On the Road Again

How's a man supposed to get to 12% if he keeps traveling to places with good food!? Simple: He is supposed to be super good in between trips! And I have been very good since Germany and France. I haven't posted since then but I've made good choices around what I've eaten and have lost the weight that I put on when I was frequenting pastry shops in Paris!

For example, my parent's were in town a few weeks ago and my mom and I went out to lunch. We went to Honey Cafe and I said NO to the sweet potato fires (as amazing as they are) and choose the grilled sirloin salad.

I was very tempted to enjoy one of their signature desserts - cupcakes, but decided that I could enjoy the cheat another day! And that day is here....

I leave Monday night for Ukraine where I'll be for ten days. I know from a trip there last year that there will be plenty of things that will not fit into meeting my goal of 12%. My plan is to eat as cleanly as I can, and then, when there is something that clearly is loaded with carbs and calories that I like, I WILL enjoy it...guilt free!

So check back after June 20, when I return, to see exactly what I'm talking about!

Pork and Pastry

I just got back from Germany and France. Pretty much I lived on a diet of Pork (and beer) and Pastry (and coffee). I threw any thoughts of pursuing 12% out the window and lived like a local.

The most succulent pork cutlet smothered in fried onions with fries!

Bratwurst and fried potatoes with the famous Dusseldorf Altbier.

Pork shank with fried potatoes with the famous Cologne Kölsch beer.

Breakfast choices...so many!!!!

Pain au chocolate and a coffee is a beautiful way to start the day!

Chocolate dessert that was très bon!!!

The good news is that I walked 100s, maybe 1000s of miles and worked most of this off! Net gain was five pounds after diet free eating and mega movement! Not too bad...and not enough to throw me off my 12% goal. I'm back home and ready to get back on the diet....well, that is after my cheat day today!

Close the Flood Gates!

You know what happens when you open the flood gates? You get flooded! You know what happens when you start to “cheat” Thursday nights…and a bit Friday…and ALL day Saturday and Sunday??? You get flooded with fat! L OK, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but I weighed in 7 pounds heavier this Monday morning than I did two weeks ago! YIKES! Close the flood gates!!!

This may have contributed to things...

I’d like to tell you that I’m back on track and will not do any more cheating except ONE DAY a week, but the reality is that I leave for Germany and France in two days. Trust me…if left with the option of pursuing a goal of 12% or eating chocolate croissants, pistachio gelato, and local German beers…I can assure you a flat stomach doesn’t have a chance!

In my defense, I was very good at lunch today and opted for a naked burger with a side of broccoli instead of eating the bun and fries. I will eat as clean as a whistle until I arrive in Dusseldorf Thursday night…but after that I’m not responsible for my gastronomical actions! Well, of course I am, but I’d like to believe that I’ve earned a “diet free” week in Europe after eight months of (mostly) denial.

Is it Possible?

Eight months ago I started out with the question: was it possible for a 50 year old man to obtain 12 percent body fat? Throughout that time I've questioned the validity of the question. It's dawning on me (you've figured this out long ago, I'm sure) that "of course it's possible, but is it probable?"

Meaning, is it probable given the fact that this particular 50 year old man likes food! In particular he likes the kinds of foods that have a direct opposite affect on achieving 12 percent body fat!

So last night when I was in the midst of my "non-cheating" week I was presented with an assortment of pastries. The company I was with was great, I was having a blast, and celebrating with food made much more sense to me than achieving a goal of 12 percent. Possible to stick to the goal? yes. Probable? not so much. I enjoyed the pastries immensely!

This morning as I reflect on my eating choice last night I'm feeling ambivalent. On the one hand I want the original fervor I had to accomplish the goal. On the other hand I want to be honest with who I am, my love to eat with friends, and evaluate my original goal.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not throwing in the towel (this morning I had steak and green beans for breakfast). I'm just pausing to think about what I really want. I've seen the effect that a strict diet can have on my body. I've seen how consistent weight training will build muscle and burn fat. So I know it is possible. I'm just reflecting on the probability of it...but know you know what?..as I say that I'm feeling more determined to make it a HIGH Probability!

What Is Your Percent NOW!!!???

There’s been a lot of protein consumed since I last shared my thoughts on my journey to 12%. The big question, of course, is: “What is your percent NOW?!” Since I’ve avoided posting any photos of me you really have no idea! Well, those that live close by do and have observed that I’m looking “lean” (nothing like a good pair of jeans and sweater to make any man look lean!).

