The Healthy Lifestyle Journey....

ARRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm freaking out! I'm stressed out beyond belief. I'm trying to stay calm and cool. I'm the duck on the water, calm above the water, legs going crazy under the water. I've got a good poker face going right now. But I'm such a wreck right now! Its killing me. New changes at my job, but the new people say no changes. Business as usual. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. This is not my first rodeo. No jobs out there in my area. Believe me, I've been checking it out for the last few months. I'm stressing HARD!

Which leads me too......my eating is out of control! I'm stress eating! I've been really good with eating in moderation. I eat what I like, but in moderation. The last two weeks I've been eating everything in arms lenght. I'm not hungry. The food I'm eating isn't good. Its very, very frustrating! I have to stop. I have to do better. Any ideas? I'm open to anything. I must find my happy zone.

This week hasn't been a total bust. I was down another 1/2 pound from the previous week. I have no idea why I'm down. It makes no sense to me. I'll just blame it on my metabolism being higher. Hopefully I'm still down again when I weight myself later this week. Rubbing my rabbits leg, kissing my horseshoe and crossing my fingers.

My hammy is almost pain free now. I'm going to start exercising again this week. I'm going to try out yoga again. Maybe some yoga stretching will help prevent any more pulled muscles. I will make the time.

Stay positive, be positive. Everything will work itself out. I always pull out of it better and wiser. Well maybe not wiser.........

From The Kitchen of Couch Potato Man - World Famous BBQ Sweet Burgers

Inspired by a recent blog I read. So I'm hoping this is half as good as her blog.

I love to eat and love to the cook. Inspires my creative side. Feeds my creative side.

The ingredients for the WORLD FAMOUS BBQ SWEET BURGER!

For the burger. 80/20 ground beef. Why?!?! 80/20 makes a better tasting, juicer burger than leaner ground beef. Salt and pepper. I used to mix my ground beef with garlic salt, onion powder, salt and pepper. Soup mix sometimes. But now I just form the patties and liberally salt and pepper the outside. Then add my flavoring to the outside while its cooking. Taste SO much better.

For the BBQ sweet sauce. Any plain bbq sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and black pepper. I don't really measure it out, I put in all in a bowl and mix it up. It should be runny and have a deep dark brown look. When you taste it, it should be tangy, sweet and some spice at the end.

For the sweet onions. About 1/4 inch think slices. Brush both sides with olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides.

I set my grill at about medium to medium high. When I'm cooking the burgers I brush the sweet sauce on the burgers. DO NOT BRUSH THE BURGERS UNTIL YOU FLIP IT ONCE! I turn the onions once. I usually only flip my burgers once, but for these I do it twice to carmelize the sugar on the outside. I like my buns spanked...I mean toasted. I brush my buns with olive oil and salt and pepper too. While you're grilling, its required by law that you have one open beer in one hand. This just makes you cook better.

The finished goods!

I top my burger with melted cheddar cheese, grilled onions and a tomato. Bacon is always good on these burgers too. My kids always ask for extra sauce. And I ALWAYS tell people to taste the burger before they start drowning it with ketchup and mustand. And those select few weirdos who use mayonaise.

Helpful hints:

Put toothpics in your onions. They will fall apart when you flip them on the grill. Don't forget to take them out before you eat!

Never ever, EVER poke or push down with your spatula when you are cooking your burger. You are just squeezing all the juices out! If I see you doing this, I will push you down and finish cooking. Well I won't do that, I'll just talk about you behind your back for the rest of the day.

And will you please melt the cheese on the burger on the grill! It only takes an extra 30-60 seconds out of your life for a better burger.

ENJOY!

The Routine Monster

I have not realized that I'm SO set in my routines! WOW! I wake up everyday between 5:00-5:30am I take a shower, make coffee and eat breakfast. All before 6:00am. I watch Mike and Mike in the morning. Start getting ready at 6:45am. Check out Hannah Storm on Sports Center at 7:00am. Leave for work at 7:30am. WOW!!!

Even at my job its the same stuff everyday! Arrive at work 7:45am. I have reoccurring tasks to do for each day, each week and and each month. The same tasks everyday, every week and every month. WOW! Everyday, inventory levels, too high...too low. Sales reports, back orders, open PO's, overstock. AAHHHH!!!!! Its spread sheet hell sometimes. But yet again, its another routine. WOW!

Same routines on the weekends. Wake up early 5:00am-5:30am. Watch Sports Center. Watch College Game Day. Watch Sports Reporters. Watch NFL pregame shows. Its all the SAME! WOW!!! This cannot be normal.

