Brownstudy's check in
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- brownstudy
- Posts: 37
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- Location: Durham, NC
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Brownstudy's check in
Started both SG and No S about the middle of last week. Did SG M/W/F last week, and M/Tu/Th this week.
No S: actually not having much of a problem with the diet. (Diet from the Greek dietos, "way of life," or so I heard somewhere.) The structure is important; it's straightforward and easy to keep in mind. Simple rules yield complex behaviors.
I like drinking seltzer water and diet sodas in the afternoon to keep hunger at bay and just keep my hands busy. I eat slightly more at lunch to tide me over into the evening. (I work a 9-10 hr day sometimes, so lunch and dinner can be separated by 6-7 hr gap.)
I do weigh myself several times/week -- just habit. I know the range for me is +/- 4 lbs. I'm 6'3" and weigh about 212 at the moment. The lowest I weighed last year was 203, but that was hard to maintain. My goal is to stay between 205-210 for a while, then maybe see if I can inch my way down to 200. My fat is mostly belly fat, though I can feel it creep over my back and sides and face when I am lax.
I notice I'm not as sleepy in the afternoons as I used to get before I started No S. I always used to insist on a sweet treat to close out lunch.
Went a little crazy at a Father's Day celebration with my dad's side of the family, but ate so much at lunch I felt no need to eat any supper. The N days have been more moderate, of course.
SG: I don't have a sledgehammer, so I'm using a weight bar I had left over from a previous exercise regimen. The bar itself is about 12 or 14 lbs total, so its physics are different from the Classic SG (TM); what I like is I can do bicep curls and other more traditional weight moves that I'm familiar and comfortable with.
I am noticing a slight twinge in my lower back during the day, which is from either the shoveling or the wood-chopping. I'm using my back for some move instead of using my abs, legs, and buttocks for support. Last week, I did the moves fast, the way Reinhard illos them in the Quicktime movies. I finally twigged that I need to get the form right first and took them slower, which felt much better.
For churning, since I'm tall and the ceilings in my house are not tall, I sit in a chair and churn.
Even though I've barely started, I am amazed at how *hard* my arms feel. And I feel a pleasant soreness in my shoulder and back muscles, more so than when I did the isolation exercises for them.
I have a timer program on my Clie set to 14 minutes. I find myself using that 14-minute timer to limit my online surfing when I want to take a break but not lose control of my time.
I tend to do SG after waking up and before I get dressed. After the 14 mins are up, I may also do sit-ups or push-ups or stretches, because I feel virtuous or better after doing them. (My leg muscles, esp hamstrings, like to be stretched.) I am aware of Reinhard's warning not to let the mind think of this as a 30 minute exercise routine, but since my mind has considered the exercise "done" at 14 minutes, I can slip in a little extra stuff without it noticing. I haven't felt any resistance yet, at any rate
Thinks: I wonder if we just came up with titles of SG exercises and then retro-fitted exercises to go with them? I just thought of "Drum Major": move SG with a one-arm churning motion as you lift your legs in a high-stepping march.
Enough typing for one day. Time for bed.
No S: actually not having much of a problem with the diet. (Diet from the Greek dietos, "way of life," or so I heard somewhere.) The structure is important; it's straightforward and easy to keep in mind. Simple rules yield complex behaviors.
I like drinking seltzer water and diet sodas in the afternoon to keep hunger at bay and just keep my hands busy. I eat slightly more at lunch to tide me over into the evening. (I work a 9-10 hr day sometimes, so lunch and dinner can be separated by 6-7 hr gap.)
I do weigh myself several times/week -- just habit. I know the range for me is +/- 4 lbs. I'm 6'3" and weigh about 212 at the moment. The lowest I weighed last year was 203, but that was hard to maintain. My goal is to stay between 205-210 for a while, then maybe see if I can inch my way down to 200. My fat is mostly belly fat, though I can feel it creep over my back and sides and face when I am lax.
I notice I'm not as sleepy in the afternoons as I used to get before I started No S. I always used to insist on a sweet treat to close out lunch.
Went a little crazy at a Father's Day celebration with my dad's side of the family, but ate so much at lunch I felt no need to eat any supper. The N days have been more moderate, of course.
