Allen Iverson once gave a press conference where he was questioned about skipping/missing practice. His response to the reporter was: (yeah I know its a long quote but bear with me here...its been a long morning)
"If Coach tells you that I missed practice, then that's that. I may have missed one practice this year but if somebody says he missed one practice of all the practices this year, then that's enough to get a whole lot started. I told Coach Brown that you don't have to give the people of Philadelphia a reason to think about trading me or anything like that. If you trade somebody, you trade them to make the team better...simple as that. I'm cool with that. I'm all about that. The people in Philadelphia deserve to have a winner. It's simple as that. It goes further than that ... If I can't practice, I can't practice. It is as simple as that. It ain't about that at all. It's easy to sum it up if you're just talking about practice. We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last but we're talking about practice man. How silly is that? ... Now I know that I'm supposed to lead by example and all that but I'm not shoving that aside like it don't mean anything. I know it's important, I honestly do but we're talking about practice. We're talking about practice man. We're talking about practice. We're talking about practice. We're not talking about the game. We're talking about practice. When you come to the arena, and you see me play, you've seen me play right, you've seen me give everything I've got, but we're talking about practice right now. ... Hey I hear you, it's funny to me too, hey it's strange to me too but we're talking about practice man, we're not even talking about the game, when it actually matters, we're talking about practice ... How the hell can I make my teammates better by practicing?"
I went to bed last night around 930pm...I was tired, at least I thought I was while sitting in front of the tv dozing off. I woke up at 209am hungry as could be and was unable to fall back asleep. Usually during a sleepless night (which is not often) I can go out to the oversized comfy couch, turn the tv on low and fall back asleep. Last night, well...no so much. I caught up on the DVR, watched the news, and watched Sportscenter. Being awake for 4 hours before the wife got up I had time to daydream and think about random things. I thought to myself, self...is this what life will be like with a newborn? Of course it is! So instead of complaining about being tired or whining about lack of sleep I am treating this like practice. Prep work for a child. I actually perform pretty well on 6 hours of sleep, heck in college I got through most nights on 3 or 4 for six straight years!
I have heard horror stories from friends about how the basically didn't sleep for 2 years straight with their first child. But I have also seen firsthand the glory stories of newborns that slept through the night very very early in their lives. (ie. my nephew Nicolas) Nicolas is the model child, he sleeps through ANYTHING, he listens, he behaves, and he is a really fun kid! Sure part of that is parenting and my brother and sister in law seem to have that down to a science these days with their second child Emerson. I hope that part of that is also genetic and that my child will inherit these highly desirable behaviors! But if he or she doesn't I promise to be there for them sacrificing my sleep so that they can get theirs.
I have a nice long 11 hour day ahead of me and my prescription for survival will be diet mt. dew and probably more coffee than the 2 cups I have already had this morning!
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
sunday weigh in day.
Sunday was a weigh in day, I gained .4 lb this week. I was a little surprised because I ran more miles and did more cardio last week than ANY previous week on the program. I think the problem I had last week was 3 separate meals out in restaurants during the week and "tastes and tries."
Part of sticking with this evolution of my diet requires you to log everything you eat, which I have been very diligent doing. Until last week...I did a very poor job last week because there were numerous times I would walk past a bag of chips or snacks at work and just have a taste. Oh, someone made a dessert and brought it in to work I'll just try a forkful. Well the tastes and the tries added up last week. I am not saying that all the weight gain this week was because of tastes and tries but that didn't help the situation.
This week will require more discipline and better tracking of my snacks. But I will turn things around.
Part of sticking with this evolution of my diet requires you to log everything you eat, which I have been very diligent doing. Until last week...I did a very poor job last week because there were numerous times I would walk past a bag of chips or snacks at work and just have a taste. Oh, someone made a dessert and brought it in to work I'll just try a forkful. Well the tastes and the tries added up last week. I am not saying that all the weight gain this week was because of tastes and tries but that didn't help the situation.
This week will require more discipline and better tracking of my snacks. But I will turn things around.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
fun workout.
I made up a workout on the treadmill today to beat the boredom of running for 40 minutes.
I am sure there is a name for it, but thats not the point.
I walked for 5 minutes to warm up my legs, then put the treadmill at 6mph. I held the pace for 5 minutes, then every 3 to 5 minutes I moved the speed up .5mph. I kept doing this until I reached the point where the treadmill was winning and I had to back it down a few notches. (My rule was that I had to be able to hold the pace for at least 3 minutes).
