Weekly Weight Loss Calorie Counting

Saturday 7/21:Wow, keeping track of the calories was a revelation. Today I had 3,579 calories; 118 grams of Fat, 431 grams of carbohydrates, and 253 grams of protein. The Calorie-Count program gave my diet the grade of A for nutritional values. Before I added in a couple of cups of milk, I had graded out at grade F for the day. Talk about THE POWER OF MILK!! Anyhow, with an intake of 3,579 calories I am not going to lose any weight. I did 80 minutes on the elliptical. 3 sets of shoulder Shrugs. Tomorrow is another day. Sunday my calorie count was 2,750. Keeping track of what I eat on calorie-count has been helping me a lot. Part of the reason is that by posting it all I realize that I have been eating a lot. I think many times I feel deprived of food even though the reality is different. Monday calories were 2,765 and Tuesday was 2,366. I ate at Wendy's and also had a greasy Taquito at the 7-11 Citgo Service Station. Knowing what the calories are has made it easier to eat food I like as long as I can keep the calories to a reasonable level. I still have to try harder, but at least it is a start. Wednesday I went too far to the dark side and hit 3,005 calories. Thursday was 2,865 and Friday was 2,435. This week I lost a couple of pounds, and that is good. I did a lot of cardio and some weight lifting (see the sidebar for a running tab on the cardio). All that brings me to this week's Weekly Weight Loss Winner!

It was a close competition between Christine (1.8 lbs), Livy (2.2 lbs) and The Captain (3.4 lbs). However, the Captain pulled off the upset of the mega-champion Christine! Captain Jeff has now won twice! More importantly, he has lost over 160 lbs. and is at 221 lbs. and he is poised to crack the 200 pound barrier sometime this year. Now that's an accomplishment! Christine cracked 200 last week or so, and there are a few others creeping up on this major milestone. Once you are under 200, you are on the home stretch to normality and healthiness! Congratulations to everyone that lost weight this week! If I missed you, or if you want to exchange blog links, let me know (post a comment)! The Battle of the Bulge was won by the Allies back in World War II, and we can win it again now, week by week and pound by pound (or kilo by kilo)!

Deathwish?

Yesterday I saw an obese older guy bicycling away from the supermarket which is by the expressway. I was getting off the expressway and saw this fat guy in his fifties wearing a backpack peddling as slow as mollasses with a couple of grocery bags on the back of his bike. The poor guy was huffing and puffing and his face was bright red as he peddled his bike. The bike's tires were so flat to the ground that it looked like he was riding the rims. Now when the light is green people get off this expressway like they were bats out of hell. The road I was getting onto is a main boulevard where the speed limit is 45 mph (72 kilometers per hour) and everyone is usually driving at least 50 mph (80 kph) or more. I guess everyone likes to risk their life sometimes?

A couple of weeks ago I was driving with my family to a wedding. I was driving about forty miles an hour on a street where the speed limit was thirty five. I was driving east on the right hand lane. It was a four lane street (two lanes in each direction). I was about half a block away when some old guy started to cross the street on left (north) sidewalk, four lanes away. I presumed he would wait in the middle of the street before crossing all the way. I was wrong. As he got to the middle of the four lane street, he actually took a jump-step and made a dash across the road. I was about twenty feet away from this old guy when he started running. I immediately began applying the brakes on my car. When he was right in front of my car, he tripped. The poor old guy fell head first across the front of my car, and I had to jump on the brakes and swerve into the middle of the road to avoid running over the poor guy. This all happened in a matter of seconds.

I stopped the car, and got out along with my family. We ran over to help the guy up. He had skinned his elbow and it was bleeding. He was shaking from the shock. I guess he thought he was a goner. I bet his life flashed before his eyes. He looked at me with that look of astonishment. I bet he was surprised to be alive. He apologized to me for falling in front of the car, and I apologized to him for not driving slower. I think we were both feeling some awe and gratitude to God that all he had was a skinned elbow. I asked him to feel his arms and legs and make sure nothing was broken. He did, and everything was fine (though I bet he was sore the next day).

The guy said he was seventy four years old. We all thanked God he was alright. He wanted to keep on going because he had to go pick up a prescription at the local pharmacy. He was trembling from the fright. We persuaded him to go home and catch his breath and take care of his skinned elbow. After a couple of minutes, he regained his composure and walked back across the street to his home. The old guy was very nice, and I felt really bad. If I had been going slower, maybe he would not have felt like he had to run across the road? We spend so much time in a rush, that rushing everywhere seems to be normal all the time. I guess we are all rushing around because life is so short? Then when we try to go slow everyone else is rushing by us. Whenever I drive at the speed limit (65 mph/104 kph) on the expressway, all the cars are zipping by as if I was standing still.

