and go back to get plates...  After that I returned some struts and mounts I'm not going to use, got an oxygen sensor, a cheap pair of kicks, hit up the farmer's market, and since some lady sold me parsley and told me it was cilantro, I brought my friend Nicole a new parsley plant :)

Since my phone battery had died, I swung home to charge it, watch a redbox movie I still had, then head over to the gym, etc.  Unfortunately, I'm a moron and left the lights on in the car and now have a dead battery.  Should the roommate come home soon, I'll get a jump and head to the gym, otherwise I'm not sure what's up :(

Back To The Grind

Well yesterday was a day off of the gym (I didn't really want it, but figured it was a good idea), and I also ate relatively normally.  I had some juice in the morning, lots of veggies during the day, some fatty sag paneer and clam chowder for lunch, and some late night anti-pasta and carrots with hummus while I movied.  Consequently, 3lb gain this morning!!!!  I'm at 260 and am going to try to buzz back down to 257 in the next couple days so I don't record a gain in the little spreadsheet I'm tracking all this stuff in at work...  We shall see.

So Today...  I'm headed off to DMV to register my car shortly (I should get there about 45minutes early, so that will pretty much suck).  Then going to return some car parts I bought on the way to the New Haven Farmer's Market (in Wooster Square).  After that I'm planning to gym.  I want to lift, so maybe squats/bench/incline followed by some cardio.  It's cold outside again so I probably won't be riding the bike until later in the week.

I'm off to throw together some eggs on toast and run out!

Transition!!

That's the song from Fiddler, right?

Well I'm moving off the water fast, and did so miserably yesterday!  Even on here I didn't mention the small chocolate shake I got with the wrap and fries, so I'm coming clean now :)

But, to make up for all this, I went on a 5 mile bike ride after work, then bowled 4 games at night with some friends.  Before bowling I had one of those little V8 drinks, but other than that just water.

Seemed to pay off - I stayed at 257 today with the scale wanting to drop o 256, and I am really enjoying the increased activity.  Unfortunately the weather sucks right now, getting rain and have a cold front running through for the next week.

Today I plan to actually do some juicing, and head to the grocery store to get the rest of the goods for making  my veggie and white bean soup (that I really want to throw in a blender after and make a rich blended soup).  Next week I might braise some pork or beef and start making some bean dishes.  I need to find a cilantro plant at the farmer's market tomorrow...

Working today, some errands at lunch, then maybe gym after work.  I think I'm going to hit the hay early tonight b/c I was up until midnight last night!! Huge 360 for me going to bed early and getting up early, but I like it :)

Not the Healthiest Day...

I started out good today with they gym and some V-8, but ended up swinging by a friend's house around 1pm and became the happy recipient of half a philly cheese steak and some fritos... I followed that up later with a small fry and mac wrap at McD's. I know, terrible!! It was a frustrating day, so when I got home I hopped on the bike and did a quick 5 mile (approx) ride that kicked my ass and reminded me how out of shape I really am. Trying to recover from that now :)

Struggling...

Yesterday was really a challenge, I didn't feel very good and had quite a headache near the end of the day. Ended up having 11oz of spicy V8 and a cup of soup at night - all of which was enough for me to gain a lb!!! I'm up to 257 today and pretty frustrated with that. I am, however, going to keep mixing in some juice.

Hopefully I can add in a couple glasses of juice each day to feel better and still reap the majority of the benefits of the fast. We shall see. I am kind of breaking fast a little early, though - I've made it a while not smoking, not having caffeine, and not eating. I absolutely have a new lease on how I view food, and while I still have cravings for crap I am very excited about eating healthy. My kitchen is overflowing with fresh produce right now :)

*YAWN* Going Strong!

The 5am wake up alarm is still unpleasant, but a few minutes after getting out of bed it's not that bad. Hopefully I can adjust to something like this on the regular.

