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Gained a few in Saba. Lost 2 of those pounds last week. I could have lost more, but I ate like crap towards the end of the week, and had a pitcher+ of beer on Sunday. Most of it was Coors Light, but still. I tried running Sunday morning, but could only do 3 miles and change thanks to my left hamstring tightening up on me again. My right ankle has been fine, but I was bringing an old piece of furniture to the curb on Sunday, and accidentally hit the top of my right foot. I ran to the gym Monday morning and it felt fine, but it hurts to the touch. I have less than two weeks before my Central Park 4 Mile Celebrate Israel race. I plan to take it easy most of this week, get in a good run on Sunday, and kill it next week. Sorry if it sounds like I am being self-loathing. I’m not. Just psyching myself up to do better (and to be more careful.)
In other news, I have had some friends ask me about losing weight. For whatever reason they are reluctant to join Weight Watchers for Men. I don’t know why. I don’t even think of it as a diet. It’s a tool to help you balance your food consumption. I still eat a lot of the same things I was eating before – just less of it, and not as frequently. To anyone out there looking to drop 5, 10, 20 or more pounds, I highly recommend joining. It has helped me to remain focused (last two weeks not included), and in addition to these posts every Tuesday morning, it makes me accountable to someone/something other than myself.
You may notice the large pile of crap behind me in the top photo. Yes, that’s still the pile I intend to post to eBay, or just to a SHOP page here on Crabapple (to start). We have guests in town for the long weekend, so it would probably be in my best interest to try to clean up the room before then. The weekend will also be a challenge as this is the first real holiday weekend since I started Operation Trim back in January. I’m sure we’ll go out to dinner, and indulge in a few beers, etc. Actually, I did that throughout most of April and May, and have basically remained stagnant for that period of time (mid 170′s) so I should be ok. It will be fun. What does everyone else have planned for the weekend?
Thin-spirational Reads would have sounded better, but it doesn’t go with my theme of Operation Trim, so here you go.
There have always been self-help books for weight loss and fitness. I’ve even read a couple of them. Many say the same shit – trying to get you to go on some fad diet that works in the short-term, but in the long-term you have to revisit because once you go off of that “diet” you gain everything back. When I started Operation Trim, a friend of mine tried to get me to sign up for a weight-loss program she was involved with that used a series of shakes as meal replacement. Now, I am not knocking this system. This works for many people, and her intentions were good, but I declined because I had no desire to go on a program that had me eating anything other than real food. Weight Watchers for Men has me eating real meals, just smaller, and more closely monitored, and not only have I lost over 20 lbs so far (at a slow and steady pace) but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.
Anyway, this post is about books. The three I have chosen to share are all based in “reality” – realistic plans that produce realistic results. The first one, Drop Dead Healthy by Esquire contributor, A.J. Jacobs (no relation) is a chronicle of his two-year plan to become as healthy as possible. The April issue of Esquire highlights some of the nuggets of the book such as the treadmill originally being invented as a torture device, or how multi-vitamins don’t really do anything or how there is a lack of any sort of benefit to a juice cleanse. I feel like this would be a good read for anyone looking to really get started on a path of just being a healthier person rather than on any one specific diet. I’ll read it.
Weight Loss Boss: How to Finally Win at Losing–and Take Charge in an Out-of-Control Food World
David Kirchhoff is the man behind the plan that I use, Weight Watchers for Men. In fact, he is CEO of the entire company. I’ve stated it before, and I’ll say it again – I now swear by this plan. I eat everything I had eaten before, just less of it. Yesterday I was hungry all day long. So I ate. I earned 6 activity points for running on the elliptical yesterday, and I used them all. I even had two glasses of wine. It was just one of those days. And do I feel guilty like I just destroyed all the effort I’ve put into my plan to this point? Hell no! I feel fine. I feel better than fine! I feel healthy! This book comes out on May 8th. I’ll probably give it a read…while I’m on vacation someplace warm, sitting on the beach, not feeling self-conscious about my shirtless torso in the least.
