Thursday, September 30, 2010
snacktime
Instead of the usual photo of my fruit parts and decaf, I'd like to introduce you to my two favorite work items: my moleskine notebook, and my Pilot Feed GP-4 Superfine pen.
The Moleskine is standard black hardcover, graph paper, B5 size. Been using them for the past few years and it's my sixth, though a couple of times I tried different sizes/styles.
This is just the right size, and one lasts about a year, depending on how busy I am and how many meetings I have (where I take prolific notes.) This one was a re-gift; someone got one from NYSE Euronext, who had these customized with their logo in the cover. As I've only got a few more blank pages left, I already bought my next one. Went for the same size, but red. Just because.
Otherwise known as the BKG-35R-NCEF, the pen is the epitome of Japanese over-engineering. Four colors: red, green, blue, and black. All are in the finest ballpoint size I could find; 0.5mm. Super smooth writing, incredibly thin lines that are responsive yet quick-drying; key for a lefty like me who always drags his hand through whatever he just wrote, smearing anything but the fastest drying ink. Only problem is that the rubber grip has seen better days.
And by the way my fruit had a few pieces of prune mixed in with the banana slices, apple, and pear bits.
late lunch
pancake breakfast
I kind of want this week to end, as I am looking forward to (hoping for) fewer carbs; after PCP I really got used to eating far fewer carbs, and way, way WAY more fruit. Probably a decent sugar for sugar trade off; if I'm gonna eat too much, it might as well be watery and fiber-rich fruit as opposed to carbo-loading.
Anyway somebody was channeling the Jumping God this morning, as my brothers and sisters knocked out near perfect jumps and killed a rope, and I cranked through 630 jumps without one trip...only stopped after the first 150 to scratch my nose, then fired right back up again. I notice when I jump for long, long stretches like that it's not my legs that get tired, it's my arms. The outside of my upper arms, specifically. I concentrate on keeping my shoulders relaxed, arms comfortably down and out to my sides, just using the slightest wrist movement to keep the rope spinning in time with the jumps. Obviously my arms are doing subtly more work than I suspected. Cool. I like tricking myself into working harder.
On a final note: Twisted Down Dog WTF? I can sort of do a decent Down Dog; we do about a million of them in the Yoga class at the gym down the street from work that I've been going to every Monday at lunch for a few months now. But twisted? Trying to keep my fingers wide, shoulders relaxed, head down...it just feels ugly and forced and wobbly and sketchy. Love it!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
fruit snack dessert
late lunch
Went to fighting at lunch, and then had a meeting so I am finally eating now: steamed veggies, the last of the leftover fussili pasta, soboro (ground beef and carrots.)
stating the obvious
Doctor T. Colin Campbell, one of the original National Academy of Sciences low-fat diet report authors from the 1980s, states the obvious:
"obesity increases as physical activity decreases and as sugary, fatty, salty processed food consumption increases... a whole foods, plant-based diet that avoids added fat and processed and animal-based foods. This diet contains about 10-12 percent fat...this diet (also low in total protein, about 8-10 percent) produces, by comparison, 'extremely low' incidences of sickness and disease. In fact, it now has been shown not just to prevent these illnesses but to treat them."
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
night run
After the rain, running at night is Teh Hawsum. Especially wearing my new hotness. Knocked out a quick 5k, and I think I need some new socks.
8am meeting tomorrow so no taking the kids to school; just knock out the exercises and get to work! So will pack my bento and all tomorrow prep now. But first a shower!
8am meeting tomorrow so no taking the kids to school; just knock out the exercises and get to work! So will pack my bento and all tomorrow prep now. But first a shower!
mystery sausage dinner
snack coffee lunch
Monday, September 27, 2010
you eat what?
There have been some questions about the food in my bento, so I will attempt an explanation.
First of all, I steam all my veggies. It's a PCP thing; chop up everything into bite-sized chunks, dump into steamer. Boiler water in the bottom half, steam cooks the veggies until they are softer but not too limp.
I get all my veggies and fruit from the grocery co-op. We order online and deliveries come every Wednesday. They have mainly locally (for Tokyo that usually means Chiba/Ibaraki/Tochigi) grown veggies and caught sea creatures. Sometimes stuff comes from farther away, like crab from up north, or grapes from down south. I think the bell peppers are imported, too.
Anyway I get whatever is available and in season, so recently it's been cabbage, pumpkin, eggplant, carrots, onions...got a bunch of potatoes in the fridge from my wife's parents' farm, too. Also sweet potatoes, though technically they are different from both yams and sweet potatoes that I've seen in the USA.
