scrambit!

I am part two of this battle. Those who knew me in high school saw me as a (relatively) ripped man who worked out (nearly) daily and could lift (toy) trucks with my bare hands. I was also so tan that I could blend in with… uh… tan-colored objects.

Okay so that was a lie; I was actually quite pale.

When starting college I decided that I didn’t want to work out anymore. Ever. And I didn’t have time. When not in the library studying until I was cross-eyed (seriously, I’ve got the pictures from my surgery to prove it) I was bent over reactions or tiny creatures (in which I include bio molecules) in laboratories. So I became scrawny and pale, but I don’t think those two words can quite convey the sheer lack-of-muscle/ghostliness. It’s completely ridiculous. So ridiculous, in fact, that my youngest brother laughed for a straight 15 minutes after seeing me in a white T-shirt (apparently it made me look extra pale and also had large sleeves).

To top it off, I quit the caffeine last summer and that has permanently thrown off my previously high metabolism. So I’ve grown a small belly. In the past, I could eat whole bags of candy topped off with several beers (almost) every day of my life and my physique wouldn’t change in the slightest. I’m still eating the candy and drinking the beer (in moderation), but my body can’t keep this from turning into fat anymore.

I have now decided that it’s time to fix this, and turn my pale, scrawny ass- and the rest of my body- into a slightly less pale, less scrawny ass. And get rid of that belly.

So why blog about it? Well, not because I’m an exhibitionist, but because I have poor motivation to endure bodily pain while simultaneously not getting to eat copious amounts of pastries. I figure the blogging will keep me honest. Hopefully.

My goals:

1. No eating past 8:00pm (or drinking high-carb liquids).
2. Drastically reduce candy intake.
3. Keep carb intake down (so no bread for bread’s sake).
4. Eat slowly and in moderation.
5. Exercise every day.
6. Maintain all of these and SHOW NO WEAKNESS.
7. Record weight/size variation over time.

And I’m sure there will be more. We will also be coming up with some sort of reward system for whoever wins and maintains the best. To be determined…

Losing the circumference and, more importantly, keeping it off is always a huge challenge, even for the most disciplined of people (a group that I am not a member of). So maybe making it public and making it a contest will help. Maybe actually having a daily record what I’m doing will keep me in check.

We don’t have a scale yet, but weigh-ins will probably also be posted (ugh). So will various circumference numbers once we actually acquire a tape measure (double ugh).

Until then, here are my general goals:

1. eat more slowly
2. eat smaller portions (this and the first pretty much go hand in hand)
3. drink at least 24 oz water a day
4. exercise 5 times a week (at least) consistently
5. keep daily records of food, weight, exercise

I might think of more later, but those are the most important right now.

Here’s the food stuffs I ate today, although I haven’t become so obsessed as to start counting calories.

• banana and low fat cottage cheese (drizzled with honey)
• yogurt parfait (a ridiculous $3.82 because campus food is friggin expensive)
• Subway ham and turkey (the daily special) with a bit of southwest sauce (good, but not good for you)
• peppermint ice cream and dark chocolate (I have to eat all of it before we get a scale… coughcough)

That’s not so bad, I don’t think. Although I’m still wincing from that ridiculously priced yogurt. I feel like I usually eat pretty balanced and healthy foods. I’m good with the veggies and whatnot. I basically eat whatever I feel like it, but now I just need to work on the moderation part.