I'm Back

Hello Team Cookie Monster!  I apologize for the length between my last few posts, we traveled to my wife's family's place for Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately, there was no internet at her Tia's house (tia is Spanish for aunt, so if you learn one thing from me, there is a new vocab word).  While the entire PCP project thus far has been a great learning experience, there was massive failure on this trip.  I guess failing  is also a great learning experience though.

The diet was almost non-existent during this time.  Part of it was my personality is very not forceful, and I work very hard to not inconvenience people, especially when I'm a guest.  And my wife's family is Mexican, so the cultural and language barrier just made it that much more difficult.  As a male, it's culturally important for the females to make sure the man is always taken care of (my wife was raised in the US, so we don't follow this at home, thank goodness).  Which means that food is constantly forced on me.  And since I was a guest, food was constantly forced on me.  And me saying no means food was constantly forced on me.  I don't mean to say some of it wasn't delicious, but actually most of it was way too salty or sugary or both.  I have never felt so unhealthy.  I know this isn't true, because I have been more unhealthy in my life before, but my body has been cleansed of so many bad things since this project started that the constant salt and sugar just made me feel absolutely terrible.  I felt bloated the whole time, my bowel movements were totally messed up, and I was constantly craving raw vegetables.  Also, so much salt and lack of fresh fruits and vegetables just left me feeling constantly dehydrated.  I could not drink enough water to feel sated.  I think it would have been much easier just to claim I was a vegetarian, as everyone just said I was too skinny to worry about the food.  And I was not allowed in the kitchen, as that would have been rude on my part and because that's just not the place for the man to be.  I felt really bad about myself when I got home late last night as I feel I let everyone down.  But it also just made me more committed to making the life choices that PCP is instilling a permanent part of who I am.

I don't want to make it sound like it was horrible, I had a lot of fun.  There was plenty of singing and dancing involved.  And it was really funny that my wife's mother and I both understand rudimentary English and Spanish, respectively, so she would ask me questions in Spanish and I would answer in English, and we both understood each other.  We just both lacked the confidence to make the jump into the other's language.  But I never want to eat like that again in my life, it would have been so much more enjoyable if my body would have felt better.

It was also nice to be away from work and to have time to think about what's really important.  It seems obvious, but health and family is so much more important than anything else you do in life.

Also, as I mentioned before, I had to chance to read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer while I was on break.  A really, really good read, and gave me the push I need to decide to become a vegan.  I am going to wait after PCP is over to make the change, but I think it's an important and necessary choice for me.  I went to buy some chicken today and just thinking about where it came from made me put it down in disgust.  So I guess I'm just lacto ovo pescatarian the next couple of weeks, which will give me time to research how to transition.

Well, long post, two more weeks team. JFD

Thanksgiving madness

Sorry I've been a really crappy teammate lately, but hanging out at my wife's family's place for Thanksgiving. No internet and no time. I'll blog all about it in a couple of days. I did just get to read Eating Animals though, highly recommended.

Day 70 - Super Bonus Workout

New pictures up, I definitely feel stronger.  We got over a foot of snow the past couple days, and the city hasn't gotten to the sidewalks I usually take to work, so I trudged through the foot high snow, uphill, for a mile.  It felt awesome, and it's absolutely gorgeous outside right now.

A few night ago, I made my evening snack into a smoothie.  It tasted pretty good, but I noticed I drank the whole thing way faster than if I would have eaten the pieces individually, and I felt kinda sick afterward.  I think there's something to be said for slowly chewing your food.

I've also been really curious about animal proteins.  I know we've evolved to eat them, and that our bodies can utilize them more efficiently than plant based proteins.  But is it still possible to achieve the strong, lean looks we've been getting without them?  I know it's probably not feasible in the 90 days of PCP, but I'm asking more long term.  Just been especially bothered by where my food comes from lately.

