Gavocado Gojiberry

today is a new day

2008-03-26T09:37:00.002-04:00

starting fresh. 100% raw vegan.

this morning's breakfast:
green smoothie with water, goji berries, apple, two dates, flax seed, raw green powder, spinach, and dulse seaweed for the minerals...YUMMY!

We'll see where this goes from here. It can only get better!

long time....

2007-12-23T18:46:00.000-05:00

well, its been too long, but some good news....

Dave gave me a gift card to Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium for my bday so that I could pick out some cycling shoes...got some really nice Shimano cycling shoes.

SO----

I rode 11 miles yesterday with Jeff at Flatwoods...the weather was quite cool but after a mile or so, it was fine. The wind was a bitch, but otherwise, fantastic ride.

If no work tomorrow.....another bike ride.

Grass Root

2007-10-31T22:24:00.000-04:00

I stopped by Tampa's only raw food restaurant--Grass Root and had the most fantastic hour chatting with the owners Sabrina and Spence. I had a great green smoothie called the Incredible Hulk, big dose of greens and fruit, with some added Hemp Protein powder---Delicious and amazingly energizing---just the perfect cap to a stressful day of limo driving and Tampa traffic.

They are big on wheatgrass there and offered to let me try a shot of wheatgrass juice for free---wow. I thought it would taste horrible, but I actually liked it, the taste was refreshing, earthy, green, vibrant...AND...even better, was the way it made me feel...even better than a shot of espresso! Its almost as if I felt it absorbing into my body through my system. I am hooked. Something to look at starting to do on a much more frequent basis.

After I was home for a few hours, I was a little hungry again, so I made a pseudo-guacamole and ate it with some flax crackers.

I say pseudo because I didnt actually have the ingredients for typical guac so I improvised....one avocado, some chopped onion and garlic, a bit of cumin, some celtic sea salt, and a splash of raw apple cider vinegar...still delicious---but I like the original with the lime and cilantro.

Had a pretty decent raw food day today. Not 100% but pretty damn close. For lunch, Kyle and I went to Sweet Tomatoes and I did pretty good there, had a small bit of cooked, but mostly raw salad stuff.

Kyle said he likes Flatwoods so hopefully, we can meet up this weekend, saturday morning, if all works out well, and can go riding through flatwoods. That would be nice. Actually, Kayak Shabbat is this Sat. But I don't think I will be able to afford that, and biking is free...

A good day overall. Looking forward to tomorrow...driving my fave clients first thing in the morning...should start my day off good.

Ohh...I forgot to mention, last scale reading was exactly 280. That brings the total to 24 lbs lighter!

breakfast and lunch today

2007-10-28T15:10:00.000-04:00

For breakfast had a few handfuls of a nut/seed/goji berry mixture and a banana. Not very exciting, but good.

Lunch however....was really good.

I had a smoothie made from young coconut, frozen strawberries, banana, goji berries, cacoa nibs, raw honey and bee pollen. Yummy! It was delicious. Dave tried a sip of it, said it was okay, but I think he is wary of goji berries, and bee pollen, as he has no idea what they are or what they do or what the benefits are. Oh well, its okay.

I am relaxing today, went to a Halloween party last night, had a good time, but was exhausted by the end of the night. We headed home around 2am. Thought I would have seen more police out last night on the way home. I did drink a little last night, not much, a glass and a half of sangria. Dave didnt drink at all.

Didnt take any pics, but my friend Adrienne did, I can't wait to see them.

I am hovering at the same weight. I think I really need to add some exercise to my regimen but, quite frankly, the thought of it is really intimidating.

Talked to Sue about Bikram Yoga last night, she is really into it, said she loved it. I really would like to give it a try.

everyone has his own guru

2007-10-23T01:31:00.000-04:00

even if strange...

went to a small store in clearwater today to pick up some raw foods that are hard to find elsewhere and met this guy who was promoting a complete raw food diet including raw meat, dairy, eggs, etc... In actuality the whole time he was talking to me I just kept thinkng this guy is a whacko. but hey...to each his own. I personally am sticking to raw vegan.

