“The art of living is more like that of wrestling than dancing.  The main thing is to stand firm and be ready for an unforeseen attack”  Marcus Aurelius

After 32 years of skiing and a few near misses, I finally had a somewhat debilitating accident.  A sprained MCL on my left knee- the injury from a twist on the leg from shin down.  This affects movements like turning down a hallway after coming up stairs while landing on that side.  Right at the end of my lean chefs era also.  So, I goto the doctor 2 days later and he tells me the news- says 2-4 weeks.  Lay off it and come back if it’s still in pain after-words.

Fortunately, my building has a few stair steppers that I used for cardio.  I did every other day for about an hour and also did some strength training here and there.  Last weekend I finally got on the treadmill, the I went skiing again.  I ran 3.5 miles in the mountains down and up and giant hill just north of the kaaterskill falls trailhead.  My team was behind me the whole way.  I love those guys.

Mainly, however, I am very happy I managed to not only maintain my weight during the last 3 weeks, but to loose weight.  This was largely due to my nutri-bullet breakfast’s and the poultry I prepared about a week and a half worth of food the weekend before last.  Thanks to tupper-wear, singly portioned meals, and the 6 blender bottles that I now own.  Oh yeah, I also found a store that has lots of nuts and berries- somewhere between the open center on 30th between 5th and madison and the 6 train (maybe the 28th street station?)  So I made 65$ worth of trail mix and split them into 1 cup servings in zip lock baggies.

Yesterday I clocked in at 172.4.  Booyah!

Back down to  180.. I clocked in at 180 before christmas.  Then bounced back up and down between 180 and 184 for the last 2 weeks.  New years has passed, the last of the holiday parties I went to was this past saturday.  egg nog and peanut butter are awesome.. but game back on.  3 months in, 30 lbs gone.  #patontheback

also on a side note, i brought 3 jugs of chamomile tea to that party and there was a guy there who really liked it the way i do.. makes it worth it.

Either way I’m a stagnant 189 and have been for almost two weeks now.  I know my stomach looks more tone and only in the couple days have I noticed the facial lines topping off my smile again.  Perception in the last week from others at least in terms of compliments has been picking up.  C.S. at my gym made a big deal about it last week and a few other passing comments came this week.

So I think I have a bit of both going on.  I know my insulin levels are high because I haven’t gotten more than 6 hours on any given night barring a friday or saturday in 3 weeks now.  I wonder if there is a way to measure it and compare so I know exactly how much sleep per night and average over a few days I need to maintain normal levels?

Anyways, reading my last entry on the 15th gives me a smile 🙂  I’ve been on the women’s portion size since November 15th.  With my activity levels it is possible also that my body is hoarding fat for energy?  I’ve been doing muay thai for an hour monday, 2 hours tuesday and thursday.  I mean that’s decent but in the past I’ve done 5 days a week for 2 hours a day.  But then again, I also drank 2 beers almost every night back then too.. that’s another 400 calories that now I’m not getting.  I’ve had one beer in over 2 months.  Last weekend I had 2 bottles of wine and nothing but brewed tea and water with the occasional v8 for the 2 weeks prior to that.

Clocked in at 197.6 this morning, down from 199 for the last two consecutive days.  Either I was a little bloated yesterday or I left over a lb of water on the mat’s last night at square circle.  I’d go both on that one.  Still, thats a solid 3 lbs in under a week, 7 from two weeks.  That leaves me two more weeks of the first months water weight cut I estimate between 11 and 12 lbs this time.  I’m guessing I’ll level off at 1.5 to 2 lbs a week for a few months after-words.

Last night was also the first night in over I week I fell asleep without a drug.

I almost forgot, I weighed in this morning before breakfast at 200.8.  That’s 4 down from last week; not sure which day.  So I started this diet out somewhere around 204 on Monday Oct 6th.

I got my meals on wheels today.  These guys recommend eating within 4 to 5 hours.  I know personally that the my metabolism stops after 2.5-3 hours after eating with no exercise.  Still, I’m going to have to train at 6:30 or 7:30 so that means I should eat at 5 to keep a routine and not be digesting still.  For today I worked it out to eat at 8, 12:30, 5, 9, and 11.  It’s not optimal, yet.

