The Roly Poly Boy | Weight Loss the BJJ Way

Back Again, and Staying Awhile!

2012-02-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's been far, far too long since I've written anything here. Lot's to say, but don't want to say it all.

Finally getting myself back on track with the exercise and diet, and have been getting all crazy with the smoothies of late ...love them in the morning for breakfast. All frozen fruit, some spinach, a banana and water to make it drinkable with a straw. Love.

I'm going to start weighing in again and will give updates soon. Spilling over into the middle airline seat pisses me off (last week's experience), and now anxiety is heavily kicking in. I need to get this weight off for good. Sure, I've lost a bunch of weight from where I was originally, but it's just not enough.

Be back soon.

Rolling with Jiu-Jistu Zombies? What Do You Dream?

2011-06-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

I've been having these very odd nightmares over the last two nights. Nightmares that bring me back to my childhood mainly, where monsters are chasing me or reaching for me or trying to grab at my back from behind. I've also had the under-the-bed monster reaching up to grab me, etc. etc. And, I wake up in a sweat and with goosebumps all over.

Why the goosebumps? Is it fear? Sure it is. Dream fear, I guess. I wake with no covers, but as soon as I reach for them I feel just like I did as a kid, getting that sense of security from the blankets.

Man, I wonder if I'm burning calories thrashing around having these nightmares? Doubtful, but hey, wishful thinking.

I also had a Jiu-Jitsu zombie dream where I was actually rolling on the mat with a zombie. A nasty zombie. It's funny, but in my dream I some how become this magically transformed flexible and incredibly quick Jiu-Jitsu guy, which is completely the opposite of my true Jiu-Jitsu game. I rely on my top game due to my size mainly, and still struggle with guard. Being overweight and having short legs hurts your guard game, as stupid-obvious as that sounds. But, it was still cool to transform into something in my dream that I'm normally not, even though I paid the price of having a zombie nightmare.

I normally dig zombies and anything zombie-film related, but it was pretty strange whipping my body around on top of a zombie chest, taking the arm into a standard top armbar from mount and snapping the arm right in half. Yeah, that's right. Completely in half, with zombie blood flying all about, gooey, black blood.

Man, I hope these dreams stop.

I posted my bad dream deal on facebook and here's what a few folks had to say:

Did you change your diet or take some medication maybe?
Check out one of those dream interpretation websites... interesting stuff.
Are u falling asleep while the TV is on?
Are you on pain meds from the back issue.
Go to church.
Blame it on the rain.
Sexually frustrated.

I'm not sexually frustrated. Is it the rain? Maybe, but that's more of an inside joke. Falling asleep with the TV on? No. Diet change? Yes, eating much less over the last week, but I think it's been the pain pills and medicine I've been on due to the injury, IF I'm picking any of the above reasons.

Interesting, to say the least.

Here's to wishing I could burn 500 calories a night thrashing around in my dreams.

The Value of a Good Sandwich

2011-06-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge sandwich guy and always have been. I've realized over the last day or so that I have underutilized the value of a great homemade sandwich. Sure, I'd love to be like Jared and grab a Subway every day, but right now that's not really in my budget. Every once in awhile? Sure, but not every day.

The homemade sandwich can either ruin you, or help in a huge way. It's like with anything, you need to count calories and account for everything you put between those two pieces of bread. If you slather on the mayo, add a ladder full of meat and cheese and go with nasty white bread, you're going to hurt yourself more than help. Stay away from ranch, bleu cheese spreads and anything with too much oil.

The bread is probably the most important thing in building a fine sandwich and keeping the calories in check. The key is to find good tasting whole wheat bread that has a decent amount of fiber. There are a million bread makers out there, but Milton's is my favorite although a bit pricey. The taste is good, plus there's 5 grams of fiber in each slice.

Next, snagging lean meat from your deli at the grocery store is highly important. Ham can be a bit high in sodium, but it's an underrated meat calorie-wise. Roast beef is another meat I love lately and it's starting to get much better support than it ever did. You don't have to be a strict turkey guy or gal to keep your sandwich calories down. Be sure to look at the calorie content when buying, but most servings of lunch/deli meat are very low in calories...about a 100 calories per serving.

Cheese! Oh, how I love a good slice of Swiss, which is usually the lowest calorie cheese in stores today. Cheddar is a bit higher. American? Blech. I try to avoid American cheese. To lower your sandwich calorie count you can eliminate the cheese altogether, which can save you anywhere between 50-100 calories.