Changes in my work place has made me take a step back and take a look at myself. I've been living my life with blinders on. Last week I had a four day weekend and I was going CRAZY!! I was a terrible grumpy old man last Monday. I was such an asshole. I was terrible. How in the hell do my kids and wife deal with me. Its so sad and funny. So sad that a small change, like vacation messes me up so bad. So funny that I let a stupid thing like this mess me up. Isn't vacation suppose to be a relaxing release from everyday life and routines. WOW, what the hell is wrong with me?!?!?! I'm vowing to change! Its been years of the same stuff everyday. Hopefully stepping back will not send me to the GRUMPY OLD MAN phase again. Maybe baby steps first? NAH! I'm going for it feet first off the high dive in the deep end.

WAIT! Is this a mid-life crisis talking?!?! Man I hope not.

My healthy life style change.....

Lost 1 more pound last week! WAAHOOOOooooo!! Still on the mend with my bad hammy. Still no exercise. But my hammy feels 10x better the last couple of days. Hopefully I can start my exercise routine again next week. WTF?!?! <---another routine! This is going to be tough change for me.

One of Jennie's school mom friends noticed I lost a lot of weight. That always makes me feel REALLY good. Lets me know what I'm doing is actually working. That is always a good thing.

I've been checking out Halloween costumes. But this year I haven't been looking at the plus size costumes. Its always the same. Fat Priest, Fat Pimp, Fat Zombie. It will be nice to get a cool no plus size costume.

The Healthy Lifestyle Journey......

SET BACK! Damn it!

I gained 2lbs! BOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

I have no one to blame but myself. I over ate everyday. A few of the days I just couldn't stop myself. A beer here, a beer there. Mmmmmm beer..... Yellow sub! I love YELLOW SUB! Cookies, brownies, chips! Mmmmmm coookies..... Moderation is ok, but this week I went a LOT overboard. A LOT OVERBOARD. How in the hell did I not gain 20lbs???? Fell off the over eating wagon bad. BOOOOO!!!!!!

Bad week! Bad bad bad week! It gets worse. Super cold on Monday! Should have warmed up longer. Should have stretched more. Felt some tightness in my shins and then tightness in my hammy soon after. BAM! I've been limping around since Monday! STINKS!!!!!!!!!!! Its killing me that I've haven't been able to go for a run or at least for a stupid power walk! My leg is slowly feeling better. I sure wish I had my fast healing young body from 15 years ago!

Which brings me to one of my goals this month...........Jennie laid down the law today and I WILL not be running in the 5K next week. BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I'm upset, but deep down, I know she's right. This goal I will not be hitting.........

I am hoping that I will be healed up enough to participate with my kids for the 1 mile walk/run.

http://www.washoerunforeducation.org/

Picking myself up and dusting off. Past Jimbo would just give up and go back to my old ways. New Jimbo learns and moves on! Jimbo likes the new Jimbo. (Like how I went third person there?)

Stay positive and be positive!

The weight loss journey.....

VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!! I made it over my hump! FINALLY! 3lbs down from last week! WAAAAHhooooooooo!

Running the last 1 1/2 weeks made me realize that I don't know how to run. I see other runners around the marina and they look so smooth, so relaxed. I feel like Phoebe on Friends running in Central Park. I think I'm getting better. The last few days I feel more relaxed. I'm still trying to figure out the whole breathing thing with my strides. In basketball and volleyball its short burst. I'm can handle that. This jogging thing is a whole new animal for me.



My October goals.

Lose 8-10lbs (2-3 a week)

7-9 servings of veggies and fruit a day (been my goal the last few months, not as easy as you think!)

4-6 days of exercise a week

Run in the Run for Education 5k



Temptations, temptations. It gets easier for me all the time. Stayed away from the cheddar and jalapeno bagel on Friday. I did eat butter popcorn at the movies. But who doesn't eat popcorn at the movies? I've learned that I have to allow myself to have these treats once in awhile. I end up cracking and binging BAD if I don't!

My BIG pants!

Stupid cold! I really, really dislike the artic cold. STUPID COLD!!! I was trying to be a grown up and wear pants. I'm already way over the pants. My pants are too BIG, my belts are too BIG. I don't want to go buy new pants and belts. My kids keep telling me to pull my pants because my underwear is showing.

Today I went with my sweater.....

paired with some shorts......

SCREW YOU COLD WEATHER! I'm wearing my damn shorts!

Big day for me tomorrow! Hopefully I'm down and not the same.

Calorie Goal: 1750

Consumed 1760 and burned 300.

Lots of temptations today! Chips at Micasa Too. Fully candy bowl at work. Pub Mix in the break room. Today was good, had none of it.