Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 40
Sign: Sagittarius
City: SAN BRUNO
State: California
Country: US
Signup Date:
12/24/05
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Monday, June 30, 2008
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Ego Over Matter 2008, Week 4, Weigh In and Random Thoughts
Current mood:  energetic
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
Wow, have I been at this for a month already?! It seems like it was just yesterday I started this, and at other times, it seems like I've been doing this forever (LOL!). OK, let's get to the numbers, shall we.
This morning saw me tip the scales at 205 pounds, which means I'm down three from last week, and down 15 from the start. Again, fifteen pounds in one month is still pretty darned aggressive; it's the equivalent of 3.5 pounds per week, although I'm taking some comfort in the fact that the last two weeks have slowed down without radical change in activity or eating, so maybe this time around I'm still on the normal side of things.
I had a bit of an embarrassing incident on Saturday. As part of Order of the Arrow, I was asked to help one of the boys in our Lodge receive his Eagle Scout award, and as such, I was asked if I'd be willing to wear regalia for the ceremony (read, full Native American buckskins, feather headdress, the whole nine yards). Since the ceremony was at 2:00 PM, I just kind of went about my day, then got to the place the ceremony was being held, helped set up everything, and then went in to do the ceremony. Well, in a small enclosed room, and trying to keep things going smoothly, I had basically "forgotten" to grab anything to eat or drink prior (that's one thing about getting into a diet mode, you can genuinely "forget" to eat or drink at odd times, because your body isn't telling you it's thirsty or hungry. Well, about three quarters of the way through the ceremony, I start to see purple tracers appear in front of my eyes… anyone who has had this experience knows what happens next. Next thing I know, I'm sitting on my butt, the master of ceremonies is asking me if I'm OK, and everyone has this concerned look on their face. I just thought, Oh crap, what did I just do?!" Fortunately, it was a quick spell of light headedness, maybe about 30 seconds until I was back to myself, but the fact that it happened at this kid's Eagle court made me really embarrassed. Note to self, next time you are in full leathers in an enclosed room that gets really hot, make sure you have a water bottle nearby and drink from it regularly (d'oh!!!).
Anyway, I just wanted to mention that little scenario to people to realize that, sometimes when you get focused on a goal, you sometimes lose track of what you are doing, and if you lose track at the wrong time, you might find yourself parked on your butt thinking "aw man, what just happened?!" Hopefully I'll be able to prevent things like that from happening again, but most importantly is to, honestly, remember that when your body is dieting, it doesn't really care at what point it stops behaving itself. The mind and ego are tough competitors, but ultimately, in a battle of wills, the body's survival instinct will win out (LOL!).
So that's this week's reality. Tune in next week as I see whether or not my burn rate slows or keeps at its current pace (a little slower i.e. two pounds a week, would be a good signal right about now :) ).
5:31 AM
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Monday, June 23, 2008
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Ego Over Matter 2008: Week 3 Weigh-in and Semi-Random Thoughts
Current mood:  focused
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
Well, here we are at the end of week three. This morning, I weighed in at 208 pounds, which puts me three pounds down from last week, and 12 pounds down from when I started this. That puts me at an average drop of four pounds per week; that's still a little on the aggressive side, but better than the last two weeks (note that when I say "better", I mean losing weight in a way that's actually sustainable; much as I like seeing the weight drop off, I don't want to take the hit to my metabolism and watch the weight creep back on. What's the point of that?).
Some folks have asked me what my writing method looks like and how I do it. Here's an example entry from a single day:
4:00 AM Orzo, Chicken, Mint pasta, 1 12/ cups (220 calories)
6:00 AM Lemon Herbal Tea (1/2 Gallon, consumed throughout the day (0 calories)
8:00 AM 5 Whole Roasted Peanuts (50 calories)
9:15 AM Italian Mixed Vegetables with tapatio Hot Sauce (70 calories)
1:15 PM Flour tortilla, mixed vegetables, shredded cheese, refried beans (400 calories)
3:30 PM 5 whole roasted peanuts (50 calories)
6:00 PM Whole wheat pasta, sun dried tomato paste, feta cheese (600 calories)
The idea is that each section is listed as a running tally, so I know where I stand at any given point in the day. Since a pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories, a person needs to create a 3500 calorie deficit to burn through one pound of fat in a given week, 7000 calorie deficit to burn through two pounds. That means that 1000 calories each day needs to be removed from intake (or added to exertion and output, or a combination of the two) to meet that requirement. By doing some basic measurements (either through an electronic scale that can gauge your level of bodyfat, or using an older method like caliper measurements), you can get an idea as to where your baseline metabolism actually resides. Currently, I hover around 2500 calories per day, which means I have to make do on 1500 calories a day if I want to make that two pound a week goal consistently.