Mustard and mayo is a must for me, with mustard having no calories and lite mayo with canola oil having half the calories of regular mayo.

Add copious amounts of lettuce, tomato, pickle and any other veggie you want to, mainly because the calories don't hurt you at all.

Overall, you get good healthy carbs, protein and veggies. If you're smart, you can keep your sandwich right around 500 calories!

As I try to get back into the swing of things with exercise and Jiu-Jitsu (second day in a row with almost NO BACK PAIN...yeehaw!), I intend on using the sandwich as a main staple in my diet for awhile. It's a balanced meal, easy to make and tons of options to choose from for variety every day. Plus, you can't beat the price.

Wow...

2011-06-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've been away for TWO months! Just crazy. In that time I've dealt with a bad virus, hurt my back, and have not trained Jiu-Jitsu for over a month now.

I'm still dealing with the back injury and hope to get back on the mat and into the gym to hit the treadmill and weights over the next week or so. I can't sleep and I can't get comfortable half the time I'm sitting on the couch, but I'm working on putting this injury in the past.

Saw the doctor and was prescribed some pills, but that only seems to temporarily take the pain away.

It's driving me nuts.

The diet has suffered as well and I'm afraid to get on the scale, but I will soon. I need to get back onto a calorie counting food intake that lets me lose weight regardless of exercise.

I'm not near the weight I used to be, but it's still frustrating to see all my hard work fizzle away.

This blog meant so much to me in the past and I need to get back into the groove of it. I'm going to try to post everyday, regardless of how busy I am.

I need this.

A Jiu-Jitsu Promise to Myself

2011-04-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't been going to the gym much at all lately and I've slacked in my calorie counting as well in a huge way, but I have been going to Jiu-Jitsu of late.

Getting away from this blog was a mistake, even if I was tired of writing in it every day or every other day. I've come to the conclusion that I'll never lose the weight I want to lose and get out of this status quo position (actually weight gain with my laziness over the last few months) I'm in if I don't change something.

Besides getting back on my calorie counting ways, I made a promise to myself that I would get on the Jiu-Jitsu mat 10 times this month. I already went Monday and Wednesday of this week, so that's a huge start, but I need to continue along. I've only been training 4-5 times a month over the last few months and that's just not enough.

Also, my weight has climbed back up to 354.8lb. Not good. I never really had a setback like this before, but I feel like I'm finally coming out of it. Food has always been a battle for me and I know mind over matter, you've got to be strong, all that stuff, but I've been going through some heavy moments of weakness.

I'll be back in a few days to update.

Update

2011-03-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

I went to Jiu-Jitsu yesterday for the second time this week. I love being able to take a break in the middle of my day to train, and I love it even more when my brother Mike trains with me. Other than getting knocked in the head three times yesterday - I was a bit dizzy after the class was over - and having a slight accident on the mat the day was great.

Have you ever seen the movie "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell"? Well, it has a very interesting and disgusting scene where the main character, Tucker, has an "accident". It was one of the nastiest things I've seen in a very long time.

My "accident" wasn't quite like that, but still ...not a fun feeling.

Getting through yesterday's instruction was a bit tough, but so how worth it.

How's the weight loss stuff going right now? Nothing major to report. No gains, no losses of any significance. I'm staying away from the scale now, not weighing myself as much, but plan on getting back to my weekly updates soon. I'm not quite as burnt out on the blog as I was before.

I will say this....my T-shirts are starting to fit me much better of late. Pretty cool. I don't have to stretch some of them out anymore. I put them right on and away I go.

Yes, I'm still here...

2011-02-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

First, I want to apologize to those that read this blog everyday. I just haven't been "feeling" the blog thingy.

I'll be back soon with much more, giving you weight updates and exercise info, etc. For now though, I'm just living the "healthy" life without worrying too much about the scale.

Speaking of the scale, I replaced the battery on it. No wonder why I was getting these weird readings...duh. Anyway, things are okay there. I'm just plugging along.

Still doing Jiu-Jitsu, took up Muay Thai of all things. Man, talk about a crazy workout.

Took a backseat on the weight training. Want to pick that up again, but my focus has been on my martial arts training of late. No injuries to report, although I was sick for about two weeks in the middle of February.

Please, stay tuned. I'll be back on track shortly with the blog. I'm not giving up, if that's what you're worried about.

Stronglifts 5x5 New Weight Routine

2011-01-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

I've never been more excited about lifting weights. I went to the gym last night and pumped iron (well, just the bar) after more than three months off because of an elbow injury I suffered in Jiu-Jitsu. I didn't feel one twinge or one ache while lifting, while working bench press, squats and barbell rows.