Fruits we've got apples, grapes, figs (my favorite) and bananas which probably come from the islands south, or Taiwan. Soon we'll get mikan (little oranges, I think they're called clementine in English?)
I like fruit variety, so besides my famous bananacinnamush (perfect replacement for cream cheese or any other bagel schmear, seriously!) I like to chop up my fruit parts and dump them into a big ziploc bag. Then when I need a fruit snack I ladle out the appropriate quantity of parts and place into a small plastic container for easy munchin' later.
When I'm not on a program, I probably ate too much fruit. Like in one day I'd kill a couple of apples, a couple of bananas, at least a fig or two, probably a pear, too...I guess it's better than snacking on cookies, or chocolate, or potato chips. And fruit is a dam fine sugar high! Plus all the fiber is lovely too. I don't peel the apples or pears or figs or grapes. I DO peel the bananas and oranges and mikan, duh. Although if I am blending everything into a super-smoothie, I don't peel anything. Also drop in a carrot for good measure; goes really well with apples, actually.
For protein, I have variations of the great surimi. Which is basically processed white fish parts. It is squished and formed and baked and fried into every imaginable shape, from the tubes of chikuwa to the globs of satsuma-age. And who can forget my magical fish sausage? I know this stuff is basically Not Cool; it's heavily processed, has lots of additives, and is often fried. But is So. Good. Sometimes I'll go for something simple like a can of tuna, but sometimes one must indulge in one's fish sausage. It got me through PCP OK, so I'm not too worried. Besides most of it comes from the co-op, so it's organic, 100% local, sustainably raised and cooked, environmentally safe...processed fried fish bits!
First of all, I steam all my veggies. It's a PCP thing; chop up everything into bite-sized chunks, dump into steamer. Boiler water in the bottom half, steam cooks the veggies until they are softer but not too limp.
I get all my veggies and fruit from the grocery co-op. We order online and deliveries come every Wednesday. They have mainly locally (for Tokyo that usually means Chiba/Ibaraki/Tochigi) grown veggies and caught sea creatures. Sometimes stuff comes from farther away, like crab from up north, or grapes from down south. I think the bell peppers are imported, too.
Anyway I get whatever is available and in season, so recently it's been cabbage, pumpkin, eggplant, carrots, onions...got a bunch of potatoes in the fridge from my wife's parents' farm, too. Also sweet potatoes, though technically they are different from both yams and sweet potatoes that I've seen in the USA.
Fruits we've got apples, grapes, figs (my favorite) and bananas which probably come from the islands south, or Taiwan. Soon we'll get mikan (little oranges, I think they're called clementine in English?)
I like fruit variety, so besides my famous bananacinnamush (perfect replacement for cream cheese or any other bagel schmear, seriously!) I like to chop up my fruit parts and dump them into a big ziploc bag. Then when I need a fruit snack I ladle out the appropriate quantity of parts and place into a small plastic container for easy munchin' later.
When I'm not on a program, I probably ate too much fruit. Like in one day I'd kill a couple of apples, a couple of bananas, at least a fig or two, probably a pear, too...I guess it's better than snacking on cookies, or chocolate, or potato chips. And fruit is a dam fine sugar high! Plus all the fiber is lovely too. I don't peel the apples or pears or figs or grapes. I DO peel the bananas and oranges and mikan, duh. Although if I am blending everything into a super-smoothie, I don't peel anything. Also drop in a carrot for good measure; goes really well with apples, actually.
For protein, I have variations of the great surimi. Which is basically processed white fish parts. It is squished and formed and baked and fried into every imaginable shape, from the tubes of chikuwa to the globs of satsuma-age. And who can forget my magical fish sausage? I know this stuff is basically Not Cool; it's heavily processed, has lots of additives, and is often fried. But is So. Good. Sometimes I'll go for something simple like a can of tuna, but sometimes one must indulge in one's fish sausage. It got me through PCP OK, so I'm not too worried. Besides most of it comes from the co-op, so it's organic, 100% local, sustainably raised and cooked, environmentally safe...processed fried fish bits!
post-Patrick workout fruit parts
afternoon snack
Sunday, September 26, 2010
refraining from taiyaki
meat-fest!
week one: done!
Yesterday I went to the weekly Dogen Sangha sitting, which I hadn't attended in forever. Needed it; sometimes it's really helpful to do my zazen in a room full of other people. Not a whole lot of interaction, but still the concept of a bunch of people doing something together (sitting, exercising, etc.) helps me motivate and stay focused.