At 8 I had the breakfast which was a cinnamon roll with chocolate protein creme.  Tasty, not too dry with the pudding dip stuff, but compared to my normal 500 calorie vega sport protein/rockin wellness/wheat bran/wheat germ/almond milk I knew it wasn’t enough to satiate me until noon nor give me energy after work to train.  At 11 am I was hungry by 11:30 or so it passed and I ate at 12:30.  Fortunately tonight is my night off which I’ve decided to spend in the office working.  Still, I was right on both accounts probably.

All I have to say at this point is the tahitian blackened tuna salad with passion fruit vinaigrette was amazing.  I’ve not had passion fruit vinaigrette before nor would I spell it right without the sheet right here, but it was delicious.. tart I guess.  The tuna was seared but rare and I love sushi so this was right up my alley.  Portion-wise it looks like the lunch is the biggest meal.

3:18 pm.. oh man I forgot how much I hate this office on a diet.  I’m not even hungry and I can smell their pies of summer and it makes me want food.  Can you say designated food area? With doors and ventilation?  They consider it like happy sharing help the day go by.. I consider it satiation of the worker bees- rude to anyone on a diet of any kind other than ‘anything i can eat for free’ diet.

4pm starting to get hungry

4:30 ate the manicotti.  thinking about it more plan on dinner at 7:30 and the snack at 10:30 bed by 11:30.

8pm.. just ate dinner.  Steak with wheat berries and sauteed asparagus.  The steak was a hangar steak I think- decent.  Asparagus was crap but I don’t know if its from the microwave or that I’m used to them more .. crisp

I have gained and lost more weight than most guys weigh twice over and then some.  I’ts not that I find it difficult to loose weight or any easier to gain weight than other people, I just find it hard to make lasting lifestyle changes that don’t go out the window the day I reach my goals in favor of the things I’ve been skimping on.  These days it pretty much coincides with injuries that keep me out of the gym for extended periods of time, and even longer after that to rebuild my motivation and routines.  Living in NYC it’s just so easy to order seamless and go drinking and chasing women every day.  Since I threw out all the clothes that fit me comfortably at 210+lbs I have realized that I must make a change or go clothes shopping in utter shame.  The last two months I have failed with my diet changes.  So, for the next two months I’ve decided to stick to a more radical plan that I can live with.

The problem:  1: I order seamless often and sometimes it’s pizza. 2: I’m out drinking too much. 3: My workout routine has been far to sporadic and lax.

The plan:  I replaced seamless web with lean chefs delivery diet food service, I’m limiting drinking to occasions (like the 2 weddings I have in october and probably a couple times I get invited out with friends I’ll have some vodka sodas or wine only), and to ensure I don’t make occasions often and on a whim- I closed my online dating account and am pretty much going to tell anyone I’m not interested in dating right now should it come up (unless she’s a total gym rat and happens to also want my plumpy body).  The workout routine will fall into place with these other changes which will directly affect my energy levels, sleep-wake, recovery etc.

This isn’t about philosophy or what works for me.  What works for me changes every time I’m in this spot as it is.  This is just an account of what lead me here, what I’ve chosen to do, and what happens from here on.

I’m going to be training Muay Thai at least 4 days a week 5 if I can.  I work best with a 3 on 1 off 2 on 1 off training schedule but my kru has a small space and doesn’t have the infrastructure to handle it with a flexible schedule (my last gym had a bigger space with more staff to cover a wider schedule).  So, after a chat with coach I figure I’ll take MT, ThFrSat.  On days where they have invite only sparring on friday I’ll take off from work early if I can, I’ll goto another gym for their clinch class at 7:30, or I’ll go for a 4-5 mile run (I run 5 miles in an hour on a slow day).  Failing those it’s rope, push ups, and leg lefts at home just so that I’m always doing something after work on friday for at least an hour.

Diet-wise, I chose Lean Chefs.  They give me 5 meals a day 7 days a week for 33 days at $1050.  I was spending on average 13$ a day for lunch, and anywhere between 10-50 for dinner, with 20 being average. depending if I’m alone which was generally 6 days a week.  So wait, I’m spending more to make myself fat than if I had something like lean chefs?  Done.

The drinking is going to be a problem.  I’m a class A insomniac.  I can handle the other reasons I drink without it, but I’ll need something to help my body adjust when it comes to laying in bed for 4+ hours wide awake at night even after chamomile tea and melatonin.  I know after a couple of weeks I’ll get my body into a rhythm and be ok, but in the meantime I’ll feel sleepier and more out of it than if I just had a bottle of wine and passed out.