Some political commentary, a little science & reviews on fast food and maybe a few songs! Got a problem with that? OK, so I'm an acquired taste...
Thursday, May 31, 2012
NY to try and ban the Big Gulp and other large drinks?
The sin-tax sheriff is back on the job.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing another ban on unhealthy foods. This time, he wants to outlaw super-sized sodas and other sugary drinks.
The first-in-the-nation ban would limit sweet drinks to 16 ounces at venues across the city ranging from restaurants to street carts to movie theaters -- that means those extra-large cup holders at Lowe's are about to get awfully lonely.
No word, yet, on any plans to levy special 'weight taxes' on the obese. But, I'm sure that's coming....
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Is this where America is going? Diane Tran jailed?
A Louisiana group has raised more than $70,000 for a 17-year-old Texas honor student jailed for missing too much school because she worked two jobs to support her siblings.
Diane Tran, an 11th-grade honor student at Willis High School near Houston, was sent to jail for 24 hours last week by Judge Lanny Moriarty and ordered to pay a $100 fine for excessive truancy.
Are things now spinning out of control? This by Thomas Jefferson so long ago:
"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their Powers
from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of
Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right
of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a
New Government....it is their Right, it is their Duty, to
throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards? for
their future Security."
To this, I say...
will be forever the stout men and women of these United States who have the will,
the vision and the desire to protect this Union even unto death.
No matter who or whatever power would seek other ends!
No matter who or whatever power would seek other ends!
So help us God Almighty.
In Your Name, Amen"
DWO 2012
In Your Name, Amen"
DWO 2012
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/30/group-raises-more-than-70g-for-texas-honor-student-jailed-for-truancy/?test=latestnews#ixzz1wOd6tvv8
Who's lying? The Republicans or the Democrats?
Exactly!
In the coming elections,
please vote for anyone
who is not an incumbent,
not matter what their party!
Please send the message
that we are tired
of all this crap!
In the coming elections,
please vote for anyone
who is not an incumbent,
not matter what their party!
Please send the message
that we are tired
of all this crap!
Russia 'categorically against' Syria intervention!
Turkey is expelling all Syrian diplomatic staff from Ankara, following similar moves by Western states.
China's UN representative also agreed, in essence, that they can live with the continued murder of innocents and children.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Evil incarnate – I give you the Muslim Brotherhood.
CAIRO – The Muslim Brotherhood is scrambling to broaden its appeal to liberals, leftists and Christians after official results Monday showed that the Islamist group's candidate will face ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister in next month's runoff for president of Egypt.
Violence flared late Monday when several hundred people ransacked the Cairo campaign headquarters of the ex-premier, Ahmed Shafiq. They smashed windows, threw out campaign signs, tore up posters and set the building on fire, according to witnesses and security. No one was hurt. The office is in a Cairo residential neighborhood.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/28/egypt-islamist-mubarak-ex-pm-in-runofff/#ixzz1wChlRiK0
Please mark these words - The Muslim Brotherhood is, in my opinion, the closest thing in this corporal world to a living Satan that has ever existed. Of the rest of the the Muslim people - I embrace and love them.
Where is America? Syrian Holocaust widens!
A mass burial for the men, women and children killed in Houla |
Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, arrived in the capital Damascus following Friday's massacre in Houla in which 108 people – including 49 children and 34 women – were killed. He called on "every individual with a gun" to lay down their arms before Syria collapsed into full-scale civil war.
But his words went apparently unheeded as scores more civilians and regime troops lost their lives, with fresh clashes erupting all over the country between two sides that were supposed to have agreed a ceasefire six weeks ago.
Read more:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9296335/Syria-plunges-towards-civil-war-after-Houla-massacre.html
I am going to Hell!
For
all of those who sit
On
their philosophical throne
There
is hope and kindness
God
is good and we are not alone
But
value attached to real life
Concrete,
steel, asphalt and glass
How
far from the concept
Has
true goodness passed?
Tell
to the workers have seen their job pass
God
may be all good and merciful
But
to many people
He
can kiss their ass
For
hope springs not eternal
As
he would say
In
his arrogant way
How
do I meet my rent today?
How
do we keep God Alive?
When
he seems to tells us
This
all just jive
And
have lost hope all of us
God
tells us love and caring is all of it
But
I for one have my doubts
And
believe it is all shit
But
I for one have my doubts
So
we all search
Often
in vain
With
life pouring down on us a cold rain
But
what to believe in
We
humans do not know
Life’s
often alone and black
As
a cold, cold as a blizzard of snow
We
find no solace in the attempted journey back
So
Christ died on the cross
Gods
only son
To
save us all
Are we having fun?????????
