I got lots of pain to dish out

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

Today was a very good day diet wise.  I cut out all my cheese again after my two day birthday hiatus.  I haven’t eaten a lot and am not starving so I believe I didn’t knock myself out of ketosis.  Good old eggs and left over sirloin roast.

I went swimming for the first time in a few weeks.  I haven’t had as much time but today I got up and made the time.  One of my next goals is going to be swim 1/2 a mile at least every other day.   I know someone isn’t as good for me as elliptical or running but its better for my joints and helps me to clear my head.  I lifted today and did 23+ minutes on the elliptical.  That’s going to be another immediate goal, 20 minutes a day on the elliptical.  I’ve been too relaxed lately, enjoying the work I’ve done not what I have ahead of me.  Its time to get my ass in gear.

I also mowed and weed whacked our yard.  If it stays this cold it will be the last time all season I mow.  Once all the leaves are down I’ll have to get out there to rake and bag.  I really do hate that.

Giants won today, 4 and 0 now.  We are off to a very good start and both sides are playing well.  It is going to be a very good year for them hopefully.

Jason

I went to Maine for my 33rd birthday.  MY roommate and I drove up and had dinner with some old friends then went to his moms for the night.  I haven’t been back to Maine in almost 2 years.  Theirs a lot of changes in the stores that are up there.  New retail stores, new restaurants, its almost not Maine anymore.

Dinner at the chinese place was good (better friday then saturday) and lunch at Ruby Tuesdays was good as well.  I need to go back to the diet that’s been working for me for so long tomorrow.  I know that won’t be an issue.  The one issue I will have is exercise.  I need to exercise more.  I need to do more cardio.  Whether it be waking up early, going during lunch or finding time at night I need to do more cardio.  Tomorrow I will start doing more.  I know I can do it, I just need to go out and do it.

Seeing old friends is weird.  Some things change, some don’t.  I used to make a habit of not meeting up with old friends as things usually don’t go as well as you like or something just doesn’t seem right.  I don’t really know yet what to think about this one.  Maybe I’ve changed, maybe I haven’t.  I don’t really know at this point.

Jason

1.5 to 2 pounds of hamburger, 1/2 a batch of green onions, 1 egg, 1/2 back pork rinds(don’t use wise, too greasy for cooking), 2/3 to a cup of tomato sauce or pizza sauce , shredded cheese or mozzarella cheese slices, pepperoni, bacon, ham, veggies for topping.

Precook any meat toppings you are going to put on the meatza.

Add the meat, chopped scallions, egg and 1/2 bag of crushed pork rinds into a big mixing bowl.  Much together.  When everything is thoroughly mixed cover bottom of glass baking dish with thin layer of meat mixture.  Try to make the top as flat as possible,

Bake in oven at 350 for 40 minutes.

Take meatloaf out of the oven, drain grease out of pan.   Cover top of meat loaf with sauce.  Cover sauce with shredded cheese , then toppings.  I use onions, cooked bacon and pepperoni.

Bake for 25-30 additional minutes.  Cooking time can vary.  on last part depending on rack height and how melted you like your cheese.

Enjoy.

Was watching West Wing this morning, and what an incredible show it was.  I wish they were still on the air, I thought they could have done a lot with Jimmy Smits as president.  Josh (Bradley Whitfield) makes a great point about how CT’ers don’t have much to get excited for and keeps saying go whalers, a team that left CT before the show began.

Diets still going well.  Made my own chicken broth this weekend, it came out ok, I need to use less water this time.  Sunday I used the broth to make Italian Wedding Soup.  That came out excellent, its even delicious left over.  Since I am on vacation this week I am going to make some beef ribs this week in the crock pot.  Maybe a roast too.

I turn 33 on Friday.  This birthday doesn’t mean much except I am going to maine to hit up the all you can eat buffet.  Hibachi, crab legs, hot wings, shrimp, how excited a man can be.

Jason

Today is 13 weeks on the diet.  I feel like I am doing well.  I should be doing more cardio but most days I just don’t seem to have it in me.  I am not eating as often as I should and I get a little tired and weak.  I need to do that  better.  I also need to get up and go right to the gym on weekends or get up and eat.  But laying in bed for a few hours then going to the gym isn’t good.

I started the elliptical this week and did HIIT yesterday.  I think that will help some with the lack of cardio but now all I can really do is just do it.

So I have some goals for January 1st.

1.  To be able to do an assisted dip.

2.  To be able to do an assisted pull up.

3.  To be able to squat my weight.

4.  To be able to deadlift my weight.

5.  To be able to do an hour on the elliptical.

6.  To be able to run a mile, non stop.

7.  To fit into 3x shirts

Jason