In 2012, Set Yourself up for Success...

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. - Unknown Author

I believe strongly in setting yourself up for success in whatever endeavor you take on.  It simply makes sense.  Sure, spontaneity can be a really great thing when you want to have some real fun, but if you have a serious goal to reach that takes serious changes, you also have to do some serious planning and preparation.

When you are trying to take on a lifestyle change, it can be an uphill battle if you just wing it.

In our case, we are starting the 21-Day Vegan Challenge on January 2nd.  For all intents and purposes, I've been a pretty clean eater for the last couple months following a highly plant based diet with minimal animal proteins, but we are going to try going all out in 2012.  Don't know whether it'll stick or if it'll just inspire new recipes to further support the cleaner eating efforts.

And since you can't sustain a Vegan lifestyle by eating salads and pasta at every meal, you need to plan for some new recipes, some new ingredients, and maybe even some new cooking techniques.

To be very successful, though, you need a headstart as well.  In our example, if we just woke up on Tuesday (or maybe even Monday) staring at a refrigerator and pantry trying to figure out what we'll eat, we may not be very inspired or quickly run to our typical dishes.  So, to further prepare for our success, on this New Year's Eve, I made several recipes, Hoppin John, Confetti Couscous, and Red Pepper Hummus.  So, for the first few meals, we'll have our options ready to go.

Of course, being prepared also means being flexible.  Despite many shopping trips getting our pantry ready for the first week of our effort, I didn't get absolutely every ingredient the recipes called for so some substitutions and compromises were made.  For example, Red Kale was used in place of Red Cabbage in the Confetti Couscous recipe.  No biggie.

So...I have no resolutions for 2012, I never do resolutions.  I know that I need to keep things fresh and new each minute, day, week, towards getting healthier otherwise complacency and boredom would give way to older and lifelong entrenched habits.  And for your resolutions, goals, etc., make sure you do whatever is necessary to set yourself up for success.

God bless us...and give us all the strength to keep getting better and better.  Happy New Year.

TITLE Boxing Club - The Day After...

Today, it was painful, uncomfortable, annoying, etc. to take a seated position, especially from a bathroom perspective the day following my TITLE Boxing Club introductory workout because...

1. It was a great workout targeting areas of my body I haven't had the pleasure of working out lately
2. I'm getting freaking old and any amount of exertion beyond breathing is a risk taken
3. My ass has developed a fear of the toilet

Sadly...the answer may not be so obvious.

TITLE Boxing Club Experience...

My S-I-L is a member of a TITLE Boxing Club.  My wife went with her and had a free workout that she really enjoyed.  She tends to enjoy class based exercise instead of self-directed workouts.  And while I tend to struggle with my self-directed workouts, I'm not a great class based exercise class either or via DVDs for that matter.

Today, I went with the S-I-L for my free workout.  You can go at anytime, of course, and don't need a member in order to try it once.

It was an interesting experience and a very hard workout.  I would say that it is High Intensity Interval Training with its combination of basic calisthenics (jumping jacks, mountain climbers, etc.), jogging while holding a weighted ball and other various on the run activities, and of course the "bag work" which was various combinations for jabs, punches, and upper cuts.  I think they also have a kickboxing class.

Overall, it was a good workout that I had to go easier on some parts to keep from overdoing it.  If it weren't for the expense and practical distance to a club, I might have considered it.  I guess the biggest drawback is that for $50/mo and a huge sign-up fee (which they would have waived if I had signed us up at that moment, which I hate pressure sales with a passion), is that this is all you get.  Classes.  No workout equipment at all.

Simply not the best value when the gym my wife already belongs to is a full gym with class exercises including a turbo kick program.  On top of that, we like going to the climbing gym for another great way of working out without feeling too worked out.

I do need to up the intensity of my cardio workouts and bring strength training into the picture.  TITLE Boxing Club is a good way to do that, but can't justify it at the moment.  If only they offered a pay-as-you-go option, it is a workout I'd enjoy every once in a while.