Pat Betz 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Memorial Day, what does it mean? As your long weekend unfolds look around. Take in your world and listen.
What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel?
Will you hear this long weekend referred to as “the unofficial start of summer?” Will you hear people talk about parties, barbecues, trips to the lake and the beach, probably.
As you feel the warm rays of the sun, smell the inviting flavors of fresh food sizzling on the grill and watch your children run around the yard or splash in the surf there is something you should remember.
It is another beach, from a time long since past. You can see that beach in the photo accompanying this article. It is the beach at Buna, Papua New Guinea, and it depicts just three of the young lives this weekend memorializes.
The photo is of three dead American GIs. They lie half buried in the sand of an island far from their homes, far from their loved ones. They died so you could be here..free..
Police kill naked attacker chewing on man's face in Miami street!
Attacker (right) was identified as 31 yr old Rudy Eugene |
This is just so wrong! Dining on a man’s face while in the nude! What planet do these people come from? Apparently, an officer came upon this most perverse scene and summarily shot the naked perp. When the aforementioned man continued to dine, a la ‘Night of the Living Dead’, the officer shot him several more times.The man then expired....
Note to my viewers, this was not a fast food review! [sic]
Saturday, May 26, 2012
How retarded can my government get? USPS furlows workers!
The U.S. Postal Service announced late Friday it would offer thousands of mail-handlers a $15,000 incentive to retire early, the most recent attempt by the financially-strapped agency to cut costs and stay open for business.
The voluntary offer was extended to roughly 45,000 full-time union employees. It is part of the agency’s larger plan to cut its workforce by 150,000 over the next three years and close hundreds of mail-procession centers.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
What are those purple bug traps hanging from trees?
If you have been vacationing and driving around Missouri, particularly
in the southern half of the state, you have probably noticed the big purple
boxes hanging in trees. The Missouri Department of Agriculture, United States Department
of Agriculture and other cooperators are using these sticky traps to aid in the
detection of the dreaded emerald ash borer.
The map, shown below, marks locations where the ash borer has been discovered. This very
invasive bug, which looks kinda cute, has already been responsible for the
deaths of millions of ash trees across the US. If left unchecked, it will
eventually kill all the ask trees in this continent!
Click to enlarge |
How can you help stop its spread?
1) Don’t
move firewood from one are to another. This is a favorite method for the bug to
move around!
2) Don’t
plant ask trees. Plant something else as this bug can only survive by eating
ash.
3) If
you spot an infestation, call 866-716-9974. Lots of bugs look like the emerald
ash borer so do your best to make sure before you call.
Click here for a technical information guide.
Click here for a technical information guide.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
I pray your brakes go out! - Jaron
A decent YouTube video that expresses what a lot of us guys feel at one time or another!
A must read book for the younger generation!
//
you're reading...
On ‘The Limits to Growth: The 30-year Update’!
On bookshelves right now is a publication that was literally thirty years in the making. Originally published in 1972 by a group of scientists from MIT, it computer modeled global resource consumption and production. What they wrote shocked the world and created vigorous conversations about the concept of ‘overshoot’ or resource use beyond the carrying capacity of the planet. Back then, the book was optimistic about the future of humanity as even the most dire computer model showed things would not start to get bad until 2015 or so. What???
Now, The Limits to Growth: The 30-year update, has taken on the tone of a dire warning, citing that many of the ‘tipping points’ have now come and gone with even the more ‘optimistic computer models’ portraying a very bleak and sad future for men and women who are just now coming of voting age. This piece of work is a must read for us all, especially those who might what to prepare for what is to come.
This chart, taken from the book, is an example that chronicles in stark fashion where we are all headed.
Click on to enlarge |
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
When Americans have to hide behind masks!
You know that the Republic is in serious trouble when
Americans, who are protesting some ideal or the other, begin disguising themselves
behind masks in a manner similar to the Al Qaeda. Whenever I see people like
this, I wonder why are they so ashamed that they don’t want their faces seen by
the public? When you hide behind a mask – there’s a reason. And, generally, it’s
not a good one!
Surviving a diet while still eating at McDonald’s!
Say what you will about McDonald’s; that their playgrounds
are bacteria infested cesspools or that their prices are through the roof!
