Stumble & Challenge

Last night, I stumbled. I ate some chicken breast, some almonds, some other things all late at night... I think it might have been because we ate dinner at about 5 pm. I'm used to eating later--at about 6:30 or 7. So, I think I didn't set myself up for success. My goal is to not eat past 8 pm. I failed that. I also missed that tonight.

It's been a tough week. Not bad. Not stressful. Just busy. There's a lot to be done before traveling half way across the world for a 9 day trip. On top of that, at work we're having our big charity fundraiser this week and next. So tonight, in addition to running some errands, I also did the AMerryWorkoutPledge, and baked a cake, and finished up my sauce/salt gift boxes. Yeah, it's been packed. It's not 11 pm and I'm just wrapping up the day. And we usually try to go to bed by 9:30. Oops!

That was the stumble. And now to the challenge recap. There were a lot of us completing the Challenge that Mary set up. And we all supported each other and got a lot of work in. The only requirement: 90 minutes of cardio (for safety's sake, it didn't have to be all at once--but I wanted to do it all in one chunk.) And I did. Whew. Here's my before picture:

And 90 minutes (and 9 miles later) here's my after:

Notice how my shirt in the after picture is much darker than the before picture? Yeah, that's sweat. For some reason, that gives me a lot of satisfaction!

A special thanks to Mary and Steve for taking this challenge to the next level! (I know, that term is so over-used, but it really applies here!). What a way to bring the community together (even if virtually). I'm hoping we can do more of these community challenges!

Wednesday:
15 minutes on elliptical
15 minutes on stair stepper
15 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
ran 9 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
fast

Total:
45 minutes on elliptical
45 minutes on stair stepper
45 minutes on exercise bike
250 situps
125 push ups
ran 13 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
fast

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 3,075 Calories
Sunday: 2,215 Calories
Monday: 1,980 Calories
Tuesday: 2,000 Calories
Wednesday: 2,045 Calories
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,263 Calories.

till twEATing here.

bar, agave, challenge

Okay, so I'll take these in the opposite order.

Challenge. Not usually a fan of challenges, Mary is trying to get back into the the habit of being in the gym. And she's pledged to workout 30 seconds for each comment she gets. Even repeat comments. Even her comments! And people are joining her. Josie has. Steve has. Jen has. I have. Hehe! So, sure, leave a comment here, but also go to Mary's blog and help her kick her own butt! Fun challenge, huh?

Agave. Apparently, this super sweetener isn't all it's cracked up to be. It may even be worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup! Wow. Not sure what to think. Kim? Steve? Thoughts?

Bar. Here is my new workout tool.

Huh? What? Okay, so really, it doesn't look like much. But, according to my dad (or really my memory of what he said once...), this is part--or all--of a propeller shaft from a yacht. We actually used to use this for breaking up concrete and pry up heavy things. It's about 6 feet long. It's about 1.5 inches in diameter. And it weights freaking 40 pounds! I'll be using this to do curls, twists, lunges, squats, and everything I can think of. I'm not a huge fan of weight machines (especially because I have such limited time in my work gym), so this should be fun. Now, I have to actually USE the dang thing! Pretty cool, though, huh?

Tuesday:
15 minutes on elliptical
15 minutes on stair stepper
15 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
ran 4 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily

Total:
30 minutes on elliptical
30 minutes on stair stepper
30 minutes on exercise bike
200 situps
100 push ups
ran 4 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 3,075 Calories
Sunday: 2,215 Calories
Monday: 1,980 Calories
Tuesday: 2,000 Calories
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,318 Calories.

Still twEATing here.

Laziness and weekend warrior update

So yeah, this weekend was pretty chill. We did some shopping, I did some work around the house, and Anna and I had some fun together. I'm not sure I made the best choices, but what's done is done, right? As you can see below, I'm increasing my workout times so that I can hit my hour on each machine in the 4 days I'll be at work. And since I haven't moved enough this week (or at all), I'll be doing 4-5 miles the next three nights. It'll be crazy, but I need to do it. Not to reach some number, but to head into my trip on a good trajectory. I'll be enjoying myself in Italy, but I won't go over board. And I'll be walking a lot. Maybe not running--though we'll have to see what I do. I'll be keeping up with my sit ups and push ups, and I might try to get some resistance bands for teh trip (anything to keep this going). I'll also bring my measuring tape and food journal, but no scale. And that's scary.