I made it to 8.5mph and barely hung on for the 3 minutes. As soon as I hit the three minutes I backed it back down to 6mph. Ran there for 5 minutes and ramped it back up. This time I made it to 8.0mph and the legs were BURNING.
After all was said and done I was sweating like a hog and huffing and puffing. I had covered over 3.5miles in just over 33 minutes then I walked to cool down for 5 minutes for a total workout time of 43 minutes.
It is now almost 5pm (my workout was at 745am) and I am still feeling good from the workout. I don't even think I needed coffee today.
What a DAY!
I am sure there is a name for it, but thats not the point.
I walked for 5 minutes to warm up my legs, then put the treadmill at 6mph. I held the pace for 5 minutes, then every 3 to 5 minutes I moved the speed up .5mph. I kept doing this until I reached the point where the treadmill was winning and I had to back it down a few notches. (My rule was that I had to be able to hold the pace for at least 3 minutes).
I made it to 8.5mph and barely hung on for the 3 minutes. As soon as I hit the three minutes I backed it back down to 6mph. Ran there for 5 minutes and ramped it back up. This time I made it to 8.0mph and the legs were BURNING.
After all was said and done I was sweating like a hog and huffing and puffing. I had covered over 3.5miles in just over 33 minutes then I walked to cool down for 5 minutes for a total workout time of 43 minutes.
It is now almost 5pm (my workout was at 745am) and I am still feeling good from the workout. I don't even think I needed coffee today.
What a DAY!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
PiggyBack Post...holy fiber batman!
I was writing the last post and I came to a realization, I am eating a hell of alot of fiber everyday! Depending on what you read we are recommended to intake approximately 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day. There are a plethora of benefits to eating fiber. Proper fiber intake (both soluble and insoluble) can reduce risk of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders and global cooling (hehehehe...increased methane production will warm any room!).
Lets do a quick calculation for my diet based on todays other blog..
Breakfast: varies from from 4gm to 6gm
Snack is a fiber one and an apple or other fruit: 9-12gms of fiber
Lunch varies based on the Lean Cuisine and Soup but anywhere from 4 to 10 grams of fiber
Afternoon snack is also 9-12 grams of fiber.
Dinner also varies from 5 to 15 grams of fiber (15 if I eat mega salad)
So my grand total on the low end is 31 grams to an absurd 55 grams of fiber per day.
Honey, Do we have any beano?!!
Lets do a quick calculation for my diet based on todays other blog..
Breakfast: varies from from 4gm to 6gm
Snack is a fiber one and an apple or other fruit: 9-12gms of fiber
Lunch varies based on the Lean Cuisine and Soup but anywhere from 4 to 10 grams of fiber
Afternoon snack is also 9-12 grams of fiber.
Dinner also varies from 5 to 15 grams of fiber (15 if I eat mega salad)
So my grand total on the low end is 31 grams to an absurd 55 grams of fiber per day.
Honey, Do we have any beano?!!
It's a groove, not a rut.
I get in a rut occasionally with work, life, and sometimes diet. So I would consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to being stuck in rut. I haven't written much about my diet recently because I have found a groove and I like where it is taking me.
I have always been a creature of habit and one who doesn't like rapid change. I think that comes from being first born and always in control of my situation. I also have been the kind of eater that will try anything but have my go to foods that are always around and comforting. When I first got out of college I could have eaten mac and cheese every night for a month and never got bored. It's not that I don't want to try anything else I just know what I like and when I do finally get bored I will move on.
My recent meal choices for the past 8 weeks or so have revolved around the following schedule. Breakfast is eggs, bagel thins, smart balance light margarine with olive oil, turkey sausage, fresh fruit, vitamins, and coffee or its oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, vitamins and coffee. Both Breakfasts range from 9-11 points and are very filling and satisfying. My method of deploying the eggs is usually over easy or as an omelet with fresh veggies and just a little light cheddar cheese. The oatmeal is steel cut old fashioned oats, fresh fruits, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
I usually snack at work around 11am on a fiber now bar (aldi's version of fiber one), or a fiber one 90 calorie bar. I also usually eat some fresh fruit preferably a banana or apple but I have also been eating mangoes recently because they are 10 for $10 at Giant Eagle.
