When Jaron lined out my eating program there was less meat on the bone than a bulimic Ethiopian. It actually worried me. Weight lifting I can do, 5000 yard swims I can handle, and extra cardio... no problem. But I have issue with stagnation in my food selection. Even though my dear friend Kansas City Marty states that I lean toward the "food as fuel" camp, it is hard for me to eat the same thing every day. Don't get me wrong, Groundhog Day is in my Top 5 of the 1990's, but I would drive my local Subway manager off the cliff if my diet was the same, day in and day out. Don't drive angry!
With all my complaining and whining, there is a part of me that enjoys pre-selected menus across the business week. To manage the caloric intake, having two or three options for breakfast and maybe five to seven for lunch and dinner has been fine with me during this period of resetting my internal set point. Once Jaron moves me to a maintenance program next spring, my diet will be less about an exact science, and more about controlling portion sizes with healthy alternatives.
In addition to the dietary regiment, I really enjoy the muscle memory of the gym. Being able to walk into a place that was once a road block my work life and relaxation pursuits. Now it is a decent environment that cultivates change and peace of mind. It is also good for the transition from structured work life to the the chaotic whimsy of home life. All I need is the clothing and running shoes and my body seems to go into a solid mode of "point A, to point B" mentality.
Even though the treadmill can be similar to a daily Chinese water torture; it can also provide a complete mental break from life. Its getting to the point where I can mentally track my progress for the entire twenty minutes, able to guess my time within a few seconds each run. It is comparable to when two guys hacky sack for months on end... their feet become extensions of their hands. For the past decade I have never let a cell phone hit the ground or one of our kids crash to the floor without a quick foot shooting out to soften the impact. This is the nature of a true creature of habit!P.S.
The freaking circuit Jaron has me on during this phase is going to be the death of me. Burpees followed by push ups is the equivalent to switching grandpa's high blood pressure pills with the new 5-Hour Energy Drink in powder form and then yelling fire during his afternoon nap. I never knew my heart rate could get to 300 bpm and still be sober as a preacher on Sunday.
Weekly weigh in: 202.5
Lbs dropped since last weigh-in: 1.5
Total pounds dropped: 29.5
To hit 195: 9
Weeks to go: 3
Bad vibrations, watching "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as we speak. Seems appropriate given the old school references rife throughout this posting. I find it un-necessary to acknowledge the hacky sack reference, if only to dispell the notion of theoretic homoerotic overtones of 2 mostly naked dudes enjoying themselves to the timeless classical tunes of Sir Elton John. This, of course, never happened, we'll deny it to our death...right Jarvis?! In any case, some have the intestinal fortitude to endure an extremely regimented nutritional strategy. Others will undoubtedly go apeshit. Kudos to JT for the gumption! You da man. In the long haul, nutritional strategy needs.to be practical. Eat the right number of calories, at the right times, and you'll be successful regardless of "what" you eat. I recall a text I sent to ole JT about a month ago; I'll paraphrase, cause I'm too lazy to look it up: "this may hurt or help you, these days, after keeping my weight off for 6+ years and gaining 12+ pounds of muscle, my diet consists of a donut and coffee for breakfast, a couple of decent snacks, Subway for lunch, and, wait for it...a horrific 1000 calorie debacle of a dinner most days." Despite my lack of regular exercise, I don't gain a pound! I'm at my new internal set point. This is what Jarvis is seeking. He will be there one day. Sooner than later if I have anything to say about it. As for these circuits, God save any who attempt to accomplish the foulness that was written. You're a strong man JT, stronger than you know. When I get out to Vegas in a couple weeks, I hope I don't embarrass myself as the fat one, the one who can't do the workouts, when we workout together...finally. Bring on the 20! Valley of Death! Done it before, and if.I may...I have sincere "Fear and Loathing" of doing it again. Nov. 24...my day of reckoning. Bring the pain..."stupid" challenge!
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