Oh, and I just borrowed a great new piece of workout equipment from my dad that I'll start using for strength training tomorrow. I'll describe it and post pics tomorrow--though it's a little unconventional!

Weekend Warrior Challenge Goals:

• Make 2 different flavored salts for gift baskets to donate for our company's annual charity fundraiser. (done! Cilantro Lime Salt & Wasabi Soy Salt)
• Run/walk 6 miles. (FAIL. No walking. Oops!)
• Make good choices with my food this weekend, but enjoy myself at the buffet on saturday (within reason). (Not sure if I did this fully, but I did have fun!)

Up to Monday:
15 minutes on elliptical
15 minutes on stair stepper
15 minutes on exercise bike
150 situps
75 push ups
prayed daily
read the bible daily

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 3,075 Calories
Sunday: 2,215 Calories
Monday: 1,980 Calories
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,423 Calories.

Still twEATing here.

week 51

Weight: 226.6
Weekly loss: 1.6
Total weight lost: 141.8
Average Weekly Loss: 2.78

Okay gang, one week left until my first journey anniversary. I'm getting excited about this. I can't really believe that it's been a year already. It's funny, too, since I totally feel that I can do this for the rest of my life. I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I don't feel deprived. In fact, I'm actually *gasp* starting to like the running and exercising. Of course, I'm also loving the fact that I can now fit in large shirts and size 34 jeans. So, yeah, I'll be able to keep this up.

Think I can lose 1.7 pounds this week? I'd love to be heading off to Italy under 225. Of course, that'll mean weighing in on a Friday instead of Saturday, so it'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

Thinking more about my announcement for next week, I'm not sure it'll be fully fleshed out when I announce it. I just got 6 books from the library, and that will probably take me a little while to digest. So, I'll make my announcement on Friday, but then I'll be detailing it when I get back from my vacation. I'm really not tying to build up this announcement--in fact, many of you may be underwhelmed by my next stage--but I'm trying to keep you all up to date. So, yeah, don't get your hopes up!

Misc.

Watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution right now. First, have you noticed that Jamie Oliver kind of has a mullet? Lol!  But, in reality, I'm just so sad. **warning, politics talk/soap box time ahead** I can't stand that our government has ridiculous "dietary requirements" in place in our schools--and it's not the best things for them. I'm not sure who thought that we need 2 "breads or grains" in each meal. And really? A bread and a grain aren't on the same level (most of the time). The children in one class didn't even know their basic veggies. And pizza for breakfast?!? Sounds good to me, but I know it's not healthy--especially not for children. It breaks my heart that our children are not being set up for success with eating. And I know that most of the people who read this blog are dealing with the reprecussions of this country's lack of healthy eating habits. But is has to stop with us, right?

Anna and I don't have children yet, but it's so important to us to raise our kids with a healthy view of foods--eating well and natural. And there are lots of you out there that are doing just that. How great! Just as a highlight, Nathalie is setting a great example for her daughter! If you haven't seen her site, I'd encourage you to check it out. She's going through her second month of her journey, and it's the time where the going is tough for her. So read her amazing posts and send her some encouragement.

Yesterday, I said that I'd be running 8 miles. Well, it wasn't quite that. Please don't be disappointed! I tried out a new tracking system for my workouts (since I sold my G1 and got the amazing HD2). And it pretty much sucked. I thought it vastly underestimated my track, so after my workout, I had to drive the route in my car to check the distance. I was worried about it, since the tracker said that my route was about 5 miles. Once I drove it, though, it turns out that it wasn't so bad! It was almost exacly 8 miles. Well, it was like 7.97 miles, so I'm taking it as 8! In about an hour and a half. Not too bad. That's almost 13 km!! I was pretty excited about it. And I ran most of the way, too.

Weekend Warrior Challenge Goals:

1. Make 2 different flavored salts for gift baskets to donate for our company's annual charity fundraiser.
2. Run/walk 6 miles.
3. Make good choices with my food this weekend, but enjoy myself at the buffet on saturday (within reason).

Friday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
prayed daily
read the bible daily
ran 8 miles

Total:
60 minutes on elliptical
60 minutes on stair stepper
60 minutes on exercise bike
350 situps
175 push ups
ran/walked 14 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna
fasted

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,205 Calories
Sunday: 2,280 Calories
Monday: 2,120 Calories
Tuesday: 2,260 Calories
Wednesday: 2,160 Calories
Thursday: 1,460 Calories
Friday: 1,946 Calories

Daily Average: 2,062 Calories.