A couple comments on my eating habits… I can honestly eat anything at any time of the day. Yes, I'm one of those weirdos that could eat a tri-tip first thing on waking up in the morning, or have waffles for dinner. I have no food hang-ups whatsoever, at least none that I'm aware of. That's why you'll see a breakfast of Orzo, and I'll not even flinch. I think it comes from my crazy early morning hours. Oh, and the current buzz about eating a big breakfast being key to losing weight… in my experience, it's true. I prefer a method of "backwards" eating, where I eat heartily early in the day, and decrease my consumption as the day goes on. Dinner becomes the smallest meal of the day. Oh, and what's the deal with the 5 peanuts at regular intervals in the day? These are what I all a "blunt", meaning that the act of just grabbing five peanuts (and yes, they need to be whole and yes I do count) gives my body just enough EFA's to concentrate on and limit an insulin spike (it's not just diabetics that need to think about insulin regulation; people who are dieting get an extra boost by helping keep the insulin receptors "offline").
OK, that's enough babble from me for now. I'll see y'all again next week.
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Currently
reading
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C Weekend Crash Course (With CD-ROM)
By
Stephen Randy Davis
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5:44 PM
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Monday, June 16, 2008
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Ego Over Matter 2008: Week 2 Weigh-in and Random Thoughts
Current mood:  busy
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
Alright, here's my Week 2 numbers and where I'm at. This morning, Monday, June 16th, 2008, I weighed in at 211 pounds, which is 5 pounds down from last week, and now has me down 9 pounds from my starting weight of 220 pounds. Now *that* is quite a bit more aggressive than I had planned. A first week with a big drop can be considered recalibration. Two weeks with a greater than two pound average drop means there's some catabolism going on, so I need to slow down my burn rate just a little bit.
Now for the random thoughts section. I'm an organization nut… not that I'm really all that organized, but dang it, I do try. To that end I make an effort of trying to keep track of things I do, from productivity, to spending, to keeping track what I actually eat. I use a small portable notepad that I can stick in my pocket and have available any time I need it. The act of writing down what I eat, and when, has both a measuring and tempering effect. Sometimes, just pulling out the notepad and writing down what I'm about to eat (no matter how small) acts as the gate I need to say "never mind", and just walk away.
Other little I'm doing to help stay on track… Steering clear of most processed foods; my daily meals currently include oatmeal in the mornings, various mixed vegetables that I usually douse with hot sauce, various fresh fruits (usually citrus or apples) and a 2 liter water bottle that gets filled daily and is nursed regularly by yours truly while I'm at work. When I am at home, I do my best to either prep food for myself, or Christina helps with making various dinners that tend to be on the lighter side. Whenever I try to work at losing weight, I tend to buy and go through a *lot* of chewing gum. I think the act of constantly chewing something helps to blunt my drive or need for getting up to grab something to eat. Since I work in an office that stocks the cabinets with lots of potential diet breakers, this is a big help.
There are some fairly decent hills surrounding where I work. North of me is Telegraph Hill, my normal daytime lunch break walk. From my office, I can walk up Montgomery to the end and then climb the stairs of Telegraph Hill Terrace to the base of Coit Tower and Pioneer Park, then turn around and head back. That can be done in about 30 minutes, and it definitely wakes you up in the middle of the day. Due West is Nob Hill, and the market where I do most of my grocery shopping. I do most of my grocery shopping here in the city for while I'm at work at the Bell Market on the corner of Hyde and California. It's roughly a mile walk, including going up, over and down Nob Hill. Thus I get a pretty decent workout every day at work. The key is to make sure that I get out and do it every day. The Coit Tower hikes are done on average four times a week, with the Nob Hill jaunt done once a week when I need to replenish groceries.
I like making larger meals at home and freezing portions of them. This way, I can take those meals, where I know *exactly* what's in them, and have them on tap. Another bonus, having items on hand to make batches of food costs less for food in the long run. I limit eating out to no more than once or twice a month. Since I have no clue what's been put into the food that I get at a restaurant, it's hard to keep track of what I'm eating.