After reviewing the new and more simplified Stronglifts 5x5 routine, I jumped right into it. I also did a little cardio, but made the mistake of working out with the weights before my cardio. I rarely ever do that, but I was just so bent on getting back into the weights that I attacked that portion of my gym visit first and my legs went to jelly on the treadmill and cramped up. I should've stretched better.

I've mentioned it before, but the workout is minimum time-wise and it builds the core of your body, while burning fat, building strength and muscle. The Stronglifts 5x5 routine is so simple now, with all of the assistance exercises eliminated. Not that I still can't do the assistance exercises, since they help build strength and muscle (push-ups, reverse crunches, chin-ups, prone bridges), but it's not necessary to reach the strength goals I have for myself.

Here's the new routine:

StrongLifts 5x5 Workout A	StrongLifts 5x5 Workout B
Squat 5x5	Squat 5x5
Bench Press 5x5	Overhead Press 5x5
Barbell Rows 5x5	Deadlift 1x5

You switch workout routines every time you go to the gym, with 48 hours of rest in between workouts. So, my plan is to go Tues, Thurs, and Sat every week. I started all over, getting back to just the 45lb. bar with my bench press, squats and barbell rows. Getting the technique down again is huge for me so I don't injure myself.

I'm looking forward to the results yet again. I know, Deja vu, huh?

Weigh-In Tuesday

2011-01-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I've been away from the blog updates for so long. Funny, I was so convinced I'd be at the gym morning, noon and night, but that hasn't been the case. I've been going, just not as much as I'd like to. Plus, I haven't started my Stronglifts 5x5 program back up yet either. I am tonight though, thank goodness.

Over the last two weeks, I've put on two pounds, and re-lost those two pounds again and one and a half beyond that. But, that's pretty weak sauce. I could blame New Year's, but I'm not. I'm getting sick and tired of this pound here and there stuff. Up until this point, I've been happy with what I've done, how I've done it, but it's just not enough.

I know, I know...same old crap spewing out of my mouth. You've heard it all before. Yes, I know. The excuses, I've used them all. Just tired of it.

I leave for Bristol next week (ESPN headquarters) for some baseball meetings stuff and I had set a goal to get down to 300 lbs. by the time I sat in the airplane seat for the ESPN trip, but I'm not even close to that goal. Piss-poor dedication on my end and I'm not happy about it.

Tonight cardio and the weights. Tomorrow Jiu-Jitsu.

I will live up to my promises to myself this year.

Knee Push-Ups

2010-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official.

I'm going into NFL hibernation here in a few days as the regular football season comes to an end. Basically, that means the fantasy football season ends and I get some down time in Jan. and Feb. before baseball picks up. And, I get to use this down time to really dedicate myself to the gym and Jiu-Jitsu.

So, no more "I can't go to the gym because of work" excuses for me. Also, it looks like I'm ready to take up my Strong Lifts 5x5 program again. I'm excited about that as my elbow almost feels 100%.

Here's the website if you're interested in the Stronglifts program: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

The barometer I used for my elbow was that I was able to do push-ups in Jiu-Jitsu warm-ups on Monday afternoon without any complications of any sort. Felt good. Of course, I haven't been able to do more than a few regular push-ups, so I do the kiddie push-ups (or knee push-ups) where my knees are on the ground, feet up in the air. Like the photo below.

Knee Push-Ups

It's really not a bad way at all to do push-ups if you lack upper body strength or if you have a massive amount of weight to lift up, ahem.. I used to feel like a wuss for doing knee push-ups in Jiu-Jitsu, but not anymore. It's a popular pre-cursor exercise to the real deal. A real push up does a bit more for your muscle core, and one day I'll be in the position to do more than a handful. In the meantime though, knee push-ups are just fine by me.

Once the New Years holiday is over and the gym and Jiu-Jitsu are back on a normal schedule, I'm starting my Stronglifts program. Funny, but I have to start all over now at the beginning of the program. I've been away from the weights for two months now, at least, and I need to make sure I work on my technique again before attacking the heavier weights.

Thinking back on things now, I should've kept up my squats at least. Darn.

Weigh-In Tuesday

2010-12-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is the first time in my adult life that I haven't gained weight over the Christmas holiday.

Well, I'm assuming so anyway since this is the first time I've ever really been concerned about not gaining.

