Fun Food Fridays
In an effort to write more (and to force myself to get creative with my diet), I'm going to try a new feature: Fun Food Fridays. The concept is simple: I'm going to create a new dish every Friday that's homemade, delicious, and low in fat. Tonight was a pretty delectable dish: salmon and vegetables.
I cooked two salmon filets on the George Foreman grill for about five minute, then basted them in BBQ sauce. I recommend Walden Farms sauce. They have the only no-calorie BBQ sauce I've seen, and it's actually pretty good. While this is going on, I steamed some broccoli in the microwave, then strained it and put two slices of fat free American cheese on top. After the salmon was done, I threw some mushrooms on the grill until they were cooked through. The end result was this:
Just to add some sweetness to the meal, I added an apple to the side. Total calories: approximately 500. That's pretty impressive, since it include two pieces of fish, two slices of cheese, and BBQ sauce. And it was pretty good. I definitely plan on making it again sometime soon.
Now I just need to start thinking of a dish for next week!
One step back, two steps forward
I believe I've been at the routine for a little over three months now, and I feel the results are really starting to show now.
I went on vacation a few weeks back (part of it planned, part of it unplanned), including a last-minute trip out to Washington. This was the first time I had been out there since giving up caffeine. Surprisingly, I didn't really feel an urge to drink it, even though there's usually copious amounts of Diet Coke in the fridge. I also felt I did a better job of keeping my eating in check while out there, even if I didn't really exercise.
The result of said vacation was a gain of about two pounds, putting me around 331 by the time I was back on Sunday night. I used the next several days to step things up again, even if I took a day or two off in there. I'm now biking for 50 minutes, starting at level 7 resistance. Here's the typical breakdown:
-10 minutes at level 7
-5 minutes at level 8
-5 minutes at level 9
-10 minutes at level 10
-5 minutes at level 11
-5 minutes at level 12
-5 minutes at level 13
-5 minutes of cool-down
Including the compensating the bike does for increased resistance, I average about 15 miles a workout now. I've found myself having a much easier time during the mid-day or late-afternoon workouts than the early-morning ones. My legs just have more kick in them, even if I've worked out earlier in the day.
All in all, the week was way more productive than I expected. I lost nine pounds after I got back, bringing me down to 322. I'd guess this is about where I was during my senior year of high school. The clothes are getting much looser, I notice a difference in the mirror, and I feel pretty good.
I was even actually able to buckle the seatbelt on one of my flights without an extension. I haven't done that in a loooooong time. Hopefully I can keep it up so I'll have more options for flying. I always fly Delta right now because they're more lenient when it comes to "Customers of Size" (airline industry code-talk for fat people). Some airlines will bump you from a flight, or in some cases, charge you for a second seat. (Kevin Smith is a good example of this policy.) To be able to fly with the airlines with a stricter policy, you typically have to:
-Use no more than one seatbelt extension
-Be able to put down the armrest
-Not infringe on the seat(s) next to you
The first two are easy for me, especially now. It's the third one that's debatable. I do my best not to infringe on anyone else's space, but let's be honest: airline seats are typically between 16"-17" wide. I'm pretty broad-shouldered to begin with. It's a close call. I'd like to eliminate as much doubt as possible before I open up my options. On the bright side, at least I have more than enough points for a free Delta flight!
This week will carry more emotion than usual. I found out my fourth-grade teacher (an avid NC State fan), Mrs. Kat Dillon, passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was a truly remarkable person, even though I hadn't seen her in years. Wednesday also marks the one-year anniversary of Mom's death. I'll probably write more on that when the day comes around. There's so many thoughts running through my head, though it's at least become much easier to manage at this point.
That's all for now. Here's to more progress!
Weight as of Monday, April 19: 322.0 pounds
Weight lost since January 1: 36 pounds
Your lesson for today
If only we produced educational videos this simplistic and naive today. Wait a second...
Random musings of two football fanatics (in 160 characters or less)
Exchanging messages during football is becoming a regular happening between myself and friends and family who aren't close in proximity. Gabe happens to be my main partner in crime for football watching. As such, I offer the commentary of two geniuses over the course of two nights.
November 15: Colts vs. Patriots
Me (9:38 p.m., Colts losing 24-7): Poor Colts...
Gabe (9:39 p.m.): This suuuuuuuuuckss. See what had to happen for te thrars (Panthers) to win? The football gods are upset.
Me (9:40 p.m.): Remember, this has happened before, in the 2007 AFC title game (Colts came back from 21 down to win). The Colts have hope.
Gabe (9:41 p.m.): Yes sir.
Gabe (9:41 p.m.): The defensive pressure is crazy.
Me (9:44 p.m.): I think PI (pass interference) penalties should count toward receiving stats. It's like goaltending in basketball.
