I Just Wanted to Say...

No, this is not anything to do with William Carlos Williams or the plums he kifed.  I just wanted to say that I am still going walking in the mornings.  Yesterday I walked past the chocolate chip cookies that the wonderful PTA brought in for Monday Munchies not once but four times without partaking.  Whereas I praised them for the sugar before, they may become Monday's bane.  I also only ate one stuffed pepper for lunch (with quinoa, which does not taste just like rice).

The Monday morning weigh-in resulted higher than the last one, but it was lower than the initial one last Monday.  Progress!  I guess pizza and peach shakes over the weekend make a difference.  Heh heh.

That is all.

Almost from Scratch

So I wrote about my abysmal eating over the summer.  Amy and I have now decided how we're going to be come healthier--together.  It's going to be so much more interesting and motivating to have someone else helping me along.

The initial push starting tomorrow (Monday, September 9, 2013) will include exercising for 30 minutes at least 4 times per week, drinking enough water, eating enough fruits and veggies, not having any carbonation, limiting sugar and extra junk, avoiding eating after 8:00 p.m., daily reading, and more regular writing.  That means I'll probably end up with a few more posts on this blog, as well as my Joe Average Writer blog.

This past week was a practice run as we decided our categories for our wellness challenge and established some incentives.

So, tomorrow I'll try to get in an official weigh-in in the morning after I go for a nice half-hour walk.  The most recent revelation (Saturday) showed that I had lost 1.9 pounds since Monday (That's 296.9 for those that don't pay attention or refuse to do the math).  Not bad.  Since I started writing this blog I have had ups and downs, and I'm just about back to square one; it's almost like I've called the last two years a do-over for my health, but now I'm playing for keeps.  (Cue Rocky theme music.)

I know the results won't be instantaneous, the work will be slow, but I'm good for it.  There isn't any busy work getting in the way.  Just this little thing called a dissertation.

By the way, on Friday I turned down donuts and chocolate milk.

Here We Go Again, Y'all

So it's a brand new school year, a brand new month, and a brand new chance for me to start over with my health.  The vacation that wasn't quite as epic as Odysseus's return home has left me  little worse for the wear around the waist.  I didn't think that I was doing too badly, but apparently I was delusional.  Sitting in a car for muchas hours every day doesn't leave much room for exercise.  Even all the walking around the National Mall and the rest of D.C. plus the early morning jaunts in the humidity didn't combat the fast food and Southern hospitality.

That said, I weighed in this morning.  So, here it is: 297.8 lbs.  Wow!  Not good.  Close to the all-time high.  And since I've even been walking with Amy 3 times a week since we've returned, I can neither confirm nor deny that it was higher than that at any given point during this summer season.  So it's time to take more drastic measures.

I've already cut my portions (Today I only had one pork and slaw sandwich and one hot dog for the Labor Day get-together.) and stopped the carbonation since school began back on the 22nd.  Amy and I are going to try something a little different.  I'm not exactly sure yet, but I'll let you know.  Grrrr!!!

I'm not quite this big, even though my students might see me as such.  Kind of intimidating, huh?

P.S.  I know it's been somewhat disappointing over the past few months, but I'm going to try to get back over one hundred views in one month on this blog again.

Do Calories Really Count While I'm On Vacation?

I haven't weighed myself since I got back from vacation.  Frankly, I'm scared.  In the next short while I'll post all of the delicious fare I sampled while gone from home.  Honestly, it was a lot...and I'm not including all the junk snacks during the actual driving part of things.  Five thousand miles is a lot of beef jerky.

On one of our stops, someone said that while you are on vacation you are young, skinny, and rich, but once you return home you relapse and become old, fat, and poor again.  Yep.  I'm getting there.

However, despite my weight negligence, I have walked in the mornings semi-regularly since returning. I even exercised while I was on vacation.  The National Mall in DC kind of forces that on you.  So do several other sites that I will rehash at a later date.

And the Results...

Yes, this morning, after going 32 complete days without bacon crossing my lips (or even coming near them), I added real bacon bits (not imitation ones) to my awesome breakfast burritos, which also included scrambled eggs, diced green peppers and tomatoes, queso, and hot sauce.

And the result of my bacon fast, you ask?  Well, to be honest, I don't weigh any less, I don't feel my different, and I still like it.  Therefore, this experiment proves that not consuming bacon does nothing to improve my personal health.  Yes, I realize that I am excluding all alternative explanations, but that's how I choose to interpret the results of my study.  And as the author, researcher, and participant of this study, it's my prerogative.  Long live bacon!

P.S.  Country style BBQ ribs (with a home-made self-invented rub) for dinner tonight!

Almost There

Well, I'm still holding out.  No bacon has crossed these lips for 26 days.  Even the free thick-cut, peppered samples at Costco were no temptation for my iron will.  Next Monday doesn't seem so far away.  Suggestions on celebrations?

Bacon Update

No, I haven't lost my bacon bet yet...although it's not really even a bet.  And no, I haven't lost any weight either.  I have exercised four days between the inception of this ridiculous idea and now, but nothing has happened.  I blame this on my comprehensive exams.  But now that those are over with, I won't need as much comfort steak of pastrami.  Heh heh.

Some people call me masochistic since I've done this to myself, especially when I post and share baconic images on Facebook and such.  To them I say," Ain't no thang."

Well, I really don't say that...ever...but the sentiment is the same.  I am strong.  I can resist.  Just like I can let go of carbonation for months at a time without withdrawal.   So, why don't I just give them all up and starve myself skinny?  Point: I enjoy these foods that aren't good for me.  I still feel healthy enough to do what I need to do.

Besides, fat people make the world jolly.

Oh, don't worry.  I'm still gonna see this thing through.  It's become a matter of pride now.  That, and I'm still watching what I eat.   For example, to not be so fat (gratuitous mention of blog subtitle), I only ate one steak fajita (with mostly onions and red peppers) on each of the past three nights: the initial cooking, and two leftover opportunities.   I also let the kids scarf the leftover pizza.  Take that.