I bought some raw coconut flakes, goji berries, raw green powder for smoothies, raw tahini, raw garlic sprouted sunflower seeds---they are very yummy!, and some locally made raw honey. I wanted to buy more....like the nama shoyu, but it was more than I wanted to pay...so was the maca...

I have to buy some fresh produce tomorrow....

So tomorrow I want to grocery shop in the morning, going to see Into The Wild in the afternoon, and then its Shelley's bday tomorrow, not sure yet what we are doing, but I am sure we are getting together (the usual crowd)

still at 282.

back to raw.

2007-10-20T21:10:00.001-04:00

Nourishing my body and soul tonight with a smoothie of young coconut, raw cacoa nibs ground, goji berries, honey, and blueberries.

I needed to have some raw food in me after today's non-raw lunch.

I feel good though...the scale says 282. Thats a loss of 22 lbs so far.

nap dream...

2007-10-20T19:13:00.001-04:00

I just woke from a bad dream, or at least, what I thought was a bad dream. I was out and about near the beach playing with Sydney the dog, Sydney was then attacked by a wolf, and I went racing back to get Shelley, screaming for her. Shelley and I then walked Sydney to the vet, on the way, we were walking down a path through the woods to get there, and I was barefoot. Then, I woke up.

I thought this was a bad dream. Then I went outside and sat in silence to think about this dream and this came to me:

Sydney represents Julie, and Sydney's injuries to her head represent Julie's cancer which is attacking her brain right now. The wolf represents truth about nutrition, and what can happen when you ignore the truth. (wolf here I think relates to David Wolfe, who I was listening to just before I slept--who in turn represents the truth about food and nutrition and our bodies.) and the path we were walking on represents the path to health and nutrition and raw food and I was walking barefoot, showing that I was at one in nature and knew the path, and I was walking Shelley down that path, showing her the path---nutrionally speaking.

Or, it could have just been a side effect from the sugar rush I had by eating that damn piece of cake today at lunch. hmm.

weekly weigh in

2007-10-18T23:33:00.001-04:00

283

-21 lbs lost so far.

almost midnight smoothie sensation

2007-10-18T23:30:00.001-04:00

filtered water, apples, goji berries, blueberries, strawberries, spearmint, spinach, and alfalfa sprouts and cinnamon. mmm, mmm, good.

had sweet tomatoes for dinner tonight with some friends.

overall, very good day.

Stifling my creativity....

2007-10-18T18:21:00.000-04:00

The man, it appears, has decided to stifle my on thoughts by forcing on my Perrine's theories on "proof" in literary criticism.

I prefer to find allegories wherever and whenever I can.

There, I blogged about it.

last night and this morning

2007-10-17T11:49:00.000-04:00

last night was horrible. i had really bad withdrawal symptoms, headache, achy body, etc.

today though, I woke up, felt fantastic this morning, and made a wonderful smoothie for breakfast. In it was a young coconut, banana, strawberry, kiwi, goji berries. absolutely delicious.

Brought a couple of raw food bars and an apple with me to work today...will post more later.

a note on "cheating"

2007-10-16T03:26:00.000-04:00

So, Carrie yesterday said its normal to cheat when you change your diet so drastically, and then after that, Dave asked me if I "cheat" when I am outside the house. So, apparantly, "cheating" seems to be an issue that everyone (including myself) has on their mind.

I thought I should address it here. Cheating means doing something you are not supposed to, doing something bad, doing something against what you should be doing. However, cheating may not be the right word for it.

Going 100% raw is a process, and if there is anything that I have learned from all the research I have done on the raw diet is that there is certainly no one right way that everyone comes to being completely raw. For some, it is a process that takes years, for others, its simply a change made overnight with no looking back.

So here is my own take on being raw and cheating. Currently, I am striving for 100% Raw Vegan. If, however, I eat something cooked, or not vegan, then I am still on a raw diet, but for that day, instead of being 100% Raw, I might be only 70% Raw that day...BUT, and this is the biggest thing....I am still a raw foodist. I am still committed to attaining a goal. Even at that level, I have incorporated so much GOOD into my body, more than ever before. The process is all about increasing the amount of raw foods, ultimately reaching the goal of eating nothing but raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, seaweeds, etc.