I had a normal Christmas Eve dinner (ham, potatoes, green beans and even pie) and for Christmas day dinner I had similar types of foods, with a little salmon thrown into the mix.

What were the major differences this season compared to seasons past?

I didn't go crazy snacking on chips, cheese and crackers and many other appetizers.
I drank alcohol, but didn't go overboard.
I had one piece of dessert instead of two or three.
I exercised like a mad man the week and a half prior with my increasing treadmill workout, working out four straight days in a row up until the food festivities.

My current weight is 337.0 pounds. I'm down 52.0 pounds as of Jan. 15, 2010, when I started writing this blog. In total, I now have lost 73.0 pounds as of Apr. 2009.

As elated I am about the non-gain issues, I didn't lose any real weight.

I'm going to the gym right now, as soon as I'm done posting this update, so I'm excited about that. It's been four days since I hit the treadmill, although I did train Jiu-Jitsu yesterday. Looking forward to another week in the right direction of this new lifestyle change.

Weigh-In Tuesday

2010-12-21T21:53:00.000-08:00

I lost 1.6 pounds this week. My current weight is 337.2 pounds. I'm down 51.8 pounds as of Jan. 15, 2010, when I started writing this blog. In total, I now have lost 72.8 pounds as of Apr. 2009.

Another steady loss for me this week and the lowest I've been in years weight-wise.

I really like the way things have been unfolding at the gym lately. I did my treadmill workout four days last week and this week I've already gone twice, yesterday and today. I alluded to it last week, and never got a chance to update things via the blog, but I'm doing a new program now on the treadmill. It's an increasing workout each time I go (of course, at some point, and likely soon, the increasing deal will have to level off.)

An increasing workout?

Basically, I raise the speed and hill degree of the treadmill each day, while still maintaining 30 minutes. Eventually, I want to increase my workouts to 45 minutes, and then an hour, but for now I'm trying to get used to the 30 minutes of increasing my speed.

I started at 3 mph, 7 degree hill climb, the end of last week and now I'm at 3.3 mph and 7.5 degree hill climb. I'm having the most difficulty keeping up with the speed aspect. I almost feel like I need to run at that speed, but that's probably because I've never walked like that before. I'll get used to it.

The results are interesting so far.

Obviously, I won't be able to tell right away in regards to pounds dropped, but I'm working harder, sweating more, and burning more calories (according to the treadmill).

I'm not sure how much further I can go with the speed, without feeling the need to run, but I can certainly push the envelope with my hill climb.

Tomorrow? I'm going to Jiu-Jitsu. Not going as much these days to BJJ, but really it has to do with my work schedule and the convenience of the gym time-wise. When January rolls around I'm going to dedicate myself hardcore to BJJ and the gym. The time will be there for me. Thankfully.

Quick Thoughts on Jiu-Jitsu

2010-12-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

I returned to the mat today after an almost three week layoff. Sort of good in a way, as I was able to heal up my neck and shoulder and recover from being sick.

Today was brutally exhausting and I was drenched in sweat when I left the training center, so I'm happy with my overall workout today. Tons of drilling, a lot of which took more mobility than I have, but I gave it my best effort on the drills my stomach wouldn't physically allow me to do. Still, I'm happy I didn't give up and sit them out. That's always an option: quitting. And, the thought of quitting just sickens me, not after how far I've come to this point.

The drilling along with 15 straight minutes of all-out sparring with four different training partners sure got my feet wet again.

To the gym tomorrow for a new treadmill workout that a friend from Jiu-Jitsu told me about. I'll explain tomorrow.

Weigh-In Tuesday

2010-12-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Well, last week was certainly interesting.

I went to the Chargers/Chiefs football game over the weekend and ate too much. In addition to the food (tamales, carne asada tacos, chips and dip, deviled eggs, Chinese chicken salad - yeah, whose idea was it to bring the salad?), I had a handful of beers throughout the day as well.

We tailgated from about 10:30 am all the way until 7:00 pm, with the game in between of course. And, inside the stadium I had one strawberry margarita, which was an absolute calorie bomb, but wow, it was tasty.

I did prepare myself the entire week by watching my calories up until that point, so I did lose a bit of weight, just not much worth mentioning, but I will anyway.

My current weight is 338.8 pounds. I'm down 50.2 pounds as of Jan. 15, 2010, when I started writing this blog. In total, I now have lost 71.2 pounds as of Apr. 2009.

I feel like I came out pretty good this week, considering the Chargers game.