Time will tell...we'll see how mobbed some of these places get with the NYRers (New Year's Resolutioners), though I do applaud anyone's efforts to getting better and better.

Home is where the workout is...

I put my new bike, The Velvet Frog, to good use today.  Thankfully, though not very heavily used, have had a centrifugal trainer stand for my past bicycles and it adapted perfectly for use with my new bike.  Currently, I have it setup in the living room and while we only get over-the-air broadcast stations, I do spend some part of the day (especially while off work) watching something on TV.  This morning, I expected that I'd do some kind of a cardio workout, but instead of going to the gym, I got on my bike and pedaled for 1 hour and 20 minutes while I read The China Study.

And then this evening while my wife and I were watching some TV, I put back on some workout clothes and hopped on the bike again.  Since it is like reclining in a comfortable chair, I figured it was a better use of my time than surfing the couch.

Because of the pedaling action, I can't quite use my laptop, but who knows...maybe I can justify an iPad or something now!

So...if you have a bike, use it.  If you have a treadmill, great!  If you just march in place, you are doing better to spend more of your time while at home moving and burning instead of sitting and watching.

And I've also fitted my bike with a rack and my panniers (bags you attach to carry stuff) so its all setup for a good commuting and maybe even doing some touring/bike packing.  And perhaps even just load it with some weights if I want to add a greater challenge on a normal road ride.

Coming up with new and different ways to move your body doesn't have to be a challenge when you are committed to getting better and better.

Maiden Voyage - The Velvet Frog

Syl...a long time blogger who still stops by suggested that I name my new tadpole trike...I've taken her up on that challenge.  I guess she was also the one that encourage the naming of my Garmin 705 since she had a name for her Garmin.  If I recall, my Garmin was dubbed "Big Brother" for its constant watch over my runs, rides, etc.

And now, since I've got a tadpole style bike and it rides so darned smoothly...I've dubbed it "The Velvet Frog."  Sure...and I even like Mel Torme so why the heck not.  And he is famous for his "The Christmas Song" or better thought of as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" so it is even more seasonally apropos.  (for those who don't know, Mel Torme's nickname is the Velvet Fog...and for those who don't know who Mel Torme is...here is a link.)

The weather was nice today so ended up getting it out for its first official shakedown ride.  I test drove it around a parking lot at the store, but this was its first true road experience and I give the first time out a solid B+!

I learned a lot about the pros/cons of the bike and what I'd want to improve on for comfort and safety.  It was so comfortable I don't know what kind of workout the 16.43 miles really provided since I didn't "feel it".  The temperatures were in the 40's and dry so I don't know about the sweat factor, but I imagine it was still better than couch surfing today.

I know enough that it'd take a lot to get my behind back on a standard bike seat for longer rides.  I know I need better shoes for cold weather since my toes are still chilled 2 hours post ride.

And I know...that I'll enjoy this new tool in Getting Better and Better.

It's beginning to look a lot like fitness...!

New fitness toy...new fitness toy...I mean...um...new piece of serious fitness equipment.

Introducing my latest investment in health and recreational enjoyment.  The Catrike Expedition tadpole style trike.

A trike, as you might remember from your childhood has three wheels.  In the case of a tadpole, there are two wheels in front and a wheel in the back...as opposed to the traditional "delta" style trike that has one wheel in front and two in the back.

In the case of a tadpole, the front wheels are for steering and the back is the drive wheel.  The front wheels have 2 disc brakes and the back has none (actually for safety and control) where a normal upright bike has a break on front and back wheels with the hopes that you'll apply break pressure evenly or even more to the back than the front.

Anyway...the really unique element of the trike, is that is in a category of bikes called recumbent which is a reclined seating position.  In this case, behind and back are fully supported, your head can be more upright also alleviating other neck and back strain normally associated with traditional bicycles.  Lastly, with your feet pedaling out front and a seat to push back against, you get more leverage when you need speed.