Ok, all jokes aside, it’s been awhile since I’ve stepped into the BodPod. At first that was because I refused to have another measurement until I KNEW that it would be lower than the last. With all my birthday celebrations…followed by Katherine’s birthday…followed by Easter…followed by eating the Easter candy…my confidence level has not been very high on the body fat side of things. However…and maybe more importantly I’m now in that thankful position of giving up one well warn belt hole to move to the next unused hole!

Last week I was in China and while I ate anything I wanted, I lost a few pounds. The typical Chinese diet is great. Loads of veggies, some meat, hardly any dairy or refined sugars! We were on the coast which meant lots of foods from the sea too.

I’m now back and keeping away from the beans, which still seems strange to me. I’m not doing any special cooking or recipes these days. I’m just piling on the protein source (mainly eggs, chicken, beef, fish) and veggies (mostly raw: beans, carrots, peppers, salads). I say NO to grains, dairy and sugars (refined and mostly to fruits). I’ve been having nuts now.

I’d like to get into the BodPod in one week to see how close to 12% I am, which means that I will enjoy my cheat day tomorrow (yes, I’m still cheating once a week) and then eat super clean all next week! Check back in a week to see if it is possible for this 50 year old man to inch closer to his goal!

Life After Beans

I'm done with beans...and while it's been a nice change of pace, I'm observing a few things.

• First, I'm hungry all the time now! The beans had the affect of both filling me up and slowing the digestion, thus keeping me fuller, longer.
• Second, the beans made it really easy to put a meal together. Open a can, rinse the beans, put them in your mouth! Can't get much easier than that!
• Third, I'm realizing that having a clear diet made it easier to keep the course. With this new way of eating, which is "Paleo" there are more options and thus more opportunities for abuse and get off focus of my goal.

               NOTICE: No beans were used in the production of this chicken chopped salad!

Which brings me to my goal - 12 percent body fat. That's what this blog is all about, right?! Supposedly I'm changing up the diet to give a kick to my metabolism and tell it keep burning up the fat.

I've not gotten into the BodPod for a while now because I want to make sure that the next measurement is lower than the last one! I know that my weight is down (I hang out in the low 160s these days) and that all my pants are falling off me. But...has my body fat changed? I think it's time to find out!

My hope is that going Paleo I'll drop some more fat. I'm learning as I go, but here is link that you can check out that will tell you more: http://paleodietlifestyle.com/

Seven Pound Drop

Since last Sunday I've dropped seven pounds! Now my son (no shirt) is quick to point out that "most likely it's muscle weight loss!!!" He's a wrestler, and apparently is an expert on weight gain and loss! But I beg to differ.

I've been working out all this week and I've been eating very cleanly. What is interesting is that I've had less or no beans with many of my meals. I've been wondering for awhile if changing up the Ferris "4 hour body" diet has run it's course for me and my body needs a shift. so ever so slightly I'm eating less or no beans. I'm still keeping the protein intake up and having lots of vegetables. But still no sugars (including fruit), dairy and wheat.

So a typical breakfast will be to sautee some bell peppers (I'm still high on the reds), some onion, drop in a few beans, and then crack two eggs on top and scramble. It's easy, fast, and hits the key elements to start the day right.

My goal at the start of this week was to get into the low 160s by the end of the week, and the scale told me 161 this morning! By Saturday morning if I can be 159 I'm going to have A LOT of fun cheating this weekend for my daughter's 21st Birthday!!!

Are You Still Blogging?!

Good question! Given the lack of communication I wonder if there is anyone that is still reading this blog! If you are, let me know...I may let this thing quietly go away! Perhaps that is reflective of my current energy around reaching 12%. If you recall this all started September 1st as a "great experiment" - to see if it was possible for a 50 year old man to get to 12% body fat and discover if there really was a six pack underneath that fat after all.

Six months later I'm a lot closer to that goal and I've dropped about 20 lbs. I feel good, like how I'm fitting into my clothes, and know I'm healthier for it. BUT...I'm not at 12% yet. At the last bod pod reading I was still a few percentage points off.

And the "big deadline goal" of my birthday has come and gone. :-(

Now what?!

Do I push on and say, "hey, I'm turning 50 all year long! I've got 12 months to hit this goal!" Do I say, "I'll keep working this hard until I hit the goal, then let up!" Do I not care that much anymore? Is my goal still valid?

When I read things like this (above) I KNOW that I'm wanting to run harder, work harder, keep loosing the fat and reach my goal!!! So if you'll keep reading, I'll keep writing and we can do this together!!!

When a 50 year Celebration Collides with 12%

Well today was the "big day" the "big 5-0" the "over the hill" day...and I certainly wasn't going to let 12% stand in the way of celebrating! Not like I really had a choice in the matter!
My day started with being kidnapped at 6am by some of my CrossFit buddies and was taken to
Juciy-Os for breakfast.