I've also come to the conclusion that I'm happy with losing the weight the way I have been. I know at my size I don't have the luxury of waiting forever to get this weight off, but it is coming off. At this rate it's really helping me with the lifestyle adjustment that I needed oh so many years ago. That's the key - just to keep chipping away at things.

I returned to the gym this morning after a more than two week layoff. Having bronchitis really sucks and I'm dealing with it a bit still, but it was nice getting back on the treadmill today. Funny though, I think the lady next to me was ready to kill me. When my heart started jumping up (148 max rate today...yeah, baby) it was harder for me to breathe and it irritated my lungs some ...and I would cough. I coughed away from the lady to be polite, but you know how it is when some jerk hacks near you? It's annoying as hell, right? Well, that was me today.

Good to be back in the gym. Tomorrow? I'm returning to Jiu-Jitsu.

Daily Diet Today

2010-12-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note today, but I was thinking how satisfied I felt with my diet today, so I decided to get it down on paper here so I don't forget what I ate, how many calories I took in, etc.

There aren't to many days like this where I don't think about food and today I just didn't have those urges or cravings for food. I ate when I only had the "need" to eat, which was good. Not that I eat when I'm not hungry (I try not to anyway), but before I was conscious of all this stuff, even the first slight twinge that I was hungry and it was "time to eat" ...bam, I ate.

Here was my menu today:

Breakfast: Quaker Oats w/ brown sugar and butter - 280 calories
Lunch: PB & J sandwich on whole wheat bread - 470 calories, Cup O Noodles - 300 calories
Dinner: Pot Roast (6oz), potatoes and carrots - 700 calories

Total Calories: 1750

The good? I was completely fulfilled.

The bad? No fresh fruit or veges.

The ugly? High sodium.

Yeah, I can't eat like this everyday, especially with such a high carb push, but interesting to note the food I ate.

Weigh-In Tuesday

2010-12-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

Who lost weight this week?

Yeah, I did.

That's right, I lost weight. 3.2 lbs to be exact. And, I'm VERY stoked about that number. I lost the Thanksgiving weight I put on and then some. Just think if I wasn't still fighting bronchitis right now and exercising all this week. Man, I'd be down more weight for sure. I know it wasn't 5 pounds or 7 pounds or whatever, but I'm fine with that.

Funny story.

I weighed myself this morning in the buff (I know, right? Ladies, calm yourselves. I know you want my body, but I'm married), like I normally do, and noticed that my moobs look smaller, along with my stomach. Maybe I was imagining things, not sure, or maybe it was the first time in awhile that I stared at this studly body in the mirror.

At any rate, I'm feeling good right now. Positive attitude for sure. Man, how important is that?

If you can't stay positive over the process then you're screwed. I know I can be a Mr. Scrooge at times and the worst curmudgeon, but it's how you bounce back from those thoughts and negative energy.

I'm starting to bounce back from my crappy birthday.

Where's James Brown when you need him? I feel good, da-na-na-na-na-na, I knew that I would, da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na! Whoa! I feel good, so good, so good, I got you. So good, so good, I got you. HEY!!

Yeah, baby!

Lifetime Play List

2010-12-06T13:09:00.000-08:00

In continuation from Friday's post, although way off the weight loss/Jiu-Jitsu topic of the norm, I've put together a potential workout play list in honor of my 41st birthday. Yeah, I'm still sulking over that.

I know I'm still slightly irritable over the whole birthday thing to begin with, but I'm also feeling a bit nostalgic as well, which isn't a bad thing. Birthday's let you reflect on a life that has been ...and a life that will be. Kind of a cool thing, if you think about it.

And, what better way to track your own life than with music?

I've done the play list thing before like most weight-loss bloggers, but this one is certainly different. I've done a time line list, one song for every year that I've been alive. Yeah, 41 songs, plus one more from 1969.

Hopefully, one day, I'm going to put this thing together for real (for my treadmill workouts). But for now, it's more like a wishful play list.