Check out these drivers (click above)!

Weekly Weight Loss Winner 11

I have been trying to find a software program that is easy to use to track my food intake, but I have had no luck. So I am going to do it the hard way, by blogging it.

Just as I wrote this, I tried to find a place where I could track my calories and activities (exercise), and I found Calorie-Count, which is by about.com and it has no advertising pop-ups or other annoying crap. Most of the other free calorie-counting websites have a ton of pop-up ads and spam. So this is where I am counting my calories beginning today. It is free, and it is easy to add customized foods. Like the stuff that I eat every day, I just tag it and it goes into my tagged foods section. That is easy. It is not very fancy, but at least it keeps track of the calories consumed and expended. I have not missed any days of exercise this month. The calorie counter will help me.

Which brings me to this weeks Weekly Weight Loss Winner, someone who is immune to pizza and turns up her nose at candy. The bakery aisle holds no terror for this amazing lady! Christine lost 2.6 lbs this week, and she is under 200 lbs. now, at 198.4 lbs!! That is a great milestone for anyone to reach. There are several bloggers that are getting close to the mythical 200 barrier! I am inspired to do better. Christine is a good role model for anyone trying to lose weight. She is tracking her calories too, and I am starting to understand that strictly tracking calories is very key to losing weight. When I was massively obese, it was easier to lose weight. Even though I am still very obese, I can't just play fast and loose with the rules anymore. For most of the bloggers that are reaching the 200 mark, it is very apparent that they have to really stick to their diets religiously in order to pull off their goals. Christine has "The Eye of the Tiger" (remember that song? click the video above and you will hear Survivor singing it). Keep on doing it, Christine, and thanks for setting the bar as high as you have been doing!!

Deep Purple and Bodybuilding for Seniors!

On Saturday night, I went to see Deep Purple at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater. I had seen Deep Purple back in 1984, and they were great back then, and they still have it now!

The opening act was Edgar Winter! Both bands put on a great show. Edgar Winter did about forty minutes. He played his two greatest hits, Free Ride and Frankenstein. Both songs were awesome. Edgar Winter can still rock, and he has an excellent lead guitarist (Doug Rappoport) and bass player (Mark Meadows). I visited the EG website to find out more about his band. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Edgar Winter is his thoughtful rant on true love. Then on another webpage he writes about his love for his wife. It is straight from the heart! I had always wanted to see Edgar Winter live, and he was better than I ever imagined. Edgar Winter has great showmanship and a very friendly and warm attitude. I liked his show a lot, it was one of the best I have seen. Edgar Winter seemed like the kind of guy that would be a lot of fun to know. He also plays keyboards like nobody else. He played drums and keyboards on Frankenstein. You have to see it and hear it to appreciate it.
After a fifteen minute break while the band gear was moved around on the stage, Deep Purple opened up with a few songs that I didn't remember or which might be from their new album Rapture of The Deep. The title song from the album has a catchy tune. The last time I saw Deep Purple was in 1984, when they were touring for their hit album, Perfect Strangers. They only played that song from that album.

The last half of their set was all the great oldies, including jamming versions of Lazy, Highway Star, and Space Truckin. Near the end of the show, they brought out Steve Morse's son Kevin Morse, and another guy joined Don Airey on keyboards. With the band now numbering seven, they blasted an incredible version of Smoke on The Water. It was beyond anything that I had hoped for. I think it was better than what I remember from the 1984 show. Kevin Morse plays guitar with a lot of zip, and I wish he had been around for a few more songs. I actually liked his playing better than his Dad, but that was only because you could see how happy the kid was to be onstage with his Dad, and he was jumping around and playing his heart out. Great performance of a great song. For the encore, the band played Hush and Black Night and medley bits from some other songs. The first time I saw Deep Purple (1984), they did not play Hush. That song had been recorded by Rod Evans, and Ian Gillan (the second lead singer) refused to sing the song for many years. Back in 1984 Ritchie Blackmore was the lead guitarist for the band, and I would be lying if I said I liked Steve Morse better. Ritchie Blackmore wrote nearly every hit song Deep Purple has recorded, and his guitar-playing has a crunch that Steve Morse could only come close to. However, Morse really does a great job. While he is no Ritchie Blackmore, Morse is definitely excellent in his own right. Deep Purple played for just under two hours. Ian Gillan really did not say much. Compared to Edgar Winter, Gillen was not very warm. I just checked the tour dates at their website, and they are doing eleven shows in the next thirteen days, and about fifteen shows per month. Considering that most of these guys are over sixty years old, that is a grueling schedule. After all, it is not just the performances, but the travelling on tour buses also takes its toll.