While many would say the drawback is on climbing hills because you can't "get out off the saddle", from what I understand, standing up on your pedals isn't the best form despite what you see watching the pros in France.  But for the recreational biker whether upright or reclined, you are better off for safety and physiology to patiently gear down and "spin" your way to the top.

And if you get tired, you can just stop...no need to worry about pulling an Artie Johnson (remember Laugh-in?) and falling over...and you still have a comfortable place to sit!

The low profile of the bike does give some pause for car-bike safety, but at least this is a more unusual bicycle form and gets more driver attention and caution.  The biggest risk is trolling slowly in parking lots, but that is dangerous for cars too.  A flag is attached, but not obvious from the pic and I'll likely outfit the bike with some strobes for greater visibility.

If the weather is nice this winter, it'll find its way on the streets and if not, it already has a home on my trainer stand and becomes bad weather cardio equipment.

Nobody said that getting better and better is always cheap or easy...sometimes you have to treat yourself.

Happy Hanukkah (still), Merry Christmas...and God Bless us all.  Celebrate to the fullest, but be safe.

Indian Lunch Buffet...

Epic fail...good, but regrettable..moving on...nuff said.

Is it ever just one bite?

You'd be astonished and maybe even a bit disgusted with the discipline I've been able to show through the holiday period avoiding those small treats that seem to show up all over.  The cookies given as gifts, the food brought in for snacks.  Heck, today I managed to get a free bag of Doritos when I was helping someone knock something lose from the vending machine, but even those were given away instead of consumed like a high calorie trophy.

In fact, as advice given to another blogger, I said that saying "no" is quite empowering.  If you are addicted to food, sometimes you have to get downright indignant about the rampant availability of flagrant calories.  You need to get pompous about it.  Whatever you need to tell yourself to keep from taking that bite.

Yes...moderation is the key.  Moderation is good...for some.  And, I think I've been mostly a moderate person in the sense that I don't count calories, weigh out foods, etc., like I used to.  I just make sensible choices.

However, there are times when that indulgence can simply run out of control.  That is why I don't go to buffets...and as I learned recently can't really be trusted at an all-you-can-eat sushi place.

And tonight, my wife had made some cookies and I agreed to finish the remaining half of her cookie...a 1.5 bite at-best sized cookie.  I bit into it...it was a good cookie, not the best cookie in all the world, but for a recipe that was new to her, a good cookie.

And I have to confess, that before I had even swallowed the first bite of the cookie, I was thinking..."I want another cookie."  I mean, I wasn't even savoring what was in my mouth already for what it was...I just wanted more of it.

And this is me...the food addict.  Thankfully, that one bite was all I ended up having so I can say my addiction is being willfully controlled, but you have to consider the thoughts that were taking place....the endorphin rush that had likely occurred.

Its okay if you can eat a bite of something really tasty and walk away...its awesome in fact.  But...if you listen to those little internal voices and know that you sometimes can't say no to those voices, there isn't a darned thing wrong with saying 'no' and turning down the offer despite the possible offense.  Many can say yes and enjoy treats in moderation...even I can, though it is tough to fully enjoy it without some element of guilt or concern.  Getting better and better is an individual journey and accomplishment...and only you can both hear and listen to your inner-craving voices.

A Journey Towards a Marathon Begins with One Step, Again.

Ok...I adapted from the quotation, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu.  And I turned myself into a "runner" after graduating from the C25K program on 3/24/2010 after taking my first steps in January, 2010.  And during the rest of my stay at Canyonlands national park ran several times per week with the longest run of 8 miles.  And after returning to St. Louis in October of 2010, I haven't really run since.  I lost my conditioning.  There were some very disappointing attempts that ended with pain and aggravation.  And through the next Canyonlands season went back to the park after gaining about 20 pounds from my 163 low and never really kicked my exercise or eating right into gear.