Anyway, check it out:

Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969): Bad Moon Rising
The Five Stairsteps (1970): O-O-H Child
Carole King (1971): It's Too Late
Don McLean (1972): American Pie - this song reminds me of my Dad.
The Wailers (1973): Stir It Up
Bachman Turner Overdrive (1974): You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
Queen (1975): Bohemian Rhapsody - come on, it's a must.
Ramones (1976): Blitzkrieg Bop
The Emotions (1977): Best of My Love
Blondie (1978): Hanging on the Telephone - still in love with Debbie Harry.
The Clash (1979): Train in Vain - just might be my favorite song EVER.
Journey (1980): Anyway You Want It
Rick Springfield (1981): Jessie's Girl
Violent Femmes (1982): Blister in the Sun
Big Country (1983): Fields of Fire
Ministry (1984): Everyday Is Halloween - thanks to my bitchin' wife for introducing me to Ministry all those years ago.
Oingo Boingo (1985): Deadman's Party
The Smiths (1986): Ask
Flesh for Lulu (1987): I Go Crazy
The Dead Milkmen (1988): Punk Rock Girl
Pixies (1989): Debaser - the Pixies changed music for me forever
Social Distortion (1990): Ball and Chain
Big Audio Dynamite II (1991): Rush - ah yes, my Mick Jones affair continues
Rage Against the Machine (1992): Killing in the Name
Butthole Surfers (1993): Who Was in My Room Last Night
Greenday (1994): Longview
Toadies (1995): Possum Kingdom
Spacehog (1996): In the Meantime
Blink 182 (1997): Dammit
Fuel (1998): Shimmer
Cake (1999): Sheep Go To Heaven
Wheatus (2000): Teenage Dirtbag - one of my faves, just an odd song all around.
The Offspring (2001): Want You Bad
311 (2002): Amber
The Strokes (2003): 12:51
Modest Mouse (2004): Ocean Breathes Salty
My Chemical Romance (2005): Helena
Tool (2006): The Pot
Tim Armstrong (2007): Into Action
Three Days Grace (2008): Animal I Have Become
Sick Puppies (2009): Odd One - Emma Anzai just kills on the bass...just incredible. And, she's beautiful.
Cage the Elephant (2010): Shake Me Down

Bonus song:

- Rise Against: cover of Journey's Anyway You Want It - about the best cover ever. Thanks to my brother Scot on this one.

Quite an eclectic list and it definitely lets me track my life, pinpoint the highlights of my years. Gawd, I love music

Birthday's Suck When You're Fat and Trying to Lose Weight

2010-12-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday ...and it sucks. Here's 10 random things I hate about my birthday today:

I'm 41-years old, not 40 like some think (I guess it's a good thing some think I'm 40, but I know the truth).
I want a big piece of cake today, but I'm not going to. I even told the wife not to make me one.
Working on your birthday.
I no longer get home-made cards from my kids.
I got a Benihana B-Day coupon, but it's only good Monday-Thursday (what the hell is that?)
I have bronchitis.
I want to exercise, but can't with this crazy cough.
I have no original ideas on this day. The wife said choose what I want her to make me for dinner tonight, and I chose taco salad. Yeah, seriously.
I wanted birthday Cheetos for breakfast, but instead I made a banana/orange smoothie.
No sleeping in for me today.

Maybe next year's B-Day will be better.

Eating Right

2010-12-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the Eating Right brands in Vons/Safeway stores?

Some of the food is still as crappy as it's name brand counter parts (tasting and nutritionally speaking), but I do like the effort they put into the product anyway. One product that I'm completely in love with is the Eating Right soups.

They're sort of like a Cup O' Noodles soup thingy, but they're much better for you. You add water, pop it in the microwave for a 1:30, done deal. Lower sodium, high fiber, and very, very low in calories (200 calories is the highest level for any of the soups). I've been buying them over the last week or two and eating them as a snack or lunch meal. Pretty damn good.

Here's a list of the flavors if you're interested:

Miso Noodle
Black Bean
Split Pea
Potato Leek
Tomato Basil Pasta
Spicy Thai Noodle
Lentil Couscous

I've tried the first four, with the Split Pea and Potato Leek being my favorites. Check out the nutritional information too when you get a chance:

http://www.eating-right.ca/product-profiles/soup/split-pea.asp

Random Babbling Today

2010-12-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

I know you're tired of me talking about smoothies by now, but I'm in love with the Yoplait Frozen Smoothie product. Low in calories and it tastes outstanding. I've been drinking the triple berry (strawberry, raspberry and blueberry) version and it I can't get over how good it tastes. I added a small banana this morning, spinach leaves and four baby carrots. All you do is pour 8-12 ounces of milk in, depending upon how you want the consistency, throw in the berries and frozen yogurt pieces, add other stuff...wham. Done deal. The calories on this were right around 350 total. A perfect breakfast this morning.
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My next door neighbor and buddy Dean gave me a Keurig single cup coffee maker last night and I just tried it out this morning. Brilliant. So easy to make a cup of coffee, and love all the choices I can go with flavor-wise. I should've "borrowed" his Keurig a long time ago.
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I'm going to give it a go at the gym tonight I think. I feel better and could use the calorie burn after gaining weight this past week. If Howard Stern can go to the gym everyday with a broken toe, I think I can get my butt in there just getting over the flu.
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Jiu-Jitsu? Ah yeah. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about what's brought me to the big dance so far, but I'm feeling really beat up right now, so no rolling for me this week. I'm planning on taking the week off and doing treadmill work instead.