This may sound like drudgery to some, but for me, these steps help me keep track and remain aware of what I actually do. Measuring increases awareness dramatically, thus I can see and anticipate potential progress. Do I recommend living like this *all* the time? No, but I do think keeping track or having baseline knowledge of things you do is helpful. Obsessing over it *every* day gets old quick. Making strict boundaries that you chafe against will ensure you not follow through after reaching the goal. Developing habits you can live with, and perhaps even enjoy, has a better chance of success.
OK, that's it for me this time. Have a great week and we'll see where I stand next week, and how much of me is still standing (LOL!).
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Currently
listening
:
Back When I Knew It All
By
Montgomery Gentry
Release date: 2008-06-10
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5:50 AM
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Monday, June 09, 2008
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Ego Over Matter, Week 1: Weigh In and Random Thoughts
Current mood:  chipper
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
Well, we are one week into my second attempt at Ego Over Matter, and sure enough, I experienced *exactly* the same thing I did the first time last year, from declaration to first week weigh in. This morning, I weighed 216 pounds, which is four pounds down from my starting point of 220 pounds. The first time I did this, I about freaked, since that was double my target rate. However, there's a few things I've come to realize that help to put this into perspective.
There are three steps that take place at the beginning of any weight loss. The first step is usually related to water retention, and making a dietary change of any kind (changing up simple sugar intake for complex carbs, going from processed foods to whole varieties, or making a change that significantly lowers daily sodium intake) causes a change in the amount of water your body retains. Net result is that you can easily drop two to three pounds in a single day. However, this often gets mitigated pretty quickly the next time that you drink a glass or two of water, so these changes should be averaged out over the course of a week.
The second step (pardon the "ick" factor of this) is a clearing of the GI tract. Most people think that eating a meal will be digested and the wastes eliminated in a matter of hours, but this is often not the case. In many people, the process can take anywhere from 48 to 96 hours from point of eating to final elimination. Thus it is very possible to have anywhere from two to six pounds of matter in the GI tract at any given time. More alarming is that, for truly obese people, this process is slower, and they can have several pounds more food in the GI tract at any given time. This was driven home to me when I saw a special on stomach reduction surgery. The person that was going to have to have the surgery had to live on a clear diet for six days. The main purpose was the removal of most food material from the GI tract before the operation. The person in question reported a weight loss of close to 18 pounds, of which more than half was remnants in the GI tract. This is where you hear many dramatic "I lost 15 pounds in seven days" stories; they didn't *really* lose 15 pounds, but they did clear their systems of excess water and still digesting foodstuffs. Sorry for that mental image. Did you already have breakfast (LOL!)?
After these two potentially big drop off's, it's now time to hit the third area, which is actual adipose tissue (more commonly called "FAT"). Unfortunately, just as it's easier to flush away excess water and easily clean out food remnants from a cooking pan, scrubbing away fat that has been left to harden takes a greater amount of elbow grease. Same is true when it come to burning away bodyfat. When you get to the point where all that's left is to burn fat, I use the analogy of lighting a kerosene lantern and just waiting for the gas to burn down. That's where the challenge comes in, and that's where, really, we have to just let time, caloric deficits and our bodies do the work they are set to do. This is why so many people look at the rush of a first week and get excited, then get frustrated when they don't see the same stellar results carry into the following weeks. It's because the first week is usually the body recalibrating itself, it's not a true loss of bodyfat, although the general two pounds worth a week is probably still part of that equation.
For those looking to play this game at home, here are some tips that y'all may find helpful.
Weigh yourself at the same time on the same interval to get a true gauge of where you actually stand. For me, that's done once a week on Monday morning after I wake up and have my first bowel movement (sorry for the gross imagery, but it is relevant to the discussion). This way, you always start from a similar point and can gauge true progress.
Don't check things out daily, as the inevitable slides up and down based on activity will give you a false sense of where you are at. Remember, all it takes is a glass or two of water to skew the results up by a pound. Avoid the anxiety and stick to one weigh in at the set time each week.
If you have a manual scale, make sure to recalibrate it each time. No sense getting excited or depressed at the reading if you aren't starting from true zero to begin with.
Keep a weekly tally so that you can see exactly how much progress you have made (me, I use this blog for that purpose, but you may choose to just put a sheet of paper on the wall and track each week as they come and go.
Well, that's it for me today. If I don't post something else during the week, I'll see y'all again next Monday with results for Week 2.