Still twEATing here.

Another short one--just the stats

Sorry guys!  Another late day.  And boy are Anna and I tired.  We planned on going to bed early tonight, and it's already 10 pm.  Oops!  I'll have more to post tomorrow.  But it's off to bed and time to read--I got 6 books from the library to read in preparation for my next stage of this journey (seriously not trying to tease you guys!)

And boy, I really want to eat.  But it's after 8, so I guess it's off to bed for me.  I guess I'll just enjoy my bagel breakfast sandwich all the more in the morning, huh??

Looks like I'll have to do a nice long walk/run tomorrow night to wrap up the week.  Haven't had one of those for a while.  Should be interesting!  What do you think?  8 miles?  If you all tell me to, I'll do it!

Thursday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
prayed daily
read the bible daily
fasted

Total:
48 minutes on elliptical
48 minutes on stair stepper
48 minutes on exercise bike
300 situps
150 push ups
ran/walked 6 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna
fasted

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,205 Calories
Sunday: 2,280 Calories
Monday: 2,120 Calories
Tuesday: 2,260 Calories
Wednesday: 2,160 Calories
Thursday: 1,460 Calories
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,081 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

Drive by

Sorry for the quick post! It's been a packed evening with cleaning our house so we could host small group, hosting small group, and then hanging out with them until about 10:15. It's now late, and Anna and I are tired (in a great way!).  I love our small group.

So, it's off to bed, and then to work in the morning. It was a great day today, full of good eating and good a good workout (though no run yet...).

I also got a new phone! Wahoo! And it's Anna-approved.

Okay, that's it. I'll try to read everyone's blogs tomorrow!

Wednesday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
prayed daily
read the bible daily
date with Anna

Total:
36 minutes on elliptical
36 minutes on stair stepper
36 minutes on exercise bike
250 situps
125 push ups
ran/walked 6 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,205 Calories
Sunday: 2,280 Calories
Monday: 2,120 Calories
Tuesday: 2,260 Calories
Wednesday: 2,160 Calories
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,205 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

Vibram KSO Review (IMHO)

I know there are lots of Vibram reviews out there. And a great blog based around the bare-footing movement. So why add another? Because I think I have a unique perspective, seeing as how I started wearing my "shoes" on August 12, 2009, weighing 317.2 pounds. So, that's 32 weeks, 89 pounds, and probably about 400 miles ago. So, yeah, I was rocking these at over 300 pounds. I think I can tell obese people about my experiences with these. And why I love them!

Breaking Them In
I have the Vibram KSO's.  I have always gone around barefoot whenever possible, so it wasn't too hard for me to "learn" how to walk in these (remember that I certainly wasn't running in these back in August). They really fit me like a glove. (Lots of people do have to get used to wearing them, then walking in them, and finally running in them...) Of course, I did get some crazy blisters in my arches on both feet, but nothing that a couple of band-aids couldn't take care of. And they felt fine after about a week--though I still have the scars from breaking them in.

Build
But then, the day I got them, they ripped. One of the seams burst out. But, my local REI gladly swapped them out! How cool are they? (I did bust out another seem a few months later, sewed the seam shut, and then wore through the sole, and the tension straps frayed)--and REI took them back again!! I'm now on my third pair and only had to pay the $85 once. But really, if I whould have had to buy trwo pair, it still would have been worth it. I've heard that most running shoes only "last" about 350-500 miles. So the life cycle looks to be about right. The build isn't too bad, but there are some weak points: the mesh seam can tear (just fix it with some thread--and pick a cool color, too!); the straps could wear (just reinforce with some tape--I did this, see my pictures below).

Style
Vibrams are a little funky looking, I've got to admit. I, personally love the look. They make lots of different styles, so there's probably one out there for everyone. I'd go to their website and check them out!

Funk
The Vibrams can comfortably be worn without socks (I mean, they fit on your toes, right?), but after about 3 or 4 days can reall stink! You can wash them in the washing machine and air dry them with no problem. But really? I don't like to wash them that often, so get the toe socks! They also help in the cold and the heat, since there is no insulation/padding on the shoes (which is kinda the point, you know?). Yeah, I've been wearing socks since about October.

