MOPT Update

So "My Own Personal Thintervention" (MOPT) is not going well.

Oh it started well. I was eating 5 times a day. I was doing my Jackie Warner shake, plus her insane power circuit workouts, plus vitamens and I did manage to lose like 8 pounds.

And then life happened. Which is so annoying.

First I was heading to San Diego for a conference. Which I knew was going to be hard on the program, but I figured that if worked out obsessively that it would help mitigate the business dinners, conference lunches, etc. And I packed my workout clothes and it was all good. Until the plane landed in San Diego, I'm walking off the plane onto the jetbridge and I hit some uneven something that rolled my ankle. Hard. Needless to say it took all of my self control not to scream "F&%K!" But that pretty much sabotaged my work out plans.

My ankle is pretty much healed at this point and I need to get back on the program. I've invested in some whey protein powder, more vitamins, etc and I'm ready to start again. I've got no travel planned until the first weekend in March, so I've got a solid month to work the program. And I'd really like to drop 10-12 pounds before I go home in early March.

So that's the plan. Now I just need to make it happen.

MOPT Update

So I got on the scale this AM and I had lost 2 pounds. Yea. I guess.

I was sort of hoping for more. And then I started thinking . . . . about the chips, salsa, and fajitas I had for lunch on Saturday; . . . . . . about the fish tacos I had for dinner Friday night; . . . . . . about the dim sum dinner and oh so tasty white wine/St Germain sangria that we had. Yeah. I really wasn't that good this week from a dieting perspective, so 2 pounds is not bad at all.

I'm going to try to do better this week, but LawyerX has friends coming into town this weekend, so I know there will be eating and drinking. Smart choices. I just need to remember to make smart choices.

I did make it to the gym this AM, and this PM, but the weather is just killing me. I can't take the bitter, bitter, wind. Baby it's cold out there!

Can't wait for Glee to come back!

Robyn and Diex Du Stade

So if you haven't bought Robyn's last album, you are missing out on some of the best music around. It's like candy for the ears, with kickin beats and some really catchy lyrics. I'm particularly in love with "Call Your Girlfriend". But it's all good. And I've got a great "Dancing On My Own" & Glee "Teenage Dream" mash up video on heavy rotation for my gym workouts. Such good music. I'm thinking of adding this one to my iPad, but I'm not sure if it's really appropriate for my SECG.

Speaking of not appropriate, I've been adding new work out routines to my fitness app on my iPad based on the workout in Jackie Warner's book. It's cool that you can add exercises to the app, but you have to put a photo in as well that demonstrates how the exercise is supposed to be performed. But I don't have that. So I've been putting in some aspirational photos that have nothing to do with the workout, but definitely are motivating me. Like this:

Hello gorgeous! He's in this year's Dieux Du Stade calendar. "Dieux Du Stade" is French for: hot, mostly naked, rugby players. Or something like that.

Thintervention

So I was obsessed with the Bravo show "Working Out" when it was on a couple of years ago. And this fall, they did a short series called "Thintervention" where Jackie Warner (seriously fit uber lesbian) works with a bunch of overweight people to help them lose weight. One of the people is a gay guy who is looking to lose 60 pounds. Now while I don't need to lose that much, I totally identified with him. And it was pretty impressive to see him work out every week on the show and really start to see him change his life. At the end of the series (which I think in real life was 14 weeks), he had lost 66 pounds. In 14 weeks. How impressive is that?

So I bought Jackie Warner's book: "This Is Why You Are Fat (And How To Get Thin Forever)". Nice subtle title, right? So I read it, and studied it, and I figured it was time for My Own Personal Thintervention (MOPT).

So I sort of started before New Years, I figured once I got home from the holidays, I might as well start. So I started taking vitamins, working out, trying to eat 5 meals a day. And despite the pizzafest on New Years Eve, and the fabulous and very alcohol heavy brunch New Years Day, and the nice dinner at the Kennedy Center, I still managed to lose 4 pounds my first week.

So I'm totally pysched. I'm really looking forward to the next week on the program. I do plan to cheat on Saturday (we're allowed 2 cheat meals), but if I follow the program properly, I should lose atleast another 4 pounds. Or atleast that's my goal.

My long team goal? I want to lose 30 pounds by the summer. And in addition to the losing the weight, I want to build some muscle back up. Lawyer X and I are going on another cruise with teh gays, and I want to be in the best shape possible.

Wish Jeans, Milk, and Being Bitter (-ly Cold)

So I'm still alive. Still sick. Of course. But still alive.

My trip to San Diego got canceled, but that's probably a good thing. There's lot of work for me to do here. And the whole logistics of it all really sucked. My flight back was supposed to be on Saturday (yesterday) with stops in Denver and Boston. Yep, apparently trying to fly into DC over the MLK/Inauguration weekend is a serious haze.

So, the diet and exercising is working. And I'm now actually managing to squeeze my still fat a$$ into my wish jeans. You know, you buy the jeans wishing some day that you'll be able to fit into them. Well my wish has come true. Sort of. I still need to lose some more weight, but I'm making some good progess. And how long ago did I buy these jeans? I'm not sure, but they are 2(x)ist jeans and I don't think they even make them anymore!