Day 68

I find it hard to believe we're so close to the end.  I actually find blogging really hard right now as I feel PCP has just become a routine part of my life and there's just not much to say about it.  I'm not much of a talker anyway, and one thing I've learned is that blogging is not my forte.

The exercises have been going extremely well this week, I don't know if it's the small dose of carbs right before, but it seems like I'm can push harder than before.  That pumped feeling after you go to failure is great.

Still waiting on my new Nike Speed Rope to arrive, this leather rope is just too light and I can't get used to it.  But that's minor, just enjoying the program, keeping my head down, and sweating through.

Day 66

I ordered a Nike Speed Rope, but got a leather one in the mean time.  The weight is so much different from what I'm used to, and it's a little bit longer than my other one, so it's like learning to jump rope all over again.  Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it is more difficult, making my jump roping workout a bit more intense.

Has anyone else been trying food combinations you wouldn't have thought of before?  I know most people eat fruit with their oatmeal in the morning, but I haven't had oatmeal yet cause it seems so blah.  But this morning I made steel cut oats with avocados and green onions...delicious.  I cannot believe how far we've come on so many fronts.  Nice work Team Cookie Monster, we're close to being done with the project, but I feel like we've made some lasting changes to our lifestyles.

Day 63 - Jump rope blues

Two days in a row without a full set of jumps...aarrrgggh. Yesterday I was about halfway finished when some two dogs ran my way and started barkin' up a storm. They weren't threatening, just annoying, so I just walked a ways up the street and continued jumping. Except they followed, and since it was six thirty in the morning and I didn't want to wake the whole apartment complex up, I let the dogs win. So I went for a run later in the day instead. And now that our carbs are so low, I can see the advantage of carbo loading. Never noticed before since my diet was so crappy, but my energy level was pretty low after about 20 minutes. Anywho, no dogs this morning, but three minutes into the first set, snap, broken jumprope. Seriously, this damn thing only lasted two weeks. I think it's because I'm getting better at jumping, as the first one I wore through was worn along a long stretch of the rope, but this was concentrated in one small area. So I think I'm gonna stock up this time. Also, has anyone tried the leather ropes? Think they're more resistant to wear than rubber ones?

Day 61

A quick question.  Has anyone ever heard that it's harder to lose that last little bit of weight when it's cold as opposed to the warmer months?  This adipose business seems extremely tenacious.  I can see it's shrinking a little bit each week, but damn, that stuff is stubborn.  Sounds like it's going relatively well for everyone.  I'm enjoying the morning jumps, it's kinda nice jumping when it's still in the 30s (Fahrenheit) outside, a good way to wake up in the morning.  Although I haven't been getting too many people commenting on the difference in appearance, most because hair covers my entire head and face and warm clothes hide the difference in physique.  And I still need new pants, now they just look kinda baggy and sloppy.

Day 59

Once again, not much to report.  Waking up for jumps, grunting through the exercises, eating the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables.  I'm super happy we get to eat fruit again for the evening snack.  Just wanted to take this post to thank all my team members for all the work everyone has put in so far.  I think it's incredible we can come together from all over the world for a project like this.  When I feel the hurt, it's nice to know other people are doing the same thing to make our lives and those of us around us a little bit better.  So thank you all.  And thanks to the earth for pomegranates and brussel sprouts.

Day 56

Finally posted some new pics.  I had the pictures taken without the flash this time so my cracker skin wouldn't be too washed out and you can see the definition better due to the contrast.

Other than that, not too much to report.  I'm loving jump roping in the morning.  And I think with the new jump rope weighing slightly more (since the rubber isn't worn down), I can get a faster turnover rate.  I actually counted today, and the 4X4mins I could get almost 2000 jumps in.  Who would have though, didn't we start at about 250 jumps?  And my calves are finally starting to no longer get sore from jump roping.  Would like to say something more insightful, but it's just a nice, steady grind, nothing extraordinary.  JFD Team Cookie Monster, JFD.