Yeah, go ahead and say those things, but when it gets right down to it, a Mac
Attack will have you coming back for more of the same. Afterall, who can resist those great and thoroughly fattening burgers and fries. Not me! But, listen up all you
quivering piles of fatty flesh out there in the blogosphere…there's hope. If you’re careful, you can walk
boldly up to the food trough and still sample some of life’s forbidden fruits…er, ah
burgers while losing those pounds of flab.
Here’s an example of a lunchtime meal deal that works for me:
A hamburger and fries!!!
Click to enlarge |
This is the Double Cheeseburger with a small order of fries and a diet coke.
Total damage, just 670 calories. (Now, mind you, this is a once a week deal when
I’m trying to lose weight).
Looking at the bigger picture for the day, I’ve managed to
get Breakfast and lunch and the afternoon on just under a thousand calories.
Since my target is 1500 calories a day, I’ve still got over 500 to play with
for my dinner and evening snacks!
The great thing is that I feel like I’m still enjoying some
really nasty but good tasting food while sticking with the overall program!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Disillusionment
As bad a boy as I can be
Their genes and desire
Attract the honeybees
And many I have lit their fire
Love but a purpose
On their tongue
But in full denial of their true thought
Of the lust that is sought
Life has taught me
If nothing else
That while love is sought
With lust it can be bought
At our essence only animals are we
We claim to be above the beasts
How naïve are we
Providing meat for natures feast
We hide our lust in a thing called love
To provide a rationalization
For the beast within us all
But at what I have written I am appalled
For it is not as I had hoped
But what life has taught
That through lust
Love can be bought
Of true love I know naught
I have given myself to no avail
All of myself to another’s wishes
But in the name of love
My heart has felt nails
So now
How to love and trust
It is only in my inner self
That I deeply believe I must
What is my purpose upon this earth
To be beast for breeding stock
Or to feel that which I have so long sought
Love that lust has not bought
Pat Betz 2012
Pat, and his brother Michael, are two good friends. Hopefully Mr. Betz will be authoring more entries on this site in the near future!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Critique: Spaghetti Squash
It's ALIVE!!! This is sooo wrong! |
What man or women who have been locked into a diet of some kind have not,
at some point, thought about a substitute dish for pasta! A quick perusal of the
internet will fill you in on all the bad things there are to say about regular
pasta and how much better it is for you to sub in a nice steaming plate of
squash! Well - they got the steaming pile part right anyway!
My reaction….balderdash! After trying a plate of this I will
admit that if my life depended on eating spaghetti sauce layered over a plate
of spaghetti squash, I could do it, but I would not be a happy camper while I
was doing it. Sure, I’d save a few
calories in the process, but life is not just about saving calories. It’s also
about eating and living well! This squash thing just didn’t cut it with my
taste buds and that as they say is that! I’ll give this one a score of 4. It was edible, but
only just!
My advice to you dieters out there....eat small portions of the real deal!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Critique: Van Camp’s ‘Pork n Beans’ with a wiener!
So, what’s with this? The times have gotten so slow, I’m now
doing critiques on canned goods? Well, yes I am!
You see, I’ve always had a soft spot for this bean dish ever
since I was a child. Some winters, when it got cold outside, my Mom would place
a hot bowl of Van Camps Pork N Beans in front of me and I can still remember
the great aroma. Yeah, pork and beans, a slice of toast and some milk…those
times were good.
Today, in 2012, I still like this stuff both from a
standpoint of good taste and nutrition.
This mix of beans, tomato sauce and pork is loaded with fiber. It also contains
a goodly amount of iron and zinc! Half a cup yields only about 124 calories, so
when used as a side as shown here; it’s not exactly a diet buster. But, here’s
the deal that makes this side dish into a real meal…of sorts. An all beef
wiener and a side of green beans with milk! With those additions you’ve
escalated everything up to about 400 calories! That’s a diet friendly number
while providing everyone with a great tasting meal.
Currently, you can purchase a 15 ounce can for under a buck.
I think I paid .69 cents. This is still a good bargain all around that provides
high caliber protein along with much needed fiber. I give Pork n Beans a score
of 8!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Is this monster weed set to explode?
Note the ruler I placed at the base of this giant weed! |
What began as a joke between neighbors has suddenly become
more serious as a small weed that was growing in a side planter was recently
identified as Cnicus benedictus
or Blessed thistle. A weed that originates from as far away as Iran. Once it
sets flowers and blooms it will send million and millions of seeds to colonize
other unsuspecting areas. As you can see, this one is truly a monster.