When I arrived at work I was met with posters that apparently said I was "outta time" but seemed to feature my health and wellness! ha!

I found myself at White Chocolate Grill for lunch with some "old" friends. I enjoyed a grilled chicken sandwich (less the bun) accompanied by grilled beets, goat cheese and nuts with a champagne vinaigrette dressing that was out of this world. We ended with a white chocolate bananna cream pie that we shared.

(Don't you think she looks older than me!?)

When we got back to work I was surprised with a healthy celebration of beans and veggies!

(Carrott cupcakes are veggies...right?)

My wife had 50 daffodills on the table at home where we ate my new favorite: a Stallone Burger from Jack Straws for dinner.

To cap off the day and this 50th birthday celebration, Deanna made me a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting! Let's just say that one bite of this cake puts a party in your mouth!

Well, it was fun while it lasted...tt's back to CrossFit and the diet tomorrow! On Friday I have my annual physical and just hope all this sugar is out of the blood stream by then!

Vacation Diet

Speaking the sentence "I'm on a diet" in proximity to the sentence, "I'm on vacation" can cause people to assume the sentence "I'm on a vacation from my diet!" Au Contraire mon ami!

Deanna and I spent an absolutely fabulous week in Sanibel, FL last week. In years past that meant a lot of sweets from the bakery and desserts after lunch and dinner! This year we changed things up a bit and kept to the diet and enjoyed lots of al fresco dinning on our screened porch while enjoying our view of the Gulf (below).

So to fill you in on our week of how to have a vacation and still maintain a diet, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

A typical breakfast on the porch: massive quantities of sauteed green/red/yellow peppers with onion and a few eggs! (Note: Deanna has the toast and grapefruit...I'm a good boy and don't.)

A typical lunch: tuna with white beans, veggies, veggies, and more veggies. The side next to the carrots is a eggplant ragu! delicious!

Dinner of some yummy protein (like this garlic marinated pork), spaghetti squash and a side of veggies. Normally I don't have tomatoes, but when you're in Florida and it's 85 degrees, they beg to be eaten!

And finally a picture to prove that I'm not all talk. When I started this diet I knew that Sanibel was in my future and shortly before my goal date, when I was turning 50 in March. It felt good to be able to hang out on the beach as I approach 12percent! I'm not there yet, but it was inspiring to know that I can do this and still enjoy myself along the way. And that, after all is the bigger question of lifestyle eating as I past the  big 5-0 and have to decide if 12 percent will be a new normal or just a goal to hit and then go back to 20 percent. What do you think?

I LOVE my DIET (not)

OK, I need to be completely honest...on this Valentine's day when people are confessing their love for one another...or wishing they could or would, I need to tell you that I'm not feeling a lot of love for my diet these days.

As a matter of fact, last night I nearly left it...walked away...said it was too hard...she could keep the beans, 1/4 measuring cup, and all the veggies she wanted. I was tired of the constant trying to make this relationship work or giving up my wants and desires for her. Why does she get her own way anyway?!

But I was reminded by this little voice in the back of my head asking, "John, what do you want? What do you really, ultimately, want?" And the answer to that question kept me from slamming the door, jumping into the car and driving to Dunkin Donuts!

You see, what I REALLY want is to prove to myself (OK, and to you my faithful fans) that I can push my body beyond what I thought possible...to get to a place in my 50s where I don't need to hear the doctor scold me for being over weight. I want to walk on a beach with my wife and not have people think, "how cute of that father and daughter to be walking together!"

So while I may not be IN LOVE with my diet right now....I am COMMITTED to it. And for now that is good enough...it is keeping us together and I know that my emotions will come around, that I will smile about this later and be glad that I didn't let a hard day ruin all the work I've invested.

And on a final note...I love YOU my readers, whoever you may be, I thank you for reading my rantings!

Slogging it Out

Is Slogging a real word? Not sure, but it seems to describe well the feeling around the diet this week. I'm doing the right things, saying so to the foods that would not help me get to my goal, working out...

For example, last night after group we went to Mrs P & me and when my burger showed up I took away the bun, pushed all my fries onto Chris's plate, took his pickle and beans, and said NO to beer. Did I want to eat everything on my plate (those fries really did look good!)? Yes! But if I'm ever to know if it's possible to hit my goal I've got to make these kind of choices! Right!? Please say "right."

So, the bottom line is that I've been eating lots of carrots, beans, and protein. My weight is consistently low 160's and I wonder if I've hit bottom. I've got four weeks to go to my goal date (March 7). I've toyed with changing up the diet, but don't want to mess with the formula yet.