Another 2lbs down, at 256 this morning, so I'm pleased to see that! Not only do I want to make at least 10 days, but I'd like to be under 250, so I'm that much closer to ingesting some solid food - I'm hunting recipes and have found some good ones for gazpacho, pinto beans, and a vegetable soup that I'm looking forward to trying.

Okay, off to feed and water the dog and start my day. It's in the office after gym today so I won't be posting again until tonight. I'm also checking out a used Kona bike after work and am pretty excited about that!

Good Morning!!!!

Getting up at 5AM this morning was a bit of a drag, but I feel great after the workout :)

I'm down another 2 lbs this morning, to 258. Hoping to get a little under 250 before I'm done with all this.

Odd enough, my gym has bagels and cream cheese every 2nd Tuesday of the month. WTF?

C-R-A-V-I-N-G-S !!!

Yeah, so I spent most of today thinking about food - this wasn't a wonderful way to spend a day when you're fasting. Unfortunately it was mostly not healthy, too!

I decided on the burger I want - about 10oz of so of fatty ground beef, with some red pepper flakes and worcestershire (sp) sauce, throw that puppy on a hot grill... When bottom side is getting about right (maybe 3-4 min? looking for about med rare here), salt other side and flip.. then stack some sauted mushrooms and onions on top, blue cheese, and a handful of shredded chedder. Let that cook for a couple minutes and if needed, close the grill to make the cheese bubbly... Serve on a toasted bun with mayo, fresh tomato, spinach, and deep fried french fries and pickle slices on the side... Thinking of the fries, maybe toss those with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some cayenne, serve with a side of garlic mayo and maybe some cheese sauce? Yeah, a bit indulgent...

I'm thinking about eating after the fast... I want to do some variation of intermittent fasting that will fit in well with my schedule. Since I work from home Tuesdays and Fridays, I can fast from Monday evening until Tuesday night, and the same Thursday to Friday (when reasonable and not going out Thursday night)... Then I can be a little indulgent one of those nights - say that burger one Tuesday, maybe a pizza the next Tuesday... We shall see..

Moving Right Along!!

Judging by the taste in my mouth when I woke up this morning, I am guessing that Ketosis is finally kicking in. I'm still feeling good, though a bit tired when the alarm went off. I took the pooch for a walk on the beach (well, walked her to the beach, then let her run around once there), and it was a gorgeous morning for it! The water was so still, that with the sun just coming up and the boats out in the background I felt like I was in a painting :)

I'm pretty sore from yesterday's working out (mostly my bi's, but my back a little as well), but looking forward to bowling tonight and hitting the gym tomorrow morning.

I'm down to 260/1 this morning - that's about 10 lbs in 6 days!! This is exciting and is a bit more than I had expected, I'm hoping to keep up this pace as it will surely encourage me to stay on for more than 10 days :)

Well, I'm off to get dressed for work and head out, maybe I'll check in tonight with an update.

Bad Combo :)

Seems the combination of quitting smoking and starting a fast is kicking me in the ass! As I drove around today, I could smell every single person's cookout; kielbasa, steak, grilled onions - what a treat :P

I'm definitely feeling the urge to eat, but it doesn't affect my resolve. I am looking forward to the accomplishment of actually fasting for at least 10 days. My plan is to make it to day 10 (which would be the normal 'Master Cleanse') and see how I feel. If all is going well, I would like to make it 14-18 days before starting my phase out with juice for a couple days, broth/soup, then finally solid foods.

Feel free to pass on any encouragement - it helps!

Bowling SUCKED!!

Well we got our asses handed to us, the other team had two games with over 600 series scratch (w/ 3 bowlers, they averaged well over 200 each), so we only took 1 game. We're still in the running for first place, but a bit farther back now (probably 4 or 4.5 games).

Other than that, I hit the gym before bowling and did some back exercises - felt great!

Early to Rise...

Well, I have to work for a few minutes this morning so I'm up bright and early - actually waiting on work now to see if they're ready for me. I feel good, been getting plenty of rest as well.

