Livestrong

My first timed mile -- 8 minutes and 57 seconds........That sucks; nowhere near what I'm capable of running the mile in.

But.....My left knee held up and my lungs didn't get worked as hard as they could have been.

Tomorrow.....Tomorrow, if the knee cooperates, I will pick up the pace.

After a trip to the chiropractor the numbness in my right arm has subsided.  I still have to go back for a follow up a couple of days from now; not something I'm looking forward to after the way the doc attacked my neck.  But I'm hopeful that I can get back into the pushups and dumbbells next week.

If only I could attack my diet the way I do working out......

I have been meaning to get back on the Livestrong website and start tracking my caloric intake again.  But I just can't seem to talk myself into it.

Livestrong is an outstanding (and free) way to monitor your intake.  The site breaks down what you are eating and tells you if you are meeting your daily caloric goals as far as sodium, fat, protein, etc.

It also forces you to take a strong look at what you're eating.  It can serve as a real wake up call the first time you eat a Big Mac meal and then realize you just ate two thirds of your caloric intake for the entire day....Um, not that I ever did that....eh hem.

But, I gotta be honest.  I really don't like counting calories.  For one thing, it's an absolute pain in the ass when you cook something and can't find it on the website; then you have to either input every individual ingredient or create a custom made recipe to input.

I'm also not a big measuring guy, but I feel that if I'm really going to be serious about counting calories then I have to do it.

Why, you ask?  Have you seen how large the portion sizes have grown in our restaurants and homes?  I really feel that a vast majority of Americans don't know what a proper serving size for anything really is.  We are no different than the livestock we raise ---- stuffing ourselves with way too much food.

No, eyeballing it, as Karla suggests, simply won't cut it.  In this case, your eyes will always be bigger than your stomach.

The first time I measured out a serving of rice and chicken it didn't even take up half of my plate.  I had portioned my calories out evenly throughout the day and this small meal that sat before me was supposed to last me the rest of the day......and it was only six o'clock in the evening.

Shit....I'm gonna starve, I thought.

I will say this though.  The reason I had a hard time staying within my caloric range while simultaneously feeling sated was that I had too many processed foods and meats in my diet.  (Just my opinion, nothing concrete to back that up)

If you need a visual aid to see what I'm getting at, just take four hundred calories worth of any meat or processed food and compare it to four hundred calories of fruits and vegetables.  Which food do you think is more likely to fill up your stomach?  (A cup and a half of spinach is only ten calories)

When I was in my best shape I cut way back on the meats and lived on apples, oranges, bananas, and spinach.  I also ate, at about 240 calories a cup, a ton of rice.  Rice is a good filler, in fact I considered the rice the main part of my meal and whatever small serving of meat I had was a compliment to it.

Yes, I was in great shape......But I was frustrated, too.

Through the power of Livestrong, going out to eat was impossible.  Have you tried the "HEALTHY choices" at the sit down restaurants?   In my opinion, they absolutely suck and not worth the money.  Plus, you don't really feel like eating your healthy choice when everything else around you looks and smells better.

And eating at home was no easier.  If the entire family isn't on board with eating healthy then the lone  healthy eater is basically screwed.  At least once a week someone will want to call in for pizza or I'll get up in the morning and find someone made a doughnut run...and at least once a week someone will bake enough cookies to feed an army....and it drives me absolutely insane.

Several times I've been tempted to go outside so I don't have to smell the evil, greasy, yet wonderfully delicious temptation emanating throughout the house.

"Hey dad, you want a.......oh, wait, that's right.  You can't have this."

Bite me.

Yes sir, nothing says compassion quite like watching your family eat pizza and guzzle pop, and then listen to them tell you how much they support your healthy life style......GRRRRRR.

You know what.....Screw it....no, maybe not.  Hell, I don't know.

PFFT.....Maybe Livestrong isn't such a good idea right now.  It's crazy to think that someone trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle can be seen as a fanatic....Whatever, eat your Doritos and leave me alone.

Then again, I've been giving myself a cheat day on Wednesday and Saturday....Basically, one meal where I just east whatever I want.  I suppose if I do that I can make this work.

And as a family we are doing a better about eating right.....Sort of......Except that the chips, little debbie cakes, mac and cheese, ice cream, and pastries are slowly starting to make their way back into the house.

GRR....I think I'll just put this on the shelf for now.....I'm already getting frustrated.