Final Thoughts
I LOVE my Vibrams. And, really? I can't see myself wanting to wear any other shoe. I hike, run, and work in them. If you have some, post a comment; if you try them, post a comment; if you hate them (or are against them), post a comment!

My Vibrams

Tuesday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
prayed daily
read the bible daily
date with Anna

Total:
24 minutes on elliptical
24 minutes on stair stepper
24 minutes on exercise bike
200 situps
100 push ups
ran/walked 6 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,205 Calories
Sunday: 2,280 Calories
Monday: 2,120 Calories
Tuesday: 2,260 Calories
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,216 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

Weekend Warrior Results

Weekend Warrior Update:

• Improve my healthy recipe for Beef Jerky. I'm not trying to cheat on this goal, but really, I had some jerky this week, and really? I think it's there. I this is a great recipe! Is that cheating? That being said, I did come up with a delicious Quinoa Salad Recipe & a Candied Yam Bundt Cake (recipe coming).
• Go on a 3-mile run with Anna. We went on a 3-mile walk. That doesn't count, though.
• Limit myself to 2,400 Calories on Saturday & Sunday. Do this both days. Not an average. It can't be that freaking hard, right? Did it. Done. Yeah!

Coming tomorrow: Vibram Review.

Up through Monday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
150 situps
75 push ups
ran/walked 6 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
date with Anna

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,205 Calories
Sunday: 2,280 Calories
Monday: 2,120 Calories
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,202 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

Vegan Quinoa Salad

Okay, here's the recipe that I mentioned in my twEAT the other day.  We tried the recipe again and I love it.  Last time, we used feta cheese, but thought it might be fun to make this vegan, so no cheese.  And we don't miss it!  Give it a try and let em know what you think of it!

Ingredients:

3 cups quinoa

2 cans low sodium garbanzo beans

1 english cucumber

2 bunches green onions

1/2 cup chopped dill

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup dried cherries

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Cook quinoa as directed in package and cool.  Meanwhile, dice english cucumber and green onion; place in bowl.  dump and rinse garbanzo beans; place in bowl.  Chop fresh dill and place in bowl.  Place remaining ingredients (slivered almonds, dried cherries, salt, pepper, rice wine vinegar, and lemon juice) in bowl.  Stir all ingredients in bowl; then mix into quinoa.  Serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 Cup

Calories: 235

Fat: 6.5g (10%)

Sodium: 273mg (11.4%)

Carbs: 37g (12.3%)

Fiber: 7g (28%)

Protein: 9g (18%)

Percentages based on 2,000 Calories diet

Week 50

Weight: 228.2
Weekly loss: 1.2
Total weight lost: 140.2
Average Weekly Loss: 2.80

2 weeks left in my first year of this journey. Wow. It;s been a long time, but it has flown by so quickly. I'm really enjoying this new life. I'm a little more past 230. That's a little more comfortable. I'm confident that I'll be under 225 by the end of my year. And I'd like to be at at least 145 pounds down by week 52. I'd love to be at 150 lost, but that's not going to happen (I'm 99.9% sure of that!).

And that's when I'll be adding to my journey. My new year will be by next stage. So don't come back here tomorrow looking for the new development--cause it won't be here. Instead, come back here on Monday to join me on the next day of my journey.

Story and Weekend Warrior

Anna found these pictures of me from the race last weekend.  As you can see, I ran in my Vibrams.  That worked well.  Of course, I've been running in them for a while.  In one of the pictures, I look like a rock star; in the other, I look really tired.  But in both of them, I look like I'm floating.  So that's pretty cool! 

Speaking of the race, I happen to work with 6 or 7 people at my current job that I also worked with at my last job.  Over time, we've all come over--we didn't all come at the same time.  And I've worked at my current job for almost 3 years.  So, that's the back story.  Today, my friend Rob told me about a coworker at our previous job, Ali, who asked him this week if I had lost a lot of weight.  He said, "Yeah, he's lost about a person!"  The reason this all came up?  Apparently, after the race, Ali heard my voice, looked back, and decided that the person who was talking couldn't have been the BJ she used to work with.  And she never said hi.  In a weird way, this is a huge freakin' compliment.  Have you experienced that yet?  Are you looking forward to people not even being able to recognize you?