Weigh-In Tuesday

2010-11-30T09:20:00.000-08:00

Going into Thanksgiving week I was hoping that I wouldn't put on weight, but too much eating, drinking and having a good time in general from Thurs-Mon put me at a disadvantage. I ended up gaining 2.4 pounds, but I'm really not too upset with myself. Being sick and not being able to hit the gym didn't help either. I've got some sort of the flu and probably should've gone to the Dr. by now, but I'm gutting it out.

My current weight is 342.4 pounds. I'm down 46.6 pounds as of Jan. 15, 2010, when I started writing this blog. In total, I now have lost 67.6 pounds as of Apr. 2009.

I'm back to watching my caloric intake again like a hawk and I'm hoping to get back into the gym tomorrow or Thursday.

The most important thing that I've learned from the weeks where I've gained weight is to get right back on that horse again. I mean, I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't (just look at the past weeks over the year where I put on weight). It's easy to quit after a rough week, or a week where you just didn't try to harness in the calories like you planned.

Oh yeah, I originally planned to watch every bit of food I was eating over the holiday weekend, but no, I caved in to temptation. I wasn't strong enough in mind to prevent myself from taking in too many calories, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to let it roll on down the road like that. I'm getting back on the proverbial horse yet again and getting right back to the same program I've been on this past year.

Things are looking up this week for sure. I'm excited to get back to my normal routine.

Weigh-In Tuesday

2010-11-23T23:52:00.000-08:00

I think it's official now: my weigh-in days will be on Tuesday's from here on out. Seems logical since I have a hard time posting updates on Monday's these days. So, from now on, Monday weigh-ins are moved to Tuesday.

Not a significant loss this week, just 1.5 pounds.

My current weight is 340.0 pounds. I'm down 49.0 pounds as of Jan. 15, 2010, when I started writing this blog. In total, I now have lost 70.0 pounds as of Apr. 2009.

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this week. I'm not going to go crazy, but I will have a few drinks and a slice of pie, but I've been really cracking down calorie wise this week. Not that I haven't any other week, but just paying a bit more attention to what goes into my mouth so I can have a little Thanksgiving freedom.

I plan on hitting the treadmill for an hour tomorrow. Went to Jiu-Jitsu on Monday. So, things are staying steady with the exercising over the last two weeks.

I'll be back tomorrow to talk Jiu-Jitsu.

The Star Sweep

2010-11-20T16:33:00.000-08:00

First, let me say that there are some Jiu-Jitsu moves that a big guy has a hard time doing ...and the star sweep is one of them. I was able to complete the move a handful of times once I got the technique down, so I was pretty stoked. I went to Saturday morning Jiu-Jitsu, which I love to do when I get the chance. Usually the classes are smaller and more intimate, which is good for instruction. Not only did we do the star sweep, but we also did the hand-stand sweep. Pretty cool stuff.

Why was I having a hard time initially with the star sweep? My stomach was getting in the way.

Check out the video below so you can get an idea of what's involved with the star sweep:

There were a few areas where this technique can go wrong for the student just learning (me). My first mistake was that I was putting my arm/hand up too high on the knee and not across the ankle. And, when I did the handstand to push up I wasn't using my momentum enough when swinging my leg over. Still, I'm glad I gutted this one out and was able to finally complete the move. I proved that even a fat guy can do a star sweep!

I was told today by Professor Parker that the star sweep is an older, more classic move, but man, when I first saw him demonstrate the move himself it felt like he was performing some sort of voo-doo magic.

Jiu-Jitsu bewilders me sometimes. I know the injuries and the fear of injuries in general have been a distraction in the past for me, but having days like this makes it all worthwhile.

Jiu-Jitsu Ramblings

2010-11-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

I've been beating myself up. Not physically, of course, but mentally.

Every time I train Jiu-Jitsu there's an attendance card that I pull for Professor Parker to check off. It's his way of keeping track of how many times his students train, which is also one of the way's for him to keep up to date with promotions. Now, I've never been one to get worked up over a stripe or belt promotion. Meaning: they're great when they happen, but I'm not like a few of the guys in class that live by their stripes/belts. If it takes me 20 years to get a black belt, I'm fine with that (although if it takes me that long I'll almost be 60-years old!).

