Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

[CathyB]

Hi CathyB! Yes, my dau is going into her 8th year of Dance. She'll be 13 in 2 weeks. I don't see her stopping any time soon. Its the one thing she seems to truly love doing. I think she likes to be up on the stage and showing off

Same with my daughter! She loves dance, art, and fashion. Was never too studious....she is artsy. Mine is 18 now though, graduated, and just started beauty school. And very disappointed that between work and school she has no time or money to continue taking classes right now

[geo]

Day 191

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: basmati rice and baked potato with mex veggies and salsa
mango
D: baked potato and sweet potato
apple
S: tangelo

E: 89 mins walking - 10,797 steps. Total steps for day - 12,677 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day today. Lots of energy when I got up. Did my morning and evening walks with no issues and felt strong all day. Worked from home so stress levels weren't as bad as normal but they were still high due to issues out of my control. But things quieted down towards the end of the day.

Dau had her gymanastics class start back up today. She seemed to have a good time and met a new friend there.Its been 3 months since her old class ended and it shows, but she'll get back into the swing of things soon enough. I'm so proud of her and her activities

I spent a part of yesterday just looking at the web trying to find birthday presents for my wife and dau. I think I've found a few things they want or at least should enjoy so this weekend should be a good shopping weekend for a change Need to get some cake and ice cream of course as well. I'm thinking I may make some that is McD friendly for us as well so I can celebrate properly with them. Its either that or suffer through SAD food again...not so much fun

[geo]

Day 192

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: Mixed veggies with salsa
apple and tangelo
herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
watermelon
S: watermelon

E: 45 mins walking - 5,394 steps. Stair climbing - d/u/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 9,966 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Good day today. It was friday, so stress levels were a bit lower for a change. There is some work going on this weekend that my Team is doing that is a bit worrisome and may keep me up, but otherwise it should be a nice quiet weekend coming up. My stair climbing went very well. Felt strong with plenty of energy and my recuperation was fast. Also my evening walk went well though felt a bit leisurely to be honest. Was satisfactorily tired in the early evening and went to bed a bit early.

Did a bit of web searching for birthday presents and I think I know what I will get my wife now and I'm about 75% their for my dau. Finally I did some reading last night...trying to finish up and exercise book, Living Longer, Strong by Ellington Darden. Its an exercise book specifically aimed at over 40 males and is quite good for its general information. I should have it done in the next day or so and then I start my new exercise program

I'm also looking at rearranging my diet some as well. What I've learned over the last 6 months is that my body seems to be satisfied with about 100 calories of starch an hour. A bowl of oatmeal will satisfy me for only about 2 hours before I start feeling empty.

I'm awake about 17-18 hours a day. Which means 1700-1800 calories of starch a day should keep me satisfied. I don't eat when I sleep or ever have trouble sleeping on an empty stomach. I know that I should probably give myself an extra hour of sleep/rest when I start doing the exercise program (rest is when you grow stronger, the exercise only gives the stimuation needed for muscular growth. Without sufficient rest to allow your body to recuperate and over-compensate for the exercise stimulous there can be no growth. That in a nutshell is what exercise is all about.)

So that means I should be eating about 1600 calories of starch a day to feel satisfied. Add in about 2 lbs of veggies which is another 300 calories and 3 pieces of fruit for another 200 calories and that leaves me with about 2100 calories a day to keep me satisfied. I'm probably eating between 1800-2000 calories a day now. My 45 min walks probably burn about 200 calories and I do them once or twice a day. So starting with that information, I'll spend some time this weekend figuring out the best way to keep myself fueled and satisfied while also upping the exercise significantly (in terms of intensity, not volume!) to get stronger. This should be an interesting experiment

[geo]

Day 193

B: nothing
L: baked potato and sweet potato
grapes
D: baked potato and mixed veggies with salsa
corn on the cob
S: watermelon

E: 87 mins walking - 10,634 steps. Total steps for day - 14,381 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day today. Felt really good when I got up. Lots of energy and well rested. Did my morning and evening walks with no issues and completed them in probably my best time ever. The weather was cool today so that definitely helped in my walking speed.

