Alright folks, this is gonna be quick. I hopped on the scale this morning and it read 204.5 lbs aka a 1.5 lb loss!! Woo Whoo!! I was a little nervous, b/c I only made it to the gym twice last week, but I guess all those carrots I’m eating with lunch (instead of chips) worked.
OK, time for bed. I got a early wake-up call b/c I’m driving to EASTABOGA all week for work!
(why am i posting?? this post bores myself . . . )
I guess you’re here for “Measure Me Sunday,” right??? Lemme just say, I thought this was a pretty good week. I got to the gym four times, and I’ve been averaging about 500-ish calories (FEEL THE BURN) on the elliptical/treadmill, so I thought I’d have a chance of pulling some decent numbers this week (Don’t I sound so Biggest Loser). Buuuutttt, there was Mr. Chen’s, and pizza for lunch, at the office, and a bunch of other EXCUSES I could make of why I actually GAINED half a pound as of this morning (yep, I’m at an even 206). Do I feel defeated?? Nope. I think this is just a lesson that I can’t half-ass this thing (literally), if I’m gonna lose some weight.
Ok, I’ll admit the idea of sardines is a little freaky. I mean you open up the tin and they’re in there. Looking like tiny fish.
Even though they still have their tail/fins on, the heads and innards are removed so you can eat them right out of the can. Since this was my first time, I removed the tails, but I don’t think it was necessary.
I decided to try one by itself to shake off any last minute jitters before I ate the ENTIRE contents on one sandwich.
You know what? I think our pre-conceived notions are the freakiest things about sardines. They weren’t that bad at all (they actually reminded me of a cross between canned tuna and smoked salmon). I mean, I don’t think I’d eat them every week, but I could definitely see myself trying them once or twice a month??
After de-tailing, I gave mine a rough chop and placed them on a bed of fresh spinach, with sliced avocado, on whole wheat toast. I read something the other day that called Avocado “Nature’s Mayonnaise” . . . Mmmm, avocado is so good.
Anyways, the sandwich was great. Honestly, you couldn’t even really taste the sardines, but I just felt healthier knowing they were there. And when little pieces of sardine fell out onto the plate, it wasn’t that weird to pick it up and pop ‘em in my mouth.
I was flipping through this month’s B-Metro magazine (aren’t the cover shots always a little Dave Hill-ish??) last weekend and was pretty psyched about their “10 Spots” for best international cuisine in the Magic City. Always looking for some new and tasty restaurants, I definitely wanted to check out #1, Mr. Chen’s in Hoover (so close to my office!). And after reading some reviews on Yelp, it sounded like Mr. Chen’s was the real deal!
I e-mailed Grant earlier this week to see if he’s ever been, and sure enough, he discovered it a few weeks ago and has already been twice. Well today, with nothing better (1040s? Review notes? Fixed Asset schedules?) to do for lunch, Grant, Bro-Jeezey and I set out for some authentic Chinese cooking (with REAL Asian diners!!)
Lemme just say, it was AMAZING-NESS!! If anybody ever wants to go, I am totally game.
The over-whelming favorite, Eggplant with Pork Basil in Hot Pot
And the coolest part about lunch?? At the end of our meal, one of the waitresses came around and said “You all really know good things to order” (like we were legit Chinese food connoisseurs)
PS – For “Americanized” Chinese food, I don’t think you can beat Chan Lee’s (downtown in the Harbert Center). When I worked downtown, that place was the jam!
A couple* weeks ago, I had planned on posting my own “Measure Me Sunday” where I would track my progress at the gym and healthy (healthier) eating habits. Weeeelllllllllll, I never posted those initial measurements, and since then haven’t really made any progress, so I never followed through with it. Sorry.
After NOLA (and some encouraging word from the LOML), I feel like this past week has been really good on the healthy lifestyle front. As of today, I’m 205.5 lbs, which is 1 pound less then my original weigh-in last month, but I’ve probably lost closer to 5 this week, if you count what I weighed in at last Sunday (from all those crappy (albeit, delicious) calories in NOLA). It’s pretty tempting to want to hop on the scale every day, but going forward, I’m going to try and only weigh-in once a week. Since I’m not rocking p90x, I don’t think I’m going to measure (neck, chest, gut, etc.) every week, but I might do a monthly progress report.
Oh yeah, why else I’m posting?
Everyone knows music can get you PUMPED up when getting your sweat on. I made a “Work-out Mix” when I signed up for Planet Fitness and here are some songs that have helped me “Push it to the Limit” (port of Miami) on the treadmill and elliptical (I’ll admit to air drumming while listening to some of these). If you’re looking for some new tunes to GET YOU IN THE ZONE, I’d recommend any (though, some may have explicit content!!)
“Thrash Unreal” (Against Me!) – I wore my AM! shirt the other day. I could tell the Sleeve Monsters were frightened
“D.O.A.” (Jay Reatard) – 68 seconds of sweaty rock
“I’m So Hood – REMIX” (DJ Khaled, etc.) – you’d be surprised how much Rap and Hip-Hop improves your cardio (and AUDITING!)