Weekend Warrior Challenge Goals:

1. Improve my healthy recipe for Beef Jerky.
2. Go on a 3-mile run with Anna.
3. Limit myself to 2,400 Calories on Saturday & Sunday. Do this both days.  Not an average.  It can't be that freaking hard, right?   

Friday:
30 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
ran 3 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily

Total:
78 minutes on elliptical
60 minutes on stair stepper
60 minutes on exercise bike
3 sets of planks (60 second front plank; 60 second back plank; 30 second side plank on each side)
350 situps
175 push ups
ran/walked 17 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna
fasted

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,225 Calories
Sunday: 2,560 Calories
Monday: 2,190 Calories
Tuesday: 1,280 Calories
Wednesday: 2,055 Calories
Thursday: 2,155 Calories
Friday: 1,925 Calories

Daily Average: 2,055 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

Finally, A Playlist

I've been doing this weight-loss thing for about a year. And I've never had a playlist. Was I missing something? I know they're not essential, but listening to my Zune on random for the last year has been interesting. While I don't have a ton of songs, I do have about 4,000. And they're so varied. Which is usually good, but when you're trying to burn a ton of Calories on the stairstepper, it's tough to keep up while listening to John Rutter's Requiem, or Mitch Hedberg's Comedy, or An interesting Sermon. So, I had to make a playlist. As you can see, I don't have a lot of anngry music. But most of it is up tempo. I dont' think I'll be changing this up all the time, but I may add to it. And yeah, the playlist has helped me even step up my workouts. Sweet!

Waterloo- ABBA
Wonder Why- Avalon
One More Time- Daft Punk
Lose Yourself- Eminem
Open Road Song- Eve 6
One Week- Barenaked Ladies
One Song Glory- Rent Soundtrack
Rent- Rent Soundtrack
Remember the Name- Fort Minor
I Alone- Live
All over You- Live
Wake Up- Rage Against the Machine
Better Run- Army of Me
P.E.T.R.O.L.- Orbital
The Boxer- Simon & Garfunkel
Snow Is Gone- Josh Ritter
It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)- REM
Two Step- Dave Matthew Band
The Taste- Five for Fighting
Fortunate Son- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Rebel Rouser- Duane Eddy
You're to Blame- MercyMe
Standing Outside the Fire- Garth Brooks
So Long Self- MercyMe
The Kids Aren't Alright- The Offspring
Emmanuel- Kepanogreen
On Our Side- Chris Tomlin
You Keep Me Hangin' On- Glee Soundtrack
Smashing Young Man- Collective Soul
Trading My Sorrows- Darrell Evans
The Happy Song- Delirious?
I'm Alive- Jackson Browne
Harder To Breathe- Maroon 5
We Are- Vertical Horizon
Send It Up- Vertical Horizon
Space- Something Corporate
New York, New York- Ryan Adams
Stayin' Alive- The Bee Gees
Somebody to Shove- Soul Asylum
Forever- Chris Tomlin
Miss Independent- Kelly Clarkson
Unbroken- Tim McGraw
Me And Becky- Chris Rice
I'm Yours- Jason Mraz
Street Corner Preacher- Amos Lee
Better Is One Day- FFH
Disease- Matchbox Twenty
Unwell- Matchbox Twenty
Perfect- Army of Me
What You Own- Rent Soundtrack
Man Burning- Josh Ritter
257 Weeks- Nine Days
Digee Dime- Burlap to Cashmere
Wolves- Josh Ritter
I Dare You to Move- Switchfoot
Fighter- Christina Aguilera

Thursday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
1 set of planks (60 second front plank; 60 second back plank; 30 second side plank on each side)
50 situps
25 push ups
ran 4 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily

Total:
48 minutes on elliptical
48 minutes on stair stepper
48 minutes on exercise bike
3 sets of planks (60 second front plank; 60 second back plank; 30 second side plank on each side)
300 situps
150 push ups
ran/walked 14 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna
fasted

