I got lots of pain to dish out

I’ve had quite a long weekend.  I spent the majority of it working out.  All in total I walked 6.3 miles, biked 19.4 miles, lifted twice and played racquetball for just under an hour.   It was a very good weekend for exercise and relaxation.  I didn’t over do it but I sure as hell could see the line.  Lets hope I can keep this up.  I have two challenges to win and plan on winning both.

I’ve bought a few new toys lately.  I bought an Iphone last week.  Its an 8gb 3 G Iphone and its pretty cool.  It really keeps the internet at my fingertips almost everywhere I am (cept the gym, though sometimes I get a signal).  I ordered a case and a bluetooth headset to go with them.    They will hopefully be here early this week.

Today I bought a watch.  I don’t usually use watches but new Jason wants a watch to go with the better clothes he will buy next spring/summer.   This was silver and gold and looked pretty classy in the pic online.  I’m still looking to buy a Wii and a new tv, although the tv will come first.  Waiting for the right deal.

Jason

Last night I might a great pulled pork.  The whole recipe had 11 carbs.  It was delicious.  It wasn’t a super strong bbq flavor and that’s part of what i liked so much.

Ingredients.

1 3 to 5 pound boston pork butt

1 cup tomato puree ( you cna use paste but it is higher carbs)

2 tsp’s of worchestire sauce

1 tsp of liquid smoke

1 packet of splenda

Mix the tomato puree, smoke, worchestire and splenda in a bowl.  Add more splenda for a tangier flavor, more smoke for a smokier burnt flavor.

Place pork in corck pot, cover pork with sauce, cook on low for 8 hours.  At the end of 8 hours take the pork out, rip it to shreds ( I used a cutting board and a steak knife and it basically fell apart) .  Place pork back in crock pot and leave on warm for one hour.  This will have the pork absorb all of the juices.

Serve and eat ( Veno used a low carb wrap)

I have many things in my life to be thankful for.  I lead a pretty good life and I like to think of myself as blessed.  Mostly I am negative and pessimistic but my problems aren’t real problems.  I have a good job with a good pay, I have a nice house, I have lots of unneeded toys, I have plenty of good friends, and I have my health.  Their are a lot of people a lot worse off out their and today is a day I will be thankful for what I have, not what I don’t.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day.

Jason

I went and saw Twilight yesterday.  If you know me you know by now you know how into the series I am.  I thought the movie was excellent.  They did not stray from the book much and most of the characters were perfect.  Bella, Edward, Alice, Charlie, Emmett and Jasper were absolutely incredible.  Rosalie wasn’t bad but she just wasn’t as beautifal as the book required.  Carlysle  just didn’t do it for me, he reminded me more of a blond Mike Dexter then an eternal vampire with amazing self control.    I loved the movie and will probably go see it again.

The diet is going great.  I’m doing quite well with the cravings.  The cow resources are getting low.  The turkey I cooked turned out great.  With Thanksgiving coming up msot people I know on the diet plan on going off.  Not me.  Also I don’t call it cheating when you plan on going off.  Cheating is when just go off for a craving.  I hope the guys who are taking a few days off (a week is not a few days chuck) can easily get back on and don’t do a ton of damage.

I am now involved in a running/walking challenge as well as a biking challenge.  The running challenge is for 100 miles, the biking is 250.  I have to push hard to win both but I have faith I can do it.  I even went and bought a balaclava for walking in the am when its so cold.  Though its always so cold now.

Jason

I like to threaten people with a punch to the nuts.  Its mostly just annoying banter but I use it a lot.  Today Atkns dude and I were talking and he has a friend about to start atkins.  I explained how he wasn’t responsible for his friend like I am for him.  He responded with “There were a few times when the thought of a good and hearty nut-pinch from Jason kept me on the straight and narrow.”  Now he didn’t mean to say nut pinch but god damn that was funny.

The diet is going great.  I’m sticking to plan without much temptation.  I can honestly say I can handle this long term.  I will go off plan for special occasions but other then that I can live bread/sugar and high carb free.  I should have done this and stuck with this long ago.

I’m doing a walking/running challenge with my buddy Mark.  First one to 100 miles gets a free dinner at Fogo De Chao in Philly.  We were going to use nike+ to monitor but Nike + sucks ass.  Instead I am using http://www.workoutdump.com, if you sign up let me know I can invite you to my group.

I should get some new pics sometime soon.  I haven’t felt like I’ve lost a lot lately but I can see some folds getting smaller.   We shall see.

Jason

One of my new favorite foods is burgers or meatloaf made up of ground pork and ground beef.  Its flavor is absolutely incredible.  I throw in some crushed pork rinds, celery salt, garlic salt and an egg and damn it is good.  The pig has been very good so far, considering ordering a full one for next month instead of a half.