Also I did some shopping today at a few stores so did some additional walking as well without feeling tired at all. So that tells me I'm fueling my body well While doing the shopping I also bought my wife her birthday presents which I think she will be quite happy with. I had my dau with me so she could help picking things out which made her happy

I did a good bit of reading as well today and have essentially finished the exercise book I was reading so I'm ready to impliment an exercise plan now. Tomorrow I'll work out the details and Monday I should start my new exercise program to last me through the next 6 months on this journey. I'm excited and ready to get started

[geo]

Day 194

B: nothing
L: baked potato and mex veggies with salsa
grapes
D: baked potato and sweet potato
corn on the cob
watermelon
S: orange

E: 89 mins walking - 10,693 steps. Total steps for day - 14,116 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day today. Got up feeling great with lots of energy. Did my morning and evening walks without issue and they went well. The weather has definitely turned cooler and its almost time to put away the shorts

Did some more shopping today for my dau's birthday. Almost done with it but just need to get one more thing which I'll need to get online as the stores just don't have it. Also got some more food as well.

Spent some more time reading another exercise book which just seemed like more of the same that I've already read. The exercise world is not too different from the nutrition world. Everybody trying to find another angle to basically say the same thing and most of it just not worth the paper its written on. So much speculation on what works and so little science. Its no wonder nobody knows how to exercise properly. Well I'm determined to change that by both exercising properly and eating properly too. The best of both worlds I believe. Which should offer me the best in health and fitness in the shortest time. Well see what the future holds, but I think I will like what I eventually see!

[geo]

Geo - Eye's Wide Open - Part2
Sept 10, 2012 - Day 1 - week 1

Weight - 179
BMI - 24.3

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mixed veggies with salsa
apple and orange
herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
watermelon

E: 46 mins walking - 5409 steps. Stair climbing - d/u/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 9,330 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Today starts Part 2 of my year long journey to Optimal Wellness. In 6 months, I've regained my health and reduced/eliminated/reversed all my known health issues. I've also dramatically increased my movement and mobility from a mostly sedentary life. I'm at a "normal" weight and BMI today. Now its time to focus on optimal fitness, the other side of the health coin.

I will have 3 goals in this 6 month journey:

1. Increase my strength by 100% - or approximately a 5% strength increase a week.

2. Increase my cardio endurance by 50% - or about 10% per month.

3. Reduce my BMI to the Thin/Healthy range of under 22

As I go down this fitness road, I'll be experimenting with a variety of fitness techniques to see what works best for me. I'm quite familiar with the available methods having read extensively the literature and will probably use 2 in particular:

1. High Intensity Training (aka. HIT) to enhance my strength
2. High Intensity Interval Training (aka. HIIT) to enhance cardio

Both of these techniques are very demanding but if done properly will create the environment necessary for maximal gain with minimal time. I'll explain this more during the next 6 month's.

Now its time to get off my butt and get fit...

[geo]

Day 2

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
L: baked potato and sweet potato
grapes
D: baked potato and mex veggies with salsa
watermelon

E: 90 mins walking - 10,791 steps. Total steps for day - 13,538 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Good day today. Worked from home but was a very stressful day and incredibly busy. One problem after another with no let up all day. A day from hell basically. But at least I got my morning and evening walks in which definitely gave me time to decompress. The walks went well and I was doing much better by the end of the day.

Did some shopping to pick up my wifes cake and some flowers. Today was her birthday She was very happy with the gifts we got her. We stayed home and I made dinner, a pork roast which she loves. Later in the evening she had her birthday cake and some ice cream. Shes the only one eating it as my dau doesn't like cake.

So all in all it was a good ending to a very long day and everyone was happy. My dau is settling down into her dance classes that started back up this week. She seems very happy to be dancing again with all her friends she missed over the summer. Next week is her birthday. So we'll have a little party for her and her friends as well and probably a trip to the movies for everyone. So should be a fun time for all

[geo]

Day 3

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
L: Vegetarian SAD - Middle Eastern
S: grapes
D: baked potato and sweet potato
watermelon

E: 44 mis walking - 5,261 steps. Total steps for day - 8,995 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Good Day today. Unfortunately I had to go to a customer site today for work which basically ment I was not able to get all my exercise in that I wanted too. It also ment I had to go out to for lunch as well. I ended up eating SAD vegetarian again. The food tasted good but it was greasy. Lots of oil used. It only took about 30 mins before my stomach was feeling quesy. I did manage to get my evening walk in which made me feel better.

Overall it was another stressful day with work and not sure I got done what I really needed too. I cooked up a spaghetti dinner for the family tonight which they seemed to enjoy and relaxed with a bit of TV with the wife. But basically it was a quiet evening relaxing and hoping my stomach would settle down.

It really is amazing how SAD food effects a body that isn't used to eating it. Its hard to think back and remember that I used to feel OK eating that stuff for years and now a single meal of it and my body revolts. I've got to find a better way to deal with these eating situations where I must partake and there's nothing proper to eat.

