Okay, so I haven't been 100% Paleo lately... Maybe 50% - 75% of the last week. Nor have I run in the past week. But I am still losing weight, making mostly healthy nutrition choices. I am now officially under 180 pounds! Looking into at home Crossfit workouts that are 15 to 30 minutes long. They do.exist... I just need to sleep more so that I can awaken early enough to work out. And then I can also make myself a nice Paleo breakfast, instead of opting for the quick unhealthy, non-Paleo blueberry muffin at work! Oh well, plugging along. Photos to follow in a future post.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Going Primal!
Today was the first day of the rest of my life. I lounge here on my reclining chair in my sectional couch, listening to Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, reflecting on the past twelve hours or so. I went primal today. Started the Paleo Diet today. Exercised for close to an hour today. Yeah, I may have overdone it... But I made the attempt. I also got damn near eight hours of sleep last night, too. Drank a ton of water today. Ran two miles in about twenty minutes. 9:30 minute/mile. Pretty damned good for me. Figured out what was wrong with my stupid phone GPS and the running apps I've been using. I'm toying with the idea of blogging my whole Paleo experience. Get into the nutrition and fitness aspect of it. Discuss the cravings, the ups and downs of adjusting to a new type of nutrition regiment, as well as the social aspect of getting healthy.
I can already see that temptations will be high at work. I will be getting up early to make breakfast and exercise in the morning. I have decided to tackle the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution program for ninety days. I did a circuit training for beginners from nerdfitness.com today, but I think having a video to work off of will be helpful. And it's only thirty minutes long, so not a long time commitment.
I obsessed over my nutrition today. I ate well, but I poured over the nutrition app I've been using all day. My Fitness Pal is a great app. And I'm sure I will use it in the future to check nutritional values of things and to track my progress. Today however, I truly obsessed over everything I put in my mouth, looking at the calories, the nutritional contents, the percentages of my proteins, carbs, and fats... I guess it's because it's day one, and I am trying so hard to follow the diet. I realized something though. It's to listen to my body. Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full. Don't overdo it. And don't over-think it.
As far as my fitness goes, I realized that I'm going to keep running two or three times a week. I'll do the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, but modified with jogging a minimum of thirty minutes on the scheduled cardio days. That way, I'll have six days of exercising thirty minutes a day, and one day of rest.
I am not giving up my coffee. I had my twelve ounces this morning, with almond milk and Splenda. Gotta give up the latter. Think I'll switch to Stevia. But I'm not giving up coffee. I like my coffee. Besides, I'm giving up beer, so there you have it!
I have to admit, I'm tired. Gotta work in more carbs from veggies tomorrow and decrease my fat intake a little. Too much olive oil. Eggs and bacon are going to be fun to have in the morning. Two eggs and two slices of bacon every morning with some fresh fruit, or steak and eggs. Juevos Rancheros. Omelette's with tomatoes, onions, peppers and whatever leftover meat from the night before sound like a plan to me. This is going to be quite a change for me. Getting up early enough to make breakfast is going to be a feat in itself. I can't even get up early enough to exercise. Shit, I barely get up early enough to stumble out of bed, get dressed and drive to work on time!
A little planning and perhaps some foresight might help things a bit. Or even home-made/pre made breakfast frittatas that I can defrost and eat with some fruit... Shrimp breakfast burrito with eggs wrapped in a leaf of lettuce? Maybe... I'm actually salivating thinking about some of these foods. I know there's going to be a decent variety. There has to be. If I get bored with it, then that's the kiss of death. I need this to be a lifestyle change, not a diet. I may introduce some grains and legumes back in after I get to where I want to be physically. But I am done with traditional dairy, for the most part. I will miss pasta and bread. It's a good thing that there's a recommended 85% Paleo 15% free or 80% Paleo 20% free split.
Foods I'm going to miss: ice cream, yogurt, Italian bread, sausage, chocolate, peanut butter, Chocolate AND peanut butter... They're a winning combination.
I know I can do this. I know I can reset my metabolism. I know I can lose thirty pounds and get my body fat down to the single digits. I'd love to uncover that set of six-pack abs that have been hiding there all my life. I want to be able to go surfing again. I want to have the physical stamina to go rock climbing and hiking. I'd love to have the stamina (and the time!) to do P90X, the entire thing! Anyway, this is going to be my blog, complete with my day one pics. I have nothing to hide. And I have nowhere to go but up! Day 1 Pics below.