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,225 Calories
Sunday: 2,560 Calories
Monday: 2,190 Calories
Tuesday: 1,280 Calories
Wednesday: 2,055 Calories
Thursday: 2,155 Calories
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,078 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

restricted diet

Okay. So here's the thing. I sucked last night. Literally. I woke up at about midnight super hungry. And I went down and inhaled a piece of sprouted grain bread with sweet-hot mustard, chicken breast and pepper jack cheese on it. Like, I ate it in about 3 bites. Gross. While it wasn't as bad as what I used to binge on (things like Cheddar Lit’l Smokies®, RUFFLES® Cheddar & Sour Cream Flavored Potato Chips, or CHEETOS® Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks), but it was 400 Calories. "But it was healthy!" There's nothing healthy about mindless eating--no matter the ingredients. I need more control. I do such a great job during the day, but I tend to allow myself too many indulgences during the evening. So, taking a page from lots of people, but especially Brandon, I'll be refraining from eating after 8 pm at least Sunday-Thursday. How's that sound? So, if you see a TwEAT from me after 8 pm PST or before 6 am PST, ream me, okay? I guess, at least for the time being, this is me:

And, on a little side note. I know that both Steve and Rick have been enjoying Ground Flaxseed for a long time, but I just got some from Costco, and LOVE it! I had some on my cereal for dinner and some more on my Ice Cream. Oh, wow, it's delicious. I can really see why people like it. (BTW, I bet the link will make you laugh!)

Tuesday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
50 situps
25 push ups
prayed daily
read the bible daily

Total:
36 minutes on elliptical
36 minutes on stair stepper
36 minutes on exercise bike
2 sets of planks (60 second front plank; 60 second back plank; 30 second side plank on each side)
250 situps
125 push ups
ran/walked 10 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna
fasted

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,225 Calories
Sunday: 2,560 Calories
Monday: 2,190 Calories
Tuesday: 1,280 Calories
Wednesday: 2,055 Calories
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,062 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

support, recipe, and progress

Before I get to the jerky recipe and progress pics, I wanted to talk a little about a conversation I had with Anna yesterday. I'm sure you remember the pictures of her--how tiny and beautiful she is. Well, and I hope she doesn't kill me for saying this, she wants to get fit, become more active, and lose a couple of pounds.

And before I started this journey I used to snap at her when she'd say that. "Who are you to say that you need to lose weight?! You're already skinny. I'm a huge fat ass, and you're tiny!"

I'd be mad for minutes hours days.

And I'd eat and eat.

And I know she still gets that from some people, but never from me.

Not anymore.

Why is that? Well, I've come to realize that we're all at different places. Anna's a few pounds away from where she wants to be. I'm many pounds away from where I want to be. And everyone out there is some where in between being drastically underweight (and wanting to gain weight) and being morbidly obese (and wanting to lose weight)--or even not caring, but I'm still not sure what to do with that type. Who am I to tell Anna (or anyone else) that her weight/health goals are insignificant? How does that help her? I should support her and anyone who tells me about their goal (be it huge or small).

Maybe my new attitude is a result of my journey. If it is, I think it's a welcome byproduct. What about you? Do you scoff at people who have to lose less weight than you? Or do you help them in any way you can?

Now to my recipe.

Spicy Beef Jerky

2 pounds Top Round London Broil (fat trimmed off)
1/4 cup Lite Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp Liquid Smoke
2 tbsp Agave Nectar
1/2 tsp Colman's Mustard
1 tsp Hot Sauce
1 tsp Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso
1-1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
1 tsp Crushed Red Chiles
1 tsp Ground White Pepper

• Place meat in freezer for a couple of hours to firm up. Trim meat. Slice into 1/4-1/8 ince wide slices and place in resealable bag.
• Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over meat.
• Marinate meat overnight.
• Dry meat as instructed by Jerky Maker.

That's it!

This makes about 40 pieces. They come out to be 45 Calories a piece (about 135 Calories per ounce--not sure if that's right). But each piece does have 60mg of Sodium per piece (about 180mg per ounce). That's less than 1/2 of the sodium that Jack Link's has...but more Calories? Not sure how that works.  It still needs some work: I want to increase the sweetness a little bit, lower the sodium some more, and increase the beefy-ness.  I'll have another recipe no later than next week...

More progress updates:

First, I wanted to take one of those pants pictures where the smaller pair is laid on top of the larger pair.  This is the difference between 48x30 and 36x30.  Not sure if it does it justice, but it's a crazy difference.

