Operation: Macho Man got off to a rocky start.
I did not make it out of bed to go to the gym this morning.
Breakfast:
Eggs, scrambled with vegetables. Yes, there are egg yolks in there, I don't believe in the egg-white-only thing. But the eggs weren't cooked in butter or oil or anything like that. And notice, no sausage no bacon. Toast: whole grain bread, just a smidge of jelly. No butter there either.
For drink: water. No juice, there's too much sugar. I'll eat whole fruit later in the day.
But then I worked for a while. Boo hiss.
For lunch, I wanted to have this:
But that would be ridiculous. I'll eat pizza when this is all over.
Instead, I had this:
Rosemary chicken--two pieces white meat, one dark just for fun, cooked with the skins on, but removed before eating. Three-bean salad made with kidney beans, green beans, and garbanzo beans which are also known as chickpeas but "garbanzo" is way more fun to say, with a little dressing to zip them up (seriously, so delicious!). Toss in a bowlful of the baby spring greens, and voila! Lunch is served. To drink: water. No Diet Coke. WATER.
After lunch I may or may not have had a few cookies. And by a few I mean six. But they were little and I am ashamed so I didn't photograph them.
Dang it! Work is getting in the way of my Macho Manification. So I left work and went to the gym, where I did not get on one of these:
Flailing your legs around on a treadmill doesn't do much; you need to move all of your weight around against the force of gravity and inertia. You cannot just pick your legs up and down, which is really what a treadmill does. That gets your heart rate up and you sweat, but so what? Your major muscles are just going along for the ride.
You burn fat during the rest of your day, moving around and keeping your metabolism up. The myth that going to the gym for an hour will raise your metabolism for the rest of the day? No. Doesn't really work that way. Myth, it is.
For instance--tonight I walked here:
And I did NOT stop here, even though it was along the way:
Starbucks does not serve coffee. Starbucks serves coffee-flavored milkshakes. A venti caramel frappuccino has 530 calories, with 17 grams of fat. A black and white cookie from Starbucks has 430 calories, with 17 grams of fat. If you eat a cookie and drink a frappucino, that is HALF YOUR CALORIES FOR THE ENTIRE DAY. And that's pretty much all the fat you get for the whole day, too, so you better stick to rice cakes for your three actual meals. FYI: a Krispy Kreme glazed donut? 210 calories, 12 grams of fat. Yeah. The donut is healthier.
So I came home from the gym and had a protein shake and a slice of cantaloupe. But those pictures were blurry.
And now I'm in bed.
You're a big guy - a few cookies can't hurt.
Posted by: blackbird | June 14, 2007 at 04:15 AM
Those meals you ate look delicious! Yum!
However, you CAN cook in coconut oil or even olive oil without worry. Studies show amazing health benefits from coconut oil. Areas of Mexico where they only cook with coconut oil have NO heart disease at ALL.
Also, Starbucks DOES have coffee. You just need to order the plain coffee... or plain iced coffee. That is just coffee. Nothing added. No fat, no crap, no carbs, nothing. And a bit of coffee each morning doesn't hurt you and MAY even be good for you. Just don't order the drinks at Starbucks that (1) cost a lot more and (2) have all kinds of crap in them.
Posted by: Hephaestion | June 14, 2007 at 05:52 AM
Heph -
Coconut oil, while tasty, is full of saturated fat, which is not good for you. And there is no evidence that it prevents heart disease. Olive oil, yeah, it's great for you, but does have lots of calories.
And yeah, there's good evidence that coffee's good for you, especially for your liver. So for us boozehounds, it's a magical thing!
Posted by: Michael | June 14, 2007 at 05:58 AM
You know what? Fuck it. Go on the Benicio Del Toro diet of donuts and cheeseburgers, and show up at your event in that Speedo weighing like 275. You sure wouldn't get any ass out of it, but it would be funny as shit.
