JWL's log

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

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JWL's log

Post by JWL » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:13 am

Ok, I see this thread as more of a log than anything. I've been shugging regularly for a few months, flirting with No-Sing, and I just started Urban Rangering within the past few weeks.

My schedule is a bit whacked; I work on Sat and Sun, and I walk 30min each way to work, so I count Sat and Sun as a "walking-No-S" day. This means I want to walk 3 days during the week.

I generally shovelglove M-F.

And I think sticking to the No-S will be my biggest challenge. So anyway, with this somewhat modified structure, here goes.
Last edited by JWL on Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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DAY 1

Post by JWL » Tue Jun 28, 2005 4:24 am

Shovelglove
Today I shovelgloved for 14 minutes with a 15-lb sledge (my 10 pounder with a 5lb ankleweight). I managed to get through all 14 minutes with this sledge. Boy was it heavy, but I felt great afterwards. I also tried a new move today, chop the tree. Well, it was new for me.

Urban Ranger
I took a nice hike at Wolfe's Neck park with a friend. I'm not sure how far I walked, but I did a bit of rock climbing as well. It was a gorgeous, cool, misty, foggy night on the rocky coast of Maine. Saw some baby ospreys, and had a nice dinner on the rocks. Which brings us to:

NoS Diet
I made one bad choice today: I had some frozen yogurt with my family. I rationalized it because a) I did not have sweets the previous 2 S days this past weekend, and b) I got the next-to-0 calories-but-laden-with-who-knows-what frozen yogurt. That was my first meal of the day. Not much of a meal. I am clearly the king of rationalization. *rolls eyes*

For my 2nd meal of the day, I had a really good and healthy burrito with baby spinach, brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, salsa, ranch dressing, and cheddar cheese, along with a leftover biscuit.

For my 3rd meal, I had another burrito identical to the above, with an apple.

Overall
Not a bad day. Gotta watch the rationalizing though. It's important to stick to the rules as clearly as possible, given that I have repeatedly demonstrated a strong ability to rationalize poor food choices for many, many years.
Last edited by JWL on Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:15 am

Good luck James!
You are doing great... You don't sound like the king of rationalization, just analytical...
Rationalizing is, at least, an attempt to think about what you are doing...
As long as you learn from what you do, you will succeed!
That burrito sounded mighty tasty :D

Glad the ankle weights are doing the trick for your SG'ing... A few months back I duct taped a 2 lb rock to my sledge! LOL... Then I took it off, at the polite request/suggestion of Rein and my other Sg friends, who were worried about the possibility of the thing either breaking off or the handle breaking, thereby causing unnecessary harm to me! :lol: But yeah, when I used it in addition to the "12 lb" which actually weighed in at 14, it sure felt majorly different and super heavy, but good...
Keep it up! You'll be swinging a 20 lbder before you know it!!!
Peace,
8) Deb

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DAY 2

Post by JWL » Wed Jun 29, 2005 2:54 pm

OK, didn't get a chance to post last night.

Urban Ranger
Took a break from walking yesterday. Rest those legs.

Shovelglove
Did a routine with my wife's 8 pounder. I wanted a break from the heavier shovelglove, I don't want to overdo it. I think I'm going to lower the weights on mine to 13 pounds, down from its current 15. I think going from 10 to 15 is too big of a jump. Plus, there's something so... right about the number 13.

No-S
Meal 1: egg, spinach, and cheese wrap.
Meal 2: homemade pizza with broccoli, black olives, and mushrooms, corn on the cob, salad
Meal 3: more of the pizza, an apple
Last edited by JWL on Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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DAY 3

Post by JWL » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:33 am

Urban Ranger
Didn't really walk much today either. It was a busy day. I'll have to take a walk tomorrow. Also, I discovered "Hindu squats" today; I tried a couple and to my amazement, they don't bother my knees at all. I want to try to incorporate these into my exercise regimen.

Shovelglove
Did my routine with both my new 13-pound sledge and the 8-pounder. Having both to work with feels really, really good. The 13 is more than enough weight to challenge, and when it gets to be too much, I can grab the 8 pounder. Cool!

Also, I found a new movement; I hold the tip of the handle like in the butter churning move, but I extend my elbow so that my arm is to my side, straight, at arms length parallel to the ground. Then I lift the arm up, while keeping it straight. No idea about a natural analogue to this, but it feels good in the shoulders.

No-S
Meal 1: pasta with tomato mushroom sauce and cheese.
Meal 2: Veggie/Tofu burrito (cheddar cheese, basmati rice, stir-fried tofu/broccoli/squash/corn/onions)
Meal 3: leftover pasta, an apple[/url]
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DAY 4

Post by JWL » Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:44 pm

OK, quick update. I shovelgloved yesterday, did a bit of walking (we walked to dinner and back), I managed two set of 15 Hindu squats (trying to take it easy), and did the 3-meal No-S thing.

My biggest challenge is sticking with the No-S. I enjoy the exercise, but I also like to eat, particularly later in the day. I feel like I'm still eating too much, even with the 3 meals. So my solution would be to either reduce portions in the meals I do eat, or to cut down to 2 meals a day, something I've done successfully in the past.

Just sort of thinking out loud here. What I may do is try 2 meals/day for a while, even if I don't do it on every S day. See what happens. If anyone has any advice, I'd like to hear it.
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Post by sibyl » Fri Jul 01, 2005 4:48 pm

I don't know - 2 meals a day sounds awfully light. What would you be doing, skipping lunch? Because I really don't recommend skipping breakfast, to anyone.
(For people who can't stand food first thing in the morning, wait an hour or two. One of my co-workers keeps a microwaveable bowl and oatmeal packets at her desk so she can have breakfast at ten, when she's capable of confronting food)
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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DAY 5

Post by JWL » Sat Jul 02, 2005 4:54 pm

OK, yesterday (Friday) was an interesting day. I got to do lots of physical activity, a friend of mine needed some carpentry help on an addition to the in-laws house. So that was fun.

My legs are quite sore from the Hindu squats, so I took it easy on them. Didn't get much walking in either, at least in a marching sort of way, though I was on my feet pretty much constantly from noon until 5 pm, walking around, carrying wood, measuring and cutting, etc etc etc.

I did shovelglove in the evening, and stuck to the No-S plan as well.
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Post by JWL » Sat Jul 02, 2005 5:08 pm

To answer your question, Sibyl, I've been thinking more about it. I think the real problem is that I need to adjust the times at which I eat. I usually have my 3rd meal du jour fairly late in the evening, and that's the meal that has to go, because I usually eat more then than at any other time of day. I have a long history of binge-eating at night; so my body is used to getting a good chunk of its calories then.

So my immediate goal is to eliminate this old habit, as the quantity of food, as well as the timing of it (a big meal before bed is a bad idea, and a sure way to turn most of those calories into fat) are the biggest problem by far in my diet. In general, I eat healthy food, I just eat too much of it.

I've tried many strategies to deal with this problem over the years, and the one that seems to work best is when I impose a strict, no-eating-after-9pm rule. So my instinct is to return to that rule, a rule I abandoned when I adopted the NoS diet.

So here's my current thought: re-introduce that rule. No more eating after 9pm. As a result, I am quite likely to be hungrier in the mornings. So I may stick with the 3 meals/day, though I'll likely make the first meal of the day something small and light, ie fruit, smoothie, cereal, etc.

I'm going to consider this more carefully over the weekend and have some sort of Cunning Plan(tm) in place by Monday...
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Post by JWL » Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:38 pm

OK, I've been thinking more about this issue. Here's what I've decided my routine to be:

N-days
1.Stick to the No-S plan, with the modification of no eating after 9pm. The idea is that I regulate my mealtimes to the extent that it's possible in my reality. I want to get my body used to a light breakfast in the morning, something like a fruit smoothie.

2. Shovelglove every N day.

3. Do as many Hindu squats as possible every N day.

4. Do the yoga "breath of joy" until I can see God (not really, but it's a good warm up; do it as long as I feel like it). I think it makes sense to try this movement as soon as I get up. Yes, even before I have coffee. :-)

5. Walk as often as I can, with no specific commitments as to how often.

S-Days
1. Be sensible about my diet, while maintaining the no-food-after-9pm rule.

2. Walk to work and back home (30min each way)

3. Rest from squats and shovelglove.


So I'm counting today as an S-day, since I'm working and its a holiday. So I'll begin this N-day routine tomorrow. Watch this space.
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Post by Jammin' Jan » Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:43 pm

Freakwitch, how do you make those blue clickable links, like the one you did for "breath of joy" above?

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Post by JWL » Tue Jul 05, 2005 1:29 am

Hi Jan, in the screen where you type, there are several buttons between the 'subject' line and the message body box. One of them says URL; what I do is highlight the text and click that URL button. You may have to then paste in the link that you want. There is a line of text just above the message box that explains how to do it.
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Post by Jammin' Jan » Tue Jul 05, 2005 1:34 am

Okay, thanks :) . I'll have to try that sometime.

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DAY 9 (after 3 S days)

Post by JWL » Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:40 pm

OK, yesterday was the beginning of week 2, with the modifications discussed above.

Shovelglove
Did a full shovelglove routine. I was also showing my daughter how to SG; we got her a 4lb framing hammer and she loves it! Cool... now all of us (me, my wife, our daughter) are shugging....