Pure-Blood Skinnies and Comment Moderation

If you have ever watched vampire movies and shows like Buffy or The Charmed (about witches), or even the Harry Potter movies, you have probably heard the term PURE-BLOOD at some point. In the vampire movies, a pureblood is a born vampire as opposed to someone who is bitten and becomes a vampire later in life. The witches also had purebloods and those who became witches as adults. In the Harry Potter movies, there are those who are born to warlock families, and those who are recruited because of their special abilities. In all of those genres, the Purebloods always have contempt for the others. I think we all know that the majority of the naturally-born skinny people have nothing but contempt and disdain for most fat people. Those that don't are just completely oblivious to the obese and do not even notice that the overweight exist. You know what I am talking about. So what will you do when you reach normal weight? Unlike racism or ethnic prejudice, once the weight comes off, so will the social barriers. At least I think that we all believe that social acceptance and personal recognition will come along with reaching normal weight?

At least that is the theory that we all strive for in some way. We all want to be normal. We don't want to be FATSO any more. We don't want anyone calling us LARD-ASS when we are lumbering towards them. Yet will we ever be accepted as normal people?? Unless you move to another city after you lose all your excess weight, the fact is that all your friends and relatives will always remember you as the fat slob. You will be hearing "Remember when Jeff was as big as a house?" At every reunion with your friends, someone will say "I still can't believe you lost so much weight. You used to be a gigantic whale!" You will be reminded regularly that you weren't always normal. The Pureblood Skinnies will always remind you that you are not one of them. That's a fact, Jack! No matter how much weight you lose, or how good you look; the memory that people will have in their brains is of the big-fat-you. Which brings me to:

Comment Moderation: Is this the ultimate admission of insecurity?? I can understand that women do not want to read insulting personal remarks on their blogs, but what about guys?? What kind of man puts "Comment Moderation" on his blog??? What is he afraid of?? Is someone going to post "You are my baby Daddy. Please pay child support." I guess it can happen. A couple of months ago when I ripped the guy that claims he lost 110 lbs. at an unknown website and who won't post any photos; the guy started posting some nasty comments here for a few days. So I deleted about fifteen of that guy's nasty remarks and only left the one remark that did not use obscenities.

So I guess it is possible to have your own internet stalker. Captain Jeff has found a fan that has even adopted his identity. But what about the other guys?? The guys that only want encouragement because they will delete their blogs if anyone says anything to upset them?? I have wondered about this before. I guess that some people need more encouragement. I am concerned that I do not want to hurt someone when I do not mean to, on the other hand, I want to be me. I also enjoy the give and take on the unmoderated blogs. Oh well, I guess every case is different, and hopefully everyone can get something positive from the blogging experience. Which brings me to:

The Secret Identity:
or lack of one. While most bloggers maintain a somewhat anonymous persona, there are also many who are very upfront about themselves and their true identity. How do you do it?? If your friends and relatives can google your name and find your blog, how do you avoid problems with them? Even the most innocent of remarks can be taken the wrong way. Unless you are constantly praising everyone, the blog can create friction. Do you ever get any reactions to your blog from your friends and relatives??

Gym Rats Rant

Half-Man lost 5.4 lbs this week!! That is like a new world record here at the Weekly Weight Loss Awards Bureau Headquarters... I don't have any photos of HM to post, since he only posts his belly, so at right is a photo of HM as he probably looked when he was on his scale. Half-Man is facing some major changes in his life (maybe). He is changing careers (maybe), from something unknown to something else unknown. Who wants to guess what Halfie's current profession is? Doctor, veterinarian, dentist, pharmacist, lawyer, engineer, architect, accountant? What will he be switching too? Is it another profession, or a less-stressful vocation such as dog-groomer, veterinarian's assistant, movie usher, race car tire-changer, batboy, store manager, dinner theater actor, massage parlor attendant, carnival carnie, roadie for a traveling band, meat inspector, religious minister, or something else? Only Half-Man can tell us if you guessed right; but if you are the winning guesser, I will send you a very valuable no-prize. I am guessing he is a lawyer and wants to be a social worker.

