Day 24

Finances
1 - Coffee: $1.64
2 - Rent: $1595

It is what it is.

3 - Laundry: $1.50

I needed clean underwear

Food
1 - Two scrambled eggs, butter, two slices of turkey bacon, ketchup, and a cup of vegetable juice
2 - Banana
3 - Sandwich: Cajun catfish fillet, tartar sauce, Whole Foods Seeduction bread
4 - Baked salmon with a pistachio and pine nut crust, and jasmine rice with soy sauce
5 - Two onion rings

I went to a bar and all I had was two onion rings. I call that a little victory.

6 - Slice of bread, tablespoon of peanut butter, and a cup of skim milk

Workout
1 - 10-minutes on elliptical machine, moderate workout

I still have that cough - it just won't go away.

2 - Superset: Bench press (3 sets of 10 with 95 lbs) and yoga-ball crunches (3 sets of 50)
3 - Superset: Pectoral flies (3 sets of 10 with 105 lbs) and dorsal flies (3 sets of 10 with 105 lbs)
4 - Tricep pull-downs (1 set of 10 with 60 lbs)
5 - Rows (1 set of 10 with 80 lbs)
6 - Dorsal pull-downs (1 set of 10 with 80 lbs)

Day 23

Atlantic City trip is pushed back to the 17th...I don't know what this means for my goals this week. I'm already way off course. This week is shaping up to be an epic failure. I'll keep eating well but there's just birthdays, dinner parties, and plenty of other distractions...

All I can do is try, not feel guilty, and keep pressing ahead. And keep being honest.

Finances
1 - Grocery shopping: $65.59

I got two nights worth of dinner (catfish and salmon), about three weeks worth of breakfast (cereal, waffles, eggs), a week's worth of lunch (cold cuts and bread), and two weeks worth of snacks (fruits and nuts). Also got me some pomegranate juice.

2 - Dremo's: $16

Counter Culture Festival planning meeting...

Food
1 - 2 Van's 7-grain Belgian Waffles, some butter light syrup, and a cup of skim milk
2 - Mixed nuts with cranberries
3 - Sandwich: Ham and light mayo on multi-grain bread
4 - Some more mixed nuts with cranberries
5 - One chocolate covered raisin, one cheese sample, one sample of apple bread, and one croissant pudding sample

Whole Foods...what can I say?

6 - Catfish fillet, Cajun spices, olive oil, and some relish/light mayo
7 - 4 pints of Miller Light

Ugh...four straight nights of beer. And I'm going out tomorrow night, Thursday night, Saturday night, and potentially Friday night. Ugh. I'm going to have to go to meet my seven days of physical activity goal.

Workout
1 - 10-minutes on bike with good resistance

I still have my cough so the sprints are still out.

2 - Bench presses (3 sets of 10 with 97 lbs)
3 - Superset: Dumbbell shoulder press (3 sets of 8 with 70 lbs) and curls (3 sets of 10 with 25 lbs, each arm)
4 - Superset: potatoes sack squats (3 sets of 10 with 40 lbs) and barbell rows (3 sets of 10 with 40 lbs)

Day 22

Finances
1 - Rhodeside Grill: $36.55

Robin's basically done with grad school so I bought her some beers and some nachos.

Food
1 - Bowl of cheerios, skim milk, and a banana
2 - An apple
3 - Sandwich: Ham, chicken breast, provolone, and light mayo on multi-grain bread
4 - A small serving of chicken korma and rice with some naan
More of a snack knowing I was going to take Robin out.
5 - Several nachos loaded mainly with chicken breast.

It was seriously about five chips, light on cheese, with grilled chicken on it.

6 - Two pints of Yuengling.

Workout
1 - Fifty push ups
2 - 250 crunches

I didn't go to the gym today but I want to start working a daily push ups/crunches routine regardless of if I go to the gym or not.

Day 21

Here's what I learned this week: It makes no sense to set an "overall budget" for a week. It's just not going to happen - too many things could come up. I would have made it under $100 this week if my cell phone battery didn't die. I need to pitch in with house stuff, too - Robin got the groceries this week but what about next week? I think it makes more sense to monitor what you're spending and set more focused goals with real rewards.

For example, this week I'm limiting myself to $100 in entertainment money. Movies, bars, etc (not counting restaurants since I'd like to take Robin out to celebrate getting over the final big MBA push and there is a birthday this week as well). Why is that a practical goal and a good challenge? I'm out in Atlantic City this weekend. I'm not going there to gamble but I'd like to be able to play a couple of hands of blackjack, if possible. If I can make it to Saturday without spending any entertainment money, I'll have $100 to gamble with. Whatever I spend in bars, movies, etc gets taken out of that budget.

So that's a practical challenge with a real reward. And, who knows, maybe I won't even gamble in AC. It's not like I need to.

Finances
1 - Church: $5

I didn't have a ten on me...I'll give $15 next week.

2 - Library: $4.80

Late fees on three of my five books. There was a bit of a bottleneck; The Great Bridge was too long and I couldn't finish Epileptic but I kept trying anyway.

3 - Dremos: $19

Two pitchers of beer. They comped me the humus. Nice.

I spent $115.51 this week. Very close to my $100 goal for this week. I didn't my goal but, honestly, I'm happy with how good I did.

Food

Well, my goal was to stick to the diet with the exception of one night out. I had one crappy meal all week and drinks the past two night. Otherwise I was on target. I'm happy with how I did but I won't lie, I know I shouldn't have had two nights of heavy drinking.