Now, since coming back, I've rallied around diet and use of the elliptical to get back to 175 pounds, but haven't managed to revisit running...until this morning.

I took some good advice and spent only 30 minutes on the ellip (though at another notch higher resistance level from last week) and then got on the treadmill.

I jogged at a 5.3mph pace for 5 minutes.  I completed this with some effort, but I wasn't ready to grab the stop button nor were my knees/shins telling me to stop.  I could have gone longer, but thought it was better to take the baby steps towards running again.

So...there is hope for me after all.  I was honestly scared to even try...to potentially come to the realization that even after such a short period away from running, that my body wouldn't respond.  And while I'll feel even better once I can get back to at least a 5K, I'm bolstered by this morning's achievement.

If you haven't taken your first step, take it.  If you have, but are struggling with taking the next ones consistently without faltering, just keep walking and making more good choices than bad...even if your mind isn't willing, your body will respond and your brain will catch up!

Whatever  your goal, whether it is a marathon, size 34 pants, lowering your cholesterol, etc., the journey to getting better and better begins with one step.

Success by the Numbers...

This is a good news post, but with a cautionary tale to finish.  As of this morning, the scale told me that I weighed 175 pounds.  While I don't have a firm starting weight since our scale was still packed for a couple weeks upon returning home from Canyonlands this past season in mid-September, I knew I was comfortably north of 200 pounds...I'd estimate 210 pounds.  So, in a matter of a few months, I reversed a bad pattern of weight re-gain with a very admirable loss.  35 pounds, lets say.

Also, when I returned home, I was back in my size 38 pants and they were snug...way too snug.  The initial weight loss saved me from buying pants, but my existing pants were in a sad state, i.e. fading in the back pocket (from my wallet), color fading in the seems, and the pants cuffs were literally fraying.  Not only that, they were simply baggy...Mr. Saggypants.  And while nobody may have even noticed (except for my wife of course), I knew I was not putting my best wardrobe forward.  Yet, I refused to replace them...even with a smaller size like 36 because I knew what I was already capable of the year prior when I was at a low of 163.

As of today, I'm back into my size 33 Levis and size 34 Dockers pants... This means a sh$t-ton of size 38 pants, jeans, shorts, etc., will be headed for clothing donation or recycling.  This time around, I will be burning those ships.  I won't keep them around for even the chance of slipping back into them.

But, with all this good news about numbers, i.e. 175, 33, 34.  I know there is another number that is telling me an honest tale as well.  My body fat percentage, at least according to my handheld Omron body fat analyzer.  20.5% body fat.  Its too high...this isn't a surprise, the clothing may be a normal size, I know it covers the true honesty.  Excess fat, excess skin.

The real and sad truth is that I'm still quite out of shape.  My cardio fitness is decent as long as it isn't running, but as any work in progress, I have some distance to travel.  Strength training, though my least favorite activity, simply needs to happen.  With 20-22% body fat, that is around 35 pounds of fat.  So, even with a pretty normal weight of 175 for a 6-foot male, it really doesn't tell enough of the story.  To  get to the 15-18%, I'll have to add muscle instead of simply losing weight.

Don't get me wrong at all, I'm very pleased with my progress.  It is really pretty awesome...good results, for hard work and discipline?  Yes...very pleased...just very real about my journey to get better and better.

Progress is well...progressing!

I've held off blogging about my current weight because I didn't want the typical fluctuations to quickly make a liar out of me.  So, actually I've been solidly in the 170's for the last week or so.  This puts me squarely in the "Normal" BMI category.

This is a good thing...and while I hate-hate-hate the BMI and find it horribly flawed, insurance companies and our government still rely on it.  As such, I am also contemplating having an existing life insurance policy renewed  and hopefully with better health stats have a shot at lowering the cost of the premiums, too!