The weight is down a couple lbs this morning, weighing in at 264, which is a 6lb loss in 5 days - this is exciting, and more along the lines of what I had expected. I'm mostly recovered from Thursday's gym routine, so this is just in time for this morning's bowling league. I also have bowling tomorrow night, so my next gym should be Tuesday morning. I think I will start over with the same split, doing squats, BP, and OP, and shooting for dead lifts and inverted rows on Wednesday. This should leave me time for cardio Tuesday morning as that's a work from home day for me.

I've been a bit remiss on my water intake over the weekend, seems it is more of a challenge when I'm not just sitting at a desk that's 20ft from a water fountain. I'll have to be better on my other work at home days this week. I'm also considering another salt water flush Monday night (the previous one seems to still be working a little every now and then!).

Another New Challenge...

Still in Day 4, went to see a couple friends and hang outside a bit. One of them smokes, and the house we were at has an outdoor bar with good beer on tap - I found myself trying to justify having a couple. Thankfully I quickly realized this would break a fast. I am looking forward to spending some time there this summer, though :)

Day 4, Going Well!!

I had to get up this morning to help a friend get a machine to blow insulation into his attic, so it was a busy first part of the day. He smokes, and his wife was cooking a cake AND some delicious leeks & pasta, so it was a new challenge for me to be around things I want. It wasn't too bad, but I'm really looking forward to eating again, though it will be a while. He was more supportive of the whole thing than I expected, so that was good.

I feel really good, still. I have decent energy, but am still sore from the workout Thursday (this is pretty normal for me after a long lay-off). Looking forward to bowling tomorrow :)

Here Comes the Hunger!

Try to avoid blogs and websites about food... Just sayin' :)

Slow Going?

It's the morning of Day 3, and I'm feeling pretty good! I was tempted to hit the gym this morning, but when my alarm went off around 5:30, I could barely get out of bed to turn it off; the gym yesterday is going to need some more recovery time... I did squats for the first time in 2 years, and it felt good but was hard on the legs. I might go do some cardio after work today to get some blood flowing through the muscles, though.

I hopped on the scale this AM and was a bit surprised to see only a 1-2lb loss. I've had very little of the lemonade mixture, which was light on syrup anyway, and lots of water, and even did the SWF last night. Not that weight is my primary goal here, but I thought of it as a very welcome secondary effect.

Social Aspects

You don't realize how social food is... There's happy hours, work lunches, going out for sushi/burgers/wings with your friends.

It's a little bit of a challenge to not just be a hermit (which is exactly what I'm doing right now). Also, I haven't told anyone that I'm doing this, as I don't want to go into the explanations and hear what a terrible idea it is from my very opinionated friends...

Another Day (almost)...

Home and relaxing... Today was pretty good, I had a bit of energy and felt good all day long. Had the cravings mid-day and in the afternoon again. I think that I used food transitionally (eating at work meant the day was over half past), and I definitely used it when I was bored. These are strong signals to overcome, it almost feels like an addiction.

Onto the lemons - do NOT juice them with the peel on. Dear God was that bitter. I had to choke down the one serving and that's all I got to. I'm probably going to do more water than lemonade moving forward, I'm not sure there is much a benefit to it, though occasionally the lemonade with cayenne, and will probably be mixing in some herbal teas.

The gym was a little struggle this morning!!! I was SO weak. On the bench, I was having trouble getting past 3 reps on only 105lbs. Might be adjusting in addition to being out of practice. I also burned through some squats, which I haven't done in 2 years - that was great but I am QUITE sore right now. Overhead press was also a bit of a let down! I just need to get back into the groove, planning on deadlifts and inverted rows tomorrow, maybe some cardio after.

I read online today (in several places) that the first three days are the hardest, so I'm totally looking forward to Saturday morning :)

Getting the worm...

Well, alarm clock off at 5:05AM. Getting out of bed was a little unpleasant and had to fight the urge to curl up and nap a bit, but now that I'm up I feel pretty good. I'm off to feed and walk the dog and head to the gym :)

The Juice Man Cometh...