Most Annoying People At The Gym: Every once in a while I need to make some observations about things that come up every day. One of the best things about going to the gym is that there are usually many people there who are very friendly, very happy, and who exude some sense of accomplishment, and high self-esteem. There are also folks at almost any gym who will help anyone who has a question or needs a spotter. Gyms are usually very positive places. In fact, I am going to post a list of good reasons for going to the gym (coming soon, but not today!).

Every paradise probably has a couple of kinks. There is probably no single gym that is perfect for anyone's personality (except maybe the owner?). Since I spend a lot of time at the gym doing cardio, I observe people, and sometimes I get a chuckle watching them. Other times, I wish I was like J. Krishnamurti or Mahatma Ghandi and enjoyed every little thing that ever happened. Who are the most annoying people at a gym? Some of these folks are probably also at the local mall, job site, etc. Have you met them?

1. If you look around your gym, you will probably see lots of people who are working out and talking to their workout partner or a friend. These folks are talking at normal levels and you can't hear them unless you are standing next to them. However, the Walk-Around Guy has to talk REALLY LOUD so all his friends will know he is working out at the gym. The Walk-Around Guy won't be quiet, and he never stops walking around and talking LOUD. Thanks to the Sony Walkman CD player, I have tuned this character out!
   
2. People that go to the gym to make out and play grab-ass with their boyfriends and/or girlfriends? This does not happen every day, but when it happens, it is like Spring Fever hit the gym! These are always teenagers, and they are doing at the gym the same kind of things they probably do at their local High School. I guess I am too old to participate, so now I find it annoying. Usually, these punks expect the "adults" to give them some space, so they will actually give people who want to work-out a dirty look. Short of telling some horny teen to get out of my way there is nothing that can be done. I just work around them. The back seat of cars, vans, and SUVs were created for this kind of thing. At least they aren't doing drugs?


3. People that don't use deodorant and stink like hell at the gym? In the modern era it is not so bad. I recall back in the 1970s when every gym that I ever visited stank like an old jock strap mixed with under-arm stench and butt-crack buttermilk. Now it is just the occasional neanderthal who will stink. Unfortunately, it usually happens when I am doing cardio. Then someone with old garlicky BO will get on the machine next to me and stink me to nauseousness. After a couple of minutes, I usually run away from STINKO. That rancid odor should be bottled and sold to fat people as a hunger control aid.
   
4. Women that wear a thong and a tiny bikini-top and then glare at anyone that looks at them? Not to mention that when these ladies sweat they end up with big wet spots on their crotch area that give everyone a pretty good view of the mythical "camel-toe." So why do women act amazed, p*ssed-off, or hurt when everyone is staring at them when they are bouncing around the gym? While there are some really hot women that dress provacatively, at least half the time we are talking about people who are at least ten or twenty pounds too heavy for whatever they are wearing. Same thing goes for people who walk around with their stomachs hanging out. Women with flabby guts should not be wearing those tube tops. That goes double for fat guys.
   
5. Non-handicapped people that park in the handicapped spots because the spaces are wider and/or closer to the gym's door? Does this need an explanation? Have you ever seen the big fat @sshole (sorry, but it is usually fat people) who has no trouble walking as he lumbers out of the car that has a Handicapped Decal, and which he parked in the Handicapped Parking Space??? The only other people that often park in handicapped parking who are not handicapped are usually teenagers. These perfectly healthy jerks are counting on the Police not giving them a ticket while their cars are in the handicapped parking. Meanwhile, the people who are actually handicapped have to park somewhere else.
   
6. People that like to back into parking spaces but they are usually crappy drivers so that it takes them five minutes to back in? This never ceases to annoy me. Out of the last one hundred people that I have seen backing into a parking space, not a single one has managed to do it in one smooth cut. It always takes them several times to back in and back out. Meanwhile, I (and others), have to patiently wait for numbn*ts to finally back into the parking spot correctly.
   
7. The Cardio Hog that stays on any of the cardio equiptment (Treadmill, Eliptical, Cross-trainer, etc.) longer than 30 minutes when the gym is full? Some gyms have a whole bunch of ellipticals, and treadmills, so it may never be an issue. However, if you go to a smaller gym which only has a few cardio machines, then the Cardio Hog can really make it impossible for others to exercise.
8. Anybody that puts their phone, towel, gym bag, or something else on a piece of equiptment that they are not using because they want it to be free when they finish whatever they are actually doing so that they don't have to worry that someone else will be using it when they come back? This is worse than hogging the equiptment by using it for too long. At least if you are on it, you might actually be working out. But keeping other people from using the equiptment so that you don't have to wait when you get back to it is very disconsiderate.
   