“Brooklyn Go Hard” (Jay-Z) – I listened to this song a lot last year
“Walk” (Pantera) – I wish I played football in high school, just so I could listen to this song before the Friday Night Lights.
“Creeping Death” (Metallica) – some good ole fashioned 80’s thrash metal
“Holier than Thou” (Metallica) – my favourite track off the Black Album.
“Broken, Beat & Scarred” (Metallica) – 46 year-old James Hetfield could be hard to take seriously, but this song is good stuff.
I’ve got a whole lot more songs on the playlist, but we’ll save those for another day (?)
* has anyone else gotten into discussion/debate about the word “couple” when describing any amount other than two?? I’ve always used the word “couple” to describe anywhere from 2 to 4 (maybe even 5) objects/items. My sweet, dear wife likes to point out there are 2 people in a couple, and therefore “couple” shouldn’t be used to describe any other amount. I really should be saying a “few” . . .
Sorry I haven’t been too bloggy lately. It’s been kinda busy around TMF’H, what with corporate deadlines, catching up from the weekend, trying to get my gym on, and taking in all of the little munchkin’s newfound laughter/giggles/smiles :)
Speaking of NOLA, it was a success!! Sure I completely negated any progress (?) I’ve made at planet fitness, but we ate a lot of tasty food, like this:
Cochon De’lait Po-Boy (w/ Creole-Slaw). It’s basically baby (suckling pig) pulled pork. I did not feel guilty eating this.
The Draft started around 9 am Saturday morning, and I pulled the (lucky) 13th spot (I selected Ryan Howard in the first round). Stephen actually got the party started around 7:30 am Saturday morning with the theme from Ghostbusters, and Stew started making Bloody Mary’s. You can see our (impressive) draft board in the background.
And what trip to Nawlins would be complete without a trip (or two) to Harrah’s Casino. As an ardent supporter of Crown Financial Ministries/Dave Ramsey/basic personal finance, I’m not a big fan of gambling (maybe if I watched 21 again??) but I was able to enjoy watching my buddies gamble without the hassle of losing $200 in ten minutes! PS – I’m not “casting judgment” on anyone who gambles, I’m personally just not “good” at it and therefore don’t like throwing my money away. If you’re able to “bring down the house” more power to ya!!
The other day I stumbled upon this article on Alton Brown’s (semi) recent weight loss (also featured on a recent episode of Good Eats). Basically he lost 50 pounds by eating Sardine and Avocado sandwiches . . . ok, not really, but he did explain 4 basic lists (food groups) and how often you should eat them (he does NOT consider this a diet).
Consume daily: Fruits, Whole Grains, Leafy Greens, Nuts, Carrots, and Green Tea
At least 3 times a week: Oily fish, Yogurt, Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes, and Avocado
No more than 1 time a week: Red Meat, Pasta, Dessert, and Alcohol
Foods to avoid: Fast Food, Soda, Processed meals (TV dinners), Canned Soups (salt), and "Diet" anything
Seems pretty logical, right?? Obviously, I need to cut down on the Red Meat, Pasta & Dessert category, but I think the LOML and I get some good items from the first two groups. Well, this article has inspired me to up my Green Tea (ancrient Chinese secret say . . . sorry) and Oily Fish intake.
So far I’m on Day 3 of green tea, and it’s not that bad (it’s actually kinda bland). We’ve got the Kirkland variety here at the office (free) and I’ve been drinking it straight (no lemon, sugar, etc. – I’m sure that would be blasphemous in hard-core green tea circles). Hopefully, whatever (proven and unproven) health benefits from drinking this stuff will be worth it.
As far as oily fish goes, I’ve seen a couple of recipe posts in the last couple months that piqued my interest. The first time I had sardines (freshly caught and grilled) was in 5 Terre, Italy, and the last time was on a pizza at Bettola. From doing a search on-line, quality and taste can vary pretty widely, but I’m looking forward to trying some out sooner than later (I have a feeling the LOML will pass).
Yes, I realize the irony in posting this the night before I head out on a weekend full of Jambalaya, Crawfish/Oysters, Dixie Beer, and Bourbon.
I was so jacked when my high school’s 10 Year Reunion STD (save-the-date) post card came in the mail last week!!! Seriously, it’s gonna be awesome!!!
This past weekend, our dear friends Jonathan, Heather & Jackson (with Cohen in the oven) came to visit us (actually the baby) and we had a great time (and ate a lot of great food)!! As you can see, Harden also shares my excitement for the upcoming Reunion.
BTW, how sweet was John Cusack’s “come-back” in the late 90’s?? High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank are two of my favourite movies (watched repeatedly during college), and how could you flip the channel when Con Air comes on TNT??? (other than Nick Cage’s horrendous South Alabama accent)
BTW, how sweet was John Cusack’s “come-back” in the late 90’s?? High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank are two of my favourite movies (watched repeatedly during college), and how could you flip the channel when Con Air comes on TNT??? (other than Nick Cage’s horrendous South Alabama accent)
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