No-S
Had a great day eating yesterday. For lunch I made grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches with the homemade bread my wife made. Dinner was one plate with salad, biscuits, a fantastic mulitgrain casserole my friend made, and strawberries. That's it! 2 meals, 2 plates, nothing else. It felt good to eat so little, and allow myself to be filled up by it.

Urban Ranger
Didn't get much walking in, but I did 17 Hindu squats, and breath of joy for several minutes.

All in all, a very, very good day. Things feel like they have shifted after my ruminations over the weekend. Let's keep this up for a while...
Last edited by JWL on Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by cvmom » Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:26 pm

Hi Freakster.

After three S days I too only had 2 meals yesterday!!! Maybe our bodies are normalizing. :lol:

I love the image of you and your family all shovegloving. I wish you guys could come over to my house and help in the garden.

Dru CVmom

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DAY 10

Post by JWL » Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:54 am

Nah, wouldn't work. Wrong coast, and I expect we're further North. 3000 miles minimum. :-)

Today was good. Did 2 meals again. That seems to work well for me. A noontime meal and an evening meal. Lunch and dinner. I had two large meals today, the 2nd of which was at a restaurant. I got a steak, mashed potatoes, salad, and a spinach artichoke sauce. This obviously was a huge meal and completely filled my stomach to the brink of unpleasantly full. But, there is a time not so long ago when I would have had another appetizer on top of that, and a big dessert afterwards. Bottom line, I'm eating less than I was even a week ago, which is progress by any measure.

I want to experiment with making the first meal lighter. What I may do is split the big noontime meal up into a smaller morning meal and a smaller lunch. Smoothie and then leftovers are a good plan.

Our blender is broken (!) so I can't make smoothies at the moment. The base (the motor part) fell off the counter and shattered. So I hear, anyway. I'll need to replace that.

Did a full 14 min shovelglove with both the 13 and 8 pounder. Did a 21 set with the 13, and finished the last few minutes with a 14 set on the 8.

I did 18 squats today. I'm going to see how it goes if I increment the number done by one every day. iow, tomorrow I will do 19, 20 the next day, etc etc. I've set 100 as a goal, so it will be interesting to see if the curve to it is linear or not.

Didn't walk much. I need to walk more during the week. Tomorrow there is an outdoor concert in monument square that I'm going to take Mo to and meet up with some friends. Assembly of Dust and De Soul are playing, so it should be good. It'll be a nice 20-30 minute walk each way, downhill going there and uphill coming back. I live on top of Munjoy Hill in Portland, so getting downtown is just the right amount of work.
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DAY 11, 12

Post by JWL » Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:15 pm

OK, time for a quick update as I head into S-day work weekend....

My biggest success this week by far has been with the No-S dieting. I've managed to keep things to 2 meals per day, with the exception of yesterday where I went out again for frozen yogurt with my family. Apart from that, all my food choices this week were stellar. I had a realization that could easily become my new mantra: I feel better when I eat less. Mind, body, spirit; all are put at ease when I don't overeat. It's amazing.

I missed a day with shovelglove (Thurs), but that's been going well. It's still very good exercise.

Other exercise, I'll get to urban ranger this weekend to work and back. I did walk some this week, went to that show I mentioned above. I want to continue to gradually increase the number of squats I do...

Anyway, off to get ready for work now....
Last edited by JWL on Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by cvmom » Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:13 pm

Hi Freakwitch.

I read somewhere (who knows where, some magazine, diet book, internet) that we humans eat over 1/3 more then we need on average. So it doesn't surprise me to hear that you are fine with eating less food.

Also, I think when you stop growing and when you (God forbid) get older that your caloric need just goes down. My husband and I used to laugh at his parents because they would eat dinner at 5pm. But now we are kind of eating earlier too. (6 o'clock) I like going to bed without a bunch of food in my gut.

So, well done for you. I am impressed with all your exercise.

Fondly,
Dru

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Post by peetie » Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:48 pm

Freakwitch,
I am impressed with how much attention you are paying to all this and tweaking where you need tweaking for YOU. Within the Nos framework, we have to find what works for our individual physical and psychological needs, and it sounds like you are really workin' it!

Peetie

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DAY 13

Post by JWL » Sun Jul 10, 2005 6:00 am

thanks for the encouragement, cvmom and peetie. I sometimes wonder if I'm futzing too much. After all, the best part of these plans is their inherent simplicity. But as you say, I'm just figuring out how to fit this into my life.

I said in the earlier post, I'm the king of rationalization and like to mess with things. If it ain't broke, take it apart to see how it works. You know.

I wanted to do an update today, even though it's an n-day.

I had 2 meals today, and a couple of snacks. The first meal was 2 hummus/veggie wraps for lunch. The 2nd was a footlong subway club with all the veggies. The first snack was a nestle crunch bar. The 2nd was a bowl of potato chips. They had them out at work. Doh! Ah well, at least it's an S day...

I did better in the exercise department. I had 2 good walks today... 25 minutes each way to work and back. It's downhill to work, and uphill back. Surprisingly enough, I'm finding that the time difference is not great; I've been averaging about 24 minutes to, and 27 minutes from. I'm getting my legs back; I can hoof it up the hill but my legs are screaming at the end (and I'm breathing quite heavily). Good exercise!

I also did a shovelglove today, even though it's an S day. I did so because I skipped a day earlier this week (Thurs, I think) and wanted to make up the time. I hope I don't regret it; 2 days consecutive rest is nice. I did it with the 13 pounder, with a few 8 pounder moves at the end.

I've added "chop the tree" to my regimen as well. I love this one, because the arm movement is minimal; most of the work the way I do them is in the abs as you pivot your body back and forth with your legs rooted. Let your ab muscles turn your shoulders. I can feel the abs more in this movement than any other.
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DAY 14

Post by JWL » Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:07 am

Just a quick I Rock! moment: today was an N day, but I ended up not deviating from the S rules. I had a smoothie for breakfast, 2 tortillas, hummus, and veggies, and an apple for dinner.

I drank a ton of water today, and managed to avoid the beck of liquid candy from the soda machines, not to mention the actual candy in the vending machines. W00t!

I only got 1 walk in today though, as it was raining when I left work, and I wasn't dressed for it. So I got a ride home.

I also did a few chi kung exercises, some of which I've learned in the past and some of which I improvised. Get the energy flowing. Stagnation--bad.

Anyhoo, back to S-days and shovelgloving tomorrow!
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DAY 15

Post by JWL » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:41 am

today was good. Diet wise, I had chips and homemade hummus for lunch. I had a great dinner, stopping at the farmers market on the way home. I made the following dishes for dinner, and filled my plate with some of each of these:

- fried tofu, flavored with bragg's
- ziti with garlic, butter, basil, salt, pepper
- fresh cuke and tomato salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chives
- corn on the cob
- strawberries and blueberries mixed together with a bit of lemon juice and maple syrup

Lots of fresh food today; I could taste the earth in them. Yum.

Exercise-wise, I helped a friend build a stage for a big party/music show we're having in a month or so. If anyone is interested in coming out to a big Freaky and Witchy bonfire-and-live-music party in Southern Maine on Sat, Aug 6, let me know. A little secret, Freakwitch is actually the name of my band; we'll be playing along with at least 2 other acts. I'm sure there will be lots of drumming etc as well.

The labor today involved carrying lots of big logs (like, 8x8s that are 12' long), lots of hammering -- can you believe I forgot my sledgehammer? And I had some 15" spikes to drive.... the 8 pounder would have been perfect. Doh!

Also, I dropped a cinder block onto my leg, so there is a tennis-ball sized bruise on my calf. Ouch. 'tis but a flesh wound, but an uncomfortable one.

Picked up the shovelglove for a few minutes, but it was an abbreviated routine. My arms are already slaughtered from my work today.

But, I did 20 squats. These were hard, but not as hard as it was to do 18 the other day. My legs are getting stronger. Though the first couple of squats hurt as my calf muscles were compressed somewhat, causing the bruise to remind me of its presence.

I did some breath of joy as well. A very good day. I met my wife briefly this afternoon, and she gave me a double-take. "Wow, you really look remarkably smaller." It was awesome. Plus, I had to cut another notch in my belt the other day. This makes the 5th or 6th notch I've had to cut in the belt... I've had it for 10 years or so. Background: I've been at the same weight (within 10 lbs either way) for about 4 or 5 years. Before that, I lost about 70 pounds. So this belt has seen me at several different sizes.

I haven't weighed myself in many months. But, I have a doctor appt next week for my annual physical. So I'll get a chance then...
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Jul 12, 2005 12:46 pm

Hi Freakwitch...
Sorry about your leg! A cinderblock? Yikes!
You probably know this already, but incase you need reminding...
RICE...
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation....

Ice may stay on for up to 20 minutes at a time, then remove for at least 30... If you keep elevated above your heart, with some pillows or something, this will decrease the inflammation too... Obviously rest it... Today wouldn't be a good day to hike up your local hill, and if you have an ace bandage, keep a moderate amount of pressure around that area...
Personally, after a computer fell onto my foot last year and broke some bones, I found that the RICE method really helps...
Use heat only after a 72 hour period from the time of the accident...