Day 53 - Breakthrough

It's a breakthrough of sorts.  I wore my first jump rope down to nothing and broke through it.  So I need to go purchase a new one today.  I decided to get up and go for a 30 minute jog this morning since I didn't have a jump rope.  A few observations: Running is a lot harder when you haven't eaten in twelve hours.  Even a slow jog.  I mean, I still felt good during and afterwards, but could tell I was missing some energy.  I also noticed that running at 8 o'clock on a Saturday morning, every other runner or walker I passed made eye contact and gave a greeting.  Every single one.  So a question?  Was everyone confident and friendly because that's the type of person that exercises on a Saturday morning?  Or are these people not normally like that, but they sense some kind of kindred connection because we're doing the same thing at the same time?  I usually make eye contact and nod at everyone I see, but I notice that on a daily basis, 99% of people avoid eye contact.  I realize I look kind of like a homeless dude right now, but even when I was clean cut I saw this.  Just found it interesting.

Day 51

Time is flying, jeez.  I've been waking up and doing the jumping in the morning all week, it's kind of nice to have it out of the way and feel productive right when you wake up.  And you get the added bonus of jump starting the ol' metabolism, so sweet.

And now, indulgence description time.  I actually wasn't craving anything in particular, and nothing sounded especially necessary, but I haven't gone out to dinner with my wife since PCP started and I have definitely missed that.  So I went with steak fajitas:

I chose steak as I haven't eaten any beef since PCP started.  And I chose fajitas as they still have tomatoes, onions, and a few colors of peppers added.  I avoided the chips and salsa, and only had one bite of beans and rice.  Those things were just kind of salty and bland tasting actually.  As for the actual fajitas, well, the vegetables were way overcooked and had almost no flavor.  Seriously, I eat this stuff raw several times a week and know that peppers, onions, and tomatoes are packed with flavor...where was it?  Less nutritious and less tasty?  Lame!  Overall, the meal was just kind of blah, I could make it better at home, both in taste, nutrition, and value.  Although it was nice to go out with my wife and enjoy time together.

But the story is not over.  My last indulgence was some ice cream, which made my stomach feel kind of bloated and caused me to burp for maybe an hour after I ate it.  Well, it turns out that must be my body's reaction to overcooked, overseasoned food, as the exact same reaction happened this time.  I just felt really bloated and then burped constantly for a couple of hours this time.  And then after I jump roped this morning, I noticed in the mirror that my abs weren't as defined as yesterday morning.  Damn indulgence.  I'm ready for this day of PCP food, that stuff just didn't work for me.

Day 49

Alright, finally feeling back on track.  Woke up early and did the jump ropes this morning, which made me feel way hungrier throughout the day but also made me feel like I had more energy.  This weekend kinda felt like a reset button was hit, I just feel completely better about everything now.  Watching the sunrise and all the colors as I walked to school this morning made me tear up, everything was completely beautiful.  Of course, morning zazen might have had something to do with that too.  Anywho, just looked at the new exercises, I'm pretty pumped there are times with no leg exercises, I just find those to be the most boring thing, although I know why we do them and I know that they work wonders.

Day 48

Wow, I didn't realize I hadn't posted in so long.  I know this valley thing is definitely true, I'm finding it harder to blog, and the longer I go without the easier it is not to say anything.  Sorry Team Cookie Monster.

I thought I would write today about my major failure this weekend.  Saturday night was a Halloween party.  I didn't want to think up a costume so I just bought some cheap aviators and a hoody and went as the Unabomber.  But everyone kept asking me if I was Joaquin Phoenix all night.  But let's just say moderation was not part of the equation.  I felt absolutely terrible most of the day yesterday, although still stuck with the diet well and did the exercises.  And I still feel way better every time I do the exercises.  But I still feel my balance has been rocked a little too hard.  It's interesting that being in better shape and eating much better, we can feel more in tune with our bodies.  The flip side is that when you abuse it, you notice it way more.  So at least I learned something.