Tangent....since I just mentioned it...I need to add some good sea vegetables into my diet, I am having trouble however finding any seaweed/sea veggies labeled raw. The nori I find all seems to be toasted, and the wakame, etc. just doesnt say at all. And where in the hell do you find spirulina? What about dulse? Argh! Its frustrating trying to find these things locally without ordering them online. Maca is another one in that category. Luckily, there are some wonderful things that I have been able to purchase locally like goji berries, thai/young coconut, etc.

This I am sure is WAY TMI....but speaking of young coconut....I had the greatest smoothie the other morning made with the meat and water of a young coconut as the base liquid....and I swear my pee smelled like coconut ALL DAY! It was more amusing than anything else.

Ok...so, I almost can't wait til breakfast tomorrow morning. I am going to make a banana/mango/papaya/goji berry smoothie. I have been thinking about that all night. I can't wait. Tomorrow will be another great raw food day!

BTW....tonight, Dave made an incredible salad that was SO good. It had dandelion greens, arugula, radish, cucumber, red bell pepper....I tossed in some raw pumpkin seeds with my garlic/apple cider vinaigrette....it was muy delicioso!

Thats all for now.

first raw book

2007-10-15T09:46:00.001-04:00

David, the sweetest man on earth, bought me yesterday my first Raw Food book...its called "The Raw Food Gourmet" by Gabrielle Chavez. What a guy!

Yesterday I had:

Breakfast: coconut/cashew/cacao/banana/goji smoothie....yum!

Lunch: raw food bar, an apple, flax crackers, can't remember what else...

dinner: asparagus, olives, red pepper, grapes and pear...I sort of just made a plate of sliced up raw foods and just grazed...

Last night I soaked some almonds and sunflower seeds....the almonds I will re-dry but I am going to try to sprout the seeds. this will be a first, I will let you know how that turns out! LOL

Good day today so far. I have lost another pound...so currently, I am exactly 20 lbs lighter than before. As long as I stick to raw and don't cheat...I have a feeling that I can lose at least another 10-15 lbs before NY. That would be nice.

My only concern: what the hell am I am going to eat at thanksgiving without being conspicuously raw vegan? Quite honestly, I am not up for the Long Island Interrogation about it.

Thanks RFRN!

2007-10-07T01:00:00.001-04:00

Just a quick thank you to Justin and Heidi of Raw Food Right Now for adding me to their list of raw food blogs!

today's weight

2007-10-07T00:57:00.000-04:00

Starting weight: 304
Today's weight: 285

Change: -19 lbs

Overall today...

2007-10-07T00:48:00.000-04:00

Ok, I admit it.

I cheated.

BIG TIME. Suffice it to say, all you can eat lunch buffets are way too tempting, and I want someone to shoot me if they every catch me even near that damn restaurant again! LOL

But, on a positive note...I think...my body certainly told me (in a very nasty tone of voice) that it was not happy with my indulgence. I got sick. I felt nauseous and achy the rest of the day. Ugh. Oh, and did I mention the heartburn that came back that has been absent since going raw??? Yup, it reared its ugly head too.

Today was good though.

This morning I started the day with a smoothie:
Young coconut, goji, blueberries, flax, nibs, banana, strawberry and kiwi....FYI---I am making the smoothie thing more difficult than it has to be....going to try to limit to 3 ingredients from now on...

Lunch was good too.....a nice big salad with lots of goodies....daikon, apple, red leaf and romaine, celery, sunflower seeds, carrot, scallion, garlic, evoo and a/c vinegar...

Dinner wasn't raw....but hey, this is a process....tomorrow is another chance for improvement.

mmm....smoothies

2007-10-03T07:32:00.000-04:00

Today's breakfast:

Smoothie consisting of:
1 banana
1 apple
1/2 mango
4 strawberries
1/2 c blueberries
filtered water
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp cocoa nibs
handful of goji berries
handful of soaked pumpkin seeds
fresh mint

No surprise here---this made way more smoothie than I needed...oh well...perhaps lunch as well?