I like to take large packs of frozen corn or peas for the icing part so it really forms a nice, form fitted blanket of coldness on the area...
Then you can just put it back in the freezer over and over....
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Peace,
Deb

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Post by reinhard » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:45 pm

Freakwitch, I can't believe I haven't popped in here yet. You are awesome.

It's hard to find the right balance between futzing and simple regularity. I try to give myself boundaries, but room to futz within those boundaries. Example: 14 minutes every N day is sacred but no micromanagement within those 14 minutes.

Sorry about the cinderblock... (was that part of some kind of useful movements routine, or actual useful work?)

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Post by Blondie » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:10 pm

FW -
I'm the same as you with the scale, except that I have to go to various doctors all the time. For the past few years I usually dread that part...but then I weighed 6 pounds less at my appt in June than I did in March (and we know how unforgiving the docs' scales are), which felt good. I bet you're down from your last accounting!

Your show sounds like freaky witchy fun. Sorry about your cinderblock casualty. RICE indeed.

Mandy

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Post by JWL » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:24 pm

Hi deb and reinhart, the cinderblock was part of Actual Useful Work(tm). We were building a small stage out of leftover lumber from an old barn.

The cinderblock was in the back of a pickup truck, standing upright on the edge of it. It fell out, with the top of it arcing downward as it fell; the top edge of the block grazed against my calf in an arc as it fell. So there is an abrasion about 5-6" below the back of my knee, which is right at the top of where my calf muscle bulges out.

As the cinderblock fell, it compressed the calf muscle downward at a slight arc, giving me a nasty bruise.

Right after it happened, I looked at it and thought, "wow, that's gonna leave a mark." Then I picked up the cinderblock (along with a 2nd one), carried them 30' away to where they were needed for the stage, looked at the bruise again, and in that short time it had swollen to 4x its size.

"OK, that's gonna need some ice...." so I went inside and generously applied ice and Reiki for 15-20 minutes.

Last night I put arnica on it. whenever I have a big bruise, I'm obsessed with gently massaging it, to help all the fluids work loose and get reabsorbed.

Still tender, but it's much better today.

Ah, the sacrifices we make for rock n roll.... :lol:
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"before" pic

Post by JWL » Tue Jul 12, 2005 3:49 pm

OK, this photo is of my daughter and I standing on a bridge in Bath from our March 2005 vacation in the UK:

Image

This was just before I started shovelgloving/NoSing.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Jul 12, 2005 9:31 pm

Very sweet photo!
That looks like a wonderful place to visit too!
Pinch your daughters cheek for me :D
Peace,
8) Deb
ps... just read your post about your selfcare regime... Arnica is a great muscle ache healing thingy... and self Reiki? Good call! Hope you're on the mend...

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Post by Jammin' Jan » Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:36 pm

Chi Kung for bruises:

Put the palm of your hand over the bruise. Inhale deeply through your nose into your abdomen. Breathe out through your mouth, and at the same time, focus all your attention on your palm touching the bruise. You might say, "breathe out through your hand into the bruise."

Do this when you go to bed, just keep doing it over and over until you fall asleep.

Love the picture!

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DAY 16

Post by JWL » Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:27 am

Thanks for the tips. I discovered chi kung many years ago, and found it came intuitively to me. Then Reiki intensified that sort of energy er work; I found I was able to do it more readily without being drained of my own energy in the process.

That trip to the UK was in many ways an initiatory one in terms of Everyday Systems. We backpacked across the UK, so there was lots of rangering, urban and otherwise. We walked up the hill you see in the background (it's called Bathwyck Hill); the hostel we stayed at is at the top of the hill. We also walked up and down Glastonbury Tor, and all over London, Edinburgh, Inverness, and several other towns. It was great.

I also remember adopting no-S while on the trip, just trying it to see how it worked for me. It was pre-commitment; a test run. It worked well, and here I am today. Whee.

Today was spent largely in healing mode, music mode, and cooking mode. I made salsa, and pizza. So dinner was a plateful of pizza (or more accurately 2 half platefuls of pizza as the pizzas came out of the oven at different times). Lunch was chips with hummus. Lots of water, tea, and coffee.

Skipped shovelglove as I am still sore. My right forearm is still slaughtered from all the hammering I did yesterday.

Get back onto shovelglove tomorrow; I think I'll feel better then. And I get to walk around a new town tomorrow night with a friend. This is very good news.[/url]
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Post by ClickBeetle » Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:12 pm

Adorable picture, and beautiful location too. Thanks for sharing.
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

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Post by cvmom » Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:00 pm

Okay Freakwitch....I will attempt to post a photo too. We went to England in April so I'll try to get a good one that shows the scenery like yours. I am technically challenged so it may be awhile.

I have been to Glastonbury too. My husband's brother has gone to the annual concerts there since he was 15. (He's around 45 now and he brings his teenage children.) I know my huband would go every year too if he didn't live in the US. For those of you who have not heard of Glastonbury it is an energy center (vortex?) in England. The town is full of witches and pagans and folks who love celtic mythology. Also it is believed that King Arthur is buried there. When you climb up to the Tor you get an awesome view of the surrounding farm area. There is also a beautiful Abbey that is so old they can't put a date on it. Fun, Fun Fun to know another Yank who has been there. :!: I have not been to Scotland. I would like to get there one day.

England is a great place to do No S because not only is the food different (being polite here) but the portions are smaller.

Okay, thanks for letting me share. Sorry I can't make it to your concert Freakwitch. It sounds like fun.

Dru

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DAY 17

Post by JWL » Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:33 am

I did a full shovelglove routine today, for the first time since last Saturday. It was good to move again. I'm still sore, my right forearm (from hammering) and my right calf (bruise) are quite tender. But at this point, they just need to be moved. And I need to stay hydrated. Back to it.

I also did 21 toe-squats today. (Somehow this term feels better than "Hindu squats." I'm not sure why. More descriptive, perhaps...) I think I want to align the number of squats to the day of the program. Let's see how it goes; I like the idea of squat++ on each consecutive day; at the moment I have 4 days for rest or slipup or whatnot before those two numbers are equal. This exercise is amazing. It does for the legs what shovelglove does for the upper body. If you haven't tried them yet, check it out. I'm amazed at how gentle it is on the knees.

Lunch: leftover pizza from last night. Veggie "pepperoni", mushroom, spinach, on sauce and dough made from scratch, baked on pizza stones. Good stuff. This may be the best dish I make now, though various burritos/wraps and homemade seitan are very much in the running...

Dinner, I went to Portsmouth to visit with a friend. It was good. We had dinner at what I would affectionately call a "hippie burrito" place. These places always have good food. I had a black bean/guac burrito with veggies on a wheat wrap, and chips and fresh salsa that was very good.

I walked a bit tonight. Not too much, more along the lines of leisurely stroll than blood-pumping workout. It was my first time visiting seacoast NH. Quite nice.
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DAY 18

Post by JWL » Fri Jul 15, 2005 6:01 am

Today (July 14) was an S-day. It was my 36th birthday.

I had pizza, birthday cake, ben and jerry's ice cream, a homemade black bean/rice/cheese/salsa/spinach burrito, and chips and salsa. I definitely ate more than I have been lately. It was a relative "pig out" day, esp by my recent standards. However, I can definitely remember a time when I'd have looked at what I ate today and felt good about eating relatively little. I'm stuffed tonight.

I did shovelglove for 14 minutes, and I did 22 toe-squats.

I also got a 90 minute massage today, which was lovely. I have the best massage therapist in the whole world (sorry Deb...! LOL).

Tomorrow is back to a N-day. I may take an extra N day this weekend as well. See how I feel.

Since I've reduced my food intake with NoS, I've noticed that food stays in my fridge longer. This is a good thing. I have a ton of leftovers in my fridge now... good food just begging to be eaten. Very cool. I'm hoping that as my family settles in to No-S, our grocery budget will go down.
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Post by sibyl » Fri Jul 15, 2005 11:07 am

I love your beard!

EDIT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Last edited by sibyl on Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head".

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:07 pm

Happy Birthday!
Here's wishing you a wonderful year ahead, full of prosperity, health, love and happiness...
Glad you have the greatest massage therapist in the world and treated yourself to such a first class gift!.. When you find a good one, it's like finding gold!
Peace,
8) Deb

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Post by Blondie » Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:39 pm

Happy birthday!

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Post by Ariel King » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:02 pm

HAPPY BDAY FREAKWITCH!! Sounds like a delicious S-day celebration. Your burrito descriptions always make my mouth water.

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Post by cvmom » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:04 pm

Many Happy Returns, Freakwitch!!!

That sounds like a great day.

Dru

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Post by reinhard » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:19 pm

Happy 36!

Loved Bath... one of the few pleasure trips I had time to take during my stay in London. Cute kid.

It sounds like you've got the soreness under control. One thing I'd recommend is sticking to the temporal aspect of your exercise routine, just taking it much easier. That way you keep the fragile habit part going, but don't risk hurting yourself.

Confession: I wouldn't have an easier time with No S in England. I love English food. Heavy, meaty, mysterious, it goes with the weather.

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Post by JWL » Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:06 pm

Thanks for all the well wishes, folks. They are appreciated.