Slept in nicely this morning, got up and did the jumps and a long stretch, whilst folding my daughter's laundry and looking through a couch catalogue before breakfast (I have love looking at furniture, though in actuality I rarely sit ON it, but usually just sit in front of it on the floor and lean on it.)
Curious to see what the diet will be next week. First week was fairly easy, in the sense that I am still very much keeping my good habits from PCP; mainly steamed veggies and fruit and protein. I probably eat too much fruit, but considering it's not potato chips or cookies, I forgive myself. Also pretty minimal on the carbs, too, so again no big deal. Don't really miss them, I just replace them with veggies and protein. So for example when I go to yakiniku, instead of eating my grilled meat with a bowl of rice, I have a bunch of salads and wrap up the meat in leaves. Yum!
Slept in nicely this morning, got up and did the jumps and a long stretch, whilst folding my daughter's laundry and looking through a couch catalogue before breakfast (I have love looking at furniture, though in actuality I rarely sit ON it, but usually just sit in front of it on the floor and lean on it.)
Curious to see what the diet will be next week. First week was fairly easy, in the sense that I am still very much keeping my good habits from PCP; mainly steamed veggies and fruit and protein. I probably eat too much fruit, but considering it's not potato chips or cookies, I forgive myself. Also pretty minimal on the carbs, too, so again no big deal. Don't really miss them, I just replace them with veggies and protein. So for example when I go to yakiniku, instead of eating my grilled meat with a bowl of rice, I have a bunch of salads and wrap up the meat in leaves. Yum!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
pasta dinner...
Friday, September 24, 2010
fruit parts
full transparency
I have added a couple of tracking graphs to the blog (look right). Used these on my PCP blog to maximum affect I think. Same reason I blog all my food and drink in mind-numbing detail; this blog keeps me honest. If (more like when) I cheat or go off-track, I blog it. You get the good and the bad, and that transparency is what motivates me to stick with this, moreso than if I just had to trust myself to do what I need to do. Which I can't. I mean, if I could, I would already just BE, and I wouldn't have needed to do PCP nor would I be doing KFB. Kinda half-ass; I am motivated enough to do KFB, but not motivated enough to do it on my own, in a vacuum. I know me: I would just slack through it, with half-excuses and reasons not to bother today...
Actually feeling a bit down on motivation in general. I blame the weather: it is now officially fall. Summer heat has been replaced by rains, and temp has dropped from high 20s / low 30s (Celcius, for you silly Americans) to high teens / low 20s. BUT, it's perfect get-hot-and-sweaty weather!
Actually feeling a bit down on motivation in general. I blame the weather: it is now officially fall. Summer heat has been replaced by rains, and temp has dropped from high 20s / low 30s (Celcius, for you silly Americans) to high teens / low 20s. BUT, it's perfect get-hot-and-sweaty weather!
soy chai latte
Got up at five, did my exercises, sat for 15 minutes, ran five k. So yeah I am guilt-free on this cold Friday, havings a yummy 200 calorie love-fest.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
...and another decaf from bucks
More for the warmth than anything else. Cold and rainy night requires hot coffee.
at homebase
Went to see Patrick at YogaGarden. Ran thru the workout and then did some of the baseline metrics: 84 punches average, and a vertical jump just to the line in the concrete on the balcony wall. Looked pretty high from standing there looking up. We'll see how much higher it gets.
Weight came down a bit, as to be expected since I am no longer on vacation in Cali, binging on froyo every night and sitting in cars all day. Don't expect as dramatic a change as PCP but would like to get back down to visible-sixpackness and keep it there.
Was pleasantly surprised that I knocked out 8 pullups no help first set, then 5, 3, and 1. Pretty confident I can get that first set up to 10 consistently by the end of KFB.
Crappy rainy weather so after lunch in Chinatown we went home.
Weight came down a bit, as to be expected since I am no longer on vacation in Cali, binging on froyo every night and sitting in cars all day. Don't expect as dramatic a change as PCP but would like to get back down to visible-sixpackness and keep it there.
Was pleasantly surprised that I knocked out 8 pullups no help first set, then 5, 3, and 1. Pretty confident I can get that first set up to 10 consistently by the end of KFB.