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Currently
playing
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Okami
Release date: 2008-04-15
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7:29 AM
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Friday, June 06, 2008
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Ego Over Matter 2008, Volume 1.2, Relationship of Physical and Financial Fitness
Current mood:  blustery
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
This isn't exactly an Ego Over Matter blog, but it is tangentially associated, so I'm going to include it as one anyway. Plus, it gives me yet another chance to spout my dime store philosophy (LOL!). Losing weight, fitness and finance often seem to come hand in hand. Last year, I made a concerted effort to do something about my physical fitness up to my set goal. In the current year, I have also been putting a lot of focus on what I consider to be my financial fitness. I wanted to see if I could apply parallels between them and see if any of them could help me impact the others. The blog fivecentnickel.com asked the same question on June 5th. Instead of rehashing their points, which looks at the parallels of physical fitness as it relates to financial fitness, I wanted to see how my own approach to physical fitness paralleled my approach to financial fitness, and vice versa. Many of fivecentnickel's points are reflected in my observations, so I want to give credit where credit is due. The first and most obvious thing that jumped out to me was that I have to eat less and do more to lose weight. When I look at that just in the light of dealing with the day to day cravings and realities, it can be a bit of a drag (yes, I said it, self denial isn't real fun. Necessary at times, but rarely fun). However, there's a neat little hidden bonus to this approach; using tight portion controls actually helps me save money. By looking at the actual serving size recommended, and committing to eating just that serving size of each item, I am able to make sure that the items I buy last longer, and thus either I buy less overall, or the items I do buy have a longer shelf life. Net result, I lose weight and I spend less :). Second is the idea of the turning point. As I mentioned in my previous blog, we all have those "I'VE HAD IT!" moments, and those are when we finally decide we are ready for a change. Activity level will increase, food consumption will decrease, deficit spending will decrease or cease and enforcing a savings regimen will only happen when I am finally sick and tired of being sick and tired. When I make that commitment to myself, in the right mind and spirit, then I am prepared to make the changes that are necessary, and make those changes stick. In both cases, I made some broad decisions and chose to stick to them. On the fitness sphere, it was to live pain free (if possible) and to be in shape to enjoy the activities that I do. On the finance side, remaining 100% debt free and increasing my saving for the future are the key elements that drive me. Third is the need for a big win quickly, but the ability to temper that with the idea that true success takes time and happens gradually. Financially, a big win for me is to sacrifice intensely for a brief period and make a major spending habit change, then take that saved money and either put it towards something important or save it for later. On the weight and fitness front, a commitment to drop that first five pounds in two weeks is key. Whatever it takes, I have found that that first *big win* is vital to continued success. If I made a goal to save for my kids college educations, and only focused on the potential expense in total, I might get discouraged about the sheer amount required; that's a hard thing to sustain enthusiasm for, especially when you have a lot of other things that need to be dealt with. Likewise, walking into a gym for the first time, setting up a goal for a 300 pound bench press, 400 pound squat and a 500 pound deadlift, and going gangbusters to get there is also going to be hard to deal with over the long haul. Setting up a quick "big win" is smaller in scope, but can be just as gratifying. Be very specific. Work towards that goal, celebrate and mark the achievement, and then keep going. Keeping track of what I do, both physically and financially, helps me gauge my actual progress and keeps me focused. In most cases, it's not the lack of enthusiasm, but the lack of focus and clarity that causes me to spin my wheels. When it comes to food intake, writing down what I actually eat is very telling; it lets me know exactly what I am doing at that moment and gives me immediate feedback. Later, I can see what I ate, what made sense, and whether or not I want to trade off better health and a lower weight for the pleasures of a candy bar. When it comes to money, writing down everything I spend, or plan to spend, is also telling. This puts the things that I spend money on very up front and obvious, and I can separate needs from wants, and decide what I am willing to put off or do away with to get ahead. nickel talked about making this into agame, and that's very much my approach as well. People who are passionate about a sport or an activity already have a big advantage over everyday people who just want to get back in shape a bit. When you have a passion, that passion tends to drive you and you respond to meet it. If you love playing soccer and play every chance you get, chances are you are probably already in the top 5% of physical fitness. If you are an avid rock climber and regularly climb, the same could be said. My decision was to find something physically demanding that I love, and center my activities around those. At this stage in my life, much of my energies are dedicated towards Native American dance, hiking and snowboarding. Those are the three things I enjoy doing the most. By focusing my energies on activities that help me maximize on all three, I can keep my mind focused and my interest high. When it comes to money, my "game" is to see if I can do better month after month and bring