Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Sept 12 Update

Man, I was sore when I woke up today. In particular, my ankles were really sore from the run, and my entire legs were too.

Exercise for today:
  • I rode the stationary bike for 20 minutes. My legs wanted to quit after about 5 but fortunately the World Series of Poker was on TV and that kept me going. I should put some episodes onto my video iPod.
  • I hit the weights hard and did 1 set on each of about 6 machines. I checked the time and only 10 minutes had gone by (sheesh). So I did 10 more minutes on mostly the same machines. My legs were shot so I did all upper body.
  • I also took the damn stairs this morning.
Here's what I ate today:
  • granola bar (90 calories) for breakfast
  • 16 oz coffee with 1 cream and Equal
  • big salad for lunch with lots of spinach, green peppers, celery, onions, and no cheese or bacon. I did have 2 tbsp of Ranch dressing which I watered down. I need to make some homemade lo-cal dressing.
  • 1 cup green tea
  • handful of sunflower seeds
  • 1 diet Pepsi
  • stir fry for dinner, no rice
  • lots of water
And that's all I ate today. Under 900 calories according to http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov. And not bad. The stir fry was awesome. Suzette made it with fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, sesame oil, green peppers, zucchini, onions, and chicken. I didn't feel deprived. I enjoy eating vegetables, it's just that my brain thinks that I want cheeseburgers.

I don't know what to do about the cream in my coffee, but it's only about 50 calories. Maybe I'll bring some milk into work or get some low-cal powder creamer.

I am sore and tired, but it's a good sore, mostly muscle aches and not too much joint pain. I might have been in better shape than I thought.

Thanks so much for everyone's support! Day 1 has been a success!

- schneid

4 comments:

Cha Ron said...

Great job today - but remember you are making lifestyle changes (I do not recommend kidnapping Kevin's wife even if she is a good cook). This journey can have great benefits for your whole family! My tip? Get snobby. If you're going to put it in your body - make sure its good - so forget the creamer and start drinking better coffee. Drink it black for crying out loud! Seriously - make gradual changes. You don't have to train like an Ironman just yet! All of this is not rocket science, but most of us have to relearn how to shop, cook and eat. I suggest getting a French press for your coffee...take it up a notch - a little indulgence for the adjustments you're making!

Unknown said...

You know, Mr. Schneider, the idea of drinking GOOD coffee black is spot on. Minimize the accouterments in all your food. Shop organic. Most people I know who went this route have really benefited from small lifestyle changes revolving around healthier food intake. Keep things as close to nature as you can, strive to reduce SALT and other additives; sugar is relatively harmless, actually, in small doses, but those artificial sweeteners can make you bloody ill. The body isn't all that complicated in lots of ways: treat your body nicely and it will return the favor, so to speak.

schneid said...

We're splitting hairs on a few things. Eating healthy meals is a lot better than the fast food I was eating almost every work day. So going from fast food to healthy food is about 95% of the way there, and going organic might be another 5%. As for salt and sugar, your body needs certain amounts of both, just not too much.

- schneid

You are right about artificial sweeteners. It's just junk that you don't need. I've already cut way down.

I will try to enjoy some better coffee. We drink pretty good coffee at home but the swill at work needs cream and sweetener. There are some guys at work who roast their own beans and it's more like tea than coffee.

- schneid

mikawendy said...

Here are some tasty, easy recipes that I like:

1 part nonfat yogurt to 1 part salsa (adjust proportion to taste); eat with baby carrots, celery, bell pepper spears

nonfat yogurt, drained through a strainer with a paper towel (to remove excess liquid); mix in minced garlic and lemon juice to taste; is great with veggies or crackers

black beans, corn, and salsa, either served with veggies or on its own

nonfat yogurt and canned pineapple or sliced grapes

tuna salad made with nonfat yogurt, lemon juice, black pepper (I'm a bit of a yogurt freak)

I can't stand most nutrition bars or granola bars because they either are too sweet or aren't filling enough (especially NutriGrain bars). But lately I have been LOVING the new Soyjoy bars (130 calories, lower sugar, more protein than others, made with soy flour instead of regular flour, gluten free), and they TASTE GREAT. I like them also because they're smaller, so they're just enough to tide me over if I'm at the rink for a long time, instead of being nearly as much as having a meal. Also, my grocery store has been promoting the hell out of them, with coupons left and right.