Yeah, Ariel, this log is making me realize just how many burritos I eat! LOL It's definitely one of my favorite foods, esp. in the summertime. Quick, tasty, portable, nutritious, and filling. Can't go wrong.

English food didn't really strike me as being all that unusual. Lots of Indian restaurants in the UK, which was nice.

Reinhard, the soreness is definitely under control. The most soreness I've experienced recently was from the bruise (healing quite nicely, btw). I feel strong! And my legs are getting used to the squats, so they are feeling strong too....
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DAY 19

Post by JWL » Sat Jul 16, 2005 5:45 am

I messed with shovelglove today. I realized I hadn't yet attempted to do shovelglove the way it was originally done, ie, 50 reps of the shoveling motion. I got to 40 with the 13 pounder before I had to stop as my arms were on fire. I did other movements, including the new Churning Ghee move, but I could only do 13 reps of that. Then, I switched to the 8 pounder, and was able to do 50 reps on each side with the 8 pounder. But my arms -- mostly my biceps -- are buzzing pleasantly at the moment.

Back to NoS. Had a black bean, rice, cheddar cheese, salsa, and spinach burrito for lunch with chips and salsa, and for dinner I made a spinach, mushroom, and green pepper pizza with homemade french fries. Lots of coffee and water today.

I only did 13 toe-squats, as they were tired from doing 13 reps of churning ghee.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Jul 16, 2005 3:25 pm

Hey FW :D
Yeah, Reinhard packs in a lot of reps for 14 minutes... That really cranks it up on the "burnometer"! Therein lays the secret to why he looks so bloody great and "ripped"! I tried to do his routine once, but it's too fast for me...
He did work up to those numbers though! It didn't happen in one day...
And I have to agree with Ariel, your burritos are making my mouth water!!!
Spinach and black beans... mmmmmmmmm...........

Have a good'un~
Peace,
8) Deb

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DAY 20, 21, 22

Post by JWL » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:03 pm

OK. This weekend were S-days, and I ate accordingly. Not too bad, and by my old standards quite good, but I definitely am feeling better when I eat less. I did walk some this weekend.

Incidentally, Sunday marked Day 21 of this plan, so I suppose I should go post over in that thread....

Yesterday (DAY 22) was back to the grind. I was feeling very low energy, I think partially because of the moderate overeating fromt he weekend. The oppressive heat/humidity is a huge factor there, too. I did a shovelglove routine, but it was abbreviated. I also tried to do some squats, but my calf is still sore from the bruise. I now have bruising lower on the leg, below the calf muscle above the ankle. i think some of the deep bruising is draining straight downwards, from behind the calf muscle to where it is just below the skin lower on the leg. It's still quite sore, but it feels to me like it's healing normally. Yow. The soreness isn't alarming, it's just sore. If it persists, though, I may decide to go have it checked out just to be safe.

Diet-wise, yesterday I had a burrito (big surprise) from Granny's Burritos here in Portland, and yesterday evening I treated my family to a nice dinner at an Indian restaurant, a belated celebration of my birthday using some of the cash I was given. :-)
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DAY 23, 24

Post by JWL » Thu Jul 21, 2005 3:43 pm

I've done a good job sticking to No-S these past 2 days. We got a new blender, so I've been having smoothies for breakfast. Last night I was babysitting 2 other kids with my daughter, and made a big spaghetti dinner. Yummy.

I skipped shovelglove the other day for a variety of reasons. But, now I'm back to my 21-14-7 routine. I find it to not be a coincidence that messing too much with the routine correlates with me skipping days.

I also haven't done squats in several days, as they compress my calf too much.... ouch.

My mantra these days is: stay the course, stick to what you know is healthy, stick to what you know works.

As such, I'm extraordinarily grateful to have something as simple, elegant, and effective as NoS/SG/etc.
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DAY 25, 26, 27

Post by JWL » Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:47 pm

Well, as you all can see I haven't been posting as much.

My adherence to my regimen has slacked a bit this week for a variety of reasons. I only did the shovelglove twice, and I didn't do any squats at all this week. I also had a couple of minor No-S violations, or actually it was the don't-eat-after-9pm rule I imposed.

I've not had much energy this past week. Clearly, there is a correlation, given my recent (lack of) activity. :?

But, the slackage damage is minimal. I actually feel pretty good today; I got a good walk in to work today, and a good walk home last night. I think I needed some rest this past week, what I call mind-body-spirit rest.

So, at this point my focus is twofold: maintain my healthy emotional state by not beating myself up with guilt over my slackage this week; and secondly, re-establish some healthy momentum by reining in my adherence to my diet and restablishing a good exercising pattern.

Ever onward!
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Jul 24, 2005 6:00 pm

Dear James,
"Here here" or "Amen" to not beating yourself up... We are just not built to always be "on the go"... Maybe as kids it's doable, since there's usually soooooo much energy...
You hurt yourself last week, you are healing, it's hot out.. All this is real
It's okay to slack sometimes... (just as long as it's not all the time! LOL...)
As you know already, I am a pretty opinionated person, so here's my opinion... Feel free to mentally tell me to "bleep the bleep up" if you don't agree with this idea...
I think two meals isn't maintainable, and your body is telling you to switch to three... NOS is demanding enough without imposing even more rules to it... But many of us seem to try and do that (me as well, at least sometimes I hear myself saying "I should stop eating at 7 pm" or something dietary... blah blah...)
You said it yourself, you are a night owl.. so hey, maybe your getting hungry or something...
Well anyway, good luck with all of it! Hope your leg is feeling better and don't beat yourself up!
You are doing great!!!!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by JWL » Sun Jul 24, 2005 9:06 pm

Hi Deb,

Thanks for your thoughts. Not sure if I agree with that or not, ie the 2-meals-isn't-enough theory. Because I'm generally quite full throughout the day. I think I will stick with the 2 meal plan, simply because that felt right.

But what I may budget for is a couple extra meals per week. In other words, rather than saying 2 meals per day, say something like 17 meals per week. That'd give me some flexibility to ensure I'm getting enough food.

But really, what it comes down to is this: I do want to lose weight. I do want to eat less, and I know I can get enough nutrition with 2 meals per day. So even if I get hungry I have enough willpower to know that my body can survive until my next meal in the morning.

Put differently, my issues with sticking to the diet are not bodily-needs related. They are psychological, as I have a long, rich history with comfort-eating, binging, etc etc etc.

I think that I still prefer the plan I settled into a few weeks ago, ie, NoS 2-meals-per-day, shovelglove and squats on N days, and walking as much as possible.
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Post by reinhard » Mon Jul 25, 2005 3:00 pm

Freakwitch, congratulations on making it to the magic 21. Sorry you've run into a bit of trouble since then. Guilt is a healthy and useful emotion for murderers and rapists, not for stumbling dieters (except as a bogeyman to keep you from stumbling). Learn from what you did wrong, and get right back up.

You've got to know about 2 meals vs. 3 (though I think Deb's caution is worth considering carefully), but I'd be hesitant about doing something as complicated as "17 meals a week." It may not sound that complicated, but appetete is such a sneaky bastard. Think of how car manufacturers are now using hybrid gas engines *not* to get better gas mileage but more power plus "environmental" tax breaks. Your appetite is at least that sneaky. It will corner you into situations where you don't have enough meals left without enduring intolerable deprivation.

Complexity invites abuse. It's not always so obvious how, at first, but that's the whole problem.

Keep us posted and best of luck, whatever you decide.

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DAY 29

Post by JWL » Tue Jul 26, 2005 7:54 pm

OK, I think I lost track of the days somewhere in my titles; kinda hard to keep up. I started on Monday as I recall, so yesterday (Mon) must be day 29.

It was a good day. Stuck to the No-S. Did a good shovelglove routine. And I did 15 squats... I meant to do another one but forgot as I was utterly engrossed in the new Harry Potter book. What a fantastic story.

I've decided not to futz with things. I'm just gonna keep it simple, defined as the regimen I had been on (shovelglove, NoS, squats, no food after 9pm).

I've also noticed that even when I "slipped" last week, the crash and burn wasn't nearly as bad as it had been for years for me. No binging, which is a huge psychological victory. Definite improvement. I've many times been manically excited about some new diet or exercise routine, but something still feels different this time. I still feel like I'm ready to take the next step to improved health and fitness; this isn't a diet or something I have to endure for a year, it's the way I eat and get my exercise now. It's part of who I am now; elegant, simple and sustainably healthy.

Ever onward... gonna go get my shovelgloving and squats in for today now.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Jul 26, 2005 9:24 pm

Good for you James!!!!
Richard loved Harry Potter too! He read it in less than 3 days! Wow!!!
Congrats on not crashing and burning... NoS does deliver...slowly but surely... But mainly, it will never just leave you hanging or drop you cold... You can count on it and even look forward to being on it....
I am going to paraphrase Prodigal, now... NoS is not a DIE-et, it's really a LIVE-et....
Enjoy the book, I won't give away the end!
Peace,
8) Deb

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DAY 30

Post by JWL » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:16 am

Today was fantastic. I feel completely back on track. And my energy levels were through the roof today. I did my exercise at around 4pm, which seems to be a good time for me. I did a solid shovelglove routine, using the 13 pounder for a really good 21-14 set... I'm starting to choke my hands together on the 13 pounder now. Lots of fun. I ended with a 14 set of chop the tree with the 8 pounder. Man, I could smack something reeeeeeally hard with that 8 pounder sledgehammer..... :twisted:

I also did 29 squats today. I had to pause for a few seconds twice, but I got through them well. I had Day 29 in my head because I had just finished the previous day's journal in my mind. So I should have done 30 to keep things on track. Ah well. I'll do 31 tomorrow. It's definitely doable, provided I allow myself to pause when necessary. I get quite out of breath doing these though. I'll say it again: what a great exercise! Between it and shovelglove, I feel more of a total body workout than anything I've ever done in the gym. Wow!