1 - One piece of multi-grain bread, one tablespoon of peanut butter, and one cup of skim milk
2 - Eucharist and a bit of sacramental wine
3 - Two lightly-breaded chicken cutlets, a slice of provolone, and some honey mustard
4 - Brazil nuts and dried cranberries
5 - Pita and humus
6 - I'm not sure how much I drank, honestly. There were pitchers going around. But I think it'd be fair to say that I had two pitchers of Miller Light since that's what I bought.
6 - Medium-sized serving of chicken vindaloo and rice. A little bit of naan on the side.

Workout

My goal was to go to the gym five times this week. Mission accomplished, no caveats.

1 - Ten minutes on the bike.

I got a nasty cramp in my calf last night that stuck with me all day. Combined with a light cough I decided to stay away from a cardio-intensive warm up.

2 - Super-set: Bench-presses (3 sets of 8 with 95 lbs) and yoga-ball crunches (3 sets of 50)
3 - Super-set: Chin ups (3 sets of 7 with a 76 lb assist) and dips (3 sets of 10 with a 76 lb assist)

Big improvement from the 100lb assist on the 9th.

4 - Super-set: Potato-sack squats (3 sets of 12 with 30lbs) and double-plate presses (3 sets of 12 with 20 pounds)

I love the potato-sack squats, I'm going to push that up to 40 next time. With the double-plate press, thanks to the weight options in the gym my only option is to jump to 50 lbs - that's a big jump. I may try it next time, though.

Goals for next week. $100 total entertainment money, including a night in AC. Since I'm going out there for a night of work with my writing partner, it's probably better that I don't gamble at all. But, we'll see. Stick the diet every day except for one meal. Seven days of some sort of physical activity.

Day 20

Finances
1 - Coffee and mints: $4.23
2 - Lunch: $7.96
3 - Tolls: $1
4 - Smoothies: $11.20
5 - Bar tabs: $26

Took a bit of a hit today...not a big budget left for tomorrow's night out. Tough call. I want to have fun - I might have to let this one go. $13.29 and ten dollars going to the church plus a night at Dremo's. But just a little bit. It's funny, I was originally going to set my weekly budget at a more modest $150 - I would have blown that one away.

Food
1 - 2 Van's multi-grain, berry-boost waffles, two pieces of turkey bacon, and a cup of skim milk
2 - Skim milk for coffee
3 - Turkey and cheddar panini
4 - A small fruit smoothie - Apple juice, blue berries, banana, low-fat frozen yogurt
5 - Sandwich: Two lightly breaded chicken cutlets, multi-grain bread, provolone cheese, and light mayo
6 - Beer: Six pints

I wasn't supposed to go out tonight but a couple of dudes were going out and, end of the day, it's a Saturday. I ate well and I'll eat well tomorrow, too.

7 - A couple of cashews.

Workout

None, I'm going tomorrow and will meet my five visit goal.

Day 19

Finances
I didn't spend any money today....remarkable for a Friday.

$26.32 spent so far this week with two days to go. I have a signing all day tomorrow and then I was planning on hitting the movies. Sunday I have work to do and then the DCC get-together. I think I can coast to my $100 budget I set for myself.

Food

Once again, I'm been on track with my weekly goal. I can't eat a crappy meal tomorrow or Sunday but that doesn't rule out a beer or two since I've been keeping the alcohol consumption down to a minimum. Maybe some wine with the Sox game tomorrow night and a couple of pints at Dremo's on Sunday.

1 - Two Van's multi-grain, berry-boost waffles, some butter light syrup, two pieces of turkey bacon, and a cup of skim milk
2 - Sandwich: Multi-grain bread, lean ham, provolone, and light mayo
3 - Mixed nuts and dried cranberries
4 - Banana
5 - Two chicken cutlets, breading, one egg (for dredging), extra-virgin olive oil (for cooking), 1/2 cup pasta, and marinara sauce

I took a trip to Italy in March and learned about the differences between extra-virgin, virgin, and regular 'old olive oil. I'll never buy regular 'ole olive oil again. I lightly breaded the cutlets with freshly-made breadcrumbs.

6 - One slice of multi-grain bread, one tablespoon of peanut butter, and a cup of skim milk

Workout

One workout away from my goal for this week.

1 - Warm-up: Speed Pyramid

I guess that's what I'll call it. Start at 5mph, go up to 8mph and back down, spending two-minutes at each speed. Gets the heart going nice.

2 - Superset: Bench presses (3 sets of 8 with 95 lbs) and yoga-ball crunches (3 sets of 50)
I've been avoiding stomach exercises due to the recent hernia operation. Today didn't feel too bad, though, so I may start bringing them back in slowly.
3 - Superset: Tricep extensions (3 sets of 10 with 70 lbs for each arm) and barbell rows (3 sets of 10 with 50 lbs)

Day 18

Finances
1 - Coffee: $2
2 - Cell phone battery: $7.92

Either my cell phone or my battery died while I was in LA. Since my cell phone is also my PDA I'd rather try the battery first and get another year out of it before springing several hundred dollars for a new phone when I only had this one for under two years.

Food
1 - Two scrambled eggs, some butter, three pieces of turkey bacon, and a half-cup of vegetable juice
2 - Some skim milk for my coffee
3 - Tangerine
4 - Sandwich: Ham, provolone, low-fat mayo on a multi-grain baguette
5 - Banana
6 - Mixed nuts and dried cranberries
7 - Salad: Grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, red and green peppers, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, and no-fat Italian dressing.