down my spending footprint so that I can save more towards something I really want. I treat it like a game because, if I can get further ahead each month, it's like an accumulating game score, and it allows me to see progress (and yes, I actually find that to be fun :) ). For me, the idea of "personal bests" is very important. Comparing myself to another person (like an athlete or some multi-millionaire) is counter productive. As a point of inspiration, I think it's fine, but getting hung up on the fact that I don't look like [fill in the blank] or I don't have the net worth of [fill in the blank], is only going to make me miserable. Instead, I try to look and see what *my* personal bests are, and try to always move them forward. At times those personal bests may just be inching along, and at times, I suffer set-backs where I actually *lose* ground. This is a normal part of life, and I tell myself it's important to be willing and able to keep them in perspective. I used to agonize over the fact that I could not beat another racer I competed regularly against, until I realized that he had advantages I didn't have, including living close to a ski area and having the ability to run gates every other day. Because of where I live, I could only ride every couple of weeks at best. Thus, I abandoned the idea of "beating him" and made my races a goal of beating my previous best last time. Truth be told, I always placed better when I took that approach then when I tried to "beat the other guy". My only gold medal win in Giant Slalom was when I decided I ultimately wanted to just beat my best previous time (the "other guy" moved into another division, so no, my personal bests attitude never resulted in my beating that particular racer, but hey, what can you do :) ?). Like everyone, I mess up from time to time. Messing up does not mean giving up, though. Success is often defined as winning on the twenty-first try when you failed the previous twenty times. If I fail, I try to take stock to find out *why* I failed, and then incorporate that knowledge into my next routine, and have another go. In my mind, failure only really becomes failure if I give up and quit. If I keep at it, I haven't failed, rather I've just discovered another variable that I need to keep track of as I take another shot. Not making weight because of bad weather isn't a failure, just that my routine needed to incorporate other options or adjustments when I can't go out and do what I originally scheduled to do. Blowing a budget doesn't mean I can't handle money, it just means I have to look at what I originally planned for, see what items busted it, figure out what area I didn't account for, incorporate that information, and give it another go. I believe in celebrating milestones, in whatever way will keep me focused on my goals and targets. When I dropped to 190 pounds last year, I did a before and after picture post. This was a celebration for me, a chance to smile and notate a great achievement. When we paid off our house, it was suggested that we should take a copy of our mortgage paperwork, wrap it around a duraflame log, and have a party as we watched it burn. These are examples of celebrating a milestone, and I have found them to be very helpful to keep my perspective and enjoy the moments when success is reached. Maintenance is active. The human body is an active organism, just like money is an active organism. If I am passive with either, I know I will lose ground. Both require active focus and active management. When I get to the point where I have met a goal, I have to remember that I now have the knowledge and the skills necessary to "keep on going" if I choose to. Ultimately, though, the most important thing is that I actually choose to do that. Money is a little easier to deal with in this case, because I can choose to auto-invest money from my paycheck or from an account, and make sure it goes where I want it to go. There's no such thing as auto-exercise or auto-feeding (short of an I-V drip, but really, I have no intention of going there :) ). I have had times where I became so in tune with the things that I was doing that exercise and good eating habits became almost second nature. Still, maintaining that "second-nature" is harder than auto-investing or setting up a direct deposit. No one else can regulate the man in the mirror but me. Ultimately, I have found that, whatever I choose to do, I make it a point to look to the future, be willing to take a period of readjustment and realization, and accept the fact that I may have to make some changes, ranging from slight to drastic. At the end of the day, it all comes down to me and what I want to accomplish. No one else can do it for me, either in physical health or financial health. There are, ultimately, no quick fixes, no magic pills, or get rich quick formulas. Both take effort, planning, tracking, and work to reap the benefits from, and both require a level of delayed gratification. The only sure thing in both areas, to borrow from and paraphrase Dave Ramsey, is that "if I live like no one else, later, I can live like no one else".
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Currently
watching
:
Fullmetal Alchemist: Season 1, Part 1 Box Set
Release date: 2007-09-18
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10:13 AM
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Thursday, June 05, 2008
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Ego Over MAtter, 2008: Volume 1.1: Taking Stock and Asking Why
Current mood: adventurous
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
When it comes time to make a change, there is always some tipping point, an "I'VE HAD IT!!!" moment, where they decide that they are going to turn things around. I've had many of those moments over the years, and I've acted on them dozens of times. Still, human nature is a beastly thing to permanently overcome; comfortable patterns tend to set back in. Progress made, if not actively maintained, likely will regress, and a body not actively engaged, or a mind not actively aware will likely return to its "natural balance point".