Therefore, I slog on...

The Truth I Don't Want You to Know

Saturday was a sad day for me. Not totally unexpected, but sad nonetheless.

It had been a while since I was in the BodPod and I knew that since my last testing of body fat I had not been as stringent with the diet. I could tell that my clothes weren't as loose as they had been before and that my weight was up from the end of October.

My hope was that I would have at least held where I was...maybe gone up a little bit...but I was not expecting to hear FIFTEEN PERCENT!

What is interesting is that my measurements did not change that much...up an inch in the hips, down three-quarters an inch in the mid-thigh...

What is also interesting is that when we finished using the PodBod we did another body fat measurement tool called a "Skindex" that takes a reading at chest, abdomen and thigh to give a composite body fat score. Using that measurement I had 13.8% body fat. I REALLY like that measurement much better!

	10/29/2011	2/4/2012
weight	160 lbs	163 lbs
mid bi	13.25	13.25
waist	33.5	33.5
hips	37.5	38.5
mid thigh	21.75	21
% fat	13.8%	15%

While my first reaction was to go drown my sorrow in cinnamon buns, I pulled through and opted for a healtier solution - Peanut butter & Banana French Toast! I've been craving a banna, so I had two on my cheat day...along with OJ. I've never enjoyed fruit so much as on this diet since I only get in once a week.

Lunch consisted of pizza, trail mix, and pumpkin pie (Alex made it in his high school culinary class, so I HAD to try it). Dinner was a favorite - The Stalone Manburger and best ever fries from Jack Staw's. Dessert came later in the evening - icecream and cookies.

Sunday breakfast and lunch was strict diet since I knew that the Superbowl party that was coming was not going to be what I call a modle meal. And it wasn't! What it was...was loads of cheese, chips, dips, beer, pork, meatballs, more cheese, more beer, brownies, icecream, a few more chips...and a bit more dip!

All in all I went up 2.5 pounds for the weekend but I know that I'll drop it plus some this week. I'm prepared with my veggies for the week and am in my final push of this "greeat 12 percent experiment" that I started last August!



And While We're At It...

...we might as well blame this guy as well!

So what's my point in all this blaming? Simply this...that I'm a social eater. If no one is around I'm content not to eat anything, but put some good friends in the mix and have good food on hand and I'm there! So if you'd like to sabotage my goal just invite me over and have food on the table!

I've been trying to learn how I can be with others who are eating (more than me) and eat with them but not have to keep pace or surpass them. So last night at a dinner with three other couples I passed on the rice, rolls, and cookies. I had a generous salad and meat portion instead. I enjoyed their company and the food I had to eat. I didn't obsess over what I "couldn't eat."

After all, it's the people that I'm with that is most important...maybe if I am more centered on them and less on the food I can appreciate our time together. That being said, there is something magical that happens when we break bread together that I wouldn't want to loose. Hmmm, food for thought.

Blame Him Too

BLAME HIM

In order to adequately celebrate my friend’s birthday I was obliged to take him to breakfast Saturday morning…AND…to have a meal with him Sunday evening! Thus my cheat “day” became a cheat “weekend” – and I can only hope that Don appreciates the EIGHT pounds gained in his honor! I am certainly blaming him!

Well, that is mostly the truth. The bigger truth would include the cookies I made and enjoyed,

 …the cookies my sister made and I enjoyed,

…and the cookies that Jan made for her open house and I enjoyed!

Perhaps the pizza for lunch and the squash soup made with half-and-half contributed…I know for sure that the rolls and butter at Sunday lunch helped me along.

What I know for a fact is that Rene’s fabulous Carrot Cake was the crowning touch to my weekend dedicated to kicking up the metabolism!!!

And I also know FOR A FACT that I will be super-uber-laser-focused on eating NO grains, sugars, or dairy this week! I fully expect that I will lose that eight and get to 160 by next Saturday morning!

Day 150: The Unjustice of Cookies

I deserve a medal. A BIG one!

Yesterday I came home from work and was greeted by that most delicious aroma of fresh baked cookies wafting from the kitchen! This was no little wafting...it was a tidal-waft of rich, sweet, warm goodness.

My son, who is now done with his wrestling season (did I mention his 18 win 3 loss season?) had no practice so decided to fill his afternoon baking with his friend! A boy after my own heart! That's all great. But when you're on a diet that does not allow butter, flour, or sugar, you are out of luck!

So I sat through dinner staring at those crispy edged, soft middle circles of temptation just begging me to have ONE, just ONE. I then watched Ben and Cooper prepare a butter icing (yeah, more butter and sugar) to pile on top. And then I just couldn't take it any longer - so I left the room!