ZD
Monday, May 6, 2013
Running into (and away from) problems
Greetings and salutations! It's been quite some time. I was going to completely abandon this blog, until recently when I realized, "Wait a minute... I just started something new in my life. Maybe I should write about it!" So I am going to write a chronicle of my experiences in my masochistic dive into the world of running.
Upon turning 37 on April 24th, I decided to get back into shape. As of this post, I have logged four runs. The first one, on April 26, I ran half and walked half. That one was 2.81 miles. I totally overdid it. It took three days to recover! My second run was a little better: I ran most of it, totaling just over 2 miles in 25:5 minutes. Not bad. My third run didn't track right on my phone, and I was pissed. But I know what I ran. That was the first fun I did nonstop. I ran about 2.5 miles. And I averaged about 12 minutes per mile. Today's run was awesome. I ran 2.63 miles in 26:18. That's a 10-minute mile! Pretty damn good, for me! The downside to today's run is that my knee started hurting me. Trying to stretch it out and get it to feel better. I don't want to run with an injury, or make it worse.
The upside to today was that I got to try a different running tracker on my phone. I have an HTC Rezound, an Android phone. I love it. I have no desire to get an iPhone (I have an iPad, so what the hell do I need with an iPhone?) So today I used my Arm Pocket i-30 armband to hold me phone and ID. I use my stock music player and iBeats audio earbuds to listen to music while I run, and I use my phone to track my run, so I needed to buy something that would hold my phone. My first few runs, I had my phone in my pocket and it was bouncing around like crazy. So I went out and got this Arm Pocket. My last run didn't record right because somehow I hit pause on the run, and over half my run wasn't tracked. That's when I decided that I needed some sort of holder for my phone. After a little bit of research on the web, I settled on the Arm Band. I went to two Best Buy stores, and found the model I wanted. It does the job. Stays on my arm, doesn't slide. And I can use the touch screen on my phone while it's in the band. The run tracker I used today was Run Keeper. It gave me my splits, time intervals, and actually had a programmed run that I had chosen before. All in all, I like it. I used Nike+ Running for my first three runs. The first two were fine, the third I just detailed, and today the app didn't cooperate. I also tried to use Map My Run today, but it too didn't want to cooperate. The GPS part of the app wasn't jiving with my phone's GPS. So I went with Run Keeper. I also downloaded Endomondo. I'll try that one next time I run, which hopefully will be in a couple of days. It all depends on this damned knee! Well, at least running is helping me stay away from bad habits...
Upon turning 37 on April 24th, I decided to get back into shape. As of this post, I have logged four runs. The first one, on April 26, I ran half and walked half. That one was 2.81 miles. I totally overdid it. It took three days to recover! My second run was a little better: I ran most of it, totaling just over 2 miles in 25:5 minutes. Not bad. My third run didn't track right on my phone, and I was pissed. But I know what I ran. That was the first fun I did nonstop. I ran about 2.5 miles. And I averaged about 12 minutes per mile. Today's run was awesome. I ran 2.63 miles in 26:18. That's a 10-minute mile! Pretty damn good, for me! The downside to today's run is that my knee started hurting me. Trying to stretch it out and get it to feel better. I don't want to run with an injury, or make it worse.
The upside to today was that I got to try a different running tracker on my phone. I have an HTC Rezound, an Android phone. I love it. I have no desire to get an iPhone (I have an iPad, so what the hell do I need with an iPhone?) So today I used my Arm Pocket i-30 armband to hold me phone and ID. I use my stock music player and iBeats audio earbuds to listen to music while I run, and I use my phone to track my run, so I needed to buy something that would hold my phone. My first few runs, I had my phone in my pocket and it was bouncing around like crazy. So I went out and got this Arm Pocket. My last run didn't record right because somehow I hit pause on the run, and over half my run wasn't tracked. That's when I decided that I needed some sort of holder for my phone. After a little bit of research on the web, I settled on the Arm Band. I went to two Best Buy stores, and found the model I wanted. It does the job. Stays on my arm, doesn't slide. And I can use the touch screen on my phone while it's in the band. The run tracker I used today was Run Keeper. It gave me my splits, time intervals, and actually had a programmed run that I had chosen before. All in all, I like it. I used Nike+ Running for my first three runs. The first two were fine, the third I just detailed, and today the app didn't cooperate. I also tried to use Map My Run today, but it too didn't want to cooperate. The GPS part of the app wasn't jiving with my phone's GPS. So I went with Run Keeper. I also downloaded Endomondo. I'll try that one next time I run, which hopefully will be in a couple of days. It all depends on this damned knee! Well, at least running is helping me stay away from bad habits...