9. The Machine Hog that refuses to let others work-out on a particular gym equiptment while he or she is using it? Yes, there are some lame-0 dudes who actually think that they are God's gift. These guys won't let others work in with them. It does not happen often, but I have seen it occasionally, and it has even happened to me. What can you do? Nothing that makes any sense. Just walk away and find something else to work on. There is always that chance that the same guy might put too much weight on something and get crushed because nobody wants to help him.
   
10. The person/tool walking around the gym talking really loud on their cellphone? I mean REALLY LOUD. Have you ever seen those nimrods that love to shout at the top of their lungs into their cellphones as they walk around other people? This is something that happens in lots of places, not just the gym. There are people who not only shout into their phones, but they are so obnoxious that they wave their arms while talking and act as if they were on the stage performing OTHELLO.
11. People that work-out in jeans. No real reason that I dislike them, but they are usually very skinny, and I don't like skinny people.
12. Skinny People. 'nuff said.
13. People that say "God Bless You" when they say hello, or who offer to pray for you without any kind of specific reason. Like you say hello and they say "God Bless You, I will pray for you." I will say thanks, because I do not want to be rude, but I am thinking WTF?? I appreciate people who sincerely will pray for anyone (especially me). I pray for people all the time, including bloggers. But at least I know something about them. I imagine that the folks that are walking around saying they will pray for everyone are just doing one mass prayer, and that is pretty lame. Otherwise, it would have to be like this: "Dear Lord, please help the fat oaf who was on the treadmill this morning. Also the girl with the big t*ts; her cute friend; the other girl with the thong; the one with the sweaty shorts; the one with the really tight shorts; the bald guy with the blue shirt and his hot wife; etc., etc. Please also bless me with a massive boner tonight if/when I make love to my girlfriend/wife, etc."

Weekly Weight Loss Winner 9

Last weeks Weekly Weight Loss Winner is Cactus Freak (Sharron)! Sharron is a
real competitor. Recently she twisted her ankle and while at the hospital she entered the annual wheelchair relay race and won! Here in this photo she demonstrates her controversial kick move. She used this to knock over some of the other contestants when they were trying to block her from passing in the straightaways. It is no fun to get injured, but if you read Cactus Freak's blog you will see that she made the best of a bad situation, and she turned her injury into more weight loss!
Cactus/Sharron is a really good sport, and she has a great sense of humor (check the funnies at her blog!). CF has been losing lots of weight, and she is a repeat Weekly Weight Loss Winner! This week Sharron lost 4.1 lbs and there was nobody within striking distance! I even checked several new blogs for every possible weigh-in result, and Sharron still wins!! Congratulations to Cactus Freak for her awesome determination, and never giving up the fight. Sharron, you are the undisputed champion this week, and an inspiration to me every week! You are also a genuinely nice person. I look forward to seeing you hit your next goal. You have a lot to be proud of and to appreciate!

I have been exercising regularly, check the Fitness table on the side for my daily totals. Tuesday I went to the gym and did 7 sets of biceps curls and only ten minutes of cardio. Wednesday did 50 minutes of elliptical and 7 sets of straight-arm pulldowns.

Orange Slices and Fat Old Men

For a couple of weeks during my twenty pound weight gain, I was buying a bag of these delicious orange slices nearly every day. I love orange slices. Especially the cherry and lemon (yellow) ones. I try to buy the mixed bags that bring all the flavors. The only one I don't like much are the green ones, I think they are supposed to be lime flavor. Walgreen's Pharmacy sells a large container of these for about $4. It brings about two pounds of mixed flavor jelly slices. If you think I am an orange slice addict, you should check out some websites that I found where people post their favorite recipes using candies, jellies, gummiers, etc. to make even more fattening treats (check out the photo I posted)! I remember back when I was 400lbs. that I used to buy those giant containers and I would eat one overnight while watching TV or listening to the radio and reading a book. I guess you have probably noticed that I miss spending hours and hours just laying around watching TV. I really am a television kid who grew up to become a couch potato. I remember when I read about comedian Benny Hill's death, I thought it was the perfect way for a couch potato to go. For those of you who don't know, Benny Hill was found in his apartment a few days after he died (he was single). He was found sitting on his sofa, in front of his television (the TV was still on), with a bag of potato chips on his lap.