Diets still going great.  I am pretty much craving free now.  I see candy and am not even tempted.   I still miss pizza, chinese food and chocolate cake but don’t plan on having any soon.  I think either right after the J-athlon or for my birthday will be a good choice but we will see.  Right now I am handling it all well.  Thanksgiving won’t even tempt me.  Sometime around the holiday we will deep fry a turkey but I won’t be eating stuffing or pie.  Not even low carb pie.

Exercising is still going quite well.  I am going basically everyday and twice a day on work days to do extra cardio.  Anything to get the fat off and in shape.  My strength gains are still going up well and I am feeling stronger.   I’ll Just keep plugging along.  Now I am listening to The Sword of Truth series in audio book, can’t decide if I like it or not.

Jason

Today I have been on the diet now for 17 weeks.  That’s 17 weeks with no bread, pasta, refined sugar or caffeine.  I must say I feel 100000 times better.   I have much more energy then I did before, I sleep better and I am not getting the hunger headaches I got before.   I have gotten two other people to go on the diet and they are both doing great as well.  I think this is definitely a positive experience.  I might miss chocolate and pizza but my health is much more important.

Veno asked me what my goal weight was.  He then seemed kind of shocked I don’t have one.   I don’t care how low my weight gets.  I want to get healthy, feel healthy and complete the J-athlon.  He doesn’t understand  it’s not about weight its about how I feel, how I move, and how clothes fit.  I will be back in my 2x clothes by spring.  Which means I have like 30 tshirts and pairs of shorts waiting to be worn.

Making more short ribs today.  Using the same recipe as last week.  We got the pig yesterday so no I now I need to find some pork recipes.  I plan on making pulled pork I just have to decide how to make my own BBQ Sauce and figure out where I can buy Xanthium Gum locally.

I am including progress pics.  They are the day I started, 8 weeks, then 15 weeks.  Yes I know I am a slob no one needs to point that out, I already did it for you.

Jason

Link to full size pics

I downloaded the Twilight audio books to listen to while I do cardio.  I still bounce around too much to read right now so audio books work.  I can not stress how much I am into the Twilight Series.  I stay up until 2AM listening on my ipod, I listen while I play video games, its literally stories you can’t put down.  I describe it to people as Romeo and Juliet with Vampires but it is a lot more then that.  Its really a great story about life, love and being with someone at a cost near death. I recommend it to anyone.

Ok back to being a guy.  Just got over a bad gout spell.  My right ankle was totally screwed.  I only missed Sunday at the gym but my cardio was lacking a lot Monday and some yesterday.  I did go in during lunch but it was not as hard as I would have liked.  The gym seems to be progressing well.  My strength seems to be going up and the cardio seems to be getting a tad easier.

The diet is going great.  I don’t even have temptations to cheat.  I eat well and I eat until I am full.  Things are definitely better.  I made Short Ribs the other day that came out incredible ( see previous post for recipe).  Today I am going to cook Cornish Game Hens, I’ve never had them before and am going to rotisserie them so I’ll let you all know how it comes out.

We get most of our pig this weekend., the bacon two weeks later because it needs to smoke.  I haven’t done a lot with pork beyond ham, bacon, roast and chops so this will be something different.  Can’t wait.

Jason

I made some incredible short ribs last night.  I’ve never cooked short ribs before but these were absolutely amazing.    Must share the super simple recipe.

Ingredients: Short Ribs, Olive oil,  2 cups of broth(I used chicken since it was what I had made)

Brown all sides of short ribs in frying pan using olive oil on medium heat.  (this shouldn’t take more then 5 minutes total)

Put short ribs into crock pot and add broth.  Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low 7 to 8.  I did high for 6.

While the ribs were cooking I rotated them every hour so that half was in the broth and half wasn’t.  Helped to keep the meat tender but not dry.

Enjoy

How did it get so cold so fast?  I am actually wearing sweatpants in October and have the heat turned on.  I knew it’d be a cold winter but it started damn early.  We have moved to driving to the gym in the morning to do cardio.  Its just too damn cold to walk.  Maybe I’ll get more used to it, but honestly, I doubt it.

I had a great day yesterday diet wise and gym wise.  I walked in the morning, did 20 mins on the bike and swam 1/2 a mile at lunch, then 2 rounds of basketball, lifted and did 45 minutes on the elliptical at night.  If I didn’t lose a pound then I probably should just give up.  Diet wise I am doing excellent.  I made some more jerky to snack on and cooked a whole chicken in a crockpot.  Came out delicious.   In the next few days I amg oing to try the beef ribs in the crockpot.

The colder it gets here the more excited I am to go to Florida this winter and Wisconsin next summer.   I am very excited to travel.  I don’t like flying but going different places can be fun.  Florida will be different because I don’t eat out much anymore and I won’t get winded walking to and from the car.  Wisconsin will be awesome.  I haven’t been to a water park in at least 10 years.  Either way it will be warmer in both places at those times.

Ok off to the gym for the 3rd time today.

Jason