I also had a bite of Robin's chicken parmesan sandwich. It was real good.

8 - One slice of whole grain bread, one tablespoon or peanut butter, and one cup of white grape juice.

Workout
No workout.

I'll go tomorrow and Saturday, most likely. In the future I'm going to force myself to do pushups and crunches daily just to make sure I do something active.

Day 17

Donuts are my kryptonite. Donuts and pizza. I stared down a box of donuts today and did not give in to the temptation...and then I blew it by eating a chili dog. More below...

Finances
1 - One glass of Cabernet: $11.20

Yeah, that's what I said.

Food
1 - Two Van's Hearty Oats Berry Boost waffles w/Butter Light Syrup and a half-cup of vegetable juice

Van's waffles are the best. High in fiber, no trans-fats, and downright delicious. I've been eating them exclusively for the past two or three years. Recently Robin brought home some Eggos and they tasted like cardboard - I can't believe I ever ate them.

2 - Cup of peaches
3 - Can of tuna
4 - Red Plum
5 - Chili dog and some chili cheese fries

Yup. Looks like my one shitty meal of the week was consumed on Wednesday. After the Pop Candy party at Bar Pilar, Jon Wye offered to buy me dinner, I said, "yes," and it turns out that the place we went to had chili. And that was about it...

I couldn't turn back at that point. It just sucks, this means I need to eat something healthy at Dremo's on Sunday night which basically means I need to bring my own food.

6 - Half-cup white grape juice and a small piece of dark chocolate

Workout
1 - 6 1-minute sprints @ 8mph over twelve minutes.

Half of those were at a 2-degree incline. It was an accident. I noticed it after wondering why the hell I was sucking so much wind. It's amazing what a couple of degrees would do.

2 - Bench press (3 sets of 10 w/ 85 pounds)

I need to get the bench up. Honestly - I just hate doing the free weight thing without a spotter. I know I can do more but it wigs me out.

3 -Potato-sack squats (3 sets of 10 w/30 pounds)

I got this one from Men's Health. It's basically a cross between a dead lift and a squat. They recommended you start with 20-30 pounds and they were damn right.

4 - Super set: Rows (3 sets of 10 w/50 lbs) and dumbbell flies (3 sets of 10 w/50 lbs)

Day 16

Finances
No money spent.

Food
1 - Two scrambled eggs, some butter, ketchup, and a half-cup of milk
2 - Half can of black-eyed peas, half-can of tuna
3 - Pumpkin seeds
4 - Almonds
5 - Four pieces of bourbon chicken, half-can of baked beans
6 - Half-glass of Cabernet
7 - Medium sized bowl of mac and cheese from Boulevard Wood Grill

It was leftover from Robin's night out. I got kind of sick tonight off of a half-glass of wine. Not sure why - I may just be coming down with something. It happened last night, too. In fact, I haven't been reacting well to red wine since I drank way too much of it a couple of months ago in Buffalo. I think my body's rejecting it. The mac and cheese smoothed me out...and yes, I do realize it's off diet somewhat. I don't feel too bad about it though on the account that I was physically ill and needed something fast. Plus, it wasn't a lot of food and it was prepared at an upscale restaurant.

Workout

I had a 25-minute window to workout and shower so I decided to just go as hard as I could. I did the weights nice and slow and with little rest and the run got the heart-rate up nice.

1 - 1-minute @ 5mph, 1-minute @ 6mph, 1-minute @ 7mph, 2-minute @ 8mph, 1-minute @ 7mph, 1-minute @ 6mph, and 1-minute @ 5mph
2 - Incline bench press (3 sets of 10 w/97lbs
3 - Overhead press (3 sets of 10 w/70lbs)

Day 15

Well - the gym scale had me at 233 so I gained around three pounds last week. It's weird, I didn't think I was being that bad but apparently I was. Well if I meet my goals this week I should be able to get it back and then some.

It turns out I might have something going on tomorrow night as well. Oy. A glass of wine a night is actually good for you so, you know, I'll stick to that.

Finances
1 - Tiger Mart stuff: $5.20

Diet soda, snack for Robin...the plan was to spend no money today but she just finished her big MBA project and was just relaxing - if she wanted a treat I had to get her a treat.

Food
1 - Two scrambled eggs, a turkey-sausage patty, some butter, ketchup, and vegetable juice.
2 - A Lean Cuisine panini

I need to go shopping - all I had for lunch in the apartment were some microwaveable meals. Low on calories but low on everything else as well.

3 - Sunflower seeds
4 - Wasabi peas
5 - Half can of tuna and a half can of black eyed peas

With some salt and pepper it was actually a pretty delicious dinner. It'll also be tomorrow's lunch.

6 - A glass and a half of Cabernet

Robin wanted to go out and get a beer - I just had some wine, she treated.

7 - A 100-calorie Lorna Doone snack pack

I grabbed it because it was easy. While eating it, I realized it was 100 empty calories. No protein, no good fats, no nothing. Last time I grab one of those.

Workout
1 - 6 1-minute sprints @ 8mph
2 - Bench Press (3 sets of 10 w/97lbs)
3 - Decline Bench Press (3 sets of 10 w/117lbs)
4 - Super Set: Double-Plate Press (3 sets of 12 w/20 lbs) and Yoga-Ball Mountain Climber (3 sets of 10 for each leg)

For the plate press I took two ten-pound weights and pressed them together, fingers stretched outwards. Pulled the weights into my chest and then slowly extended my arms out as far as they can go. I read about it in Men's Health.