Crappy rainy weather so after lunch in Chinatown we went home.
ate an apple
no photo this time; think you know what an apple looks like. It was red, and not too grainy, and quite sweet and watery. And expensive:two for 598 yen. That is what I get for buying fruit at MiniStop.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
just a quick run
7.5 clicks, just to get the blood pumping. Glad it didn't rain, but it was plenty humid. Nothing like being all sweaty, running through Roppongi on a Wednesday night whilst listening to Boom Boom Satellites.
day 3, aka what the hell is wrong with Tully's?
Woke up at 5am, turned off the alarm, rolled over, stretched...woke up again at 6am. Doh! That's what I get for staying up until 1am reading.
Managed to drag my lazy ass outta the futon and into the living room. Knocked out some jumps and the rest of the workout with minimal fuss and a wee bit of sweat. Tried the push-ups with wider and wider hand placement until the last set really, really hurt. Also did all the sit-ups with my legs in the air. Happy to report 40 crunches is easy. Sad to report still can't see the six-pack anyway.
Family got up and daughter wanted pancakes, so I made some for her, and then she threw a random tantrum and ate some frozen apple juice, leaving the pancakes nearly untouched. Sigh...such is the logic of a three year-old. Her little brother was minimally interested in the pancakes, too, and instead decided to eat one of the fruit packs I prepared for my snack to take to work. He also gnawed a few chunks out of my apple, though he never seems to actually eat it. He just likes biting off chunks, chewing on it for a bit, and then spitting it out all over the floor, table, and himself. Such is the logic of a one year-old.
And here's why Tully's sucks: we have a Tully's in the office. Like, literally IN the office; behind the security doors, right off the trading floor, other side of the client meeting rooms. Even get a nice employee discount. So yesterday I went in and asked for a tall decaf. They said they only have short decaf. OK, that was not the response I expected. So I waited around for the typical 5 minutes and received a short cup of decaf. Not bad; tasted like Tully's coffee, I guess. I don't actually know, since I don't drink "real" coffee. However when I got to the bottom of the cup, it was covered in several milimeters of what can only be described as sludge. It appears that whatever powdered instant decaf coffee they use is in fact more than enough to make a tall, but they stick it in a small cup, add hot water, and make me wait for 5 minutes, during which time most of the coffee sludge fails to dissolve into the water, leaving a grainy, greasy, oily residue at the bottom of the cup not unlike the oil-washed marshlands of Louisiana must look like.
Starbucks, on the other hand, makes me wait five minutes whilst they take actual ground, decaffeinated coffee beans and let hot water drip through them, making a pot of decaf coffee, of which I can have whatever size I desire, without any gnarly residue at the bottom.
Managed to drag my lazy ass outta the futon and into the living room. Knocked out some jumps and the rest of the workout with minimal fuss and a wee bit of sweat. Tried the push-ups with wider and wider hand placement until the last set really, really hurt. Also did all the sit-ups with my legs in the air. Happy to report 40 crunches is easy. Sad to report still can't see the six-pack anyway.
Family got up and daughter wanted pancakes, so I made some for her, and then she threw a random tantrum and ate some frozen apple juice, leaving the pancakes nearly untouched. Sigh...such is the logic of a three year-old. Her little brother was minimally interested in the pancakes, too, and instead decided to eat one of the fruit packs I prepared for my snack to take to work. He also gnawed a few chunks out of my apple, though he never seems to actually eat it. He just likes biting off chunks, chewing on it for a bit, and then spitting it out all over the floor, table, and himself. Such is the logic of a one year-old.
And here's why Tully's sucks: we have a Tully's in the office. Like, literally IN the office; behind the security doors, right off the trading floor, other side of the client meeting rooms. Even get a nice employee discount. So yesterday I went in and asked for a tall decaf. They said they only have short decaf. OK, that was not the response I expected. So I waited around for the typical 5 minutes and received a short cup of decaf. Not bad; tasted like Tully's coffee, I guess. I don't actually know, since I don't drink "real" coffee. However when I got to the bottom of the cup, it was covered in several milimeters of what can only be described as sludge. It appears that whatever powdered instant decaf coffee they use is in fact more than enough to make a tall, but they stick it in a small cup, add hot water, and make me wait for 5 minutes, during which time most of the coffee sludge fails to dissolve into the water, leaving a grainy, greasy, oily residue at the bottom of the cup not unlike the oil-washed marshlands of Louisiana must look like.
Starbucks, on the other hand, makes me wait five minutes whilst they take actual ground, decaffeinated coffee beans and let hot water drip through them, making a pot of decaf coffee, of which I can have whatever size I desire, without any gnarly residue at the bottom.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)