Lunch is usually a Lean Cuisine and a Progresso soup. Honestly the variety of foods available from them is outstanding. I have something different everyday. Points range from 6-9 for the lean cuisines and from 4 to 9 for the soups.
I will usually have another piece of fruit at some point in the afternoon if I am hungry but that lunch usually holds me for hours.
If I am working an 11 hour shift I will have another lean cuisine for dinner and then a snack of triscuits and cheese when I get home. If I am leaving work by 5pm, I will usually come home and make a mega salad (see previous blog) and a turkey burger or some other lean protein. If I end up hungry or with some points left over after that feast I will usually graze on fruits or another fiber one bar. Most dinners are also anywhere from 12-20 points.
That brings me to my grand total of 46 points for the day and usually very satisfied with my hunger level and I am also seeing results with my body so I am highly motivated as well. There have been only a handful of days where I have tapped into my weekly bonus points. Each week I get 48 extra points for pigout days or days where I exceed my daily points. I also earn extra points for exercise which I have been doing regularly each week, minus one recovery period 2 weeks ago where I just took some time off.
I have a feeling I will continue in this groove for a while until some other meals come along that cause me to change tracks and jump into.
I have always been a creature of habit and one who doesn't like rapid change. I think that comes from being first born and always in control of my situation. I also have been the kind of eater that will try anything but have my go to foods that are always around and comforting. When I first got out of college I could have eaten mac and cheese every night for a month and never got bored. It's not that I don't want to try anything else I just know what I like and when I do finally get bored I will move on.
My recent meal choices for the past 8 weeks or so have revolved around the following schedule. Breakfast is eggs, bagel thins, smart balance light margarine with olive oil, turkey sausage, fresh fruit, vitamins, and coffee or its oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, vitamins and coffee. Both Breakfasts range from 9-11 points and are very filling and satisfying. My method of deploying the eggs is usually over easy or as an omelet with fresh veggies and just a little light cheddar cheese. The oatmeal is steel cut old fashioned oats, fresh fruits, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
I usually snack at work around 11am on a fiber now bar (aldi's version of fiber one), or a fiber one 90 calorie bar. I also usually eat some fresh fruit preferably a banana or apple but I have also been eating mangoes recently because they are 10 for $10 at Giant Eagle.
Lunch is usually a Lean Cuisine and a Progresso soup. Honestly the variety of foods available from them is outstanding. I have something different everyday. Points range from 6-9 for the lean cuisines and from 4 to 9 for the soups.
I will usually have another piece of fruit at some point in the afternoon if I am hungry but that lunch usually holds me for hours.
If I am working an 11 hour shift I will have another lean cuisine for dinner and then a snack of triscuits and cheese when I get home. If I am leaving work by 5pm, I will usually come home and make a mega salad (see previous blog) and a turkey burger or some other lean protein. If I end up hungry or with some points left over after that feast I will usually graze on fruits or another fiber one bar. Most dinners are also anywhere from 12-20 points.
That brings me to my grand total of 46 points for the day and usually very satisfied with my hunger level and I am also seeing results with my body so I am highly motivated as well. There have been only a handful of days where I have tapped into my weekly bonus points. Each week I get 48 extra points for pigout days or days where I exceed my daily points. I also earn extra points for exercise which I have been doing regularly each week, minus one recovery period 2 weeks ago where I just took some time off.
I have a feeling I will continue in this groove for a while until some other meals come along that cause me to change tracks and jump into.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
milestones!
Todays weigh in was a good one! 213.6!
I received a congratulatory note from weight watchers that I had reached a milestone, I have lost 5% of my original weight!
Then the screen popped my bubble with this:
Please note:You’re probably excited to be losing weight, but you’re losing faster than is recommended. Although it’s normal to lose over 2 lbs in one week, if you lose more than an average of 2 lbs per week over a 4-week period, this could pose health risks, such as heart irregularities, anemia or loss of muscle mass. Please slow your weight loss; your doctor can help you do this if you’re not sure how.
I lost 2lbs in one week but I definitely have averaged more than 2lbs a week so I am not entirely certain why I am getting this warning. I am not going to sweat it, I am sticking to the program and doing exactly what I am supposed to do. I run, I train my muscles, and I eat right.
Have a great Sunday!
I received a congratulatory note from weight watchers that I had reached a milestone, I have lost 5% of my original weight!