NoS was good today.

Breakfast: soymilk, oatmeal, peanut butter, frozen banana smoothie and a hunk of homemade bread.

Dinner: Scrambled Tofu burrito (with some extra filling on my plate).

I also had 2 really good ales tonight in the studio. If you can get Long Trail Double Bag in your area, try it....

So yeah. I feel good again, back on track. Like my body has reawakened after its slumber last week. Apparently I needed to rest, and I managed to do so without crashing and burning.

Yeah, the Harry Potter was fantastic, Deb. I read the book yesterday. I enjoy the ride, and the characters. The dynamic between several of the characters is quite interesting (Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny, Harry and Dumbledore, Harry and Snape, Dumbledore and Snape, etc etc). Can't say I was too surprised by some of the plot turns. But this is like the "Empire Strikes Back" of the series; the final, bleak setup before the knockout punch of the story.

How long until Book 7?
Last edited by JWL on Thu Jul 28, 2005 3:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Ariel King » Wed Jul 27, 2005 6:39 pm

Hooray James for being back on track and feeling good!! :D

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DAY 31

Post by JWL » Thu Jul 28, 2005 4:10 am

Today was another good one. Did a full shovelglove routine, and 31 squats. Lunch was a salad with leftover tofu from last night's dinner in it, and half a biscuit. Dinner was 2 veggie burgers and some homemade french fries. I also had 2 glasses of OJ today.

And lots of water, it's hot/humid lately...

I had an image about my body imprinted today. I realized where most of the large stores of fat are. Sounds weird. I have a thin layer of fat pretty much everywhere under my skin. But the large fat reserves are in my belly, in the backs of my thighs, and the backs of my arms. Getting that image burned into my consciousness was interesting; it's almost as if I see them as just extra baggage that I'm literally carrying around.

I remember watching late-night TV many years ago, and on one of the Miraculous New Weight Loss Fitness Magic Answers Guaranteed Or Your Money Back infomercials, one of the idiot yelling bodybuilders came out with what he said was 10 lbs of fat encased in plastic. Just to show how much space 10 lbs of fat takes up. If that was accurate, I can imagine myself with one on the back of each thigh, one split between my 2 arms, 5 across my belly, and 2 more evenly distributed throughout my body under the skin. That's 100 pounds. Sounds about right.

I don't like scales. My highest known weight, which was c. 1995, was 411 lbs. In 1998-99, I learned about nutrition and started walking, and I dropped down to about 350. I've stayed there ever since, fluctuating some, and slowly but steadily replacing fat mass with muscle mass. My last weigh-in at my physical, a year ago, I was somewhere between 345-350. It'll be interesting to see where I am when I go in for my physical in August.

I really think NoS is the missing link in my health. Everything else is OK, I just used to eat too damn much. Not as much as I did in my 20s (which is why my weight didn't go up), but more than I need (which is why I didn't lose more).

I have no doubt that with this new eating algorithm my weight will gradually decrease, and then stabilize at a much healthier place. Put another way, 1997-2004 was about stopping the significant momentum of sloth and gluttony that had been gaining steam pretty much all my life, especially since I was diagnosed with asthma in 1972 (when I was 3). Most of those habits are gone, or at least not raging out of control. This period was all about banishing unhealthy habits.

From 2005 onwards, I am establishing healthy habits to sustain my life. And as Reinhard says, "there is no after. After is when you're dead." I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I hope I look back on 2005 as a crucial turning point in my life.
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DAY 32

Post by JWL » Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:25 pm

Yesterday was, in short, reasonably successful. Stuck to No-S, had a smoothie for breakfast and a somewhat gluttonous plate of pasta with my homemade sauce and mozzarella cheese. I can really see how No-S puts portion control into perspective; that one plate felt like a tremendous amount of food yet I remember a time when I'd have had 3 such plates for a meal.

Exercise wise, I got a good walk in yesterday. I didn't get a chance to do my normal routine until quite late, before I went to bed. And I was in the mood for something different, so my shovelglove routine consisted of mostly freestyling with the 8-lb sledge and my daughter's tiny 4 pounder, held one-handed. It was fun moving that one around in a wide figure-eight. I also did a set of curls and a 21-set of shovelling with the 13 pounder.

Because it was so late and I'd gotten a walk in, my legs were tired so I skipped my squats for the day. I'm hoping to get back to a set (33) later today when I do my exercise.... watch this space.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:59 pm

Wow! You sound pretty coordinated James! LOL...
I'd probably get confused and do something spazzy!
Have a great day!
Peace,
8) Deb

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DAY 33

Post by JWL » Sat Jul 30, 2005 5:50 am

Today was good.

Another smoothie for breakfast. Dinner was a salad, homemade pizza, and a fruit salad.

Did a solid shovelglove routine, mostly the 13 pounder for 12 minutes, then 2 min of chop the tree at the end with the 8 pounder.

I did 33 squats today. Had to rest several times. At the end I could only do 4-5 before I had to rest. A real thigh-burner, for sure.

I also rehearsed with my band, which is strenuous in its own right... we're pretty active, I think of my acoustic guitar as a percussion instrument.... but then to me music is more of a spiritual exercise than a physical one.

Looking forward to walking more this weekend!
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Days 34-38

Post by JWL » Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:41 pm

OK, haven't posted lately, but I've been busy in my own way.

Sat and Sun (34 and 35) were S-days. I did get about 90min of walking in over the weekend, though.

Mon (36) was good, I did No-S, shovelgloved, and 36 squats.

Tues (37) was good, did No-S, shovelglove, and 37 squats.

Wed (38) was an S day. In truth, there were also some slight abberations on Mon and Tues as well. But nothing worth fretting over; I could easily claim this entire week as S-days since I'm sort of on vacation; my parents are visiting us (esp my daughter... heh) this week, and it feels like vacation. I skipped squats and shoveglove as I was a bit sore.

Thurs (39) is shaping up to be a good day. I had cheese ravioli with homemade sauce for my first meal. Tonight we're going out for Indian food. And I just finished my shuggage and did 39 squats.

These squats are kicking my ass, in a good way.
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DAY 40

Post by JWL » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:40 am

OK, last week wasn't the best. I was on sort of a vacation, and though I wouldn't categorize it as a crash and burn, it definitely wasn't sticking to the letter of my routine.

Therefore, I've decided to adjust the day numbering. Today is Day 40 (Monday, Aug 8th). I did No-S (a burrito and an orange for breakfast, a small smoothie at lunchtime since it was so hot, and tofu-hot-dogs, homemade fries, and a salad for dinner). Not sure if I should count the smoothie as a 3rd meal, or as a refreshing mid-day beverage.

I did a solid shovelglove routine today. I bumped up to 21 from 14 reps on "chop the tree" at the end, with the 8 pounder. The rest was with the 13 pounder.

I also did 40 squats today. I experimented with a wider stance for the squats, and it definitely targeted different muscles. I think I will change my stance a bit during the sets tomorrow to see what happens.

Back to it! It's 11:41 and I should go to bed. I really want to eat something, it's amazing how old habits die hard. But, I'm not gonna indulge. The rules have been reapplied. Indulging will have to wait until saturday.
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Post by reinhard » Tue Aug 09, 2005 4:26 am

James,

I was "sort of on vacation" last week, too (confessional check-in post pending).

But overall, you sound like you're doing great. Your confidence in your new "eating algorithm" (love that phrase) is very convincing... I hate to say it, but I'm really not too worried about you.

I've been loving chop the tree more and more, too (but sticking with 14).

Reinhard

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DAY 41

Post by JWL » Wed Aug 10, 2005 3:46 am

Thanks for the encouragement, Reinhard.

Today was good. I did 41 squats, a full shovelglove routine including 14 chop the trees with the 13-pounder (I was outside today and only brought the one sledge), and stuck to No-S without any problems. Homemade pizza for lunch (3 slices), and a plate of ziti with sauteed onions, zucchini, and mozzarella cheese for dinner. I did have 3-4 grapes at one point today at the swimming pond a friend and I took our kids too. But I'm not gonna worry too much about that.