Lunch today!

2007-10-01T14:59:00.001-04:00

YUM!!!!!!!

I just made myself a smoothie with young coconut, banana, strawberry, cocoa nibs, flax seeds, and blueberries and goji berries.

WOW. yummy goodness.

today's menu

2007-09-30T22:45:00.000-04:00

For breakfast: 1 banana, 1 pear, 3 or 4 oz. of raspberries

snack: handful of pepitos (raw pumpkin seeds), handful of raw sunflower seeds

Lunch: raw organic chocolate/raspberry food bar, some more fresh raspberries, another handful of seeds

dinner: salad of daikon, fennel, pepper, carrot, spinach, cucumber, with raw apple cider vinegar and olive oil dressing

dessert: chocolate/banana/raspberry pudding made with fresh fruit, avocado (creating the creamy base) and cocoa powder with agave nectar for some added sweetness.

Absolutely feel wonderful.

Raw food in the house!

2007-09-29T17:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterday purchased some:

Goji Berries, cocoa nobs, raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds & agave nectar

Today, finished grocery shopping:

Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, pears, grapes, kiwis, and young coconuts.

Fennel, basil, spinach, radishes (red and daikon), cilantro, watercress, escarole, red leaf lettuce, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, scallions, mint, celery, avocado, and red cabbage.

Tonight's dinner menu:

Raw Pesto "Spaghetti".....

2 zucchini cut into long spaghetti-like strips, (I love my mandolin) tossed in a homemade basil-sunflower seed-garlic-olive oil mixture....MMMM---Yummy.

thinking about dessert:

sliced pears drizzled with a puree of raspberries, cocoa nibs, goji berries, and agave nectar (just a little) sounds good no?

Ahhh.....raw.

food for thought...

2007-09-24T22:54:00.000-04:00

Over the past several weeks, motivation has been high. While not riding my bike as much as I would like to, I have certainly made many eating habit changes. My entire mentality about food is changing, for the better, and I am enjoying the idea of eating correctly. Before, eating was very emotional and guilt-ridden, which it still is, when I eat the wrongs things and make unhealthy choices, but thankfully, that is happening less and less.

Today for breakfast I had a banana and some fried potatoes....I know, not the healthiest, but the portion size was MUCH better than normal. Before, I would have fried 3 potatoes, today, it was just one.....Seriously though....I dont think having potatoes in the house is a good thing...perhaps its one of those items that we can just buy two at a time for dinner that same day....I dont want them around. They are too much of a temptation. (its hard being a midwestern boy who grew up on nothing but steak and potatotes).

For lunch, a bowl of ramen noodles. For dinner, Tomato soup with jasmine rice, and roasted carrots, onions, garlic, and potato---drizzled in evoo and sprinkled with herbes de provence. Nice dinner.

Tonight, after Heroes, I went for a 30 minute walk. Took my iPod and listened to This American Life.

So--when the money isnt quite as tight...I have decided that since have already made the leap to vegetarianism (actually, with fish) that I am going to go all the way and start a raw vegan diet.

Here are the things I want absolutely nothing to do with:

Refined Sugar (of any kind)
Processed starches (cookies, cakes, etc)
Meat in any form including fish (wild caught fish I am better with, but would prefer not to have)
Eggs
Dairy (of any kind)

I want to subsist on Fresh, Organic, Whole, raw foods. Toxic free.
Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouts, etc.

Some inspiring people when it comes to this:
Angela Stokes, Matt Monarch, Alyssa Cohen, David Wolfe, Ani Phyo, and the multitudes of others out there living the raw foods way.

Dave, of course, thinks I am obsessive and extreme....but I think he is quite willing to deal with that as long as I am making healthy choices.

So far, since changing my eating habits, without even really exercizing that much, I have lost 17 lbs. Not bad.

Would love to have lost 40 lbs before Thanksgiving and seeing everyone up in NY. Doing my best.