Over the years, my "natural balance point" has moved. When I was between 16 and 21, that balance point was 165 pounds. No matter how hard I tried to move that point, either to bulk up or get lean, 165 was where everything evened out. From age 22 to 25, I averaged somewhere around 190 pounds, up or down. After I turned 25, and decided to "Get Right with my inner Mormon", my baseline shot up considerably to 220 pounds. Some said that this was my body's revenge for having lived so many years as a starving musician with *really bad* habits. This 220 pound baseline became my standard for fifteen years. I could bulk up or strip down with effort, but if I just let life coast, the 220 pound figure would be my body's natural equilibrium point.
Well, I'VE HAD IT!!! I don't want a baseline of 220. I am willing to have a baseline of 200. I'd be even *more* excited if I could actually maintain a baseline of 190 long term.
This begs the question… How does one truly reset a baseline? I know there's no way I will be able to *passively* maintain a baseline at 200 pounds, and I *definitely* won't be able to passively maintain one at 190. It will have to be an active endeavor for life if I want to truly maintain at those levels. Plus, as I have become painfully aware over the last several years, tricks and techniques that used to work in earlier years tend to not work as well the older one gets. I've read in more than a few places that the body's natural metabolism adjusts downward at a rate of about 5% every decade. Thus, now that I am 40, I have to make a point to get by on less or work out more to make up the difference.
I believe strongly in the idea of having more than just a target weight as a goal. Plus, it needs to be for more than just a one-time deal. Many people diet down for a reunion, or they diet down because they want to look good in a swimsuit or a particular outfit. While those are perfectly good reasons to train and get in shape, they have a tendency to be quickly forgotten once the day or event passes. Better is to have something related functionally to that weight and the reason why it should be lost. It needs to be more than something like "I want to feel better" or "my clothes don't fit right anymore".
Here's an abbreviated list of some specific goals and hopes that are currently driving me:
* I've decided I want to do Fancy Dance as a Pow Wow discipline. It's quick paced, utilizes rapid movements, and it's *very* physically demanding; therefore, I want to get to the point where I can dance proficiently as a Fancy Dancer.
* I want to be able to get back into racing form for snowboarding, even if I don't actively compete any longer.
* I've enjoyed the feeling of being pain-free in my lower back, and it was such a wonderful sensation. With the returning weight, the dodginess in my low back is returning I want to go back to that pain free feeling!
* I will be hiking, camping and swimming with the Boy Scout Troop that I lead up at Camp Oljato this summer. It will be at an altitude of 7500 feet. Thus, I'll need to be in "fighting shape" before I leave; I don't want to be huffing and puffing while I'm up at Camp.
When goals are set, and clear objectives as to "why" are established, and they are more than just casual and amorphous goals, it tends to be much more practical to make a game plan and stay on track with it. Time will tell if this dime-store philosophy of mine holds up week to week :).
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Currently
reading
:
How to Have a 48-Hour Day
By
Don Aslett
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9:19 AM
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1 Comments - 2 Kudos
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Monday, June 02, 2008
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Ego Over Matter 2008, Week 1: Starting Over Again
Current mood:  determined
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
Last year, I made a monumental change for myself, in that I went hard core and decided to lose 52 pounds. This brought me from a lifetime heaviest 242 pounds down to a much more slender 190 pounds. Many people thought that I might have gone too far by dropping down to 190, and that 200 or 205 might be a better target for me at my height and frame (I'm 6'2" and have fairly broad shoulders and mostly mesomorphic features). So I took my foot off the gas pedal, and let some of the weight come back. Problem was, I let it slide for too long. A year after losing 52 pounds, I tipped the scales this morning at 220 pounds. That's been my running average since 1994, with two drops to 200 or lower after considerable work and focus (I dropped to 200 in the year 2000, and a drop to 190 in 2007). Now, 220 is a lot better than 242 (I'm still down 22 pounds from my peak), but that's just nowhere near as satisfying as saying I was 190 or even 200. Thus, it's time to put the training wheels back on and get this show on the road again.
One of the great and powerful elements of blogging is that it forces me to be accountable, either to myself or anyone else that reads these posts at any given time. Ego Over Matter is significant; I firmly believe in the power of shooting one's mouth off publicly and being willing to open themselves to public scrutiny and ridicule. One is much more likely to make and hit their goals Under this curcumstance (LOL!). Since I've vowed to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so far as I know it to be and remember it to be (let's face it, I'm human, and there's a good chance I'll get something wrong without intending to) my Monday entries from here on out will track progress, and to share some piece of wit or wisdom (or perhaps some piece of incredibly bad judgment, who knows (LOL!)). Ultimately, it's meant to be a way to motivate myself to get back to "fighting shape".
