The Love Affair with Miss RS.

I've been gifted with one of man's greatest creations, the Weber charcoal grill.   She is beautiful, as my wife rolls her eyes, shakes her head, speaking under her breath, "what a nerd, I just don't get it."  Don't get me wrong.  I do love the convenience, the ease of Mr. Propane.  The smell of propane just before the fire lights.  Hot grill in 10 minutes.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner done soon after.  You can't go wrong with Mr. Propane.  He's a rock, he's steady, he's always there.  But there is something special, something magical, something exotic about Miss RS (Rainbows and Sunshine, her permanent name now).  Mr Propane and I have a great relationship.  We have created fantastic and tasty dishes together.  Our bond has been long.  I will always remember these times together.  But Miss RS has swept me off my feet in a few short weekends. 

Beer can chicken......BAM....Rainbows!
BBQ pizzas.......SHAZAAM....Sunshine!
Green chili burgers.........BOOM......Sunshine!
Rib-eye steaks.......KABOOM......Rainbows and Sunshine!
Steak fries..........WHAM.....Rainbows!
Grilled corn.....BLAM.....Sunshine!

Old reliable Mr Propane has helped me with these in the past.  But from Miss RS, it was different.  I can't explain it.  Its just different.  The taste, the flavor, dare I say, exotic.  Rainbows and sunshine bursting in flavors in our mouths.  Mr Propane will always be there.  He's convenient and he's easy.  Who doesn't like that.  Miss RS has a piece of my soul now, sorry Mr Propane.  You will have just have to take the weekends off.

Hugging Miss RS.  Kissing Miss RS.  I love Miss RS. 

Shhhhhh.........just don't tell my wife.

The Trials of Letting Go

Holy lazy slacker man, Batman!  Its been a long time since my last update.  Life keeps getting in the way!  That damn life!  Here comes the excuses.  3 kids playing baseball, 3 different teams.  Coach on two of them.  I have baseball 6 days a week.  I have no time to update. My wife is high maintence, she's taking up all my free time (she's far from it).  I have no time to update.  I work full time (feel bad for all the unemployed, yet the economy is turning around?).   Work is getting in the way.  I have no time to update.  My daily email and internet porn is taking all my time.  I have no time to update.  I'm done with the excuses.

This baseball year, I'm not managing any teams this year.  I wanted to take a step back.  I became a rundown wreck by the end of the season.  This year, I'm just one of those lowly, get no respect, assistant coaches on my teams.  I was having a hard time dealing with that.  Not the big man (litterally) in charge.  It was rough on me the first few weeks dealing with it.  I had my set ways.  This is how you coach my kids. My ways are better yours.  This is how you run these drills.  My way is the best way.  These are some serious issues in my head.  But I've embraced it.  I give my feedback, my tips, my suggestions.  The shocking thing to me, my feedback has been well recieved.  Well to my knowledge its been well recieved.  This has, here comes the voice from the corn fields "ease his pain".  I'm not as distracted as before and I'm actually enjoying the little league season.  Its become fun and not work for me again.  Hooray for me!

This year, I've actually had the plessure of being one of those annoying parents in the stands.  You know those parents.  The ones that cheer everything the team does.  Nice hit!  Nice throw!  Nice catch! Way to trip over that chalk line!  Questioning the coaches every move.  Wondering if the umpire needs my glasses.  Wondering if that girl on the other team is REALLY 10.  I LOVED IT!  I can't wait to do it again!

Stepping back has been hard.  But I have embraced it.  I love it.  I want more.

Pledge to myself.  Make time, find time, to update more.

Stay positive, be positive

The Healthy Journey

What a crazy week.  Well maybe not so crazy.  My life has become pretty vanilla.  Black and white.  So maybe not so crazy.  The week started like it normally does.  Eat really good (still not great) and exercise.   I do still like my occasional bar food.  You know, the chicken wings, poppers, Texas toothpics.  Eating 3 chicken wings really sucks!  All that work on 3 wings for chicken wing goodness.  Sometimes it doesn't make it worth it.  We all need our fix every once in a while.  Thats the key right?

For all you calorie counters out there.
3 wings from Applebees is 385 calories and 29 grams of fat! 