Day 14

Travel days always look bad. It's when you pay the hotel and the rental car and have crappy food options and only have time to sit on your ass. But, like I said, next weeks goals:

1) Less than $100. This will be tough - not only do I have two nights out guaranteed but I also need to replace my cell phone battery (and, if that doesn't work, my cell phone). This one's already in danger and it's not even Monday yet.
2) Stick to the diet with the exception of one night out. This means that I'm drinking a maximum of one glass of wine at the Wednesday party, I guess.
3) Workout five days this week. This one won't be too hard. There's no reason why I can't workout Monday through Thursday and then I just need to go on Saturday or Sunday.

Finances
1 - Internet: $5

I had to use the printer to print out our boarding passes and there was a five-dollar minimum. I didn't realize it when I first logged on.

2 - Hotel: $559.83
3 - Coffee tip: $1

We had two complementary drinks so I felt obligated to tip. Oh well...

4 - Hotel tip: $10
5 - In-n-out: $10.29
6 - Gas: $32.09
7 - Rental Car: $130.77
8 - Parking: $36
9 - Toll: $.50
10 - Netflix: $17.84
I should cancel this.

Food
1 - Skim cappuccino
2 - In-n-out Double Double w/fries

When in California...

3 - Mixed nuts and dried fruits
4 - Pistachios
5 - Rice Krispies treat

A small one, if that matters.

6 - Can of vegetable juice
7 - Coffee w/creamer
8 - One lifesaver
9 - Low-fat burrito

Workout
None

Day 13

I have to say that, on the whole, I wasn't too bad during my LA trip. I have to make up for it a bit next week but these past few days could have been much worse. I have a goal for next week: 5 trips to the gym, to spend less than $100 (including the weekend), and to only have one evening of off-dieting food (probably Sunday since that's our monthly DCC get-together). It'll be tough - I'm doing a signing on Saturday, the Pop Candy party is Wednesday, and, as mentioned, Sunday is the DCC get-together. But I'll see what I can do...

Finances
1 - Breakfast: $40
I treated Robin to breakfast at a posh West Hollywood cafe (Toast). She was hoping to see some stars but luck was not on her side.
2 - Drinks: $40

For me, Robin, and Tony Fleecs.

Food
1 - French toast, strawberries, raspberries, pecans, multi grain pancakes, banana, syrup, cappuccino, turkey bacon, and a coffee with cream

Two different plates - Robin and I shared. It's not as bad as it sounds, there was food left behind on both plates.

2 - Small portion of various cheeses and a couple of crackers
3 - A coke

My first non-diet soda in years. It was coke in a bottle, though - hard to say no to that.

4 - Small roast beef sandwich, medium serving of pasta salad, small serving of couscous, salad w/vinaigrette, and two deviled eggs.

The wedding lunch.

5 - Three glasses of champagne.
6 - A bite of cake
7 - Steamed rice, a medium sized portion of chicken korma, a small portion of malai kofta, a medium portion of chicken tikka marsala, and a fairly large piece of naan.

I definitely stuffed myself at dinner but it was so goddamn good.

8 - Two pints of Stella Artois

Workout

None. I couldn't bring myself to go into that gym. Five trips to the gym next week, though.

Day 12

Day two of our little LA trip...

Finances
1 - Breakfast: $8.65
2 - 2 pineapple whip floats: $9
3 - Lunch: $21.81
4 - Water: $2.75
5 - Parking: $5

Food
1 - Egg & cheese croissant and a coffee w/cream
2 - Pineapple ice cream in pineapple juice
3 - Chicken Caesar salad
4 - Ice cream sandwich

Two tollhouse cookies and vanilla ice cream...it's Disney, what do you expect?

5 - Small serving of chicken Parmesan, small serving of chicken piccata, medium-sized serving of pasta with meat sauce, two pieces of garlic bread, salad w/vinaigrette
6 - Four glasses of chianti
7 - Three Miller Lights

Rehearsal dinner...

Workout

Workout room in the hotel is horrible. A treadmill, a stair master, and a nautilus with ever piece broken.

1 - Ten minutes on stair master
2 - Push ups

Day 11

Ahhh...day one of our California mini-vacation. Let just get this over with, I'll save the feeling bad for Monday...

Finances
1 - Magazines, waters, mints: $14.78
2 - Cappuccinos: $8
3 - Parking: $2
4 - Bar/dinner tab: $100

We showed up for the Sox game, Josh and Christina showed up, we picked up the tab.

Food
1 - 2 scrambled eggs, some butter, ketchup, and a cup of skim milk
2 - Cappuccino
3 - Mixed nuts
4 - Pumpkin seeds
5 - Wasabi peas
6 - Hamburger w/onion crisps, cheese fries, and 2 Bud Lights
7 - Cappuccino
8 - Half of an order of avocado Eggroll, thin appetizer pizza
9 - Four beers

Workout

None.

Day 10

Finances
1 - Laundry: $4.25

On the whole not a bad three days. $16.99. Of course, I'm off to LA tomorrow. Hotel and rental car alone is going to sink me a bit. Plane's paid for.

Food
1 - 2 scrambled eggs cooked in a little butter, toast, vegetable juice, ketchup.
2 - Banana
3 - Sandwich (turkey, roast beef, swiss cheese, and light mayo)
4 - Cup of peaches
5 - Some brownie and some skim milk

There's a reason why I shouldn't keep sweets in the house. At least it wasn't as much as I ate yesterday - I showed some control. I was on a milk kick, though - had about two cups. I used to be addicted to milk. In college I'd drink a half-gallon a day. It's why I have tits, I'm sure.