Me (9:47 p.m., after Wes Welker picks up some yards): See, this is better. You've cut Kenny's (fantasy football) lead to three.
Gabe (9:47 p.m.): Need Welker.
Me (9:48 p.m.): Me too. I need 28 between him and the Ravens kicker to win in my money league...and this is after getting (Drew) Brees!
Gabe (9:49 p.m.): Yeah dude. Not a good week. So many people got hurt.
Me (9:51 p.m.): I've scored 42 points in two separate Yahoo games today. In one league I'm losing by 50, and in the other I won by five. Ugh.
Gabe (9:52 p.m.): Yeah I'm down all the way around.
Me (10:02 p.m.): The East Division in our league is sad. The leader is losing to me by 80, two teams barely got to 50, and the other team's about to go 2-8.
Me (10:32 p.m.): Did you see the bit about how Tom Brady's been on all these magazine covers and Peyton keeps on getting Sports Illustrated? Cute. F*** the Pats.
Gabe (10:33 p.m.): Yes, exactly.
Me (10:39 p.m.): Ugh. (Cris) Collinsworth thinks people don't talk about Brady enough? F*** that little man.
Gabe (10:39 p.m.): I hate him so much.
Gabe (11:37 p.m., after the Colts got the ball back at the 28-yard line, down only four): Wow how did this happen? Go Peyton!
Gabe (11:39 p.m., after the Colts win): Unreal.
Monday, November 16 (I'll save you most of the commentary, as this game was bad)
Gabe (8:26 p.m.): Oh also Danny finally responded to my trade request. He wants Chris Johnson, Andre Johnson, and Matt Ryan for Drew Brees. I hate my life.
Me (8:54 p.m.): Are we both actually watching the Browns?
Gabe (8:59 p.m.): Sigh. Is this what it's come to?
Me (10:44 p.m., after a Steve Bureurlein sighting): Arguably the greatest QB in Panthers history. Oldest player to reach his first Pro Bowl and more passing yards than Peyton Manning in 1999.
Gabe (10:46 p.m.): He's clearly not better than (Chris) Weinke. (Who went 2-16 as the Panthers' QB.)
Gabe (10:49 p.m.): Browns fans are weird.
Gabe (10:50 p.m., after converting on fourth down): The Browns just did something the Patriots can't. Zing.
Gabe (10:52 p.m.): Wow they're so bad.
Lessons to be learned from these conversation:
- I play way too much fantasy football.
- I watch way too much football if I actually watch the Browns.
- I'm freaking Nostradamus.
- Chris Weinke sucks.
Random ramblings
Nothing really comes to mind today that would warrant an entry by itself, so I figured I'd throw out just a few random thoughts on this lovely Tuesday afternoon!
- Just saw a story about four people in Fayetteville who were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds. Police say they do not suspect foul play. How is it possible that four people (including two juveniles) were found shot to death, in the same place mind you, and it's not foul play?
-Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes was suspended for the first half of UF's next football game after attempting to gouge the eyes of an opposing player. Why is it that the good players at the bigger schools either: a.) get suspended for a half as opposed to the whole game, or b.) get suspended for the games against the bad teams? If you're going to be that transparent, why even suspend them?
-The Panthers won a big game this past weekend against Arizona, the defending NFC champions. Jake Delhomme threw the ball 15 times, threw a touchdown pass, and didn't turn the ball over. The Panthers also forced six turnovers (including five interceptions...poor Kurt Warner) and ran for 270 yards. If they keep doing that, they may make a surge.
Here's the thing: this is how the Panthers are built to play: a very strong running game, a strong defense, and a passing game that doesn't depend on the quarterback too much (which limits his chances to commit turnovers). They've had three seasons where they did that very well: 1996, 2003, and 2008, and guess what? They won the division all three of those years.
-My computer at work has decided to start acting crazy, especially when it comes to Microsoft Outlook. Because of this (and because of improved features in GMail), I've decided to move everything over to GMail. If you've never had chance to import 10,000 messages from one account to another, be glad. It sucks.
-My friend Terence wrote last night/this morning about love and what that means. He poses a very interesting question, and I'm not sure I can answer it myself. I think I may try to at some point soon, though. Thoughts?
I think that's all for now. Holler!
Hello again!
Another day, another blog. Welcome one and all! After determining that I desperately needed a hobby, I decided to pick up blogging again. And after much deliberation and thought, The Word of Bowers became reality. (Thanks for the name, Shane.)
I'm going to try to update this at least once a day, maybe multiple times on some days. If you want an idea as to the things you should expect and not expect, check out the About page up top. Make sure to register so you can post comments and take part in the discussion. Past that, be ready for a fun time, at least I hope!
Recent Greatness
Blogroll
- Extended AIM Profile Terence’s blog
- Profiles in Cuteness
- Shanenanigans Shane Ryan’s blog
- The Elephant Flies at Night
- The Mrs.
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