SG: I don't have a sledgehammer, so I'm using a weight bar I had left over from a previous exercise regimen. The bar itself is about 12 or 14 lbs total, so its physics are different from the Classic SG (TM); what I like is I can do bicep curls and other more traditional weight moves that I'm familiar and comfortable with.
I am noticing a slight twinge in my lower back during the day, which is from either the shoveling or the wood-chopping. I'm using my back for some move instead of using my abs, legs, and buttocks for support. Last week, I did the moves fast, the way Reinhard illos them in the Quicktime movies. I finally twigged that I need to get the form right first and took them slower, which felt much better.
For churning, since I'm tall and the ceilings in my house are not tall, I sit in a chair and churn.
Even though I've barely started, I am amazed at how *hard* my arms feel. And I feel a pleasant soreness in my shoulder and back muscles, more so than when I did the isolation exercises for them.
I have a timer program on my Clie set to 14 minutes. I find myself using that 14-minute timer to limit my online surfing when I want to take a break but not lose control of my time.
I tend to do SG after waking up and before I get dressed. After the 14 mins are up, I may also do sit-ups or push-ups or stretches, because I feel virtuous or better after doing them. (My leg muscles, esp hamstrings, like to be stretched.) I am aware of Reinhard's warning not to let the mind think of this as a 30 minute exercise routine, but since my mind has considered the exercise "done" at 14 minutes, I can slip in a little extra stuff without it noticing. I haven't felt any resistance yet, at any rate
Thinks: I wonder if we just came up with titles of SG exercises and then retro-fitted exercises to go with them? I just thought of "Drum Major": move SG with a one-arm churning motion as you lift your legs in a high-stepping march.
Enough typing for one day. Time for bed.
Mike Brown
- gratefuldeb67
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- Location: Great Neck, NY
Welcome Mike! Good luck with everything...
I like that "Drum Major" move... I do something similar I picked up in New Orleans which I think of as "Second line" style walking with the SG instead of a parasol....
Also, one I am very fond of, being the rock and roller I am, is one I named the "Pete Townshend"
No, I don't do a complete windmill, but I strut around with the SG like a Fender Strat, and do walking side kicks, ala the Radio City rockettes!
Peace,
Deb
I like that "Drum Major" move... I do something similar I picked up in New Orleans which I think of as "Second line" style walking with the SG instead of a parasol....
Also, one I am very fond of, being the rock and roller I am, is one I named the "Pete Townshend"
No, I don't do a complete windmill, but I strut around with the SG like a Fender Strat, and do walking side kicks, ala the Radio City rockettes!
Peace,
Deb
- brownstudy
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2005 2:14 am
- Location: Durham, NC
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SG for 14
Woke up late and negotiated with myself whether to do SG or not. Talked myself into it by saying, "It's only for 14 minutes, then you can have breakfast."
So, I did the 14 minutes and no extras. Will probably lunch in the cafeteria today and have beans/tortillas for supper.
I also like a little nightcap: 8 oz of chocolate silk. Before I go to bed, I sit in the living room chair, turn the lights out, drink my chocolate soy, and ponder the infinite for a few minutes. It's an indulgence, but one I don't wish to give up..
So, I did the 14 minutes and no extras. Will probably lunch in the cafeteria today and have beans/tortillas for supper.
I also like a little nightcap: 8 oz of chocolate silk. Before I go to bed, I sit in the living room chair, turn the lights out, drink my chocolate soy, and ponder the infinite for a few minutes. It's an indulgence, but one I don't wish to give up..
Mike Brown
I love the mental picture I'm getting of the "Drum Major" and "Pete Townshead".
brownstudy - your nightcap ritual sounds absolutely lovely. If I were you I'd keep it up. Its not any worse than a glass of wine before bed, after all, and proably much tastier.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".
- brownstudy
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June 27
SG: 14 minutes
No walking (92 very humid degrees here)
No S: 3 good meals. I did share a cookie with my wife that was left over from the weekend. So, my bad.
No walking (92 very humid degrees here)
No S: 3 good meals. I did share a cookie with my wife that was left over from the weekend. So, my bad.