Eat This, Not That! 2012: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution
David Zinczenko from Men’s Health magazine has turned a simple column into a successful series of books. Eat This, Not That is perfect for a guy like me. I’m constantly on the road for work, and often find myself hungry with nothing in sight save for a McDonald’s, Burger King, or some other ubiquitous fast food option. These books help you make better choices in these situations. So instead of ordering a Big Mac with fried and a Coke, I instead order the grilled chicken sandwich without mayo, and a side of bbq sauce, seltzer, and no fries. Really, who needs fries? Sure, they are delicious, but don’t you feel just a little bit dirty after eating them? You can stick to your plan, and enjoy your meal while eating at these places. These books are filled with healthier suggestions. I only own the original version, but I do recommend any of them to anyone who has trouble making healthier choices.
Like this:
I’m back on track, and I couldn’t feel better about it! I spent the majority of last week in Fort Lauderdale at a sales conference. We had breakfast and lunch catered at the hotel. Options included eggs, bacon, sausage, croissants, muffins, etc for breakfast, and various meats, salad, pasta, and desserts at lunch. I managed to not only eat only the healthiest options offered (aside from little slivers of cake), but I even asked for a special order of oatmeal on the second day, and they gave it to me. Dinners were a little harder, but the first night I ate chicken, the second – tuna, and the third, well, chicken again. Sure, I drank beer and had some fried calamari, and went a little over my alloted Weight Watchers points on a couple of days, but I survived.
Part of my success this week definitely had to do with exercise. Even though I didn’t hit the hotel gym even once (I was told it was small, and was like a sauna) I managed to do push-ups every morning, and even ran outside twice. And that brings me to another interesting point. There are some poignant differences, I noticed between running in Brooklyn, and running in Fort Lauderdale. Three stand out in my mind:
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It was 75 degrees and sunny as opposed to the current 35 degrees in New York.
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The terrain is a heck of a lot flatter in Florida.
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And finally, runners in Florida say hello to each other where in New York, we ignore other runners.
I get that on each of my Florida runs last week I saw maybe two other runners, as compared to here when I pass maybe 20-30 people during a run. I thought about this on Sunday while doing my run through Brooklyn Bridge Park. People do whatever that can around here to avoid eye contact. I was ready to consider this a solid theory until a woman who was running towards me smiled and said something that looked like good morning. I had headphones on, so I couldn’t hear her, but in seeing her expression, and the assumed gesture I immediately said good morning. Even if she was telling me my shoe was untied (it wasn’t) at least she had someone tell her good morning.
Later this morning, I board a plane for Las Vegas. It is another business trip, but there will still be breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and drinks with clients and friends, and I will need to remain aware of what I am consuming. And I cannot; I will not make excuses for not exercising while I’m there. I wonder if the runners on the Las Vegas Strip are as friendly?
I’ve gone and done something dramatic this week. I signed up for Weight Watchers for Men. I guess I was inspired by Charles Barkley and his Man Food commercial (below). The benefit of using this system over say just winging it on my own is that since I enter everything I eat, and it’s based on a point scale, I really exercise portion control. I only started last Saturday, so I can’t say whether or not I love this program yet, but so far it’s not so bad. Four of the beers I enjoy drinking most are only 1 - 3 points each, and based on my 40 points per day allotment, I can enjoy a couple beers on a night out.
I’m still working with a trainer once a month, though I think that after my six month program ends, I will go back to doing it on my own. The sessions we have are great, but the exercises don’t translate well for me to do on a weekly basis; especially when I am traveling. Most hotel gyms are marginal at best, and I am barely able to get in 20 minutes before becoming frustrated.
I am happy by my progress thus far. 190.9 was a surprise for me this morning. I was figuring I’d be at 192. This is good. I plan to continue to make changes as needed so I can continue to lose and keep it off. I need to be much closer to 180 by February 21st when I leave for a sales conference in Fort Lauderdale. The following week we go to Las Vegas for Global Shop, and I need to be comfortable in my suits. Right now I’m still struggling with the fit, but shedding another 6+ pounds should help. I think I can do it. No, I know I can.