Everyone needs a goal, and sometimes it helps to have outlandish ones. However, it helps to be a realist, so I'm going to try hard but be within the realm of healthy and possible. So here it goes… my Troop departs for Summer Camp at Camp Oljato on July 19th, 2007. On that day, it is my intention to weigh in at no more than 205 pounds, with a stretch goal of 200 pounds. That works out to seven and ½ weeks. The realistic physiological limit to lose body-fat without catabolising muscle mass is about 2 pounds per week; that puts my 205 goal in very realistic focus. The 200 goal, maybe not as easy or realistic, but hey, if it happens, I'll be quite happy :).
So here's where the rubber meets the road. Today I weighed in at 220 pounds. Overall, I feel pretty good, but don't like the way my clothes fit any more (I did this as a deliberate gate on myself last year; once my clothes started to feel uncomfortable, it was a sign it was time to get back to losing weight again, and that time is now). Size 32 waist pants feel crushing at the moment, but again, I wear them to remind me of the work I need to do… no new clothes, no slacking off. The problem buttoning the pants is my reminder that it's time to get back to basics. The next Ego Over Matter post will go up next Monday, and I hope to have good news and good progress to report. Til then :).
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Currently
listening
:
A Place to Land
By
Little Big Town
Release date: 2007-11-06
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8:06 AM
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Friday, April 04, 2008
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I Have Found Love, and Love’s Name Is Proraso!!!
Current mood:  rejuvenated
Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
Usually, I’m not much for hawking wares or pimping stuff that I dig and recommend others buy it, but I am, at this moment, an absolutely unabashed fanboy of a product line and "oh man!!!!" do I love using it.
In my last blog, I pointed out that I have ditched the Mach3 and "canned goo" shaving creams that are commercially available and gone all old school with a Merkur 1904 Inspired Combed DE Safety Razor. My face has never felt so good, nor have my shaves been so awesome, and that’s just from the change in razors and blades. But this next find kicks the experience into overdrive.
There is a company in Italy called Proraso, and they make a number of truly old school shaving staples, have been making them for *many* years, and I have to say that I honestly *LOVE* each and every one of them that I have tried. I’ve become quite partial to their "green label" shaving soap (you can get it in either a tub or a tube, both work awesome with a shaving brush; about ¼ tsp. whipped up with a shaving brush in a Moss Scuttle takes care of two or three total passes for me). The soap uses a mixture of eucalyptus oil, menthol and glycerine, and my oh my, this stuff feels *so* great. We’re talking "me love you long time" type of great! The rinse at the end, mmmmm…. I’ve become addicted to that rush when the cold water meets the eucalyptus oil. Aww Yeah, Baybee!!!
They also make a pre and post shave crème that makes a world of difference when you use it. Take about ¼ tsp worth, rub it into your face and head (hey, I shave more than my face, so this is relevant (LOL!) ). Dip a shaving brush into the Proraso soap and apply over the top, do your thing, rinse with cold water, and if you want to really spoil yourself, use the same pre-shave crème afterwards.
This is not something you will find just going to your local store (though if you have an authentic Italian deli or market nearby, you may be able to get it there, as this stuff has a big following with Italians), but it’s available from a bunch of places online.
If you are a guy and are tired of the current drug store regimen of canned foam and disposable razors, and are looking to change up your morning routine, consider this a two thumbs way up recommendation to give Proraso a spin. Be warned, it is addicting (LOL!).
5:37 AM
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
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Now I Know I’m Truly Weird (or "Shaving as a Hobby")
Current mood: adventurous
Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
Bear with me gang, this is going to get a little odd (LOL!).
Have you ever found yourself looking at things you do, wondering if it’s truly the best way, or the most economical, or just plain worth doing, period? In the last month, I’ve had this strange fascination with my daily ritual… the fine art of scraping away every trace of hair from my head and my face. The fine art that humankind refers to as "shaving". I’ve had long hair, I’ve had short hair, and I’ve had no hair at all. I’ve had full beards, partial beards, and I’ve had no beard. Suffice it to say, I am now living with a look and a style that requires a fairly heavy amount of daily maintenance. Anyone who tells you that a shaved head is so much easier to deal with than having hair is totally lying to you. It’s a different kind of maintenance, but it’s still fairly high maintenance to make it look good.