Finally got a chance to see Milk. It was really good and I'm not a huge Sean Penn fan, but I think he did an amazing job. The whole story was just amazing. I will say that what I thought was particurarly interesting is that back in 1976 (?) during the Prop 6 effort (where they wanted to ban gay teachers), the established gay and lesbian groups were pushing a message that was focused on human rights but didn't actually use the word gay. It reminded me of the arguments in the aftermath of a Prop 8 where the leading GLBT groups did the same thing. They didn't actually use the word gay, or show gay couples in there advertising. And that was a huge mistake. To be effective, you need to make it personal. It's one thing to say that you're going to ban gay marriage, but when you've going to say that you're going to prevent your Uncle and his partner of 10 years from getting married, it turns it from an abstract concept to a very personal reality. Personally, I think the anti-prop 8 groups needed to run commercials like this:



Anyways, since everyone else is doing, I'm going to also. Dayum it's cold out there!! It is just bitter. In theory it will warm up a bit before the Inauguration. Even making it into the 30s would be good. Superlawyer and his kids are going to camp at my house on Monday night and then we're going to get up at the crack of dawn to head down to the Mall. I haven't decided whather I'm going to watch today's festivities on TV, or brave the cold. I'm still trying to get over this cold, so maybe staying in will be a better option. Anyways, stay warm everyone!

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

And just admit you're drooling just thinking about it. ;-)

Yes, I've cooked this evening. No there is not a tear in the space time continuum. I'm in DC for a whole 2 weeks so I thought I would actually buy groceries and cook! I had the bacon wrapped meatloaf at a restaurant in No-f&ck and thought I would try it out here. I've cooked it once already and it was okay. I made some small changes this time, like pre-cooking the bacon, so we'll see how it works out. That's dinner tomorrow night.

Yep, I've been doing the no/low carb thing and it's working! I've lost over 10 pounds! I'm almost afraid that I'm going to jinx myself, but even with some trips I've managed not to loose the bubble and keep a focus on the diet. But I'm also exercising again. The foot problems are gone and I am now able to work out again.

I love my new gym. I call it my "self esteem crushing gym". Seriously. It's where all of the A list hottie gays are going now. And do I need that? No. At 0530 when I've rolled out of bed and make my way to the gym I do NOT want to see pretty people. It's like punishment. It's just not fair. But I've been going and I'm almost back into my old routine.

And my little home improvement effort is complete. Check out the new and improved living room. Can you say sweet?!?

Diet Status x 2

So how's the car diet going? Not too bad. Yes I drove to WV for work on Monday, and then to the office on Thursday since I had a BD meeting in Fair Lakes, but I did walk/metro on Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. So not too bad. A couple of lessons learned.

One: I really need to pay attention to the weather. I worked late on Tuesday and then had dinner with my customer. During dinner, it started to rain. So we sort of lingered over dinner until it slowed to a sprinkle. So we headed out and I walked up to the Metro only getting a little bit wet. When I got off the metro in DC and rode the escalators up, it was like I was entering monsoon season. Just torrential downpours. I huddled under the station entranceway protected from the rain with a couple of scared tourists, a businessman, and then three or four homeless people. When it looked like it was slowing down, I made a break for it. Now, it's like 7 blocks, so it's not really a "break". It's more like I started to hike. And not even a half a block later, down comes the rain again. So I quickly sprint down the block and scuttle into a CVS. I breakdown and buy an umbrella (ella, ella, ella) and the woman looks at me. "Is it really that bad out there?" Translation: wow, you're drenched. Thanks.

Two: Your iPod is your safety device. It allows your escape into your own make believe world where you don't have to talk to the large drunk man at the corner of 15th and K who is there every morning begging. It means you can ignore some of the more bizarre conversation on the metro. When you have your iPod in, you walk smartly, focused on some random distance ahead while the headphones block out any attempt to intrude on your life. It really is essential.

Three: Just like Paris, except it's not. Yes, now that I'm enjoying a much more personal urban lifestyle, I'm opening myself up to the wonders of the city. To include some of the not so wonderful smells of the city. Seriously, coming out of the McPherson Square metro on a hot, sunny day is a rank, rank, experience. The smell of rancid urine is almost nauseating. And when you are in Paris you'll get a whiff of something like this, but Washington DC just isn't Paris. And now that I'm thinking about it, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I guess it could be worse, we could have dog poop all over the place.

On Thursday when I did drive, I had to fill up my tank. $51. Ouch. It will be interesting to see if I can keep the number of days that I drive down to less than 5. That's my goal.

Oh, and I've started the Atkins Diet. Again. But I have lost over 5 pounds. So there's some progress.

Hillary gives her concession speech. I hope she does it right and really works to help unite the Democratic Party!

Know Hope!

Life Goes On . . .

Anyways, I'm trying to get back into a normal schedule for my life. I still couldn't drag my big fat butt out of bed this AM to go to the gym, so I paid my penance this afternoon. Bike for 30 minutes (while reading Harry Potter #3) and then lifting (biceps and back).