And...if the premiums for our companies health insurance continues to soar (I won't tell you the outrageous amount I have to pay), I might consider getting private insurance...our little company has many unhealthy people...arggghh.

I'm struggling with transitioning from the elliptical for all my cardio to the treadmill or the cold streets to begin running again.  I'm just not excited about outdoor running in the winter, nor thrilled about hitting the TM again, especially when the elliptical is still making it work people (ala Tim Gunn).

Oh...and I've started reading a new book called "The China Study."  So far, so interesting regarding the role that nutrition plays in various cancers, diseases, and conditions and the focus on the kind of diets that contribute both to illness and healing.

Like anything else, it contradicts other common thinking as well as other dietary philosophies, but the science "seems" sound behind their findings.  Let's face it, if you want to eat low-carb, you'll find plenty of books that'll support it.  If you want to eat pure Paleo, or vegan, or raw, etc., you'll find the books that support that too.  And each book might even spend time telling you why the other folks are wrong...who knows.

The best thing you can do is to try and educate yourselves and also find out more information about the authors and the true scientific research conducted to back up their claims.

Rock on folks in your efforts to get better and better.

PCRM Recipe - Oatmeal Waffles - Verdict?...Meh

As previously reported, my wife and I are planning to do the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart beginning January 2nd.  While our individual prospects of maintaining even a vegetarian lifestyle following are different, the both of us are looking forward to adding a variety of recipes to our collection that maximize inclusion of whole, clean, foods.

The 21-Day Vegan Kickstart is hosted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and provide recipes of the week as well as the whole meal plan for the kickstart.

Since signing up on their website, I've received two weekly recipes and tonight for dinner I made one of the first one, Oatmeal Waffles.

I was quite excited by this recipe because of its simplicity, use of whole foods, and pretty attractive dietary stats, i.e. low cal, low fat, etc.

Though I had my suspicions regarding the outcome, I went forward making the recipe with a few minor alterations.  One, I added cinnamon to the recipe since I typically add it for waffle or pancakes anyway.  Second, the blended mixture was simply too watery for my better judgement and added about 1/4 additional oats.  Secondly, I pre-blended the oats dry to try and make an oat flour since I wasn't certain how well they'd break down if all the ingredients were added at the same time as the recipe instructions imply.  While I think pre-blending the oats was the right call, in hindsight, it may have been sufficient to allow the blended mixture a chance to rest after blending to allow the oat flour to absorb the water and thicken.

Overall, the batter made an unimpressive waffle (the 4 I made are in the freezer and will be toasted to reheat)  and I resorted to making dollar-sized pancakes with the remaining batter and that turned out better.  The texture of the finished product simply wasn't "cakey" enough and was a mediocre substitute for the real thing.

But, like every recipe, it gave me a new perspective on technique and I believe this can be used in the future with some other tinkering to improve the overall product.  As this was a low-cal, low-fat item and not simply a vegan recipe, I had to expect to give up something in the process.  I imagine you could make a vegan waffle with added fats and leavening (without eggs, though) to get closer to what anyone would be proud to consume on a Sunday brunch.

That is and can be the joy of cooking...it is creating...it is experimenting...and unless you are trying your hand at cutting your own fugu sushi, cooking is typically not a fatal outcome with PB&J or a bowl of cereal waiting in the wings to bail you out of another attempt at getting better and better.

Oddly Satisfying - Eliminations

Yes...its going to be one of those kinds of posts.  Butt, I must say that I find the relief following a normal bowel movement to be oddly satisfying.  Perhaps those of you who are in the enviable position of never having an issue with consistent regularity and, like clockwork, can "wake and make" or "shit, shower, and shave (not all necessarily in that order)", may take for granted the simple pleasures of relieving your body of your toxic waste.

I've never been that lucky.  Not only is the timing of my production, up to the recent past, been unpredictable from a time perspective, but hasn't always been daily.  After some research, though, I find that you can still be considered "regular" even if you don't make number twos more than 3 times a week, so there was some solace in that, but it isn't fair nor comfortable holding onto your worst parts for that long.