Anyway, over the years, I have done the absolute least amount I could to keep clean shaven and not have to deal with it more than I have to, which usually results in my looking like either a waxy mannequin, a torn up athlete or a hobo, you pick the time of day. I’ve tried electric, I’ve tried Mach 3, I even flirted with the idea of a straight razor as a teenager but soon concluded that I didn’t have the touch to do it (and besides, if I continued the path I was going down at the time, I’d end up looking like one of those turn of the 20th Century German military school cadets with their requisite saber scars… OK, maybe not that bad, but close). Add to the fact that I found I was spending close to $30.00 per month just to keep myself in Mach 3 blades, and I decided "now c’mon, there’s got to be a better way than this".
Sure enough, JFGI comes to the rescue (look it up if you need explanation (LOL!) ). I had no idea that such a huge cult existed regarding "the art of shaving" (there’s even a store named that :) ). I have fallen headfirst into it and am having a *lot* of fun learning the older tricks of the trade. I’ve officially sworn off of Mach 3’s and recently invested in a classic Merkur-Solingen safety razor (for those not old enough to remember what a safety razor is, it’s the kind with the rectangular flat blades that has the grooved slot in the middle of them). I had something akin to this when I first started shaving about 27 years ago, but I quickly abandoned it because it kept making me look like hamburger meat. Turns out that there are different designs for these safety razors, and I highly recommend the combed version I have now. It took me a few days to get the right angle and technique down, but I have really come to love this thing and how well it works. What I have *really* come to love is how long a standard blade lasts, and how inexpensive they are comparatively speaking; while I was spending $30 a month on blades for a Mach 3, the same amount of money will buy me a full *year’s* worth of standard blades.
Even more fun is the lore and the items that surround this older, more genteel form of shaving. Using a badger brush, ditching the aerosol can for shaving soap and old time tube and tub creams, getting away from commercial after-shaves and discovering lavender and rosehip seed oil, and eyeing my next oddball purchase, which will be to get a "Scuttle" so I can keep the whole process warm and contained. There are entire sites and blogs dedicated to this pastime, and I am finding them extremely fascinating (I think by their parlance I have officially declared myself a "shave geek" LOL!).
My logic is that, since I already have committed to being shorn, I might as well learn how to make the experience a pleasant one. I’m making some interesting discoveries, and I’m finally learning to "slow down" and, dare I say it, learn to really *enjoy* this experience. I have *no idea* why I am sharing this with everyone, just letting you know I’m doing something a little different, having some fun with it, and realizing that sometimes the old ways can be better than the latest and greatest fad.
5:35 AM
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Friday, December 07, 2007
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The Age of No Return (LOL!)
Current mood:  amused
Well, it's official. There's no turning back now. Today is my 40th birthday. Funny, but I've heard so many people whine about turning 40 over the years that I thought it would be some traumatic experience, but truth be told, it sounds worse than it feels.
I've had what amounts to several lifetimes packed into 40 years. I have lived some great dreams, done some cool things, and I've enjoyed the greatest work of my life in the union of my wife and I and raising what have so far turned out to be three pretty awesome kids!
Somehow I always pictured 40 being when I'd have to live my life in wing tips, dress suits and a tie, but thankfully that has not transpired yet (I save those for church and special occasions, though). I pictured myself playing golf or someow taking things easier at 40, but I still jones to snowboard, love to skate when I get the chance, love to mountain bike and hike, so I'm glad to see I don't have to slow down any time soon.
Should I be listening to Light Rock or something? Thankfully no, I still jones for good hard rock, alternative, and punk, though I'm starting to find my musical inspiration in some of the strangest places lately. This year has introduced me to the work of Yoko Kanno (she's responsible for much of the super tight jazz heard in "Cowboy Bebop" and the techno-ambient rock of "Ghost in the Shell") and I've fallen in love with High and Mighty Color, which I can best describe as a fusion of J-Pop and Alt Metal.
So how am is celebrating this monumentous change? With a mellow evening at home tonight, but possibly with a trip to San Francisco depending on how things transpire. It's possible I may get the coolest birthday present ever... my nephew Travis Larsen might be born today!!! My brother Rob and his wife Maggie were scheduled to go into the hospital last night, so who knows, I may get to share my birthday with a new member of the family. Time will tell. Tomorrow, I give myself my *real* birthday present, a day up in Tahoe getting some snow under my feet. It's been too long!!!
So anyway, here's to turning 40, and my resolve to be a more dignified and proper member of society as befits my age and stature..... BWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!!
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Currently
listening
:
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
By
Yoko Kanno
Release date: 09 November, 2004
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6:19 AM
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