Mike Brown
- gratefuldeb67
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- brownstudy
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6/28
No S - 3 meals, no snacks.
SG: Yep. No extras. I prefer doing it in the morning after I get up.
Am finding that with my current 9-hr workday, SG is about the only exercise I can force myself to do or can make time for. My previous weight/exercise routines all require 30-40 minutes at a minimum.
It is interesting to me how little I am interested in the snack machine nowadays. Reminds me of when we did South Beach last year and I lost interest in the cakes and cookies.
Weight is still hovering at 212-214, but I can feel little changes in my face and upper body; they feel a little less puffy and soft. Since these were the last places where I accumulated fat, they're the first places where the fat will come off.
It will probably take the rest of the year to eat away at my middle, since that is entrenched long-term fat, but that's OK. What I like about these systems are that they can be so easily folded into my daily routine without having to juggle schedules, meal plans, etc.
There's a tenet in Extreme Programming that goes "do the simplest thing that could possibly work." And some other famous quote, along the lines of small daily routines consistently carried out will defeat the single effort of a Hercules. I find that the everyday systems exemplify both of these thoughts.
Enough rambling!
SG: Yep. No extras. I prefer doing it in the morning after I get up.
Am finding that with my current 9-hr workday, SG is about the only exercise I can force myself to do or can make time for. My previous weight/exercise routines all require 30-40 minutes at a minimum.
It is interesting to me how little I am interested in the snack machine nowadays. Reminds me of when we did South Beach last year and I lost interest in the cakes and cookies.
Weight is still hovering at 212-214, but I can feel little changes in my face and upper body; they feel a little less puffy and soft. Since these were the last places where I accumulated fat, they're the first places where the fat will come off.
It will probably take the rest of the year to eat away at my middle, since that is entrenched long-term fat, but that's OK. What I like about these systems are that they can be so easily folded into my daily routine without having to juggle schedules, meal plans, etc.
There's a tenet in Extreme Programming that goes "do the simplest thing that could possibly work." And some other famous quote, along the lines of small daily routines consistently carried out will defeat the single effort of a Hercules. I find that the everyday systems exemplify both of these thoughts.
Enough rambling!
Mike Brown
It occurs to me that the extreme programming tenet is just the imperativisation of occam's razor:
Which is appropriate since:
Maybe we should call it "Occam's Electric Razor"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_RazorIn its simplest form, Occam's Razor states that one should make no more assumptions than needed. Put into everyday language, it says The simplest explanation is the best. When multiple explanations are available for a phenomenon, the simplest version is preferred. For example, a charred tree on the ground could be caused by a landing alien ship or a lightning strike. According to Occam's Razor, the lightning strike is the preferred explanation as it requires the fewest assumptions.
Which is appropriate since:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/ ... hap_Temp_4computer science... might best be called procedural epistemology -- the study of the structure of knowledge from an imperative point of view, as opposed to the more declarative point of view taken by classical mathematical subjects. Mathematics provides a framework for dealing precisely with notions of ``what is.'' Computation provides a framework for dealing precisely with notions of ``how to.'
Maybe we should call it "Occam's Electric Razor"
- brownstudy
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Whoa, I bailed at imperativisationreinhard wrote:It occurs to me that the extreme programming tenet is just the imperativisation of occam's razor:
There's a lot to be said for the simple. David Allen's GTD time management philosophy is that your system has to be as simple as possible so that you can use it when you have the flu.
Or, as Scotty said in one of the Star Trek movies, "The more they overhaul the plumbing, the easier it is to clog the drain."
Since we're link-happy, here's DTSTTCPW from the horse's mouth, where it is discussed in Talmudic detail.
And what the heck, here's a link to simplicity, Zen, and self-organization, that's the best thing I've read in the last 48 hours.
Mike Brown
- brownstudy
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Missed the daily check-ins
Here's a quickie rundown of the week:
SG'd every day, usually before work, but after work on Friday. I think I need to do something else on one or two of the days as my left arm is feeling a not-good sore. I'll take a break over the long holiday.