Also, I've been meaning to do this periodically, post a "during" photo as I go through this process. The photo I posted previously was from March, before I started shugging. I just took this one earlier tonight:

Image

Ever onward!
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Post by Blondie » Wed Aug 10, 2005 1:35 pm

You look so serious, Freaky!! :lol:

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Post by JWL » Wed Aug 10, 2005 4:18 pm

hee hee, yes you're right. I do look quite serious, maybe even grim. Ah well. :)
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Post by Ariel King » Wed Aug 10, 2005 4:46 pm

Holy moly, FW, you look like a bodyguard or a club bouncer. If I met you in a dark alley I'd run screaming. And I mean that in the best possible way :wink:

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Post by Blondie » Wed Aug 10, 2005 4:52 pm

...but anyone who looks like you and says "hee hee" is A-ok with me. :)

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Post by JWL » Wed Aug 10, 2005 5:32 pm

heh, it's that grim expression on my face that's got you fooled...

Yes, I get told all the time that I look like a bouncer or something.... it got even worse when I got the large tattoo on my left arm a few years ago. But such reactions are to be expected... I'm a very large guy. Even if I was less than 10% body fat, I'd still probably be over 250lbs. I'm 6'4", and all that northern european blood in me means I'm "big boned" ::rolls eyes::

But yes, most people who know me know that I'm the stereotypical gentle (if a bit clumsy at times) giant. I'm very much a pacifist.

And I definitely make it a point to say "hee hee" as often as possible...
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Aug 10, 2005 7:39 pm

James, Your arms look "f'n" great!!!!! I'm guessing that the SG is helping with that! Good for you John Henry!!!
I hope next time you take a photo, have your daughter take it for you outside or something... then you won't have to have that really blaring flash reflecting from the mirror... The ones she took of you on the beach were really great!!!
"Mister Demille, I am ready for my closeup!!!" :wink:

(I do have to agree with the "grim" assessment of the previous posts... Almost looks like the girl who is talking into the video camera on the Blair Witch Project! Doh!"
You don't look scary, but you look scared! Or hypnotized! LOL...Well mirrors tend to *not* bring out the best in us eh? I usually avoid them whenever I can!
If you can find a place to take that picture and always take the photo from the same distance to the camera (a tripod usually helps, or your daughter on some fixed spot...) your photos will be easy to compare from month to month... Or whenever... Whether you look scared or not, you obviously are brave! I, for one, ain't rushing into any new pics lately!! And certainly not without my shirt!!! LOL....


Let's see some teeth next time! :D
Keep up the great work!
Peace and Love,
Deb

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Aug 10, 2005 7:46 pm

PS.. James... I have one friend over at the gym who would make you look like Merry or Pippin, in comparison...
I have to get a camera someday and get a pic of us standing next to each other..
This guy is 6'7" and weighs around 350 lbs...
Every pound is muscle and bone!!!!!!!!!!
His skull alone must weigh 15 lbs....

Now that's really "big boned"! :wink:
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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DAY 42

Post by JWL » Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:42 am

Today was a good day. I ate 23 pounds of raw meat, threw 42 troublemakers out of the bar, and bench-pressed my Harley Davidson over my head 21 times.

Not really. :wink:

But it was a good day. For lunch I had leftover pasta from last night. For dinner I had 2 veggie burgers, a tomato, some pineapple chunks, and peanuts. I was working today, so I spread my meal out over much of my shift, nibbling a bit at a time.

I did a full routine of shuggage, and I did 42 squats. My quads are really feeling it now; depending on how I feel tomorrow I may give the squats a rest.

Day 42 is complete, which means I get to be a 2x member of the 21-day club! w00t!

Ever onward...
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Post by JWL » Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:46 am

forgot to mention, I need to cut a new notch in my belt... again! double-w00t!

I just cut one a few weeks ago, but my pants fell down today!

Can't wait to weigh myself... I have a doc appt at the end of the month....
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:53 am

That is wonderful!!!
Pants falling down is a great progress indicator!!!
Good for you!
Love,
8) Deb

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Post by reinhard » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:01 pm

If I ever get together a testimonials page, I need to have a section on people whose pants fell down. This seems to be a recurring motif! Congratulations.

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Post by navin » Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:02 pm

Yes, as long as you are not in politics, pants falling down is a good thing. Congrats!

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Post by Prodigalsun » Thu Aug 11, 2005 6:23 pm

navin wrote:Yes, as long as you are not in politics, pants falling down is a good thing. Congrats!
I dunno, depends on the politician. :D
--

Starting Weight: 275
Current: 269
Goal: 190


"I shovel well, I shovel very very well."

Prodigalsun

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Aug 12, 2005 4:11 am

Ha ha ha!!!!!!!!
:wink: Deb

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DAY 43

Post by JWL » Fri Aug 12, 2005 5:21 am

Decent day.

Standard Shugg routine, 43 squats.

Meal 1: a somewhat gluttonous (by my recent standards, still less than I once ate) bowl of pasta with homemade pesto and some mozzarella cheese.

Meal 2: burrito (tofu, zucchini, rice, cheddar, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and lots of hot sauce), some corn chips, and an orange.

Funny stuff: I got a can of Pepsi out of the vending machine at work. I think I probably could have avoided this had I made time to stop for an iced coffee on my way in.
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DAY 44

Post by JWL » Sat Aug 13, 2005 5:13 am

Decent day.

I did a standard shugg routine (12 min w/ 13 pounder, 2 min of chop the tree with the 8 pounder). I skipped squats today, because my family and I hiked for 2 or 3 hours at Bradbury Mountain State Park. I can really feel my legs getting stronger. I seem more agile and sure-footed when I'm hiking.

Funny stuff: my daughter was sweet today (literally). She had some money, and decided to treat us to ice cream. I got the Only8 frozen yogurt, as I almost always do. Plus, I had 3 beers tonight watching preseason football on a night out. So it was a relatively high-calorie day. The funny stuff is balanced by the sheer exuberance of climbing a mountain (no matter how small), viewing southern Maine for miles, climbing some rocks, and walking trails for 3 hours.

I think this weekend, I will try to rein in my indulgences on the S days, I've had a bit too much funny stuff this week.
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DAY 47

Post by JWL » Tue Aug 16, 2005 4:43 am

This weekend (Days 45 and 46) were S-days. 'Nuff said.

Today was good. Did a good shugg routine, 47 squats, and had leftover pasta from last week for my first meal and a very interesting wrap -- black beans, rice, curry sauce, and mandarin oranges -- out at a restaurant, with chips and salsa on the plate as well.

No funny stuff today! W00t!
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DAY 48

Post by JWL » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:15 am

Today was good.

Meal 1 was a plateful of leftover pasta with sauteed veggies and mozz cheese.

Meal 2 was a cheese, rice, lentil, hot sauce, ranch dressing, and leftover salad wrap, along with a soy milk, oatmeal, peanut butter, frozen banana, frozen blueberry smoothie.

No dietary funny stuff, but meal 2 was huge. I felt very full afterward.

Did a full shovelglove routine. Started to do my squats, got to 10, and was really feeling it. Part of that particular equation was that I had just eaten when I exercised, something I don't like to do. I seem to feel better when I exercise first and then eat.

I knew I'd be playing frisbee later in the day, so I stopped there. I didn't want to slaughter myself, and I got a good runaround throwing frisbee. Then we moved a bunch of music gear, reorganized our stuff. Did lots of good work.

For the first time in quite some time, I ran today, chasing frisbees across the field. That was fantastic.

The thing about the field is that there were trenches dug in it in 1947, when much of Maine burned in a huge forest fire. In the ensuing half-century, the trenches have become gentle rolling ridges, but you still have to watch where you step. One wrong step and a knee or ankle gives, and when you are carrying as much weight as I am, well let's just say one wrong step could lay me up for a while. Don't want that.

But yes, I really dig throwing frisbees with left-handed deadheads who sing... :-)
Last edited by JWL on Sun Aug 21, 2005 1:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Wed Aug 17, 2005 1:20 pm

Hey Freakwitch! I am with you on that whole "watch your knees" please issue...And for we with, let's say, "adipose challenged" bodies, we need to be even more mindful of our bodies... Good for you on staying within your bodies limits... I tried to squat yesterday a couple of times.. Once at the gym to check my form with Kevin, the personal trainer from Georgia Russia.... Then I tried again later with the SG...
For some reason doing them yesterday that way was killer! I really didn't like it.. My knees felt really tweaked by it!!!
Maybe it was just my state of being at the time... I have been worried for a bunch of time over a stressful work environment, and the Stomach pathway/meridian, goes straight through the Quad femoris muscles... The emotion of Stomach is "worry".... So I'm not surprised that my quads may be slightly taxed these day...

I know you and Kevin and Ariel are all into the squats stuff, and I'm trying to also, but the pose I prefer, to work those quads, is the "Chair Pose" in Yoga... This to me seems infinitely safer to do and yet is also very hard... You probably know it, but incase you don't, I believe it's safer because you keep your knees together, and they support each other.... You put your legs together, with knees touching, bend as if to sit on a chair and then touch your fingers to the floor, and then once in that crouched position, you extend your arms above and slightly infront of you... Do you know this pose?
(ooh I'm going on a mini tangent.. Getting back on track here! LOL.....)

Anyway, I'm happy to hear you had fun with your singing Frisbeeing Deadhead friends! Roll away the dew!!!!!
I love frisbee, though I suck at it....
That info about Maine and the trenches/fire was very interesting!
Have a great burrito filled day!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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Post by Ariel King » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:44 pm

Hi FW. Your meal descriptions continue to make my mouth water. :P Glad you didn't get hurt in that field; it sounds like a risky place to run. I love recreational running myself, and Frisbee is a great way to get into that.