So just think about it.  Eat 3 and eat more stuff.  Or eat 12, exercise like a mad man for HOURS.  Then squeeze in some great food.  No thank you.  This is the whole reason why I count my calories.  Its a pain in the ass, but for once, I finally know what goes into my body.   Don't get me wrong.  I'm not going to deny myself these foods.  I LOVE these foods.  I just limit them.  MODERATION is my key.  I've tried eliminating these foods from my diet......scratch that NOT diet.  Take 2.  I've tried eliminating these foods from my new healthy changes.  But it seemed to make it worse.  I craved these foods.  I mean super duper CRAVED!  Once I ate them, it sent me into a downward spiral.  6000+ calories later, I was on an emotional roller coaster.  Anger, guilt, depression.......stuff that nobody should be dealing with.  So I've learned MODERATIONS.  Its taken me years to learn this and not to diet.  Just eat right and exercise.

I'm down 2lbs this week.  I couldn't tell you how.  Normal days earlier in the week.  Then I got sick half way through the week.  No exercise since I've been sick.  To make it worse, I really haven't eaten well or eating food at all!  I'm not too worried about it though.  As soon as I'm not sick, I will be back on track.  Next week is going to be tough.  Lots of baseball stuff going on.  Pretty much will be this way for the next few months.  Finding time to exercise will be tough.  Making sure I eat good meals will also be tough.  Quick and easy will rule the next few months.  We'll have to fight that urge, so lots or pre-meal planning for the next few months.  My goal is to avoid fast food as much as possible.   And to avoid the quick and easy frozen meals.  I know how to do this, we can do this.

If you Tweet, follow this one.  Its been great!  Sometimes its a big eye opener and also DUH!!!!
http://twitter.com/EatThisNotThat

Before and After.....A Step in the Right Direction

Since I started this change last June, I've had my ups and I had my downs.  Seems like there are more downs then ups.  My downs have been over exagerated by my insercurities.  I try not to, but I dwell WAY too much on the negatives.  I spend way too much time trying to figure out why I'm not losing Biggest Loser poundage.  I can't seem to look past this.  I know 1lb a week is good and safe.  But I'm disappointed when its not 10!  What a dork!  What a dweeb!  Insert your insult here!

I finally took another picture.  I could not believe the changes.  I started crying like a damn baby.  Can you believe that?  Like a baby I tell you!  Very very very happy.  What the picture made me realize, FINALLY, that I'm heading the right direction.  My dependance on the scale was a negative for me.  The scale needs to be another tool.  Not a be all, end all.  The last 3 weeks I've been dwelling on why I've stayed the same.  No changes.  The problem.  There has been changes.  My new pants I got over Christmas.  Too big now.  New T-shirts.  Too big now.  I have leg muscles again.  "Hello Mr Bicep!  I haven't seen you since college."  Friends telling me that I'm much thinner.  Husband ears on!  I ignored all of the comments and changes.  Stupid scale!  INSECURE JIMBO!  BAD JIMBO!

Only a select few have seen these.  This is a step for me.  I feel more confident in myself again.  Something that had disappeared.  I still have a long road.  Years and years of abuse.  But I know, the end goal is getting closer.  I love it!

Couple of changes I've made the last couple of weeks that seem to work out great for me.  I've been basically eating 3 big meals a day with snacks if I'm hungry.  The problem was, I was binging some days.  I went back to eating 5 small meals a day.  In the pass, I was ALWAYS hungry doing this.   But some more reading, asking questions.  I changed it up.  My small meals consist of high fiber and good proteins.  I'm eating every 2-4 hours.  Shooting for 21g+ of  fiber a day.  Its amazing how NOT hungry I am.  Thank you Men's Health!

Sample of my meals this week.

Plain oatmeal with bananas

Whole wheat toast with egg and egg whites

Yogurt and orange

Chicken tacos and brocolli

Unsalted mixed nuts, orange, apple sauce.

Healthy Request Chunky Beef Soup and orange or mixed vegtables.