SG is a blessing though; whenever I think I can't exercise, I say to myself, "It's only 14 minutes." And that gets me going.
No S: Mostly good. About 80 percent. Liz forgot about my diet and prepared rice pudding with fresh fruit. I had one bowl. On Friday, I should have left work early but my boss kept me late working on a report. I was so bummed that when I went to get a diet soda, I also bought a KitKat from the vending machine. Pure emotional compensation eating, no excuse for it. Those were the only major deviations from No S.
When I feel a craving for something, I think, "Hunger or appetite?" Hunger will be appeased soon; appetite will go away if I negotiate with it or distract myself.
My weight is holding steady at around 214, but I am feeling a little less fat here and there; that is to say, I know had a little too much averdupois and 'jiggle' before that is not there now.
SG'd every day, usually before work, but after work on Friday. I think I need to do something else on one or two of the days as my left arm is feeling a not-good sore. I'll take a break over the long holiday.
SG is a blessing though; whenever I think I can't exercise, I say to myself, "It's only 14 minutes." And that gets me going.
No S: Mostly good. About 80 percent. Liz forgot about my diet and prepared rice pudding with fresh fruit. I had one bowl. On Friday, I should have left work early but my boss kept me late working on a report. I was so bummed that when I went to get a diet soda, I also bought a KitKat from the vending machine. Pure emotional compensation eating, no excuse for it. Those were the only major deviations from No S.
When I feel a craving for something, I think, "Hunger or appetite?" Hunger will be appeased soon; appetite will go away if I negotiate with it or distract myself.
My weight is holding steady at around 214, but I am feeling a little less fat here and there; that is to say, I know had a little too much averdupois and 'jiggle' before that is not there now.
Mike Brown
- brownstudy
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On hold...
My wife went into the hospital Tuesday and may be out on Saturday. I'm able to keep up 3 meals a day with no snacks but they're on the go, in the hospital cafeteria, fast food, or wherever. No exercising as I'm going right to bed and then getting up and doing the daily chores so I can get to work for a few hours before heading to the hospital.
Needless to say, a big disruption to the schedule and daily habits.
Reminded of twin dictums:
For eating: nothing is better than anything, less is better than more, slower is better than faster (referring to eating speed). (I'm trying to keep the first two of these in mind as I move through the day.)
For exercising: anything is better than nothing, more is better than less, faster/more intense is better than slower/less intense.
Needless to say, a big disruption to the schedule and daily habits.
Reminded of twin dictums:
For eating: nothing is better than anything, less is better than more, slower is better than faster (referring to eating speed). (I'm trying to keep the first two of these in mind as I move through the day.)
For exercising: anything is better than nothing, more is better than less, faster/more intense is better than slower/less intense.
Mike Brown
- gratefuldeb67
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- brownstudy
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Jul 11,12
Mon - Success. SG in morning, 3 meals. Ate at Chick-fil-a at lunch with co-workers, but ordered one of the salads, not the sandwiches.
Tue - Failure, but then I rearranged the goalposts and dubbed it an S day. Yoga in the morning (sun salutations, a few twists and stretches), which I find to be better for me than SG 5 days in a row. My left wrist and arm ache less on this regimen. So I'll try a SG on MWF and bodyweight exercising on TTh.
Liz returned from the hospital on Saturday so this week has been spent with people visiting us. Last night, my parents arrived bringing leftovers from the family reunion dinner we couldn't attend. Yes, I knew what I was doing when I went back for seconds on the corn pudding and squash casserole.
Then, Liz's singing buddies visited later bringing ice cream, over which we put some blueberries from my grandmother's burgeoning blueberry bush.
So -- Tue became an S day. That's the way it goes.
Today (Wed), I did SG and am eating the standard No S way (so far).
Tue - Failure, but then I rearranged the goalposts and dubbed it an S day. Yoga in the morning (sun salutations, a few twists and stretches), which I find to be better for me than SG 5 days in a row. My left wrist and arm ache less on this regimen. So I'll try a SG on MWF and bodyweight exercising on TTh.