Orange slices, cherry slices, and lemon slices taste great, but they are very fattening. The Brach's variety are probably the most fattening of them all. Only two pieces have 130 calories. The generic kind that I buy at the local gas station have 120 calories for three pieces. Either way, a typical small bag of these jelly slices bring about fifteen pieces. At 120 calories per three pieces, that is six hundred calories. The smaller jelly gum-drops have 143 calories per ten pieces. I am not a big fan of jelly gum-drops because they are usually hard and chewy compared to jelly slices. However, jelly slices, gum-drops, and fruit jellies are all basically close cousins. Fruit jelly slices are probably the sweetest and most fattening. Lifesavers makes very fattening versions of gummies and jelly slices. Then of course there are the Gummy Bears and Jelly Babies. All of these various jellies and gummies have lots of empty sugar calories, and no nutritional value unless you are carbohydrate-depleted. For all the above reasons, Orange slices, gummi bears, jellies and all their friends and relatives are hereby BANNED FROM CONSUMPTION (BFC) as Diet Enemy #14.

If you grew up during the era of Arnold Schwarzeneggar the bodybuilder and movie star, you probably never
imagined that he would ever have flabby man-tits (aka man-boobs). What a sad decline for a man who once had a tremendous physique, and who has been an advocate of sports, bodybuilding, and fitness training his entire life! I bet that Arnold has not been going to the gym very often ever since he became a politician. With old age, many men lose any semblance of having a masculine chest and grow man-boobs. Unless men work out their chest regularly (bench press, etc.) they will end up with nasty, un-feminine, un-pretty titties. Unlike women, men do not look very good when they have titties. In fact, they look grotesque and disgusting! Yet most middle-aged men have big fat tits unless they are in very good shape and/or lean!

But not only do old men get titties, but so do fat men, especially the obese. Fat man-boobs can gross anybody out, but in overweight America, they are becoming a very common sight. If you ever go to the beach, be prepared to see lots of fat man-titties. While most fat guys wear a t-shirt and never expose their man-boobs to the public, there are lots of men who are in denial and do not realize how overweight they really are. These guys still think they look good without a shirt on, and they will jog on the beach oblivious to the fact that their titties are bouncing up and down and disgusting bathers and traumatizing small children. Even worse are the fat guys who wear speedos. So if you are a fat man, start losing weight and working out. If you have man-tits, you can still do something about them. Work that Bench Press and add in a layer of muscle to your chest! Then you can take your shirt off and still be proud!

Dirty Restaurants

I thought the blog title LOSE WEIGHT OR DIE would motivate me, but the title is stressful. I keep thinking I am going to die for gaining weight. I guess it is my guilty conscience for letting myself slide and regain twenty pounds. We will all go eventually, but I don't need to think about dying every day. So I have changed the title to LOSE WEIGHT NOW! I am probably annoying the h*ll out of all my blog friends who keep having to change their links to me every month. Sorry.

Wanna B Slim had this interesting blog rater which rated her blog as an R. Since I always put a * in my f*ck and other swe*r words, I got a PG rating! How f*cking fabulous!! That's the best f*cking news that I have had in a long time, since I don't want any snot-nosed, teeny-bopper, punk b*stards reading this blog by accident and getting the wrong f*cking idea that adults swear for no f*cking reason at all.

Health Inspections: I had posted a message in the previous post regarding dirty restaurants, and I checked and found some interesting video. Not much can top the KFC Rats video, but I tried! Here is a video that documents real problems that have been found at various restaurants.


Parasites: Did you know that badly cooked food or food which was rotten or had been exposed to e.coli or other bacteria can give you parasites? One out of three Americans is bosting parasites. You may not even know it, and the bad food may not have gotten you sick, yet you will become a host for worms. Check out this short video of a living person's stomach filled with worms. After seeing this video, I made an appointment with my dog's veterinarian so I can get de-wormed.


Maggots: What if you went to some dirty restaurant that had flies buzzing about and one of them laid an egg on your body? Check out this short video of a little girl with a maggot growing in her neck. I wonder if she got it at a fast food restaurant?


Roaches: Working as a truck driver for a meat company, my Dad got to see the kitchens of lots of restaurants. He would take me with him some days and for that reason I usually don't eat at any restaurants unless they look crystal clean. So the next time you visit one of those restaurants where the employees look kind of dirty and slovenly, keep in mind that the odds are good the kitchen is filthy and there were bugs and/or rats crawling on your food at some point. I honestly think that roaches and crawly bugs are the nastiest critters on earth. It is hard to believe that there are some humanoids who are so twisted that they keep roaches as pets. Gross. You know if the bugs are running all over the mall that maybe you should avoid the Food Court!!