Don't get me wrong.  I did have a burger from Juicy's.  And I ate a lot of chicken tacos this week.  But, I didn't binge on several tacos and burgers and pizza and chips and cookies.  I love cookies.  I'm eating a lot!  But just making better choices.   I love to eat.  I hate dieting.  Its a compromise.

Stay positive, be positive.

Special thanks to John!

Healthy Changes

What a slacker I am.  I can't believe its been two weeks since I last updated my blog.  I like updating it.  I like attempting to write.  I suck at it, but I do find it entertaining.  So why no updates?  I'm just a big ass slacker.  That's the only explanation I have.  A big HUGE slacker.

Speaking of big.  I'm a litte frustrated again.  Actually a lot frustrated.  Since I decided to finally make a healthy change last summer, its been good.  I weighed a ginormous 265.  I've never EVER been that big.  I never thought that I was that big.  I've dropped 30lbs.  But now I've hit the wall again.  That stupid freakin' wall.  Its been nice, consistantly losing about 1/2 - 1 pound a week.  Some weeks gained, but I was always down at the end of the month.  This time not so much.  The thing that bothers me the most is I feel great.  My clothes are huge.  People are noticing the changes.  So why does it not reflect on the scale?  Thats the part that is very frustrating. 

Talked to my friend John again.  He's half the man that he used be.  He's always been good for great advice.  My first step is to not rely on the scale so much.  I know my body, I feel the changes.  Second step, take a picture.  I don't want to.  Who really wants to see that.  Even I don't want to see that.  A picture would be a great tool at how well I've progressed.  So twist my arm, hold me down, duct tape myself to the wall.  I will take a picture.  I believe I still have a picture from last year when I first started.  I would be nice to compare the two.

I've come a long way.  In pass months, if I wasn't losing any weight, I would be really down.  Which would end up me binge eating.  Now I don't let these little things affect me.  There will be ups and there will be downs.  A lot more downs then I would have even known.  I don't look back, I just move on and tackle the next day. 

I like food.  I LOVE food.  I hate dieting.  So I compromise.  I make better, educated decisions of what I eat.  I eat what I like (in moderation) and I most importantly, I exercise.  At least 5 days a week.  This has been the ONLY thing that has worked for me.  No fancy pills, no fancy drinks, not cabbage soup diet, Atkins, South Beach.  Believe me, I've tried some of these, great at first then major disappointment and failure.

Stay positive and be positive.

To Zip Or Not To Zip

Its amazing the random things you think about.  For instance, what is the purpose of the fly on underwear.  Why is it called the fly?   Was it a bet that an old tailor in the old kingdom lost?  Maybe he or she wanted to call it the tarantuala.  And who thought of the zipper.  Was it a blacksmith accident.  "Look what I did!  A metal snake to proctect your yoohoo!"  Over the years, did it turn into a fashion statement?  Or fast forward several more years and the zipper becomes a quick access for #1.

Which brings me to.....does anybody really use the unzip the zipper method when going #1.  I can't remember the last time used this method.  I can't even recall my two boys ever using the zipper method. I can't even recall my father telling me to unzip, pull through the tara...I mean fly, then the zipper fly (is it called the zipper fly?), aim and let it rip.  Is this just built in reflexes passed down like walking for the first time.  Are we just going to assume every 2 year old boy going through potty training is going to know the unzip method? 

As I remember, the prefered potty training method in our house was first spot the pee pee dance.  You know the dance.  The hold the man junk and rock side to side quickly.  There is also the cross your legs so tightly hoping it goes away stance.  The very tricky face twitch, very hard to spot this one.  Once spotted, the next step was to scream in panic "RUN TO THE BATHROOM!"  Its amazing the little ones didn't pee their pants right there in fright.  Your 2 years old, doing the pee pee dance and your parents are screaming at you to run to the bathroom.  Like you really want to pee all over yourself so you can put on your 6th different pair of shorts that day.   After scaring your child and running to the the bathroom, the last and final step was pull down your pants, shorts, training pants, underwear in all one panic induced motion!  What?!?!  What happend to the unzip way?  The little boy pants do have zippers.  I don't know why, but they do.  Really, come on, there was no time for the unzip method.  Are you kidding me?  Do you remember the first step?  Come on!  Seriously!