I'm with you on the eating & exercising thing - I really can't exercise when I'm full. Blech. Anyway, keep up the very good work!!!

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Post by JWL » Wed Aug 17, 2005 5:53 pm

Well, that field is in my good friend's yard, so we're kinda used to it whenever we throw the frisbee. It's funny, if either of us have to run for it, we constantly look down to make sure there's no imminent danger, look up to see where the frisbee is, look down again, look up, and finally catch the damn thing. Hee!

It'll be fun if we ever make it to a soccer or football field or something where it's flat....
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Post by cvmom » Wed Aug 17, 2005 10:02 pm

James:

Isn't it great that "feeling stuffed" does not seem normal now? For me, being stuffed was normal on the days that I wasn't "dieting". Now it just feels gross.

I think you are doing such a great job with No S. I just wanted to tell you that.

Dru

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DAY 49

Post by JWL » Thu Aug 18, 2005 5:43 am

Dru, you are absolutely right. I don't like feeling full these days, much less bloated, which is pretty much how I used to feel after every meal. Things definitely have changed over the past 49+ days!

Speaking of which, Day 49 cannot be called a success.

I ate 3 meals today, though I stayed within the letter of No-S, I usually prefer to stick to the 2-meal plan I set out for myself.

I woke up extremely early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I was very hungry, so I ate a bowlful of leftovers in the fridge at like 6:30am. It was definitely a clean-the-fridge moment, a bit of this and a bit of that until I had an interesting concoction in my bowl.

After that, I did manage to get a nap in later in the morning. I had a soymilk/oatmeal/peanut butter/frozen banana/frozen blueberry smoothie for lunch, and then a scrambled tofu burrito (cheddar cheese, rice, tofu-with-onions-peppers-garlic-spinach-squash, fresh cilantro, fresh tomatoes, hot sauce, ranch dressing) with a few corn chips and a fresh ear of corn on the cob for dinner. So by normal No-S rules, this was a good day, it violated my 2-meal routine. Though I didn't snack, and there was no eating after 9pm, I have to say that this day contained Funny Stuff(tm).

But even funnier stuff happened in the exercise department, because I skipped my routine entirely. I dove right in to making dinner rather than do my shovelgloving/squats at my normal time (4-5pm), thinking I'd let my stomach settle from dinner and get the routine in. Well, after dinner I got involved in a writing project I'm working on and the next thing I knew, it was 1am. Too tired to shovelglove that late. Definite funny stuff in the exercise department.

Though honestly I think a day of rest is probably a good thing, I have some lingering muscle soreness in my pectoral muscles for some reason. Not sure why, maybe the exuberant frisbification from yesterday is just taking its toll.

So here's my pronoiac take on today: while technically it's a failure, I still find it funny that a day like today is considered such, since even with the extra meal I still ate an order of magnitude less than I was just 2 months ago.
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Post by cvmom » Thu Aug 18, 2005 7:10 am

Good Morning James.

Wow, it is amazing how all of our perceptions are shifting :!: What constitutes a failure now is lightyears away from previous behaviors a few months ago. I think Deb said something about eating 2 cookies and saying that it wasn't too bad because in the Pre S days she would have eaten the whole bag. (I hope I'm not misquoting here. I know I could easily eat an entire bag of cookies. No problem.)

I got very angry today about my child's class placement. Truthfully, I was furious. After the initial shock I realized that the old me would have wanted to eat something to quell the anger. But, I took it like a man, sent an email to the principal and had my husband go deal with it. After I was calm I ate a nice lunch. I should probably be writing this in the CV check in but I just wanted to point out how being structured on the No S plan can be enlightening. My old patterns of behavior are being exposed and that's a good thing.

BTW James, I think that it is good to rest the old bod once in a while and take a day off. It sounds like you deserved it.

Cheers,
Dru

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Good vs. Evil vs. Bad vs. Stoopid Mind Monkey Chanting

Post by Lisa Marie » Thu Aug 18, 2005 11:04 am

<WARNING: RANT>

You know, I have to comment on this. (This is Lisa Marie, Freakwitch's wife.) I've always been a fat person and this is something that, over my life, has bothered more people than it bothers me. For the most part, I really happy with my size (5'4", usually around 220). I don't feel encumbered or unweildy and am incredibly active and eat quite well (you hear FW tell you about his lovely dinners!). The thing I fight most of all is putting everyone's else's perceptions into perspective. In other words, the only reason I (we?) feel guilt over something as trivial as missing ONE day of exercise or eating TWO lousy cookies is because I (we?) tend to look at our bodies as a GOOD or BAD thing (and, in proper Nietzschean form... that "bad" often turns to "evil"). I (We?) often forgo the most important aspect of taking care of ourselves: self-respect, care for this life's vehicle, self-love. I keep telling Jim (and many other friends) that it took x amount of YEARS to get this weight and to develop this mindset; it's going to take x amount of years - if not more - to lose the weight and to reprogram yourself. So, why abuse yourself while you're reprogramming?!?!

For me, Reinhard's ideas are LIFE changes - on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. How can we make less of an impact in this physical world? How can we stop destroying our emotional and spiritual health? It's totally illogical and backwards to cling onto this idea of "punishing" yourself. (Yesterday, I had a few sugar-free chocolate cherry cordials. My first thought was - oh, shit... this would be considered a snack. My second thought was, You rock, man! They're sugar-FREE!)

All that negative energy always comes back to you, man. Just like the positive. Now... which one would YOU rather see again?

</RANT>

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Aug 18, 2005 3:20 pm

Hi Guys.. Freakwitch, I'm hogging your space here for thread consistency's sake... Sorry..
First, congrats Dru on your great performance yesterday...
Not eating when you are mad or frustrated is a huge accomplishment!!!!
Stress eating is possibly the worst type.. (sorry Lisa, I know I'm using judgement words like "worst" etc... but for now I can't really think of any other way to say this...)
When we stick food in our face if something bad happens, I totally feel it's a horrible "knee jerk" behaviour which gets us nowhere, but fatter and worse feeling in the end... And it solves nothing.. We all do it sometimes, but it's a way of "numbing" that pain... What you did was way more proactive and I give you a great big
YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lisa, I agree that we should not judge ourselves harshly and we should take great care of building self love and self respect... You are right on!!!
I want you to understand though, since you may have seen those comments out of context, or at least the "cookie incident" one...
I had spent the whole day taking great care to really eat well, and the cookies were hidden behind the garlic and other spices up in the cabinet.. I didn't even remember that they were there to begin with till I started preparing our healthy and NOS friendly dinner... No I was not "guilt stricken" by the fact that, OMG, "I ate two cookies" (well it was actually 1.5! LOL...) I was merely dissappointed that it was an instance where I was simply eating on what I like to refer to as, "Autopilot"...
This to me is the second most harmful form of bad eating habits, simply because there's no choice involved, there's no mindfulness about it...
I don't believe in eating things just because "they're there" constitutes a healthy, and self respecting, choice, anymore... Actually, I never have.. But because of, as you put it, years of programming, I got used to this type of "opportunistic" face stuffing...
All in all, it was really better than it could have been and I walked away triumphant because after that cookie, I just sent the rest to the dumpster, and the dumpster wasn't me!!!
If I choose a cookie I really don't have any guilty feelings or anything.. Heck I may even stay a little chubby if I do, but as long as it's a conscious choice, I'm happy with myself!!! I like your outspokenness Lisa!
I can really see how you and FW make a great pair!
I am also very glad to hear you love yourself as is!!!!! This is the hardest thing we can learn in this life, but when we do, we can then be there for others in selfless ways, as vessels of Divine Love!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb
ps.. Why not start a "Lisa Marie's Rants" thread! :wink:

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Post by JWL » Thu Aug 18, 2005 7:53 pm

heh heh, my stunningly delectable wife is not above being outspoken in much the same way that the ocean is not above the clouds....

Everyone is making great points here. The fact is, we live in an overabundant society, and the stereotypical "fat American" reflects that. Our relationship with food is, for the most part, poisoned. Many children think that to get meat, for example, one goes to the local supermarket and gets a shrinkwrapped package. They do not realize that there is life behind that package, and indeed that there is life behind every single thing sold in the supermarket.

If I could communicate one ideal to everyone, to be absorbed as deeply as our culture absorbs ideals of beauty as skinny women with huge breasts flashing their cleavage in the media, it's this: Life feeds on Life.

When we eat, the food we are eating deserves our respect, and our bodies deserve respect. But our relationship with food is so poisoned, there is so much cancerous overabundance, that we have phenomena like bingeing, stress-eating, bulemia, anorexia, etc etc etc. There is, in general as a culture, no mindfulness when we eat.

And I believe that this single metaphenomenon is behind the problem of food addiction in weathy cultures such as ours. I also believe that this is perhaps the most brilliant aspect of Reinhard's No-S system: by limiting overabundant consumption, and by forcing ourselves to wait until mealtime to stuff our faces, it forces us to savor every moment of eating, which is how it should be.