At least I was able to eat my regular McD food the rest of the day which made me happy and filled me properly Oh well tomorrows another day and getting back to normal is the best I can do. I think I will work from home so I can better control things and hopefully drop the stress levels a notch or two...

[geo]

Day 4

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
S: banana
L: baked potato and mixed veggies with salsa
grapes
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/2 honeydew melon

E: 89 mins walking - 10,694 steps. Total steps for day - 14,263 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day today. Worked from home so stress levels were a bit lower but still high due to issues at work all day long. It seemed as one thing got fixed another popped up to take its place all day long and into the evening. So much fun - NOT!

At least my walking today went well. Both morning and evening walks were effortless and done in cool weather. No problems and things went quickly as expected. I really do look forward to them as they get me out of the house and give me time to think of other things. My problem now is not doing too much walking.

I have to remember that walking is just a simple, basic movement exercise to keep my muscles and joints well lubed and mobile. It doesn't really have either an aerobic or anaerobic effect at this point. Its primarily just a maintenance exercise. So I must start doing other things to up my fitness level and not use all my energy for just the walking.

I have to remember that I do have limited energy even though I feel very energetic and motivated to walk everyday. I must aportion that energy properly to make the best use of it. Because I've not been in the office the past few days, I've also missed my stair climbing. That will simply have to wait till I'm back in the office next week...

[geo]

Day 5

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
L: baked potato and sweet potato
grapes
D: baked potato
corn on the cob
1/2 honeydew melon

E: 90 mins walking - 10,704 steps. Total steps for day - 12,690 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Good day today. Had to go back to customer site for work in the morning. And it was raining hard, so I couldn't do my normal morning walk, which really bothered me. However I did my first walk in the early evening, then had dinner, and did my second walk after dinner about an hour later.

I thought it was kind of inteesting being irratated most of the day because I couldnt get my exercise in. 7 months ago I would have done anything to avoid all exercise. Now I can't wait to get moving I can't seem to sit still for too long anymore and have this need to just get up and walk around. Seems like I have so much energy to burn off everyday

Did a little reading on another exercise book by Dr. Ellington Darden, "Flat Stomach, ASAP". Silly title but interesting book about "core training". Its very similar to the last book from him I read but came out about 5 yrs later and seems to be a refinement of his earlier whole body program.

Thus not a lot of new info, but the focus is on the mid-section instead of overall general body development. So I find it interesting and worthwhile and will incorporate it soon into my exercise program.

[geo]

Day 6

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
S: banana
L: basmati rice and mixed veggies with salsa
grapes
D: SAD Vegetarian - Chili's
S: orange

E: 90 mins walking - 10,778 steps. Total steps for day - 13,202 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Good day. Felt strong with lots of energy. Did my morning and evening walks with no issue. Also did some grocery shopping and picking up some last minute items for dau's birthday party. So was pretty active all day.

Took everyone and dau's friend to the movies for her birthday (saw that Timothy Green movie). After words the girls wanted to go to dinner at Chili's. Since it was for dau's birthday I really couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, Chili's is one of the worst restaurants when it comes to what I eat. I did the best I could but it was still SAD Vegetarian and greasy We had a good time though and everyone was happy and laughing a lot.

An hour later I could feel the effects of the SAD and I felt sick most of the evening, eventually suffering from McD's revenge again. That coupled with high stress due to problems at work in the evening made for a pretty miserable night. I was up working till almost 6 AM. I finally got to bed and was up again by 9:30 AM. Needless to say I was quite tired as I was up for over 24 hours.

[geo]

Day 7

B: nothing
L: basmati rice with mex veggies and salsa
grapes
D: baked potato and sweet potato
mango and orange

E: 90 mins walking - 10,779 steps. Total steps for day - 14,290 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Good day today. Was tired from lack of sleep but took a little nap in the afternoon and felt much better. Did my morning walk first thing in the morning (boy was it cold) and it went surprisingly well given how sleep deprived I was and it definitely woke me up and I was feeling much better afterwards. Also did my evening walk fine as well.

My stomach was much better too after our visit to Chili's yesterday. Went and did a little last minute shopping for dau's birthday and picked up the ice cream cake she wanted. It was heart shaped and looked very nice. She doesn't care for regular cake so it was what she picked out for herself. She spent most of the day with all her friends over and hosted a little birthday party on her own with them. She seemed to have a really good time and enjoyed the presents her friends gave her.