I never would have let the plant get this large had it not
been for my neighbor, who asked that I let it grow so we could see ‘what
happens’! What happened is it got big…really big! Now if I were a sick person,
you know mentally unstable. I would wait for the plant to set seed, then in the
dark of night I would drag it all over my neighbor’s immaculate lawn.
Later, I would bring him this ‘article’ I found on the net describing how it is
a good idea to let your lawn ‘go to seed’ during the summer, so as to allow the
grasses to become better entrenched. You know, I’m like the good neighbor…from
Hell. After a few weeks it would then fun to sit outside, beer in hand, and
watch that lawn go progressively downhill! “Uh hey neighbor”, I would chortle
over the phone. “Looks like you got a heck of a weed problem on your hands!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Critique: Marie Callender's Meat Loaf and Gravy
I gotta hand it to the folks at
ConAgra, they sure know how to take liberties with words like meat
and loaf. I've had real homemade meat loaf in the past and brother,
this ain't it! Even the picture on the front of their package cannot
get away from the truth. This is a meat slab, not a meat loaf.
The texture and feel was tough and dense, but still just edible.
(Perhaps it was all that salt they add that helped). I sort of liked
the gravy, but had a heck of a time locating anything that even
remotely looked like a mushroom. Likewise the mashed potatoes should
be renamed creamed potatoes as it was not too unlike eating
toothpaste. Finally, there was the corn side dish! Wow. Who would
have thought of adding that?
OK, The bottom line is that while I did
eat this 380 calorie offering from Marie C., I wasn't all that happy. There are
better products out there for me to spend my money on. Next time I
get a hankering for something like this, I think I'll go visit a
restaurant. This one gets a score of 6 and no, I don't plan on buying
it again.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
And then there were none! The last shuttle...
Can you see this picture OK? It’s the cockpit of the space shuttle Endeavor! Take a good
look everyone, because on May the 5th 2012 all the lights and gizmos
that make it a true spaceship will be turned off for the last time.
Americans
have proved that they can be a part of space exploration. We have the technology,
the training, and the men and women with the right stuff! Just look at all that we’ve
accomplished in such a short time!
What’s
missing is true leadership…..
PLEASE VOTE OBAMA AND HIS EXTREMISTS OUT OF OFFICE THIS FALL!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Critique: Banquet Pepper Steak Meal
First off, I have to say that the meat patty in Banquet’s
Pepper Steak meal is rather tiny. As in dinky, not really there and where the F is the beef? This dollar-a-meal offer by Banquet is
perhaps ‘all it cannot be’! For something that comes in at just 260
calories, and which costs a buck (.97), it’s not a horrible deal, mind you. But, keep in
mind that you pretty much get what you pay for these days. Q: What does a buck buy in 2012? A: Not very much!
You just can't fix ugly! |
This offering, from the folks at Con-Agra, advertises a ‘seasoned
patty made with chicken, pork, beef in a pepper sauce over rice’. (Not really a steak). The reality, as you can see in the picture at right was pretty lame. Made me think of my last septic tank inspection, for some reason! Nothing at all like the package
artwork.... And, there’s also enough sodium to qualify it as a preservative
in its own right! (Turns out the extra salt is all that save this meal a deal).
Yet, I must remind myself that these are hard times under Obama's regime, and so when I run
low on funds, I will often visit the 'commoner’s food trough' from time to time. If I close my eyes tight, this stuff does taste OK. However, next time I can scrap
together enough mullah, I’m gonna buy the upscale version. Maybe something from
Marie Callender or even Healthy Choice! [Updated in Nov 2014]
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Spirit Airlines – You vill follow the rules comrades!
Moving backwards at the speed of light! |
I would be remiss if I didn’t at least comment on a recent article
concerning Spirit Airlines and how they feel about doing business. According to
the CEO, Ben Baldanza, the fact that his airline generates two and a half times the number of complaints when
compared to other airlines is ‘irrelevant’. He's my candidate for customer service Man of the Year!
He was responding to questions posed by Fox News in response
to the growing media relations disaster that surrounds the failure of Spirit to
give a refund of $197 to a vet who found out he is dying. Spirits ticker symbol is SAVE - you might want to issue a sell order if you hold any.
On newspaper sales, rules, regulations and taxes!