Monday, October 17, 2011
WTF? Bacon and Face Painting
Remember when Daddy brought home the bacon and Mommy stayed home? Growing up as a little kid, that's the way it was. Granted, Daddy worked two jobs.
In the '50s, Dad worked. Mom stayed home, raised the kids, cooked dinner and baked, all while keeping the house nice.
In the '60s, the sexual revolution and women's lib changed everything.
In the '70s, more and more women became independent, working professionals just like their male counterparts. By the early '80s, the latchkey kids were coming home to empty houses, and then we dipped into a recession.
The women who were still stay-at-home-moms started to supplement their husband's pay with part-time jobs. This is when my mom would clean houses to help us stay comfortable. My mom went back to work full time sometime in the mid 80s. We had come out of the recession, and by the '90s, even more women had entered into the workforce... I remember being in High School and noticing that almost all of my friends parents both worked. I would venture to say that about 50% of both parents had full-time jobs, and another 30% of the mothers had part-time jobs.
Now, in 2011, it's tough to struggle with one salary supporting a family. I don't know any couples who are married with kids, and not both working full-time jobs, struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on their plates. Except for us. I am lucky to have a wife who currently stays at home with the kids. I have an 18 month old, an almost 5 year old, and an 8 year old. Day care costs too much. Pre-school costs too much. It doesn't pay for my wife to get a job that's just going to be cancelled out by those costs. So, she stays home like those moms of yore and is actually raising our kids... What a concept!
She has a job. She has many jobs, actually. She's a mother, a wife, a pre-school teacher, and an extreme couponer. The last one saves us damn near $40,000 a year; that's a decent salary in today's economy! It could end up saving us nearly $60,000 yearly, if we play our coupons right. And she just started her own business as a Face and Body Painter.
Check out her site, she's awesome. All advertising aside, my wife is amazing, especially considering that she has, let's count, 5 jobs!
After being unemployed myself for 6 months, during which my wife worked for 3 months as a medical assistant, and consequently was fired for bogus reasons, I found a job that I hated. Then, only after I toiled day after day at a job that I absolutely abhorred, I found my current position (thanks to my wife's keen observation skills). I love my current day job. I love that my wife is at home with the kids. And we still struggle. But that's okay.
Hopefully, with her new venture, sometime in the near future, we will stop struggling. But there are always unforeseen dangers lurking in the shadows. It seems that every time we start to get ahead, we get taken back a few hundred steps. And there is no such thing as job security these days. Let's face it folks: inflation is still rising, interest rates suck, everyone's maxing out their credit, and the middle class is virtually gone.
I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess I'm just frustrated. But I am grateful that I have such a great wife! And I know better days are coming. Eventually, I will finish one of the screenplays that I've started to write.
I'm a college educated struggling writer. Funny thing is, that cliche used to mean something. Now we're all struggling [insert occupation here]! As a 35 year old father/husband, I should be getting ready to have a mid-life crisis. But I can't afford it! So I guess I'll just keep writing... And working at my day job... And promoting my wife's business.
ZD
In the '50s, Dad worked. Mom stayed home, raised the kids, cooked dinner and baked, all while keeping the house nice.
In the '60s, the sexual revolution and women's lib changed everything.
In the '70s, more and more women became independent, working professionals just like their male counterparts. By the early '80s, the latchkey kids were coming home to empty houses, and then we dipped into a recession.
The women who were still stay-at-home-moms started to supplement their husband's pay with part-time jobs. This is when my mom would clean houses to help us stay comfortable. My mom went back to work full time sometime in the mid 80s. We had come out of the recession, and by the '90s, even more women had entered into the workforce... I remember being in High School and noticing that almost all of my friends parents both worked. I would venture to say that about 50% of both parents had full-time jobs, and another 30% of the mothers had part-time jobs.
Now, in 2011, it's tough to struggle with one salary supporting a family. I don't know any couples who are married with kids, and not both working full-time jobs, struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on their plates. Except for us. I am lucky to have a wife who currently stays at home with the kids. I have an 18 month old, an almost 5 year old, and an 8 year old. Day care costs too much. Pre-school costs too much. It doesn't pay for my wife to get a job that's just going to be cancelled out by those costs. So, she stays home like those moms of yore and is actually raising our kids... What a concept!
She has a job. She has many jobs, actually. She's a mother, a wife, a pre-school teacher, and an extreme couponer. The last one saves us damn near $40,000 a year; that's a decent salary in today's economy! It could end up saving us nearly $60,000 yearly, if we play our coupons right. And she just started her own business as a Face and Body Painter.