Creepy Crawlers: Check out this video. I would hate to meet the insect in this one...I have always been afraid to go camping in the woods because I wonder if there are big bugs like that which can crawl into the sleeping bag and then you wake up with the bugs burrowing under your skin??

Exercise: Yesterday I did 30 minutes on the ET and then saw Transformers! Great cars. The girl who plays Shia LeBeuff's High School girflfriend looks like she is about thirty years old (but way cute). The movie was great fun though I would have liked more it if it had been about fifteen minutes shorter (or less lag time with the Government characters). This morning (7/5) I only got to do 15 minutes on the ET, I was running late. Later I did another 45 minutes and 8 sets of Triceps pulldowns.

You Can't Tuna Fish

but you can tune a piano...Does anyone remember that Joe Walsh album from the 1970s? Do you remember this hit song? It is very apropos:


Most people still love red meat. But when you consider the large number of restaurants that offer grilled fish on the menu, it is surprising only 54 percent of us cook some type of seafood when grilling at home. I guess most of the fancy dishes that are served at a restaurant are not that easy to make at home? Maybe it just tastes better at the restaurant? That's too bad because fish is a healthy food which is high in anti-oxidants and protein and also low in calories. Grilled fish can help nutrition-conscious cooks keep excess fat and calories at bay. As long as it isn't battered or fried, fish is a healthy protein choice, and the American Heart Association recommends we eat fish at least twice a week. Fish is definitely a Diet Friend (#2).

Tilapia, catfish, or sole taste great grilled with butter or a butter spray (or artificial butter). These fish fillets are delicate and can be difficult to turn with a spatula. To avoid losing a few pieces through the grate, it's easiest to place the fillets in a fish grill basket or grill pan. Of course, you can also pan fry fish with butter, spray, etc. Fish tastes great with lemon and tartar sauce (and spicy mustard). What kind of fish do you like? Here in Miami, many places sell Snapper fried whole. Catfish and Tilapia fillets are also very popular at any cafe. I have not bought any fish at the supermarket in a while. Usually when I want fish I buy the pre-packed sushi, and all that rice is probably not very good for losing weight.

The king of all fish, the chicken of the sea; and the easiest to make is tuna. I use to eat a lot of tuna back when I was losing a lot of weight. I probably should make friends with tuna again! My wife made tuna casserole a few weeks ago, and it was awesome. Believe it or not, Mom had made tuna casserole when I got home from work today. Tuna caserole is probably not very dietary (but at least it has protein). However, tuna can be a dieter's best friend. You can eat tuna with your salad, mayonaise (tuna salad), crackers, by itself, with lemon juice and mustard, tuna salad sandwich, and lots of other ways that are probably not low-calorie. My wife has tried various kinds of low-fat or no-fat mayonaise but I think they all taste very weird with tuna. I like to crush up some canned solid-white with 100% real mayo and make a nice tuna salad. Even by itself it tastes good! What is your favorite way to eat tuna?

Exercise: Sunday I spent 80 minutes on the elliptical. Monday I did 50 minutes and 6 sets of biceps curls, and today I went in the morning and did 30 and then at night I did 60 minutes. I also worked the triceps with 8 sets of pulldowns. I am starting to get my positive attitude back, which seems to be a lot harder than I could have imagined. Even though I did not feel overly negative, there is a big difference between a positive attitude and everything else. It is hard to understand the difference when I am not in the positive zone. I do not think it is denial as much as it is a lack of illumination, awareness?

I can only wonder how Jeff, Christine, Cactus Freak (Sharon), Celtic Girl, Sayre, Patty, Chris, Half-Man, Texas Gal, and others must be feeling when you are in THE ZONE. What does it feel like when you have all your ducks in a row??

Weight Loss Winner 8

Last week was another close week of weight loss! Lots of bloggers did great! Angelfish lost another pound! Texas Gal lost 2.4 pounds, Cactus Freak lost 2.2 pounds, and then Christine won the week with 3.8 pounds lost! Wow, that's a pretty amazing feat! Christine has lost 25.4 lbs. in the past ten weeks! During that same ten week challenge I gained a couple of pounds...! Congratulations Christine, Cactus Freak, Angelfish (Patty), Chris, Wanna-B-Slim, Captain Jeff, Half Man, Lady Rose, Rachel, Arlene, Joey, Mark, and everyone else who has tried and worked hard at losing some weight. Even though I did not lose any weight, I am glad that I have been trying. I imagine that if I had not even been trying then I would have gained a lot more than I have. I think that probably goes for anyone who is overweight. Keeping an eye on the scale and the food intake is a lifelong commitment. Below is another reason to lose weight. The study being discussed is about fat women, but it probably applies to men too. It is just another reason why being overweight is unhealthy. Another reason to lose weight now!