No-S restores mindfulness to eating, and that can only be a good thing. If we are mindful while we eat, and of what we eat, then there is little opportunity for guilt to trouble us afterwards.
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DAY 50

Post by JWL » Fri Aug 19, 2005 6:31 am

OK, today was more or less successful. Certainly more successful than yesterday.

No dietary funny stuff. Had another burrito for meal 1 (leftover ingredients from dinner last night), and dinner was a bowl of my homemade lentil soup with homemade breadsticks (with kosher sea salt, homemade pesto, and a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese on it).

Did a full, if somewhat mellow, shovelglove routine while the breadsticks were baking. Didn't have time to do the squats before dinner was ready, and never got back to them.

51 squats tomorrow... watch me!
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Fri Aug 19, 2005 12:13 pm

All eyes on you watching!!!!! :wink:
Sounds like you are doing great!
Peace and Love,
8) Deb

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DAY 51

Post by JWL » Sun Aug 21, 2005 12:28 am

Yesterday was an S day... attended a friend's baby blessing with a big party and lots of food.

I didn't exercise yesterday either, at least in part because I haven't been feeling great. I'm doing a 21-day herbal cleansing supplement, designed to clear out one's digestive track, and I feel like someone took a brillo pad and tied it to a 50 foot length of rope and is dragging it through my intestines. Bleah.

I do feel better today (working), and so far I've definitely reined in excess to compensate. So it's another S day, but not too bad. My goal is to rest up today and tomorrow, and hit the exercise again on Monday. I'm still gonna aim for 54 squats on Monday.

On another w00t note, I found a scale that they have at work, and I stepped on it. It's the first time I've been on a scale in over a year. I don't want to get too excited, because I don't know how accurate it is especially in relation to the one at my doctor's office. Many times scales lose their accuracy at the high end of their range, but...

...it said 325! This is 30 pounds lighter than the last reading I had over a year ago, and the least amount I've weighed in many, many years.

If this reading is accurate, I think it's likely that most of the weight loss has occurred in the past 51 days, since I was still eating like a madman up until then. It's even possible that I weighed more than 355 when I began 51 days ago.

So, with preliminary caution, w00t!

I'll know for sure on Friday, as I go in for my physical and will weigh myself then.

EDIT: False alarm. I went back to the scale to check it out, and jumped a bit, and could def hear a clicking sound as the needle pegs out at 325. Ah well..... the true test comes later this week.
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navin
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Post by navin » Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:30 am

Yeah, home scales aren't always the most accurate things in the world. I still bet you've done pretty well though - nearly 2 months of good habits have to be helping.

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sun Aug 21, 2005 5:58 am

Freakwitch, I know that I don't really feel much like getting on the scale unless my body tells me either that, a: I feel like I'm totally out of control and need a reality check, or b: I feel like I lost weight and just want to confirm it...
I highly doubt, in your case here, you are stepping on the scale because of reason A...
So congratulations!!!!! You are doing great!
Remember all your notches in your belt!!!!!

Sorry about your intestines being brilloed and all that.. Sounds pretty awful... :(
Bathroom scales are only good for "relative" weighing... I mean, comparing yourself, on that same scale, from time to time.. But they are notoriously innacurate... It can be so infuriating!!!
I say just smash the life out of them!!! :twisted:

Good luck at the doc!
Love,
8) Deb

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Post by JWL » Sun Aug 21, 2005 6:15 pm

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

Yes, this scale is like a seriously heavy-duty bathroom scale, it might be a notch above that. But still, it maxes out before it is useful to me.

Regardless, I'll know for sure on Friday. Though I still don't put too much stock in weight. After all, it's just a number.

But I do feel better, and I'm definitely losing fat and gaining strength and endurance. That's all that counts, really...
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DAY 54

Post by JWL » Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:35 am

This past weekend were definitely S days. I ate more than I probably should have on Saturday, though Sunday wasn't bad.

Today was a difficult day, but a good one. Stuck to No-S. Had homemade hummus with crackers and some leftover tempeh for lunch. Dinner was a good stirfry with brown rice, the stirfry had onion, garlic, tofu, squash, and broccoli with a pineapple ginger teriyaki sauce. I also had 4 cups of coffee, a liter of tea, and 3 liters of water.

I did a full shovelglove routine, which for the past several weeks has consisted of the following moves:

21 Driving Fence Posts, both left and right
21 Butter Churns, both left and right
21 Shovels, both left and right
14 Curls, both left and right
21 Chopping wood, both left and right
21 Hoist the sack, both left and right
21 Stoke the oven, both left and right
21 Tuck the Bales, both left and right
21 Shovels, both left and right
14 Curls, both left and right

All of the above are done with the 13 pounder.

Then I do 21 Chop the Tree, both left and right, with the 8 pounder. At that point, 14 minutes is up.

After my standard shugg routine, I did.... 54 squats! That was tough as I haven't done squats in a while.

I was pretty low-energy today, partially because I've been slacking a bit in the exercise dept over the past several days, and partly because my intestines still aren't quite right (though they are much better.... this cleansing thing seems to be working).

If experience is any guideline, I'm guessing I'll have more energy tomorrow.
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:39 am

Freakwitch,
Just a suggestion...
Do you know the acupuncture point Large Intestine #4?
Maybe holding that on yourself would help tonify your energy there...
That's one of the major points in the body...
Nicknamed "The Great Eliminator"....

Wishing you health....
Peace,
8) Deb

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Post by JWL » Tue Aug 23, 2005 4:14 pm

Hi Deb, no I'm not familiar with that point, could you point me to it?
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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:18 pm

Sure!
It's fairly easy to feel... I will link you to a diagram of the whole meridian, as well...
It's found, bilaterally, on both right and left hands...

It's on the second metacarpal bone of the hand, on the dorsum of the hand...... There's a big nerve there and the point can be felt without too much pressure, though if your large intestine is very depleted it may be more empty and mushy feeling in which case you will just want to sink in, more than really push and just wait for the energy to well up... I always "Ask" for the energy to present itself... I know this sounds funny, but sometimes I find myself saying, in my head of course, "hello, Liver" or "large intestine",, "Where are you??" or "I love you Kidney" or something like that... It's a more friendly introduction to making that contact... LOL... But it does work!

Anyway... Pinch the webbing between the thumb and the second finger between your thumb and index.. You are almost there..
Then, at the "high point" of that fleshy webbing you release the pinch but keep the thumb in place... then simply orient the tip of your thumb at a 90 degree angle with the second metacarpal... The point is right on the bone, so you must be pressing onto it (gently) not into the muscle of the webbing.. Just pivot your thumb to ninety degrees...
Keep the thumb you use to apply pressure well alligned and not hyperextended.. Nice and straight.. The other hand which you are working on should be supported and relaxed...


This point can relieve the worst headache and sends a general signal to the body to "eliminate" foreign and pathological energy... Headaches could be classified as "stuck" energy... It's also, for obvious reasons, good for constipation....

I don't know why it's called Union Valley, but where I went to school we all called it "The Great Eliminator"...
It is highly effective for pain reduction... Contraindicated during pregnancy...

The Yin partner of Large Intestine is Lung...
Sinus problems can be helped by this point too.. the meridian ends right next to the nose....
Good luck!

If all else fails... How about some good old,,,
Prune Juice!!!
I hope you can find it!!!!

Peace and Love,
8) Deb
Here's a link to a diagram....
www.yinyanghouse.com/acupoints/li_meridian.html

Look for Large Intestine point #4

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Post by JWL » Wed Aug 24, 2005 5:38 am

Deb, you rock! Thanks so much for the pointers.

And you know, it's funny.

Tonight was the first Freakwitch rehearsal in 2 weeks (our drummer was on vacation). During that time, I hadn't picked up my guitar much. So tonight, we play a short (for us) set, and I have to stop because my hands are aching. Guess where? Yep. The big ball of muscle between the thumb and the forefinger. Those muscles on my hand are somewhat overdeveloped from years of guitar playing. But tonight they were just killing me.

Correlation? Absolutely. That's what I love about Eastern medicine; they aren't as interested in causality as they are in correlation. It rocks! Ailments have energetic correlations throughout the body. And if you treat the energy stagnation points, then the ailments are also conversely affected. Very cool.
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DAY 55

Post by JWL » Wed Aug 24, 2005 5:46 am

Another good day.

Lunch was a homemade hummus/homemade salsa wrap. Dinner was homemade pizza. No funny stuff. 2 cups of coffee, a liter of tea, and a bunch of water.

Did a full shovelglove routine. My routines have been consistent enough that I find it a chore to specifically time them. I just do the routine I know takes 14 minutes, and has for weeks. I think at some point I'll time them once in a while just to double-check, but I feel quite settled in to this groove and want to hang out here for a while. At least until I'm inspired to make some changes/adjustments.

I also did 55 squats today. For those of you smaller people, imagine doing these squats with a backpack that has enough weight on it to make your total body weight well over 300 pounds, probably closer to 350. These still rock my world, though I may need to rest tomorrow. But then I've said this before and I've felt better the next day. This routine seems to be teaching my body to recover quickly, which is welcome.

With any luck, I'll get some frisbification in tomorrow and will have a chance to skip squats anyhoo.

My energy levels are still lower than I'd like, but they are increasing again. I'm now on the low end of "normal" in terms of energy, and getting better.
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