Then the screen popped my bubble with this:
Please note:You’re probably excited to be losing weight, but you’re losing faster than is recommended. Although it’s normal to lose over 2 lbs in one week, if you lose more than an average of 2 lbs per week over a 4-week period, this could pose health risks, such as heart irregularities, anemia or loss of muscle mass. Please slow your weight loss; your doctor can help you do this if you’re not sure how.
I lost 2lbs in one week but I definitely have averaged more than 2lbs a week so I am not entirely certain why I am getting this warning. I am not going to sweat it, I am sticking to the program and doing exactly what I am supposed to do. I run, I train my muscles, and I eat right.
Have a great Sunday!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
she's beautiful.
"You're Beautiful Hon,"
"No I'm not, I'm Fat!"
"You're not fat you're pregnant"
"Well I feel fat"
"You're Beautiful Hon."
The above conversation is the abbreviated version of 90% of my conversations with my BEAUTIFUL wife since she has become pregnant. I try and I try but there is no convincing a pregnant woman anything other than the thought in her head, but I continue to press on. She is currently sleeping away her pregnancy fatigue while I sit out here on the couch ticking away on the keys. The fatigue has been the biggest difficulty for both of us. Luckily Christine wasn't too nauseous during the first trimester, just tired, ALL THE TIME. I have become accustomed to going to bed at 830pm and watching tv in bed until 10 or 11 pm. Being as supportive as I can is very important to her. I don't want my wife to feel like she is ever alone in this, even though she is carrying the brunt of the responsibility right now. My more significant responsibility begins after March 25th, sonogram day. Once we find out the sex of the baby my work begins. I will be remodeling the bedroom to become the nursery. Picking up furniture, paint, a chair rail and other assorted baby goods. Let me make sure I clarify that as well. I will be PICKING UP these items, but I won't be PICKING these items. The wife has everything planned out for the rooms. I did have a say but I told her that she was welcome to pick whatever she wanted for the themes as long as they weren't overwhelmingly pink or blue. My job once these items are in the house will be to install/paint/assemble and arrange everything exactly how the wife wants them.
In my opinion one of the big myths of pregnancy is that the guy should gain weight along with his wife so that she feels sympathy. I am glad my wife agrees with me on this one because if I was gaining weight right now as opposed losing it I wouldn't be a happy camper. This weekend appears to be a washout weather wise with a forecast of heavy rain all weekend. So I will most likely be on the treadmill today and Sunday. If the weather is better on Monday maybe I can finally squeeze in another outside run.
"You're so beautiful hon."
"shut up ron (smiling)."
"yes dear."
"No I'm not, I'm Fat!"
"You're not fat you're pregnant"
"Well I feel fat"
"You're Beautiful Hon."
The above conversation is the abbreviated version of 90% of my conversations with my BEAUTIFUL wife since she has become pregnant. I try and I try but there is no convincing a pregnant woman anything other than the thought in her head, but I continue to press on. She is currently sleeping away her pregnancy fatigue while I sit out here on the couch ticking away on the keys. The fatigue has been the biggest difficulty for both of us. Luckily Christine wasn't too nauseous during the first trimester, just tired, ALL THE TIME. I have become accustomed to going to bed at 830pm and watching tv in bed until 10 or 11 pm. Being as supportive as I can is very important to her. I don't want my wife to feel like she is ever alone in this, even though she is carrying the brunt of the responsibility right now. My more significant responsibility begins after March 25th, sonogram day. Once we find out the sex of the baby my work begins. I will be remodeling the bedroom to become the nursery. Picking up furniture, paint, a chair rail and other assorted baby goods. Let me make sure I clarify that as well. I will be PICKING UP these items, but I won't be PICKING these items. The wife has everything planned out for the rooms. I did have a say but I told her that she was welcome to pick whatever she wanted for the themes as long as they weren't overwhelmingly pink or blue. My job once these items are in the house will be to install/paint/assemble and arrange everything exactly how the wife wants them.
In my opinion one of the big myths of pregnancy is that the guy should gain weight along with his wife so that she feels sympathy. I am glad my wife agrees with me on this one because if I was gaining weight right now as opposed losing it I wouldn't be a happy camper. This weekend appears to be a washout weather wise with a forecast of heavy rain all weekend. So I will most likely be on the treadmill today and Sunday. If the weather is better on Monday maybe I can finally squeeze in another outside run.
"You're so beautiful hon."
"shut up ron (smiling)."
"yes dear."
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