6 - Small steak and black beans
7 - Glass of Cabernet and a piece of dark chocolate

Workout

I managed to squeeze one in today. It was another busy day at work - in at 7:30AM and out at 6PM. I managed to get a quick workout in while doing laundry, cooking, and running some other errands.

1 - Jogging (1 minute @ 5mph, 4 minutes @ 7mph, 5 minutes @ 6mph)

On Monday I said those 7/7.5mph 1-minute sprints were no longer feeling like sprints. Well...I can keep that pace for a while so I guess I was right. Anyway, not a bad warm-up - got the heart rate up.

2 - Superset: Bicep curls (3 sets of 10 @ 50lbs) and swiss-ball mountain climber (3 sets of 10 for each leg)
3 - Slow shoulder presses (1 set of 12 @ 80, 90, and 100lbs)
4 - Slow decline press (3 sets of 105 @ 105lbs)

I did the slow stuff really slow today - just exploded up and lowered it until my muscles burned. Felt good afterwards.

Day 9

Finances
1 - Groceries: $11.73

Eggs, vegetable juice, and fried cranberries from Safeway. These were the groceries I said I needed yesterday. I planned on not spending any money tomorrow but I do need to do laundry. Robin and I both contribute to the quarter-pile so it's not really all my money but I need to add it to my spending anyway. Oh well - that's not too bad, at least.

Food
1 - Two scrambled eggs, pat of butter, ketchup, cup of skim milk
2 - Some creamer with my coffee (three cups all day)
3 - Banana
4 - Red plum
5 - Sandwich (roast beef, turkey, swiss, seeduction bread, light mayo)
6 - Large portion of chicken breast marinated in a red-pepper sauce, olive oil, medium serving of pasta with a little bit of sauce, a small serving of garlic bread.

I had some of Robin's chicken breast since she didn't finish it. I'm not too ashamed about that. But...

7 - Way too much low-fat brownie with two cups of skim milk

Ah, the low-fat trap. I made some brownies today for Robin since she's studying for a test tomorrow. I had a decent helping with a cup of milk, started picking at another decent portion and then just ate a second helping (with a second cup of milk). My first true pig-out moment, nine days in. And now I have diarrhea, of course.

Workout

No gym today but I was sort of expecting that. It's just another life thing. Three-day work week due to the LA trip and I was in the office until 11PM last night and came back in at 6:30AM. I worked until 11PM tonight again. I plan on going tomorrow and then twice while in LA. If I can do four days this week I'll be very happy. In fact...that's my goal.

Day 8

In the comments section yesterday Chris Piers said I should give weekly weight updates. No problem. Earlier last week I weighed in at 234 at the gym - this morning I was at 230. I'll be more scientific with it starting this week.

Also, I got an email from someone asking why I'm not doing any stomach exercises. I had umbilical hernia surgery about a month and a half ago - when I try to do crunches or any stomach exercise I get a knot where the incision was. I was told not to worry about it yet but to let my doctor know if it gets any worse. At any rate, I don't feel comfortable focusing too much on the gut just yet.

Finances

I am challenging myself to not spend a dime the next three days with the exception of some groceries that I need to pick up. It's the responsible thing to do with the LA trip starting on Thursday. I probably should make the same promise for next Monday through Thursday with a Wednesday night exception for a party.

Food
1 - Two scrambled eggs (cooked in a pat of butter) and a half-cup of white grape juice
2 - Sandwich (turkey, roast beef, swiss cheese, and Seeduction bread)
3 - Banana
4 - Handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit
5 - One hard candy
6 - Lean steak, extra virgin, olive oil, steak sauce, serving of black beans

When I went to get my steak I pointed out the piece I wanted and the butcher said, "That one's kind of small, are you sure you want that one?" It was around a half-pound of steak. So I said, "yeah." Then he grabs a big piece of sirloin and says, "I'll give you this one for free. Make sure you have enough for dinner." It was really cool of him and now I have steak for Wednesday night as well.I can only eat red meat on Monday and Wednesday night because that's when Robin has class...

7 - Glass of Cabernet, piece of dark chocolate, four strawberries.

Workout
1 - 6 1-minute sprints @ 7.5mph over 12 minutes.

These are getting easier and starting to feel less like sprints even as I slowly push the speed up.

2 - Super set: Pectoral flies (3 sets of 10 w/90lbs) and rear dorsal flies (3 sets of 10 w/90lbs)
3 - Front pull-downs (Sets of 10 @ 80, 90, and 100lbs)
4 - Incline press (Sets of 10 @ 80, 90, and 100lbs)
5 - Row (3 sets of 10 w/70lbs)

Day 7

The end of week one. I started out strong and then fell apart a bit towards the end. I spent a ton of money today although a lot of that was bills. However, I ate out for lunch and dinner for the third day in a row, this time telling myself that it was ok because I had a extra SPX money. It wasn't ok, though...you don't save money by spending it as soon as you get it. I'll turn it around next week...

In theory. I'm spending four days in Los Angeles next week. For a wedding, no less. It's going to be difficult but I'm going to try. We'll hit a store and get snacks and stuff for the room. The only big purchase (besides the hotel and airfare) is going to be a pair of Disneyland tickets since Robin wants to go. So...maybe we can be frugal. Who knows?

Finances
1 - Coffee: $2

You know what I should start doing? Making my own coffee...