I think what I want to try is the 13 day plan (of course, on a more permanent basis than just 13 days) from Wholefood Farmacy. I think at least a couple of months on this could be a good kickstart to the raw food diet. Its just that its already prepared raw foods, dried, ready for consumption, without choices and guesswork. Something I need to help me get started. In the meantime, I joined a raw food meetup group and we are going to a potluck in a couple weeks for that....and found a vegan and raw food restaurant right here in Tampa! Fantastic! Dave and I went there last week for dinner one night.

Post more later.

Oh, really quick...

I feel like I have been lied to my entire life about food and nutrition....it kinda pisses me off.

cycling shoes

2007-09-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

So....when tips come rolling in and there is more money to spend on things like this....I would like to buy these cycling shoes....not bad for $50! Lake Cycling Shoes. These are for trail riding mostly...which is what I do...

Woody Harrelson

2007-09-08T10:22:00.000-04:00

I highly recommend watching the Ron Mann film Go Further. Its a film that follows Woody Harrelson and friends on a 1300 mile bike trip from Seattle to Los Angeles with a bio-diesel fueled tour bus and his speaking tours at college campuses along the way. Many great insights into Simple Organic Living, leaving a smaller footprint, eating raw whole living foods...etc. Also great info on worm castings (worm tea), de-forestation, and blood and pus in your milk. Seriously, some parts might gross you out, but its worth knowing the truth. Enjoy!

ugh---4 weeks.

2007-09-08T10:12:00.000-04:00

Its been 4 weeks since I rode last. Thats not good. But, I did ride 10.26 miles today. Instead of going to the Flatwoods trail, I went up to the Suncoast trail and rode from Hwy 54 North to the entrance to Starkey Park--then went about a mile or so into Starkey Park---to the first water station. Then I rested for about 15 minutes to get my strength back (rode 5.13 miles at that point). For the first half of my ride, I kept around 11-13 mph, then for about the third quarter I managed to maintain 14-16mph...then the last quarter I faded pretty much and could not keep pace. I slowed to around 11-12 for the last mile and a half or so. It was a welcome relief to be back at my car and get off the bike. My pelvic bone hurts a little, not bad...I had to keep standing up quite a bit at the end of the ride, I guess its all about building up tolerance and endurance.

This morning I got up, had a slice of fitness bread (I love that stuff) with some honey on it and a banana. Drank 16 oz of water with breakfast, and then another 16 oz of water with GU2O (an orange flavored no-sugar electrolyte powder).

Going to go juice now. Carrots, spinach, grapes, and whatever else I can rustle up to throw into the juicer....perhaps a tomato for the lycopene. As soon as I get up the energy to stand up and get into the kitchen.

Happy weekend everyone!

11 miles

2007-08-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

I rode 11 miles yesterday morning. Left from Bruce B Downs at Flatwoods again with Jeff. Had a great ride, but the heat was horrible...Florida in the summer. I was very good about making sure that I was hydrated and stopped every few miles at the water stations. By the end though, I was exhausted and overworked. And very thirsty....this was bad...I drank a half a bottle of water too fast after my ride, and it made me puke....woops....theres a new lesson---don't drink too fast after an especially taxing ride!

But, I still did it.

busy busy busy

2007-08-05T00:21:00.000-04:00

Well, since i have not posted in a little while, I thought I should take just a few minutes tonight and give a quick update.

I have not been able to ride for a while now, which I am quite disappointed in, but when I get home, I am going to have to get busy busy...

Right now, we have had an exciting week so far. We left Tampa (Dave and I) on Friday morning, and spend the weekend in the mountains (Blue Ridge) in the cabin again in Northern Georgia. Afterwards, Sunday morning, we drove to Michigan and had a very nice time visiting my family. Then on Friday morning, (the following Friday) we left Michigan and drove to Dave's family on Long Island, NY.

Had a very nice party tonight at Dave's parents and now have to leave tomorrow morning to head home...

Yikes! Another 24 hour drive....

Perhaps I will try a different route and head southwest toward TN and stop and visit Sarah at her new place on the way home...

Will update when home after I start riding again!

the road to hell is paved with good intentions

2007-07-22T01:05:00.000-04:00

Apparantly, just thinking about wanting to do something doesnt quite work.