Then, just last night, I remembered that I had started tracking my weight and measurements back before I really started on this journey, but I never kept at it (another reason this change is so surprising to everyone involved).  So, I had to dig that up.  And here it is:

Let's compare that to this weekend's chart.  How much has changed since December 4, 2008:

• Weight: -128 Pounds
• Waist: -14.125"
• Stomach: -14.5"
• Thigh: -8"
• Calf: -3.5"
• Bicep: -3"
• Body Fat (estimated): -6.3%
• BMI: -16.5 points

That last one's especially crazy to me!

Tuesday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
1 set of planks (60 second front plank; 60 second back plank; 30 second side plank on each side)
50 situps
25 push ups
prayed daily
read the bible daily
date with Anna
fast

Total:
24 minutes on elliptical
24 minutes on stair stepper
24 minutes on exercise bike
2 sets of planks (60 second front plank; 60 second back plank; 30 second side plank on each side)
200 situps
100 push ups
ran/walked 10 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
2 dates with Anna
fasted

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,225 Calories
Sunday: 2,560 Calories
Monday: 2,190 Calories
Tuesday: 1,280 Calories
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,064 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.

Weekend Warrior Update & Others

Weekend Warrior Challenge Goals (I know this is over, but I'm keeping it going for myself in order to try to stay on track over the weekends. It's kinda like what Kimberley's doing now that the Perfect 10 is over):

1. Create a healthy recipe for Beef Jerky. Is this cheating? (Success. I came up with a recipe that uses agave nectar instead of sugar--Steve, you might be able to eat this!--but it still needs a little work. But it's certainly healthier than normal beef jerky.)
2. Run in the St. Patrick's Day Dash. And complete it in under 40:00. (Success! See Below).
3. Limit myself to 2,400 Calories on Saturday & Sunday. I sucked this up last week, so I'd like to make sure I succeed this weekend. (Success? I averaged 2,393 Calories, though Sunday was bigger. I'll take it.)

The St. Patrick's Day Dash 2010
This race was pretty fun! I actually ran the whole way. I didn't think I'd be able to, but somehow I did. I didn't even feel tired. Which leads me to think that I'll be able to do a 10k no problem...and maybe one day a 1/2 marathon! I kept a really steady pace. I didn't push myself harder and I didn't let up. I didn't slow down going up hills and I didn't run down those same hills on the way back. This was my first organized run, and I found myself motivated to push harder than usual. I didn't want to rush ahead and burn myself out, but I did want to just pass other people. So, that's what I did. And here are the initial race results:

• Overall place: 2393 out of 7830
• Division place: 251 out of 534
• Gender place: 1530 out of 3495
• Time: 35:21
• Pace: 9:19

Not bad!! Of course, I don't have pictures. Why? Because we didn't have a camera with us...and we were also almost late to the race (now I know what you went through, Josie!). In fact, I had to run about a quarter mile or so to even make it to the race to start running. Talk about a warm-up!

Progress Pictures
I realized that is has been about 2 months since my last progress pictures. So, I had Anna take another round for me.

Of course, my first thought was, "Boy, I sure stand crooked, huh?" My second thought was, "Wow!" I'm happy with my profile...now I just want my love handles to disappear. I guess time may take care of that. And I feel really blessed that I'm not dealing with too much loose skin (except for my butt, but I'm never showing those pictures, so...). What a difference a year makes. I'll be posting some more comparison pictures in the next few days. Just for fun.

Speaking of the difference a year makes, I'm coming up on the anniversary of my decision. It has almost been 52 weeks since I read about Tyler's blog on Consumerist and put some hard thought into it and decided to stop killing myself (not sure why it was taht tough of a decision...). And how am I going to celebrate the anniversary? Well, Anna, my dad, my brother, and his fiancee will be traveling to Italy, but that's more of a coincidence. Really, I'm planning on adding another feature to my journey. And I'm really excited to work on it. It'll be a huge challenge--a change almost as big as this last year has been. Stick around, and you'll see it in a couple of weeks. It'll probably take that long to get everything together.

Up through Monday:
12 minutes on elliptical
12 minutes on stair stepper
12 minutes on exercise bike
1 set of planks (60 second front plank; 60 second back plank; 30 second side plank on each side)
150 situps
75 push ups
ran/walked 10 miles
prayed daily
read the bible daily
date with Anna

Weekly Calorie Count:
Saturday: 2,225 Calories
Sunday: 2,560 Calories
Monday: 2,190 Calories
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Daily Average: 2,325 Calories.

Want to watch me twEAT? Check it out here.