My son, Garet, in his early training days.

So, I'm looking at my card on Wednesday afternoon before class, and I notice the lack of "X's" on my card over the last three to four months. 6 X's last month, 7 X's the previous...really just not enough. And, I've been beating myself up for it. I should be going to class more often.

A few things have contributed to my lack of BJJ attendance, one of which I alluded to the other day: injuries, apprehension of getting injured again, and the biggest of all...work! The job has really been a huge reason as to why I've been kept out of the training center, and while I love my job, I'll be very happy when the NFL season ends and January rolls around. Now that my fear of getting injured has subsided, and January comes, I'll be able to get on the mat more, but in the meantime I'll be fine with twice a week and picking up extra days at the gym on the treadmill.
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Someday I'm going to be able to find out what it's like to roll/train Jiu-Jitsu with someone larger than myself. That IS going to happen. It's a weird deal knowing that you're the largest and fattest guy on the mat, knowing how much of an advantage your size is for you. It's not so much with higher ranked belts or even some BJJ wizards that have similar ranking as I do that are just brilliant at it (so jealous of those guys), but with most of the guys my level or under, the advantage is clear for me. Just like I'm jealous of "The Situation's" abs. I'll get over my petty jealousies some day.

The only thing that really worries me about my size advantage BJJ-wise is that I might be using too much of my strength and not enough technique. Hmm.
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Wednesday's training session included some intense (for me) guard drills, where we pretty much non-stop drilled back and forth with a training partner. We did classic guard stuff, DeLaRiva and even some sweeps. One of us would try to pass guard, the other would try to keep the other from passing. After about a half hour I was spent. Wasted. And, was thankful that another person showed up late to blend in with me. So, I got to sit for a bit. Whew. I also sat out the first 5-minute sparring session, but did take part in the second session.

I felt great sparring. My wind is getting better, learning to take breathers when I can, don't expend so much energy on certain moves. It's working and even after the intense guard drilling I was able to keep myself together nicely for sparring.
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I'm going to try to be back tomorrow with another post, if not, see you on Monday!

Weigh-In Monday on Tuesday Yet Again

2010-11-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

No, I have not given up.

It might seem that way since I haven't posted here in quite some time or because I'm losing weight at a snail's pace, but no, I'm still plugging away. Since the last time I weighed in I've only lost about 2 pounds. Sigh.

I will admit to having some detachment to Jiu-Jitsu recently, for a few months actually. Maybe it had something to do with the injuries, or just my general lack of motivation to get back on the mat. But, I still went 6-7 times a month feeling that way, pushed myself so to speak, so at least I was keeping the spark going.

I free trained (sparred) last Friday for the first time in over a month (due to injury mainly, also fear of getting injured again and just general apprehension) and I renewed my love of Jiu-Jitsu. I'm really excited to feel this way again about the sport, because it's very, very easy to quit Jiu-Jitsu. The tough part is staying true (almost two years for me now).

Just like the old martial arts saying: a black belt is a white belt that never stopped training.

Along with Jiu-Jitsu apprehension I haven't been eating enough fruits and veggies. I alluded to this not too long ago and was talking about doing the smoothie thing to help alleviate my lack of the good stuff. I was going to go buy one of those fancy mixers, but I decided to just to use the old blender at the house and it works fine. Jams up a bit when I load so much stuff into it sometimes, though. I've learned to add, mix, add, mix again, so I don't keep jamming the blade up.

I like the idea of having a smoothie as a meal replacement, likely breakfast most days. It was a battle to get the smoothie exactly the way I wanted it, texture and taste, but after about four tries now I found one I love. In fact, I'm drinking it right now as I write.

Want the recipe?

This is my version of my own Orange/Banana smoothie:

fill half of a standard size blender up with ice
1 whole medium sized banana
1 half large orange
1 half kiwi
1 whole medium apple
4 baby carrots
handful of fresh spinach leaves
8 oz. of light vanilla yogurt

Cut the fruit up into small pieces so you don't blow up the house with blender overload.

My estimate of calories on this is about 440 or so, give or take. Last time I added some mango, which isn't bad tasting at all.

The flavor is heavy orange and banana, which I absolutely love. And for all of you getting grossed out by the carrots or spinach leaves, you don't taste them one bit. The coloring of the smoothie is a light orange as well.

Give this one a try and let me know what you think. Tastes so good, and so darn good for you, too!