I’m sure that what goes on here in my state of Missouri is just about what goes on elsewhere. We all exist in a witch's brew of rules and regulations that are layered from the very top of our state
government right down to the local townships of each state. Each layer of this
cake generating hundreds of pages of new regulations each year and whose
overall effect seems more to confuse and confound rather than to get anything worthwhile done.
Take the lowly newspaper, for instance; a daily or weekly
publication that is not to be taxed in most states under both Federal and State laws.
Yet, interestingly, that’s not quite true. I’ve noticed that one store, close to where I live, adds a tax on them as seen in the picture above. (I changed the name of the store because this is going on everywhere, not just here in Missouri). Maybe they just want to
be extra careful and charge a tax in case there might be a tax they need to charge. I dunno. Maybe it a sign of the Democratic leadership we have in the White House. (After all isn’t it the credo of the Democratic Party that if you
can’t suffocate something to death with rules or regulations, then by God, tax it until
the day after forever)??
So, it came as no surprise to me that the boys and girls at the Missouri
State Capitol have now gotten it into their heads to create a new tax to be applied to
newspapers, ink and other selected items. This proposal, currently headed
for the full House, looks like it may be passed into law sometime this year. (I
think they are promising that the money will be used to help the blind out. However, I’m
not sure if they are referring to someone who is actually blind or just their constituents
in general)…
Critique: Marie Callender's Roasted Garlic Chicken
So little time and so many TV dinner to choose from! This
little number by Marie Callender’s line of steamed products got my attention by their use of the word 'roasted' in the meal
description. Now, I’ll admit to being somewhat confused here. Just
who got roasted? Was it the garlic or the chicken? I was determined to find
out. I also like it that this meal has a serving of penne pasta. Penne is of
Latin origin and dates from the word penna
which means ‘quill’. These little cylinder shaped noodles must have looked like
the quill part of a feather to our Latin and Italian ancestors. Actually, it
doesn’t look like that at all. (I hear both groups were very fond of the fruit
of the vine, that that may explain things).
This meal is one of those really cute ‘steam it in the
basket’ creations that I’ve tried and enjoyed before from the Marie-C Kitchens
which are actually a subsidiary of Con-Agra.
At a hefty 410 calories, it qualifies as a full meal, so absolutely no side
dishes are required. I picked an evening when eating one seemed appropriate. You
know, one of those nights when you find yourself eating alone. (Which I am a
lot)! Yeah, it was just me, my TV dinner and the trusty old microwave sitting
off in the corner of my kitchen. I tell you, it was romantic…almost.
I followed the package directions which say to just
basically nuke the heck out of it for four minutes, stir, add the sauce and
serve. Like that’s so totally hard? Then, with fork in hand, it’s primo gusto
eato time!
I think, in retrospect, it is the combination of flavors
that I like the most. Something about chicken and pasta has always worked for
me. The sauce and the vegetables (artichokes??) merely seal the deal. The chicken was perfect
as was the texture of the penne. I gave this one a solid 8 out of ten on the
edibility scale and yes, I plan to purchase this item again!
One final note concerns that little combo plastic steamer tray that's left over after the meal. You'd think some bright young person could come up with a use for this. I mean it does looks useful, I just don't know how!I also don't know if you can recycle this plastic as it isn't stamped. Perhaps the nice folks at MC could see fit to fix that little problem in the future. I sent them an Email explaining this and they have assigned me a case number. Now, I'll just hold my breath...
Update: On May the 5th, I did get a response:
"Marie Callender's Pasta AL Dente packaging is made from polypropylene (#5 plastic) in order to provide a package that is both safe for microwave cooking as well as having the ability to function as a steaming package. There is no other material available that can provide both of those critical performance attributes. To indicate the plastic resin type, the #5 in the "chasing arrows" is embossed on the bottom of both the steamer basket and the bottom bowl. While #5 plastic is technically recyclable and is collected in some municipalities, collection of this material is not widely available to the substantial majority of consumers in the United State. For that reason, we are not able to claim that this package is recyclable; however, we encourage you to check with your local recycler as it may be collected in your area."
Guess that clears that up!
One final note concerns that little combo plastic steamer tray that's left over after the meal. You'd think some bright young person could come up with a use for this. I mean it does looks useful, I just don't know how!I also don't know if you can recycle this plastic as it isn't stamped. Perhaps the nice folks at MC could see fit to fix that little problem in the future. I sent them an Email explaining this and they have assigned me a case number. Now, I'll just hold my breath...