2 - Church donation: $20

I had a good SPX so I felt compelled to give a little extra at Church.

3 - Gas: $30.60

I need to start biking to work again. Maybe tomorrow?

4 - Lunch: $12.21

I had to go to the office today after church so I grabbed some lunch on the way. I made a note that I should stash some frozen lunches in the freezer at my job for days like today.

5 - Groceries: $49.93

I buy meat and produce at Whole Foods, everything else at Safeway. Today was Whole Foods day. I picked up: chicken, steak, strawberries, bananas, cashews, dried mango, cold cuts (roast beef, turkey, and swiss), bread (Seeduction, of course), and a bottle of Cabernet because it was on sale. So a weeks worth of lunch, three nights worth of dinner, and some snacks.

6 - Cable: $150

Cable isn't normally this high but I underpaid last month by accident (forget to pay for a PPV movie) and deiced to overpay this month. I like to have extra money on my account so I don't get hit with late fees due to my own forgetfulness.

7 - Student load: $150

Overpaid this one a bit, too.

8 - Car payment: $320

Slight overpayment.

9 - Dinner: $30

By the time I got home from grocery shopping it was already kind of late so Robin and I just went across the street. I spend way too much money eating out - this is probably the number-one place where I can curtail my spending habits. We need more quick-dinners around the house, for starters.

10 - Amazon: $32.99 ($27.71 of which was paid for with a gift card)

So this one only cost me $5.80 since I used a gift card. I purchased an annotated bible with the apocrypha. I always wanted one, I had a a gift card, so I figured why not. I feel like it was a smarter purchase than a graphic novel I'll read once.

Food
1 - Eucharist and a sip of wine

Heh...I'm sure they have some calories to them, need to count them.

2 - Indian buffet: small serving of chicken curry, medium serving of butter chicken, small serving of tandoori chicken, small serving of malai kofta, small serving of rice, half of a serving of naan, and one of these cheese dessert things.

It really was just one plate of food, not piled all that high. I took small spoon fulls of each item to get a good variety.

3 - Two pumpkin loaf samples at Whole Foods
4 - Cobb salad

It was pretty big but I didn't eat all of the blue cheese and bacon, focused mainly on the chicken, egg, and avocado. I had the vinaigrette on the side.

5 - Four strawberries, a piece of dark chocolate, and a cup of pomegranate juice

Workout
I didn't work out today. I really wanted to do five days this week but I had to settle for four. I was a bit...hung over in the morning. Woke up just in time for church and then went to the office until 6:30. Grocery shopping, dinner, and then more work - it just wasn't a good day for it. All excuses, I know, but four days isn't horrible.

Day 6

I want to preface this by saying that I sold $580 worth of books at SPX and I woke up nice and early on a Saturday to actually make it to the gym. I actually claim today as a victory.

Finances
1 - Con stuff (water, mints, coffee): $5.26
2 - Comics: $35
3 - Lunch (power bar, yogurt, two bottles of water): $7.55
4 - Water: $1.58
5 - Comics: $31
6 - More con stuffs (water, more mints, more coffee): $5.71
7 - Water: $1.58
8 - Dinner: $8.13
9 - Bar tab: $19

Food
1 - Cheerios, skim milk, vegetable juice
2 - Banana & some milk for my coffee
3 - Power bar & yogurt
4 - Handful of pumpkin seeds
5 - Handful of mixed nuts
6 - Can of beer
7 - Lamb gyro
8 - Two pints of Stella Artois
9 - Two glasses of Cabernet
10 - Two bottles of Bud Light
11 - Half-cup of pomegranate juice and a bite of dark chocolate

Workout
1 - 6 1-minute sprints over 12 minutes (3 @ 7mph and 3 @ 7.5 mph)
2 - Super set: Bench press (2 sets of 10 at 85lbs) and front leg Bulgarian split squats (2 sets of 8 at 45lbs)

I don't know why but I was sucking wind with the split squats. It took me about five minutes to get my breathing under control after the first set and after my shower to get it under control with the second one. I had to get to the convention so I left after two.

Day 5

Ahhhhh...conventions. It's no wonder us comic guys are generally in bad shape. Money flies from your wallet, you're practically expected to drink, and eating healthy is difficult. Top it off with the fact that I didn't workout today and you have two failures in a row.

I tell you what though - I get embarrassed. Right now: embarrassed. I wanted to lie, hold some things back, but I couldn't. I think this public reporting thing is going to end up being a good idea in the long run.

Finances
1 - Lunch for two @ Daily Grind: $18.30

Robin brought my jacket and GPS to work for me so I could go straight to SPX - I owed her lunch for that.

2 - ATM Fee: $2.25

It'll be interesting to see how many ATM fees I pay over a year.

3 - Con stuffs (water, mints): $7.30
4 - Another bottle of water: $1.58
5 - Comics: $20

I bought the Perry Bible Fellowship book and I don't regret it.

5 - Dinner and drinks @ Chili's: $30
6 - Bar tab: $6

Food
1 - Cheerios, skim milk, vegetable juice
2 - Handful of pistachios
3 - Half of a beef and cheddar panini, half bowl of chicken chili, back of chips
4 - Handful of mixed nuts
5 - Crab quesadilla, margarita, Miller Light pint

Halfway through the quesadilla I was full...but I still had more. It's hard to just sit there, food in front of you, and not eat. I need to beat that.

6 - Miller Light pint

Workout
No workout

I was suited up this morning and got called into work before I could leave the apartment. Sometimes you can't avoid life. I'm getting up early tomorrow to make up for it though, I'm still determined to do five days at the gym this week.