Liz returned from the hospital on Saturday so this week has been spent with people visiting us. Last night, my parents arrived bringing leftovers from the family reunion dinner we couldn't attend. Yes, I knew what I was doing when I went back for seconds on the corn pudding and squash casserole.
Then, Liz's singing buddies visited later bringing ice cream, over which we put some blueberries from my grandmother's burgeoning blueberry bush.
So -- Tue became an S day. That's the way it goes.
Today (Wed), I did SG and am eating the standard No S way (so far).
Mike Brown
- Jammin' Jan
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- brownstudy
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Thanks. Well, some difficulties are still ahead, but one keeps doing what has to be done. It's good to have the structure of something like No S and SG to at least help keep me on a minimum maintenance routine. Otherwise, I'd go to pot.Jan-Tz wrote:Difficult days behind you, sounds like you did pretty well!
Mike Brown
- brownstudy
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Small changes, big benefits
Well, as I was saying...(Has it really been since July that I was last here??)
Liz recovered from her hospital stay just fine and is back in school. I'm still gainfully employed.
In February, made some changes to my routines (which I may discourse about later):
What was missing was something for my eating and so, of course, I came back to No S.
So, this week, Mon-Thu have all been good No S days. No snacks, not even the cashews that sit in a jar on our counter. I usually drink a liter of lemon/lime seltzer and a diet Coke in the afternoons and that satisfies my sweet tooth. By 430p, I'm on my way home to do my exercising, and am too occupied to think of supper. So when food comes, it tastes very good.
Liz recovered from her hospital stay just fine and is back in school. I'm still gainfully employed.
In February, made some changes to my routines (which I may discourse about later):
- * started getting up an hour earlier (6 am) so I can get to work and leave earlier (I have to work a 9-hr day)
* started using a workout routine blending two books: 5-Factor Fitness and Joe X
* started using a new day planner/organizer system
What was missing was something for my eating and so, of course, I came back to No S.
So, this week, Mon-Thu have all been good No S days. No snacks, not even the cashews that sit in a jar on our counter. I usually drink a liter of lemon/lime seltzer and a diet Coke in the afternoons and that satisfies my sweet tooth. By 430p, I'm on my way home to do my exercising, and am too occupied to think of supper. So when food comes, it tastes very good.
Mike Brown
- gratefuldeb67
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- brownstudy
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Success for 7 days
Finished last Thu and Fri as successful No S days. Did my workouts as scheduled and over the weekends. Treated myself to a so-so pancake breakfast on Sunday but it lasted me through the day.
For this week, just planning to do the same. Breakfast, lunch, supper. My liter of seltzer and a diet coke in the afternoon is enough to float me over my pangs. Herbal tea and seltzer in the evenings.
For this week, just planning to do the same. Breakfast, lunch, supper. My liter of seltzer and a diet coke in the afternoon is enough to float me over my pangs. Herbal tea and seltzer in the evenings.
Mike Brown
- brownstudy
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- brownstudy
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- Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2005 2:14 am
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Total, abject failure
But it's only a diet, so it's ok
Was doing well last week up until I was getting ready to leave at 4:30 pm and my manager rushes in for me to revamp two slides for a client. I started work on it, he had to leave and then came back. We both left here about 9:30 pm but the slides looked real purty.
Suffice to say, I did some stress eating from the candy machine, and I did it more than once. Leaving to get something for a proper meal and coming back to the office would have meant giving up about 45 minutes to an hour (that's just commuting), which i couldn't spare. So Tuesday went to pot as did my 21-day attempt. I did better on succeeding days but lost momentum and wound up cheating in minor ways.
So -- starting over again today.
Was doing well last week up until I was getting ready to leave at 4:30 pm and my manager rushes in for me to revamp two slides for a client. I started work on it, he had to leave and then came back. We both left here about 9:30 pm but the slides looked real purty.
Suffice to say, I did some stress eating from the candy machine, and I did it more than once. Leaving to get something for a proper meal and coming back to the office would have meant giving up about 45 minutes to an hour (that's just commuting), which i couldn't spare. So Tuesday went to pot as did my 21-day attempt. I did better on succeeding days but lost momentum and wound up cheating in minor ways.
So -- starting over again today.
Mike Brown