Update: On May the 5th, I did get a response:
"Marie Callender's Pasta AL Dente packaging is made from polypropylene (#5 plastic) in order to provide a package that is both safe for microwave cooking as well as having the ability to function as a steaming package. There is no other material available that can provide both of those critical performance attributes. To indicate the plastic resin type, the #5 in the "chasing arrows" is embossed on the bottom of both the steamer basket and the bottom bowl. While #5 plastic is technically recyclable and is collected in some municipalities, collection of this material is not widely available to the substantial majority of consumers in the United State. For that reason, we are not able to claim that this package is recyclable; however, we encourage you to check with your local recycler as it may be collected in your area."
Guess that clears that up!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
My weight loss update!
Click to enlarge |
I’m now in my third month of a weight loss program of my own
design. And oh, sorry. There will be no
before or after photos of my disappearing belly fat. (Well, maybe one ‘after’
shot sometime in June or July when I hope to have gone from 201 pounds all the
way down to 176 – my supposed ideal weight).
I began this weight loss pilgrimage on March the 8th
after I got in firmly in my head that the word ‘obese’ was not going to
be a part of my physical description. (I’m already saddled with such terms as
‘old’ and ‘flabby’. That’s plenty of baggage to have to carry around as it is,
thank you very much).
When I began to approach the concept of dieting, I resolved
to do a little bit of research to see what might or might not make sense for a
sixty something older guy to attempt. After tromping around the internet for a
bit of time, I came up with a coupe of concepts that I thought might work. Here
they are in no particular order:
Exercise – Ya just gotta
do it!
There was no way I could get around the need to exercise.
Dag nabit anyway. It just made plain sense to me that if I wanted to make some
changes, I’d have to give my metabolism a good old kick in the derriere. That
meant getting up off my old butt and moving around some. In my case, I needed mild 'cardio' workouts
along with something that could build some endurance (improve muscle tone). It
turned out a bicycle was just the thing, and so, that’s what I elected to work
on. Four days out of every week, I have gotten on that bike and have done a few miles…up
hill and down hill!
Kill off the white stuff!
By white stuff, I’m referring to carbohydrates in general.
Things like bread, chips, rice and the like would be a definite no-no with the exception of one day each week.
On that one day, I would eat anything I like – pancakes, ice cream, etc. I
decided to do this after reading a post by Tim
Ferriss who wrote that by ‘dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way
once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid
function, etc.) doesn’t down-regulate from extended caloric restriction.’ He’s
the author of a book entitled ‘The
4-Hour Body’ available at Amazon. I liked this man’s approach and creative
style.
Count those calories!
While this might not be required for others, for me it is a
must. In order for me to stay focused and to see results, I elected to tract
every bit of food I ate. I even have gone as far as to weigh everything to the
gram! My program of choice for this effort was called FitDay, (although there are many others just
as good out there to try).
Once I began tracking my calories, it was a simple matter to
dial down my intake to match a goal of losing one pound a week. In my case,
that worked out to about 1,500 calories a day as a targeted goal. Does that mean
I hit the target every day? Heck, no! Some days were a total wipe out. But, I
generally was able to rebound the next day and so get back onto the glide path
(planned loss of weight) I had set for myself. Was I hungry? Sure, all the
time. But, by keeping the goal in mind, I found I could get through hunger and
on to the next day. Keeping a daily record of my weight (see graph on top) was
a big help also. Man oh man! It was neat when I began to see results after just
a few days!
Build meals that work
for you, not against you!
Lastly, I did some research on meal combinations that I felt
would be nutritious while, at the same time, cutting out some of the bad
elements I so wanted to avoid. I also thought outside the box here. Take
breakfast, for instance. Normally, I would have something like cereal or
flapjacks or eggs and toast. But in looking at those types of meals, I realized
that I was not doing my ‘program’ any favors. A high carb start to any day sets
the tone (a bad one) while screwing up my circulatory system to boot. Eating any food
that spikes blood glucose should be done with some consideration. (That meant I
could have a high carb like potatoes or pasta, but wanted to make sure that was
timed with a good workout beforehand). Is this scientific? No, but it seems to
have worked for me! Here’s an example of the outside the box breakfast: A fish
filet, small cup of Great Northern beans and a glass of milk. Above right, is a
graph showing where the calories from this particular meal originate. Note the
relatively low carbohydrate content. In the next panel below, note that this meal
also provides a fantastic does of essential nutrients to help get me get off to
a good start for the day.
So, that has been my plan, and it’s resulted in the loss of
eleven pounds in about eight weeks. Not too shabby!
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