And now it's the next day, there are some left on a plate covered with Saran wrap waiting to go into the boys lunch today. Well, two of the boys of the house, not mine. Instead I will feast on the knowledge that I dropped a pound yesterday, that I'm keeping to my goal, and that there are cookies in my future...just not right now!

Days 135-149: Gone At It Alone

Remember how excited I was to have others dieting with me? How it was sooooo easy because we were all in this together encouraging one another? How sharing food helped to eat the right things and not take a lot of time?

Well, after Christmas most of my fellow dieters dropped off to pursue other diet plans or just to drink more beer. I'm passing no judgement. I'm just saying that the "this is hard to be disciplined factor" went up exponentially!

I've overall been keeping to the principals that started me on this fat-loss adventure and I am keeping the weight and body fat off but it's been much slower and I feel that I've hit a wall. Last week I was in Florida and had too many cheats! The upside is that I got lots of sun and exercise, so maybe the two canceled each other out!

The banana gelato milk shake that accompanied the burger and onion rings!

This weekend I was determined not to go too crazy and as a result I didn't gain too much weight but I think I did get the metabolism reved up for this week of clean eating.

My birthday is coming up in March and it's been my goal to hit the 12 percent mark by that point. I'm worried that there is not enough time to do it. So here's my plan: kick up the physical exercise to get some burn going (not sure what that will look like yet) and be super disciplined in my eating. Simple, right?! I'll let you know!

Days 132-134: Second 5 is harder than the first!

Last week I was hopeful to shed my ten pounds from Christmas over-eating. I lost five of it fairly easily, but as I got into the second half of the week, the next five didn't come off so easily. I hit a plateau at six and was stuck there. I ate very cleanly and said NO to lots of goodies at work. It was back to sauteing veggies with my eggs and eating beans at breakfast for the week!

(Here's a super easy breakfast: fry green peppers, onion and a few pieces of bacon together, when soft, dump your eggs over top, stir a pit in the pan and your done!)

Yesterday was cheat day for me but I didn't want to go too crazy. I had some pancakes with my eggs and sausage for breakfast....I had some bread on a sandwich for lunch with chips...I had pasta with my dinner. Then while watching Pirates of the Caribbean in the evening I had my biggest cheat with a bowl of ice cream, Oreo cookies and caramel corn!!! Come on, I couldn't disappoint you! :-)

When I weighed in I was up two pounds from yesterday  morning, but as we know the point of this is to get the metabolism moving again and my guess is that by Wednesday of this coming week I'll have lost it plus those other "Christams pounds!"

Days 128-131 Down 5, 5 to go!

I've been using one of my Christmas presents to track my slow, but steady, weight loss this week. Deanna got me a digital scale, so no more jumping on the old one until I got the reading I liked! ha!

I'm telling you, this diet works. Once I started back to the simple principles of eating protein, beans, and veggies and NOT eating any grain, dairy, or sugars the weight comes off! I'm back to drinking only water (and coffee) and I'm back to my regular work out routine. This week we went at it Mon, Tue, and this morning.

So in the spirit of starting to choose the "right" foods, I've posted this picture to show the foods I was eating over Christmas. Can you identify the ones that I could STILL eat today? There are more than you may think!

Days 118-127: TEN in TEN

Flew in last night from out family vacation in Maryland. This morning I reluctantly stepped on the scale. We were gone for ten days and I managed to gain TEN POUNDS!!!

This should not come as a surprise as Deanna's mom likes to cook and we spent a lot of our time gathering as a family and EATING! I had told myself I just wanted to "maintain" through the holidays, but it looks like there was WAY to much cheating!

Given my love for sweets, it's no surprise that once I allowed myself daily (each meal even) sugar cheating that the pounds, and I'm sure body fat to move in the opposite direction of 12 Percent! I never thought that in just one week that I would be able to put on that much weight!

I worked out three times while away which is lighter than normal. There was plenty of sitting around playing games, talking, laughing, and eating! All good things...but as a result I've got my work cut out for me!

But I'll end on some perspective. This is a picture of Deanna and I with Deanna's 92 year old grand mom. She had us over for lunch before we left. She drives, shops, cooks (she's responsible for a least 2 of my 10 pounds!), has her own home, and has a sharp mind. I guess all this "march to 12percent" is only a blip on the screen of life. This women has eaten butter and bacon fat most of her life! Maybe she doesn't have "abs of steel" but she's doing pretty well!

That said, today is January 1 and I'm BACK ON TRACK!!! Protein and beans for breakfast! Look out 12percent - here I come!!!