Got me a new jacket for the fall since the weather has been dropping a lot lately. I actually fit well in a size Medium. 6 months ago I was a 2X+ and that fit tightly. I now fit into my size 36 jeans easily, down from 46+. And I'm wearing size 16 shirts, which are a bit loose on me. Down from 2x-3x. Whats interesting is even my shoes fit looser on me. Never thought I might have had fat feet

Oh well, spent the rest of the day just relaxing and watching some dvr'd shows with the wife as usual. Did a bit of reading in the evening as well to round out the day...

[geo]

Day 8

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups of herbal tea
L: basmati rice with mixed veggies and salsa
grapes
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/2 honeydew melon

E: 45 mins walking - 5,364 steps. Stair climbing - d/u/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 10,433 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day today. Felt 100% with lots of energy. Finally did a round of stair climbing and it just continues to get easier. Despite it being almost a week since my last time it was no problem doing it today. I also did my evening walk which went well too. Stomach seems to be back to normal.

Happy Birthday to my dau! She got all sorts of presents and calls from her aunt/uncle and her grandmother to congratulate her. She was quite happy needless to say. And she enjoyed her ice cream cake as well

It was a stressful day at work due to the problems that came up over the weekend. But oh well, sometimes things just don't go as planned. You learn from the mistakes and move on hoping to do better next time. Thats life...and hopefully you don't lose your job over it

[geo]

Day 9

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups of herbal tea
L: mex veggies with salsa
Plum
herbal tea
S: apple and herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/2 honeydew melon

E: 44 mins walking - 5,298 steps. Stair climbing - d/d/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 9,972 steps
M: 10mins
TM: none

Great day today. Felt good and strong and had lots of energy. Found myself pacing in the office all day long, as I couldn't seem to sit still for any length of time This was my day off from stair climbing so just did 3 trips down the stairs. Also did my evening walk as usual which went well and seemed to be fast. Probably because its getting so cold out in the early morning and late evenings, I feel like I'm walking faster just to get out of the cold

Work was yet another stressful day dealing with OPS's (Other People's Stupidity)...yes I know thats not kind, but sometimes out of frustration, you have to call it like you see it first, then laugh about the situations later to get over that immediate stress. At any rate, I was much better after I got home...

The rest of the day was just spent relaxing, watching a bit of tv, doing some reading and then going to bed early. Still a bit tired from the sleep deprivation of the weekend so figured I try to catch up a bit.

[geo]

Day 10

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: baked potato and sweet potato
grapes
D: basmati rice with mex veggies and salsa
apple and plum
S: grapes

E: 88 mins walking - 10,731 steps. Total steps for day - 13,399 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day today. Got to work from home so I got both of my walks in today which felt really good. Though its getting colder everyday and somewhat uncomfortable to be walking in for 45 mins at a time. Which brings up the point of whats happening with my thermal regulation since I started McDougalling. I've always been a cold weather lover. When others were shivering, I was comfortable. Even in the coldest weather I could be comfortable without heavy coats or layering. I always thought that people that had to do that were some how not well. But in reality it was me. Summers were my bain. I could not tolerate the heat at all. Even simple warm temperatures like 75 degrees would be uncomfortable to me to do anything in. I would sweat profusely.

Now this past summer has been the most wonderful time for me. It could be 100 degrees outside and I would still be easily able to walk for 45 mins in it. Yes I would be sweating afterward but it was relatively mild. 80-90 degree temps felt wonderful, while my family was hot and uncomfortable and complaining. My internal temperature regulation has finally righted itself and doing the right thing. It works for the first time in my life that I can remember.

So whats the downside? Well now I feel the cold and I mean I easily feel the cold. 60 degree temps make me shiver now and uncomfortable. My hands always feel cold now. My wife complains about my cold hands all the time now. (I know TMI ) Even though its still summer, I'm cold now virtually everyday, especially in the morning and night. Its summer I wear a jacket outside to stay comfortable. The air conditioning at work gets unbearable at times. I can only imagine how cold I'll be this winter. And now I'll have to go out and buy those extra layers of clothing and heavy coats...can you say $$$...

But to be honest, I welcome it all! If it means I'm healthy that's all the better. So bring on the fall and winter I'm ready to play!

Stress levels were lower today thankfully but still had some ups and downs at work that are not going away fast enough. Went grocery shopping as well to get some veggies and potatoes as usual. Seems like I run out of them so fast these day. Its funny when I food shop for my self the bills are small but when I shop for the rest of the family the bills are easily 3-4 times as much. Such is the cost difference between a McD lifestyle and the SAD. I don't understand how anyone can say that they can't eat well eating real food when its so much cheaper than SAD. Oh well that's a screed for another time...

All in all, not a bad day, worked a bit on my computer and watched a little tv with my wife and just relaxed most of the rest of the day.