I need to stop procrastinating.

JUST DO IT. Nike has the right idea.

Have not rode my bike in a week and I am feeling pretty low about that. The smoking thing sucks, still going back and forth.

Tomorrow is another day. We'll see.

might as well be flogging myself like an albino monk from Opus Dei...

2007-07-16T14:34:00.000-04:00

Damn you Starbucks and your Orange Mocha latte. The last temptation of Gavi.

I am weak. I must resist...I am fading...

*Edit---I resisted. AND...had a very healthy lunch at panera, 1/2 salad & 1/2 sandwich.

cyclists are just cool.

2007-07-16T06:29:00.001-04:00

I picked up a client this morning who lives very close to the trail we rode saturday and so I asked her if she had ever been to Flatwoods, and, lo and behold, she is a cyclist and rides it two or three times a week! As a matter of fact, she was out there saturday morning around the same time that we were. So we talked about cycling all the way to the airport. What a nice way to start the morning. A little cycling motivation from a fellow cyclist.

She said that she just started riding about 6 months ago and when she started she said she could only do about 10 miles or so at about 12-14 mph, and that within 6 months, she is now up to 25-40 miles a few times a week and averages about 25 mph. Thats freakin' fantastic! Anyway, she was very motivational. I'm sure I will see her on the trail one of these days.

I want to go out Wednesday morning, since that is my day off, but I might just have to wait again til Saturday since Dave leaves on Wednesday for Paris.

Anyway, off to find someplace to have breakfast.

Post just for Carrie

2007-07-14T12:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, alright...I slapped a patch back on and am now on my 2nd day with no cigs. Its been good so far.

So, Dave, Jeff, and I went to Flatwoods Park to ride/run the trail....which is a 7 mile loop---however, (we didn't know this at the time) from where we parked, its a 2 mile trail TO the 7 mile loop. So in all, Jeff and I biked 11 miles and it was a FANTASTIC ride. Very nice, shaded, paved trail, lots of other cyclists, joggers/runners/walkers, rollerbladers, etc. There certainly is a camaraderie amongst these fitness types. Some good conversation at the midpoint watering stations.

We left at approx 8:45am, got back (after the 11 miles) approx 10:00am. Not bad.

Unfortunately, poor Dave didnt realize the trail was so long either, so he made his way out to the entrance on the other side of the park, after about 6 miles and called us to come get him. He said there was no way he was walking/running another 5.5 miles to get back to where the cars were...LOL

Anyway, so great day so far. Now, its off the the pool.

bowling tonight, or how I tried to make my right arm fall off...

2007-07-14T00:34:00.000-04:00

4 games, thats right...2 1/2 hours of non-stop bowling fun!

My arm is so friggin sore and my right hip now needs to be replaced. Cycling tomorrow should be fun like this.

Oh, well...it was fun. Beats doing nothing on a friday night.

new accessories

2007-07-13T16:55:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention:

I think I have solved or at the very least minimized the hand numbness problem. I just purchased these new gloves:

Ironman® Elite™ Cycling Gloves

A favorite among elite athletes and weekend warriors alike.
Patented channel over the median nerve reduces hand fatigue and numbness.
Gel-padded ventilated Pittards leather palm with anatomical fit and 5-pad system
Feels like an Italian racing glove.
Breathable mesh back with spandex for ultimate fit and comfort.

Update over the past few days...

2007-07-13T16:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, so, I am not going to beat myself up about this, but its not been the best few days. I have certainly been in a good mood, but the healthy stuff has taken a back seat. I sort of thought it would because of the birthday party---lots of drinking, food, and I foolishly gave myself permission to smoke while drinking, which I should have just resisted. I thought (irrationally) that I could just smoke while drinking, the next day I wouldn't want one again---nope, kept smoking.

But---today is a new day. Starting fresh with the patch again and looking forward, not backward.