Day 4

Man. I took a break from the workout today. Coupling that with dinner out makes it look like a complete breakdown. I guess it was a complete breakdown. And only four days in!

Finances
1 - Dinner at Cafe Asia: $38.43

That's for me and Robin.

Food
1 - Cheerios, skim milk, vegetable juice
2 - Half-cup of white grape juice
3 - Handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit
4 - Sandwich: Roast beef, provolone, Seeduction bread, and light mayo.
5 - Handful of wasabi peas
6 - A little bit of coffee mate with my coffee
7 - 6 pieces of nigiri (2 salmon, 2 tuna, 1 eel, 1 mackerel), spicy tuna roll, some of Robin's chicken pad Thai, and two pints of Miller Light.
8 - Small serving of light popcorn.

Workout
No workout today.

Three days in a row is good (actually, five, since I went Saturday and Sunday as well). I plan on going tomorrow and Sunday.

Day 3

Finances
1 - Gym membership dues: $85

I pay for Robin's dues as well. I recently looked into cheaper alternatives but, seriously, for two people it's not getting much cheaper than that. And at 85 a month I'm at Gold's and there are two Gold's within a ten-minute walk of my place and one across the street from my job. Plus there's always a Gold's near me when I'm on a business trip. It's just worth it.

Food
1 - Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal, a medium banana, and a glass of vegetable juice.
2 - A handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit.
3 - Sandwich: Roast beef, turkey, provolone, dijjon mustard, and Seeduction bread.

I love that friggin' bread.

4 - Handful of pistachios.
5 - Apple
6 - Burrito and risotto

I got these organic burritos at Costco, bulk. They're awesome. Delicious as all hell, no trans-fats and they're high in protein and fiber. Perfect with a little side.

7 - A piece of dark chocolate and a half-cup of pomegranate juice.

This is an insane combination. Too good. Too good.

Workout
1 - 6 1-minute sprints @ 7.2mph w/1-degree incline

I normally drop the speed down to 5mph between sprints. I had to drop it to 4mph for the last two today. I was sucking wind. Didn't help that my thighs were stiff from yesterday's step-ups, I imagine.

2 - Decline bench press (3 sets of 15 w/96lbs; 1 slow set of 10 with 96lbs).
3 - Superset. Triceps extensions (3 sets of 10 w/65lbs) and forearm curls (3 sets of 20 w/40lbs)
4 - Superset. Yoga-ball dumbbell bench press (3 sets of 10 w/60lbs) and bicep curls (3 sets of 10 w/40lbs).

Admittedly, this was more of a cool down. It wasn't until the last set that I was burning a bit. For the yoga ball bench press I laid down on a large yoga ball will a 30lb weight in each hand and thrust upwards.

Day 2

It's only Day Two!

I realized two things today. I'm addicted to eating and I'm addicted to spending money. I had a crappy day at work and I was feeling a bit down-and-out and the desire to eat some junk food and/or buy something was overwhelming. I managed to find something that'll satisfy both urges but more on that below.


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Finances
1 - Bottle of diet soda: $1.25

I had a meeting at DTRA and was thirsty as all hell.

2 - Two adult movie tickets: $18.00

Ah...the movies. The best way to kill some time without spending too much money. In theory this was a great idea. However, we walked out forty minutes into The Heartbreak Kid and that left me feeling like I wasted eighteen bucks. Damn you Farrelly Brothers!

Food
1 - Medium-sized bowl of Cheerios, skim milk, medium banana, and a glass of vegetable juice.

Variety! I really wanted to make eggs this morning but cereal is just so easy.

2 - Handful of pumpkin seeds.

I purchased plenty of bulk nuts at Whole Foods. Pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. I figured this'll allow me to mix up my nut intake so I don't get too bored. I make two-to-three little bags each night and carry them in my book bag for snacking.

3 - Handful of wasabi peas.
4 - Roast beef sandwich (provolone, Dijon mustard, Seeduction bread).
5 - One jelly bean

Seriously, just one jelly bean. I didn't recognize the color and wanted to see what it was. It tasted like a mochaccino.

6 - Handful of mixed nuts and dried fruits.
7 - Half of a chicken breast, a small serving of left-over risotto, and a serving of pasta with a touch of tomato sauce.
8 - Small movie-theater sized popcorn.

Popcorn is a great "Losing Weight" snack in moderation. Movie theater popcorn, not so much. But it's better than eating a donut or something. I think.

Workout
1 - 6 1-minute sprints @ 7mph over 12 minutes with a 1-degree incline.

The incline was accidental, I didn't realize it until I was on my fourth sprint.

2 - Superset. 2 sets of 8 chin-ups and 1 set of 6 with a 100lb assist and 3 sets of 10 dips with a 100lb assist.

I'm not too ashamed of the 100lb assist. I weight 230, after all, so with the assist it's like lifting 130lbs - not too bad for a guy that hasn't done a chin-up in a long, long time. I was hurting, too. That last set, the one where I only did 6 chin-ups, that was genuine "body giving up". I tried to do number seven for about twenty seconds. The dips were easier but I kept finding that I was shrugging my shoulders so my "easy" assessment is skewed somewhat.

3 - Superset. 10 weighted step-ups for each leg (25lb dumbbells in each hand) and 8 dumbbell curls for each arm with 25lbs.