Check out her site, she's awesome. All advertising aside, my wife is amazing, especially considering that she has, let's count, 5 jobs!
After being unemployed myself for 6 months, during which my wife worked for 3 months as a medical assistant, and consequently was fired for bogus reasons, I found a job that I hated. Then, only after I toiled day after day at a job that I absolutely abhorred, I found my current position (thanks to my wife's keen observation skills). I love my current day job. I love that my wife is at home with the kids. And we still struggle. But that's okay.
Hopefully, with her new venture, sometime in the near future, we will stop struggling. But there are always unforeseen dangers lurking in the shadows. It seems that every time we start to get ahead, we get taken back a few hundred steps. And there is no such thing as job security these days. Let's face it folks: inflation is still rising, interest rates suck, everyone's maxing out their credit, and the middle class is virtually gone.
I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess I'm just frustrated. But I am grateful that I have such a great wife! And I know better days are coming. Eventually, I will finish one of the screenplays that I've started to write.
I'm a college educated struggling writer. Funny thing is, that cliche used to mean something. Now we're all struggling [insert occupation here]! As a 35 year old father/husband, I should be getting ready to have a mid-life crisis. But I can't afford it! So I guess I'll just keep writing... And working at my day job... And promoting my wife's business.
ZD
Monday, October 10, 2011
My So Called Life?
I caught my wife watching re-runs of My So Called Life the other night. Okay, so I didn't really catch her; she watches them all of the time, and I usually end up watching them with her. But for my purposes here, I caught her! We both reflected on how we watched them in a completely different light back when they first aired, and we could remember exactly how we felt back then. She remarked how she remembers feeling exactly like Claire Danes' character. I began to think that that show really did do a great job of capturing the adolescent experience. And watching it today from the perspective of a parent, and a mature (sort of) adult, I see that the producers and director's really hit the nail on the head. Especially capturing the entire family dynamic, because now I identify more with the parents on the show. It's a shame that they cancelled it so quickly.
We then proceeded to watch the show Parenthood.Completely opposite end of the spectrum. It's a similar concept, but on a bigger scale with more of a focus on the parents, hence the name of the show... In this particular episode, one of the character's kids gets dumped by her boyfriend. Note that there was no cut and dry reason for the breakup. In today's terms we would say it's complicated. I could relate to the boyfriend's character. I actually empathized with the character, and felt sympathy for the female character. And all of a sudden, I felt myself getting a bit emotional, reflecting on former relationships of my own.
It's strange for me, because I was never dumped. I was never a Casanova, nor was I a player. I dated. I had some casual relationships. A few semi-serious relationships. Even had a couple of serious relationships before I started dating my wife. While reflecting on my past relationships, I realized a few things:
Emotional maturity didn't come easy to me, but that's another topic completely. Maybe me being an asshole somehow helped some of these girls figure out the type of guy they didn't want to be with... Well, we've all grown up (for the most part; mentally I'm still 18 sometimes!) I guess this is my half-assed version of an apology to them.
We then proceeded to watch the show Parenthood.
It's strange for me, because I was never dumped. I was never a Casanova, nor was I a player. I dated. I had some casual relationships. A few semi-serious relationships. Even had a couple of serious relationships before I started dating my wife. While reflecting on my past relationships, I realized a few things:
- Man was I insecure. I broke up with a girl because I figured it was only a matter of time before she dumped me, so I might as well just end it myself.
- Man was I the jealous type. I broke up with another girl because I thought she was going to cheat on me, so I just ended it to avoid the impending infidelity!
- Man was I selfish, self-centered, and self-absorbed. And apparently a little dense, too. I went from being in a fucked-up, co-dependent relationship where I was selfless to a fault; to being single, carefree, indulgent and self-absorbed. I casually dated a girl who I really liked after the fucked-up relationship, told myself (and her) that it wasn't a rebound (because it was just casual). But really I just wasn't ready to give up my new found freedom from co-dependence, even when I realized I was falling for her. What I thought were her mixed signals were me just being an idiot, and not realizing that she really liked me too.
- Man was I immature. Plain and simple. I needed to grow up. Not just in my teens-even in my early 20s. Especially in my early 20s. But who wants to grow up then? That's the time for indulgence...
Emotional maturity didn't come easy to me, but that's another topic completely. Maybe me being an asshole somehow helped some of these girls figure out the type of guy they didn't want to be with... Well, we've all grown up (for the most part; mentally I'm still 18 sometimes!) I guess this is my half-assed version of an apology to them.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Resolutions, Rants and Revelations
Ok, so it's been a really friggin' long time since I've added a new post! It's the long awaited rant of a retail worker, a la Kevin Smith and Clerks: Since I've gone back to the retail end of seafood, I really have no legitimate complaints. I love my job. I'm actually paid what I'm worth (sort of) and I actually get the respect of a title (supervisor). I truly enjoy what I do. But with the good always comes the bad. For instance, there is the tried and true maxim of customer service: The customer is always right... and I amended it ...except when they're not!