Posted by: Yummsh | June 14, 2007 at 06:09 AM
This makes me more motivated for my diet-ish. I think. Or it just makes me tired. I can't decide.
Posted by: Corey | June 14, 2007 at 06:29 AM
And how many calories did you work off in bed?
Posted by: Scott | June 14, 2007 at 07:36 AM
Awwww... you look so cute getting out of bed.
But I know how hard it is to get out of bed sometimes. I've been trying to get up early to take my dog out on a walk, but end up just playing Frisbee with him at 9 am instead.
Anyway, good luck with this. I still think you look good, no matter what.
Posted by: Jane Jane | June 14, 2007 at 07:39 AM
AWWW I love the pics! Since the Tony's I have been listening to the Spring Awakening cd, you all must run out and get it! Who knew Duncan Sheik was capable of this! It is GREAT!
Posted by: Jen | June 14, 2007 at 08:15 AM
Wow, according to mapmyrun.com, you walked about 2.4 miles, give or take.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/il/chicago/490246209
Neurotic fitness behavior, but hey, i'm ok with being slightly neurotic, there's worse things in this world. I guess.
Keep up the manification efforts. I need a clever name for my hotmommyfication efforts.
Posted by: Belinda W. from Chicago | June 14, 2007 at 08:51 AM
2.4 miles is hardly neurotic fitness behavior. That's, what...30 minutes of walking? You're supposed to do that EVERY DAY.
Posted by: kyle | June 14, 2007 at 08:56 AM
Love the photos, your camera takes great shots. Mine never did, they came out too blurry.
Good luck with the macho man make over!
Posted by: KAREN | June 14, 2007 at 09:42 AM
Kyle,
The "neurotic fitness behavior" I was referring to was not the WALKING, but rather the mapping it out online to figure out having walked 2.39 miles.
But thank you for reminding me of my daily exercise needs.
Posted by: Belinda W. from Chicago | June 14, 2007 at 10:01 AM
Rather than opting for coffee at Starbucks, get a shaken green or black tea. It's still got caffeine but natural antioxidants and EGCG. Careful though - they are addictive!
Posted by: Vanessa in the DFdub | June 14, 2007 at 03:04 PM
Ha! I work at the Bucks and recently became unhappy with how cushy I've gotten. The lowest calorie item in that case is 290! NEVER have a frappuccino if you want to lose weight - brewed coffe, iced coffee, and iced teas are the way to go. The yogurt parfaits make a good low cal breakfast, too. I've lost 15 pounds in 6 weeks; no pastry items, portion control, and 3 workouts a week. Gotta be hot for pride - 5 pounds and two weeks left!
Posted by: RobbieRobb | June 14, 2007 at 04:50 PM
Dunkin Donuts has the latte lite - skim milk and splenda... And no knocking Splenda, it's the better choice right now. After the party, induldge in the good stuff.
Posted by: Jodi | June 14, 2007 at 06:29 PM
o *groan* i'm in de same boat. sigh sigh SIGH
Posted by: closetalk | June 15, 2007 at 03:30 AM
I can't do egg whites only either. I do three whites & one whole egg. If you like spice, add a couple of sliced jalapenos.
You're doing great. You're going to look very Manly for your event!!
Posted by: Lori | June 15, 2007 at 09:37 AM
Just lay off the sugar, bread,pasta, rice, i.e. carbs..the Atkins thing. I lost 15 pounds in no time doing it..my carbs came through beer and vodka! No joke!
Posted by: john | June 15, 2007 at 06:22 PM
That chicken was enough for 3 people. More greens, less meat. And forget the toast at breakfast. Fruit instead.
Multiply that walk by 4 or 5 & you'll see results.
Posted by: DennyK | June 15, 2007 at 07:49 PM
Don't overdo the green tea. I forget what it was, but a doctor told me green tea can cause you serious problems if you over-do it.
Eat like the always-thin French: Eat richly and wonderfully but in moderation.
Posted by: Hephaestion | June 16, 2007 at 03:39 PM