I keep wanting to do more weights but my body was dead at this point. I think it's going to take a week or two before I can comfortably add another superset. I plan on doing the 35-minute, 5-day a week workout plan instead of the extended one-hour one. Most articles I've read seem to think the former is better. Besides, that's what Jason Statham does (except seven days a week) and he's quickly becoming my friggin' hero.

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363 days to go!

Day 1

I've had a lot of Day Ones and they just keep getting easier. I wish everyday could be a Day One. Of course, I can say something pseudo-profound like, "Everyday, when I wake up, I'll look in the mirror and tell myself, 'Today is Day One.'" Of course, when my body is sore or I'm dying to pick up a new video game or a McGriddle is calling my name I know I'll be saying, "Are you kidding me? It's only day four?"

Oh well...we'll see. Maybe this time will be different.

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Finances

Nothing. I didn't spend a dime today. For some folks, not spending a dime on a Monday is the norm...not necessarily for me.

Food
1 - Medium-sized bowl of cheerios, just enough skim milk, medium-sized banana, half-cup of vegetable juice.

I know I'm not going to eat vegetables every day, so I'll drink the juice.

2 - Small bag of homemade trail mix.

Almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries, dried pineapples, etc

3 - Roast beef, provolone, Dijon mustard on Whole Food's Seeduction bread.
4 - Handful of Pistachios
5 - Small red plum

It wasn't exactly ripe yet. Kind of nasty.

6 - Baked chicken breast in a Korean-style marinade. There was some Parmesan risotto on the side. Both from Whole Foods.
7 - Small piece of dark chocolate and a half-glass of pomegranate juice.

Everyone is telling me antioxidants are important.

Workout
1 - Six one-minute sprints @ 7mph over a twelve minute period.

This killed me. I read about it in Men's Health. You do a one-minute sprint and then cool-down for a minute to let your heart rate chill out. Repeat six times. The only good thing about it was that the twelve minutes went by so fast because I kept having to press buttons on the treadmill. I guess over time I'll try to get that sprint speed up.

2 - Super-set. Dumbbell Split Jerk (3 sets of 8 reps @ 35lbs, both arms) and Swiss-ball Mountain Climber (3 sets of 10 reps, both legs).

Today's entire exercise was taken from Men's Health. I did one set of each of these back-to-back, took a 50-second rest, and went on to the next set. For the Dumbbell Split Jerk I basically held a 35lb dumbbell at shoulder height and thrust it up while splitting my legs apart. For the Swiss-Ball Mountain Climber I assumed a push-up position but grasped the sides of a Yoga Ball and lifted my knees up to my chest (one leg at a time, of course.

2 - Super-set. Front-loaded Bulgarian Split Squat (3 sets of 8 reps @ 35lbs, both legs) and Dumbbell Close-Grip Floor Press (3 sets of 12 reps @ 60lbs).

For the former I rested one foot behind me on a bench, held a 35lb weight in my hand, and bent my forward knee until my thigh was parallel with the floor. For the latter I laid on the ground, arms at my side, a dumbbell in each hand, and pushed up.

Three Crunches

Welcome to my year-long experiment. This blog’s inspiration comes from a post I made on Finding My Religion where I talked a bit about how wasteful I can be sometimes. There are three things in life I struggle with controlling: my money, my weight, and my workout. A couple of weeks ago I decided to start writing down every penny I spend, every calorie I consumed, and every exercise I did. I figured this would help me gain some semblance of control. Instead, it gets me to say things like, “Wow, I can’t believe I ate three slices of pizza,” while eating an ice-cream sundae.

So that’s where the internet comes in. For a full year I will be posting everything I write in my notebook, with occasional commentary. And I mean everything. If I’m drunk one night and order a month’s subscription to some super-skanky porno site, I’m going to post it. If I eat a box of Chips Ahoy cookies in one sitting, I’m going to post it. If I suit up to go biking but stall until it rains, I’m going to post it.

Will people read this? Probably not. But it’s the fear of who might read it that’ll keep me on the straight and narrow. In theory. Because I’m sending this link to…

1)Robin, my fiancée. I’m supposed to be saving for our wedding and losing weight for it at the same time.
2)My mom. Because if anyone’s going to give me grief about lifestyle choices, it’ll be my mom. Wouldn’t yours?
3)My boy, G. Because we made a promise to each other a month ago that we’re going to get healthy again.

I care about other people's opinion, as well, but, you know...we're talking the woman I live with, the woman who "took me into this world and can take [me] out," and the guy I knew since pre-K. That's a tough jury, right there.

There are a couple of caveats.

1)I will not be writing down the exact amount of gifts. I don’t want Person A to know I gave him $100 for his wedding whereas I gave Person B $300. That’s just tacky.
2)I will not report credit card payments. That’s basically double-counting how much I spent, especially since I pay for almost everything on my AMEX and pay it off at the end of the month.
3)I’m not going to get down to the exact portions of what I eat. I’ll categorize it as small, medium, large, or throwupable.
4)I will not be reporting comic-business related expenses. I’m sure you can understand that would be violating agreements I have with creators while putting me at a competitive disadvantage. Eating out at conventions and stuff like that is fair game. Marketing costs, payments, etc is not.

This should be interesting. Ideally, by the end of the year (October 8th, 2008), I’d like to have lost some pounds, have a good chunk of money in savings, and be completing an intensive workout routine 5-7 days a week. Realistically, I’ll probably find 365 ways to convince myself that it’s OK to eat a Baconator after lunch but before dinner.

The cash crunch, the food crunch, and well, the crunches crunch (?). Hope you come along for the ride.