So I made it through day one!!

Also, I bought a juicer at walmart today, they have a GE for $39 that seems to be a pretty good model, though loud as hell. I juiced a bunch of lemons, with the skin on, and am curious to see how it tastes tomorrow.

Today the cravings were there, and evil me tried to convince misguided me that it's really okay to eat one meal a day. Thankfully I didn't believe that crap, because if I actually want to do some sort of fast/cleanse where I achieve mental clarity and a new viewpoint, I kinda have to do this right.

I am planning on hitting the gym in the morning. I've packed clothes and a towel for tomorrow, and set out my work out pants and a t-shirt (and socks) for heading to the gym. The plan is to actually walk the dog a bit in the morning, maybe 15-20min, to get out and enjoy the sun. I've set my alarm for 5am; wish me luck!

Here's hoping tomorrow will be a bit easier!

PS- I drank about 16oz of water with about 2tsp of salt in it... I don't think that was entirely what's called for, but that's about all I will manage for the first time. Perhaps tomorrow night will be a little more successful.

This sucks...

Seems I want food more because I can't have it... Usually don't have an issue forgetting to eat for most of the day, but am finding myself thinking about it a lot today. Craving sushi a bit as well.

When God hands you lemons...

It seems to take about 8 lemons to make a cup of lemon juice - damn! Fortunately, though, I heavily overestimated how much I need. I had the 60oz number in my head and thought I might actually go insane before juicing that many lemons, by hand (tonight I'm picking up a juicer I found on craigslist, btw). That's 60 total oz per day, including water. The recipe is.... 60oz water, 12tbs maple syrup, 12tbs lemon juice, about 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. I'm not going to use all that much maple syrup, though - don't need that sugar high/low situation.

In other news: Headache stays strong, ugh.

So, here we go...

*yawn*

Today it starts (hopefully). I weighed myself and apparently I put on about 5lbs by not really eating yesterday, and am at 270 (shhh... don't tell anyone!).

I have a headache, I think that's from not having caffeine yesterday, though I only had about 1 coffee and 1 or 2 diet cokes each day. Apparently that's enough. I only had about 5 cigs yesterday, and have about 3 left for today, let's hope these are the last 3 ever.

Now I'm off to DMV; I replaced a car I cracked up with a 2000 Jetta last week, and still need to register it. This morning I should find out who I owe back taxes to so I can pay them, and then actually register the car on Thursday...

ttfn!

Hello? Where am I?

Well, it's been a couple years and I've been a tad remiss. Actually I was in quite an accident, in the hospital for a couple months and messed up my leg pretty bad - it was a surprise to quite a few people that I actually kept the leg.

The short of it is, my knee is a bit messed up, I'm missing a muscle in my calf and one in the front of my leg, have nerve damage, and have a plate and 8 screws in my ankle. I'm not exactly on track in terms of working out anymore :)

I've been on and off again for the last year, so I've put on about a third of what I originally lost. I'm looking to get back on the wagon, ASAP. I'm also looking to quit smoking (again), and start eating healthy (again). In light of this, I'm considering a fast/cleanse. While I will probably lose weight on this, my goal is really to get that clarity of thought and body that I hear comes with fasting. I know the whole 'detoxifying' theory is pretty much garbage, but it's a mental game, right?

So, I will be posting updates on "The Master Cleanse" that I will be trying for a few weeks (actually, the rest of April, with the last 5 days or so being to re-acclimate to food. I was intent on starting today, but poor planning left me with just water and I ended up getting a small soup and salad after work. Not a complete loss, but not actually starting the cleanse.

What is the cleanse? Basically, drink 6-10 glasses of "Lemonade" daily (this is lemon juice, cayenne pepper, water, and maple syrup). Also, the impactful "cleansing" part is a daily glass of salt water and possibly laxative tea. This sounds a bit too much like abusing laxatives, so I'll probably do the salt water as often as is reasonable, but that's about it.

Mark that down, day 1: fail. Lets go tomorrow!