And I'm *trying* to do the five meals a day thing. 8AM: Oatmeal. 1030ish: Broccoli with cheese. 1PM: Lean Cuisine. 4:30ish: Nectarine. 7PM: Salad with cheese and meat. And I'm enjoying a Fresca for dessert. My goal is to try to do that all week. We'll see if I can make it.

So I interviewed one of the Borg today. Nice enough guy, but not the right fit for the position I have open. But what kills me is just the lack of interview skills he had. He gave very short answers. He acted like he didn't even want to be there. And when I asked him if he had any questions (since I was frustrated trying to get info out of him), he pretty much said no.

That is not the right answer. If someone isn't obviously trying to get you out of their office and asks you if you have any questions, here are some starter questions. Please feel free to use them:
- How long have you been at (insert company name). (speaks to longevity, career progression, company stability, etc)
- What do you like best about working at (insert company name). (give insight into future boss or co-worker, also says something about the company)
- What do you like worst about working at (insert company name). (this is even more important: will the interviewer be honest, or actually talk about the downsides of the company?)

And then use the answers to those questions to try to sell yourself. "Oh, you've been here for 7 years? That's great, I'm really looking for a company where I can dig in and really invest my time and energy in making it a success in the long run."

This really isn't that difficult, but it's really surprising how many bad interviews I've had.

Tomorrow night is the First Tuesday Happy Hour at Nellies, so I hope to make that. I'll have to adjust my work out schedule. And NO alcohol. But I'll be there. And then Wednesday I'm going to hear Bishop Chane speak about the HoB meeting in New Orleans. Should be interesting.

Oh and I must quote Sean: "turning one’s faith into a conquest meme is gaudy at best and at their worst the exact opposite of what I feel Christianity should be." What a great line. And I whole heartedly concur.

A "Double Double Protein Style" Please

So it was a balmy 59 degrees this AM in San Diego. But, the marine layer did burn off and it was just gorgeouse this afternoon. If only I weren't here working. Oh well.

I managed to fly cross country without succombing to carbs or Nutrasweet. And today we hit In & Out Burger for lunch. I agreed only after they told me that I could get a burger with no bun, just wrapped in lettuce. So I got the Double Double Protein style and it was actually pretty good. But I had to sit there while they all ate their golden, delicouls, oh so savory french fries. Fat boys don't get french fries.

This evening I kind of splurge and got fried calamari and the fried seafood plate. I'm sure I'll be suffering for that later. And despite my request for no fries, they piled them on. But they did manage to bring me my caesar salad. Then after dinner we stopped by Vons to pick up some water and some peanuts.

And now it's back to work. I really need to come here and take some time off as part of the trip. Oh well, no rest for the weary.

The Challenge!

So I was working out at the gym with a friend (and yes I need a good nickname for you!) and we were talking about things, work, life, etc. Work sucks right now. Suxs donkey dick as Jimbo would say. And part of me just wants to go on my cruise and forget all of this crap. And part of me doesn't want to go on the cruise because I'm still huge and being surrounded by hot men will only make me feel worse. This naturally lead into the now very tired discussion about how I sabotage my diet efforts, that I eat when I'm stressed, and that I put work over my health, etc. Yikes, I'm tired of hearing myself complain!

Anyways, we started talking about diets and how we both needed to stop eating & drinking some of the bad things we do. And I made some sort of comment about living on Diet Coke and he said that I had to stop all of that diet soda stuff. That Nutrasweet was bad and part of the reason I was having a problem losing weight. Now, I don't drink that much Diet Coke, but I'm addicted to Crystal Light Ice Tea (Raspberry, Peach, and Lemon). Like I drink 2-3 gallons of it a day.

So anyways, the challenge is to go nutrasweet (or any artificial sweetner) free for the next seven days. The challenge starts tomorrow so I'm savoring my last couple of glasses of ice tea before the purge begins. Anyways, it will be interesting to see what happens.

Fat

I know I am but what are you!

But seriously.

So I've been watching Work Out on Bravo. LOVE IT!

During my weekend spent in bed trying to suffer through migraines, I watched a couple of episodes. In one, Jesse is talking about how he's probably in the worse shape of any of the trainers on the show. "I'm not fat. Well, I may be gay fat," he said. And that just killed me. It's true. You can be in "normal" shape and be considered "gay fat". It really is quite strange/sad. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is just rampant in the gay community.

The other episode I watched Jackie is talking about a lesbian couple who want to lose weight. And I think it's Jesse again who says, "They aren't fat, well they are nesting fat. Happy fat." That I've found someone who loves me and it's alright if I have dessert more than once a week kind of fat.

I wish I was either.

After losing almost 14 pounds, I fell off the diet wagon and then rolled downhill. Today was the first day in probably 3 weeks that I've been to the gym. I did 50 minutes of cardio. Which didn't completely suck. I want to do some cardio for a week before I get on the scale. I'm afraid to get on the scales. Very afraid.