So far today, have had nothing but healthy foods, ate a nice breakfast of Kashi cereal, soy milk, and a banana, took my multi, my omega 3 fish oil, my triflex, and my glucomannan. Had a great lunch at Pei Wei of Asian Coconut Curry with vegetables and tofu and brown rice.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. Dave and I are meeting Jeff at 8:30 am at Flatwoods Wilderness Trail. Jeff and I will be biking the trails, and Dave, of course, will run. Should be nice, I have heard good things about the trail there. Its a 7 mile loop.

Will post again tomorrow after my ride.

Here is a pic from the party, the birthday girl is in the center:

Day 2

2007-07-10T07:58:00.000-04:00

Ok, yeah, the bike thing...definitely not working with it being in my car. I have to have to have it at home.

So, after a long day of work, I came home, had a very healthy dinner with Dave (salmon, green beans--which Dave keeps insisting on calling by their French name, no idea why, roasted sweet potato, and salad.) No actual exercise, but no cigarettes either...one day at a time.

So this is day two, so far, no cigs, no temptations...yesterday was pretty easy and no real cravings. Actually, Gary was at the office and was upstairs smoking, the smoke traveled down and you could smell it and it was not pleasant at all...it did make me want one, but Vive le Resistance! I overcame the craving.

So far so good. Have a great day. I will blog more tomorrow---tonight---Kathy's bday and we plan on celebrating with a fantastic evening of drinkage (in moderation of course) and bad karaoke at the dive bar---Jeff's Bent Elbow, St. Pete Beach.

so far, so good

2007-07-09T16:01:00.000-04:00

just an update...so far today: no cigarettes. put on a fresh patch this morning, been good so far. I know I can do this!

Can't bike tonight...bike is in my car, will have company car all night. perhaps will have to re-think keeping the bike in the car. perhaps can walk tonight, or at least swim for an hour or so when i get home.

tomorrow

2007-07-09T02:36:00.000-04:00

tomorrow is another bike day...gonna have to wait til sun starts to go down...think I will just ride around the northdale hood though....i love the suncoast trail, but its a pain in the ass to drive over there.

thinking on the days that I dont bike I should at least try to walk 30 mins or so. limo driving sucks for the sedativeness. sitting in a limo all day....also, the access to crap food kills me. i have no willpower.

and the smoking thing....cant figure out why i cant just quit the damn things. i hate them. they are evil. i smoked all day today. tomorrow will start fresh with patch, try again, and again, i guess. one of these days they will be out of my life forever. you would think after seeing julie going through chemo and all that that would be motivation enough.

ok, so new challenge on the table.....no eating in the limo. no packaged foods. if it isnt from home or wild oats while i am out....no eating it!

perhaps i should try some doing some weights with dave's dumbbells. i always feel like i have no idea what I am doing when it comes to weights.

you know what would help? a bootcamp style retreat like "The Biggest Loser" where you do nothing but eat right and exercize everyday for weeks.....to adjust.

just some random thoughts before going to bed.

ok, ow.

2007-07-07T15:19:00.000-04:00

So, I guess 10 miles is WAY too ambitious. Reality set in about 2 miles out in the hot friggin florida sun. (its got to be at least 90 out there today) and so I turned around. thats not to say that I did a nice leisurely 4 miles, I certainly felt like I kicked my butt and kept going...I pushed hard. I think I averaged around 12-14 mph. Certainly no Lance Armstrong, but it also showed me that no matter what, the cigs, even the ones I sneak here and there HAVE TO GO. Its such a disgusting habit, but you know what helps.....after a kick-ass bike ride like this one, I have no desire to smoke....i guess the endorphins....

ok, gonna continue to cool off....I hear the pool calling me now.

today is gonna be the day...

2007-07-07T13:46:00.000-04:00

So starts the new life of health and weight loss...I hope. I am trying not to have a defeatest attitude, I just feel like no matter what I try, nothing will work. Motivation doesnt seem to defeat poor will power sometimes. And of course, my need for instant gratification does not help.

BUT...here is the plan anyway:

Going to drink some water with electrolyte replacements so that I don't dehydrate, change into my riding clothes, and put the bike in the car. Going to the suncoast trail. Going to try to ride 10 miles.

Will post upon return.

Oh, and by the way (weigh) I am starting at 300 lbs today.