Which brings me to the present.  Adulthood.  Harder for some, including me.  I still use the pull down method.  Is it the panic induced quick method learned from early childhood?  Or is it because I'm too lazy to use the unzip the zipper method?  I understand the ease of the unzip the zipper method.  Is seems perfect when you have to complicate the whole thing with a belt.  Who wants to go through all that trouble of the pull down method with your belt is in the way?  Even with a belt, I prefer the pull down method.  It takes longer, but most days its not panic induced, waiting until the last minute tricky face twitching pee pee dance.  I'm not 2!  I think as us boys turn into adults the pull down method is preferred out of fear.  Yes I said fear.  I'm telling you, one day when you pull your man junk through the tarat.....I mean fly, the zipper fly it might get stuck. It never happens, but one day it might.  Then what, I can't use Jim Jr anymore?  Fear I tell you.  Another scenario, you pull your yoohoo through the tarat.....I mean fly, then zipper fly and forget to pull it back and zip up your yoohoo!  Somthing About Mary style!  OUCH!  I can hear Jennie in the background, "BEANS AND FRANKS HAHAHahahahaHAHOHHOHAHAHA!"  No thank you.  Jim Jr and I will continue to use the pull down method.  The preferred pull down method.

Oh the Frustrating Journey!

Getting back on track started the month off so great.  7lbs the first week.  Gained the second week.  This week, no weight loss at all.  Its a head scratcher.  I've scratched off a bald section in the side of my head.  I'm thinking I should wax it nice and shiny so the pretty girls can fix their hair in the reflection.

I can't figure it out.  I've ate in moderation all week. Not starving myself, but eating food.  I've had pretty much the same breakfast every morning.  1 egg, 2 egg whites scrambled with veggie sausage.  Oranges, tangerines, bananas.   Salads at night.  Chicken tacos.  I think I've been eating pretty good all week.  I've had some set back eating healthy "good for you" food.  But its always been in moderation.  I've been staying in my 1700-1900 calorie intake a day.  Could it really be those days I decided to have a half a sandwich from Yellow Sub.  Its just not adding up.

I've been exercising.  I feel stronger.  I'm not out of breath in 2.5 seconds.  I don't get it.  I did take Wednesday off, my body was telling, acutally screaming at me to take a break.  "TAKE A BREAK JIMBO!  You don't take a break, you will be grounded from viewing any and all internet porn!"  Well, I like my porn.  I took a break, my body needed it.  My hamstring I hurt a few months ago was acting up.  My "stomach" muscles below my beer belly were fighting back.  My biceps were screaming!  My ego was bruised.  I needed the break.  The next day my body bounced back.  I was able to work out hard.  It was nice to be back.

Is it muscle?  Seriously......muscle.  I'm not a big believer in the whole muscle weighs more than fat.  If your losing weight you should still be losing weight.  These are the other signs I see happening.  My pants are looser.  My underwear are too big.  My shirts look like circus tents on my body.  I can see my feet and other unmentionables.  I know my body is changing for the good again.  I need and should take another picture.  Before and after.  The same picture you see in all of the diet, exercise, miracle pill comercials see all over the TV now. 

LAST WEEKS GOALS
Lose 2 - 3lbs  -  Didn't lose any, didn't gain any, stayed the same
Exercise 5-7 days a week - Worked out Saturday - Tuesday, Thursday and today.
1700 - 1900 calories a day - Averaged just a little over 1800 calories a day.
5-8 servings of veggies and/or fruit daily - This one is too easy for me.  I love my veggies and fruit.  I need to change this one up
8 glasses of water - I think I wore out a path from my office to the bathroom.

THIS WEEKS GOALS
Lose 2 - 3lbs this week.  If I do, I will hit my goal for the month.
Exercise 5 days a week.  I think I was too aggressive here.  My body told me no.  I have to remember I'm not 18 anymore.
1700 - 1900 calories a day
Have one day this week that is all vegetarian.  I'm a PETA person (People Eating Tasty Animals), this one will be tough.
8 glasses of water or more a day

Must remember.  Listen to your body.  Your body will tell you if you are pushing it to hard or being lazy.

Be Positive Stay Positive