With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite customer scenarios. I have taken to filing the scenarios and my reactions in a mental archive:
I love it when I ask a customer if I can help them, and they look right through me, even though we have made eye contact.
I love it when I ask someone if they need help and the clearly hear me but ignore me. My response is always, "I guess not then!"
If you come up to my counter and you're talking on your cell phone, don't expect me to ask you for help. Put your fucking phone away, and then I'll gladly serve you.
If you come up to my counter and you're talking on your cell phone, don't use your eyes to try and get my attention. And if you continue to talk on your phone, don't get pissy that I don't ask you if you need help. You clearly don't need help. The market is not a place for multi-tasking. Hang up the fucking phone!
In the same vein, don't come up to my counter with your damned bluetooth headset on. I'm not going to know if you are talking to me or the voice in your ear. So I won't ask you if you need help.
And to those of you who are in a rush and want to be served first, and quickly, here's a newsflash: I'm a quick study to body language. I'll make your visit to my counter last a fucking lifetime!
And for those of you who point to the tray and say, "I want that one." Guess what? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE POINTING AT! Just tell me, 4th from you, or 4th from the case. We don't number what we sell, but I can count!
Oh, and for those of you in a rush asking for me to use a number system: Give yourself more fucking time to shop. Breathe. Take it easy. Why are you in such a hurry? It's not my fault! I'm not the deli.
You're on an honor system. If you cut in line when I say, "Who's next?" the person or people who have been waiting longest are going to know what a bitch you are. Deal with it when I take the person next to you instead!
Whew. I'm done for now. And seriously, I love my job. Without these pain-in-the-ass customers, I wouldn't have a job!
ZD
With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite customer scenarios. I have taken to filing the scenarios and my reactions in a mental archive:
I love it when I ask a customer if I can help them, and they look right through me, even though we have made eye contact.
I love it when I ask someone if they need help and the clearly hear me but ignore me. My response is always, "I guess not then!"
If you come up to my counter and you're talking on your cell phone, don't expect me to ask you for help. Put your fucking phone away, and then I'll gladly serve you.
If you come up to my counter and you're talking on your cell phone, don't use your eyes to try and get my attention. And if you continue to talk on your phone, don't get pissy that I don't ask you if you need help. You clearly don't need help. The market is not a place for multi-tasking. Hang up the fucking phone!
In the same vein, don't come up to my counter with your damned bluetooth headset on. I'm not going to know if you are talking to me or the voice in your ear. So I won't ask you if you need help.
And to those of you who are in a rush and want to be served first, and quickly, here's a newsflash: I'm a quick study to body language. I'll make your visit to my counter last a fucking lifetime!
And for those of you who point to the tray and say, "I want that one." Guess what? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE POINTING AT! Just tell me, 4th from you, or 4th from the case. We don't number what we sell, but I can count!
Oh, and for those of you in a rush asking for me to use a number system: Give yourself more fucking time to shop. Breathe. Take it easy. Why are you in such a hurry? It's not my fault! I'm not the deli.
You're on an honor system. If you cut in line when I say, "Who's next?" the person or people who have been waiting longest are going to know what a bitch you are. Deal with it when I take the person next to you instead!
Whew. I'm done for now. And seriously, I love my job. Without these pain-in-the-ass customers, I wouldn't have a job!
ZD
Sunday, June 5, 2011
On Being Fashionably Late
I live at the Jersey Shore. No, not that God awful MTV show, but in central New Jersey very close to the beach. And today I have to make a trek out to Long Island, for a party that starts at 1:00 in the afternoon. Thankfully, the ritual of getting everyone ready in the morning fell upon the wife... I, on the other hand, went to pick up newspapers for my wife's coupon addiction and get the last minute wrapping paper and card. After performing our last minute preparations, we were only an hour behind schedule for our 3 hour trip. My conclusion for today's trip: No matter how much you prepare the night before, when you have 3 kids you are never going to leave on a trip on time! Oh, and Long Island really is long! God I love family road trips. Thank god for blogging!
So we ended up only being about 15 minutes late, despite our late departure and traffic. Just goes to show that being fashionably late is the way to go!
Traffic on way home, well that was a different story...
ZD
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