Overweight Women Get Heartburn:
(excerpted from article by Stephanie Nano, Associated Press)
NEW YORK - Women who put on extra pounds raise their risk of getting frequent heartburn or making symptoms worse - even if they aren't overweight, a new study found. Compared to women whose weight didn't change, a moderate gain doubled the chances of heartburn and acid reflux. Shedding the pounds cut the risk by about 40 percent, according to the report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. "I see this as one more good reason to try to lose weight if you've put on a few pounds," said the lead author of the study, Dr. Brian C. Jacobson of Boston University Medical Center. A good example is Suzanne Hagerty of Salem, N.H. Although still overweight, Hagerty said dropping 25 pounds allowed her to stop taking the heartburn drug Prilosec. "Since I've lost the weight, I have no problems sleeping and I have no issues with reflux," said the 45-year-old human resources manager.

Persistent heartburn is the result of stomach acid backing up into the esophagus. It creates a burning pain in the chest or a bitter taste in the throat or mouth. Heartburn medicine is usually the first to go when patients drop weight and their symptoms ease. "It's as little as 10 pounds. It's amazing," said Dr. Caroline Apovian, director of the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management. The research published Thursday used data from the long-running Nurses' Health Study. About 1 in 5 of the 10,545 nurses who filled out questionnaires said they had heartburn at least once a week, with about 60 percent describing symptoms as moderate to severe. Their body-mass index was calculated from earlier reports on their height and weight. The researchers concluded there was a strong link between weight and frequent heartburn, with the risk rising along with body-mass index in both normal-weight and overweight women.

For example, a 5-foot-6 woman who weighs 125 pounds and one who weighs 140 pounds are both in the normal-weight range. The slimmer woman has a BMI of about 20, while the heavier woman's is over 22.
Based on their findings, Jacobson said, the 140-pound woman would be about 40 percent more likely to have heartburn symptoms than the 125-pound woman. Overweight or obese women would be two to three times as likely to have frequent heartburn.

In the nurses' study, the researchers found the link remained about the same when they took into account other factors that contribute to heartburn, such as smoking, drinking, diet and diabetes. "It's one of the stronger pieces of data that support what many of us have believed but had difficulty proving," said Dr. Kenneth DeVault, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., who was not involved in the study. Treatment for frequent heartburn includes antacids, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, diet changes and eating smaller meals. Serious but uncommon complications include a narrowing of the esophagus and changes to the lining which can be precancerous. (end of depressing medical information)

Last Month:
Just for the record, in June I did 1,345 minutes of cardio machines (elliptical, treadmill, cross-trainer). I think I gained about five pounds. Because I am working full-time at a day job, I don't have as much time to spend at the gym. Usually when I go after work the place is packed with the kind of annoying teenage holes that take the fun out of working out because they will often hog a machine and sit on it for half an hour while they gaze into the mirrors and preen. They also happen to be in great shape and often have that arrogant muscle-boy duck-walk. There is one old guy who is around sixty who has an incredible physique, like Jack LaLanne. He would be a great role model except he has one of those 1980s polyester wigs (hair-piece) that is just a shade browner than the hair on the back of his head. I keep waiting for the thing to crawl off his head. Okay, the truth is that none of those folks actually keep me from working out, but I love to make fun of people I don't know.

Exercise: Today I snuck out of work and went to the gym which is one block away from my job. I paid $10. for a week of access, and I have only been there twice for about ten minutes each time. When I used to work at the olde pharmacy I would go to the gym on my lunch break which was thirty minutes. It took me about ten minutes to get to the gym, so I would do ten minutes at the gym and then head back to work. Ten minutes is enough time for me to do six sets of weights. Today I did six sets of biceps curls on a machine. Later at night I went to the gym and did 50 minutes on the elliptical. My friend Wong was there and he did about twenty on the elliptical next to me while joking around about the various people that were walking by. Most of them know him and would walk up and say hello and then he would crack a joke on them. I had a few good chuckles and that made the cardio a lot more fun!!