And even while losing weight lately, I had been consuming liquids, eating a high fiber diet, and exercising...all the benchmarks of breaking or avoiding constipation (or chronic constipation which many do suffer from).

I have found, though, that while I was taking in a lot of fluids, they weren't the right kind.  On the positive side, I had cut my coffee consumption down to a cup or two on the weekends, but I had started to drink mass quantities of hot tea.  And while I tried to take in mostly green tea, I was getting a bit lazy in that department and drinking black tea (good ole' Lipton's).  And I found out that the tannin in tea, similar to caffeine, have the effect of drawing moisture out of your waste making it harder, denser, and more difficult to pass.  If you are having smaller hard round poo like a rabbit, you also might be a victim of too much caffeine or tannin.

One thing that has brought me to more frequent visits from the crap fairy has been consuming most all liquids from water.  Secondly, I have drastically reduced animal proteins and dairy and have focused highly on vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes.  I'm neither vegetarian nor vegan, but I've certainly swapped out the proportions significantly and 3-5 times a week includes a fresh made juice, usually as a meal replacement.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who looked at the scale in the morning with a negative result, not having that morning or even the day before dropped a proverbial load, and laid blame on being full of shit in the most literal way possible.

And if you take stock in the colon cleansing snobs, you may believe that your body can re-absorb the unpassed waste back into your system creating all sorts of other problems so keeping things moving along is probably best for us all.

So...make a stink of you aren't making a regular stink and do something about it.  You are missing out on some quality "you" time where you can gain some satisfaction in yet one more thing about your system that is working and that overall you are continuing down the path to getting better and better.

Adding to your Raw Foods Repertoire

Are you looking to eat cleaner?  I know of few better ways of doing so than incorporating a greater variety of raw or "live" foods into your diet.

I won't pepper this post with a bunch of (air quotes) facts about the benefits of eating raw foods versus eating a general vegetarian, vegan, paleo, etc., diet though will just say that in all my reading, the common sense of it well...makes sense.  And with every dietary lifestyle there are zealots, a.k.a. snobs that would say you are either raw or not, but it can and does come down to some-is-better-than-nothing and the more you can, the better off you are.

For the most part, our foods are most nutritious when raw, the flavors at their fullest, and the general preparation (aside from attempts to make raw foods seem more like cooked food) at their simplest.  There are examples of nutrients that are only unlocked with cooking, but for the most part raw foods provide the  most bio-available and potent option for our essential nutritional elements.

Like any other culinary exercise, it comes down to some technique and courage, really mostly courage since many of the things that a raw foodist does comes down to form over function.

My wife and I had our very first official foray into raw foods at a local restaurant, PuraVegan.  I regret not taking photos of our food, because the appearance was truly appetizing.  We ordered two different "Pasta" dishes, a soup (served at 116 degress, 2 degrees shy of the temperature a raw foodist claims the live enzymes can withstand) that we shared, and an ice cream (Tahini, Banana, and Agave...yum and yum).

Considering that this restaurant has many "no's", i.e. no gluten, dairy, soy, meat, etc., the food you do produce must be flavorful and appealing.  Also...since raw food is, umm, uncooked, you also don't have as robust of food aromas, so what you have you must make the most of.

From a technique perspective delivered through a spiral slicer, our pastas were based on either sweet potato or squash noodles both tossed with various other greens, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and a sauce, a.k.a dressing.

Do you see where I'm going here?  Yes...essentially a salad when it comes right down to it.  But not a salad that I ever would have conceived, but when you have the end product, it makes total sense.  You could certainly get by with just hand cutting your produce, but the texture of the vegetable noodles was rather unique and did actually make a decent mental difference to consider it pasta over a salad.

So...keep the lettuce in the crisper and see what else the produce department can produce for you.  In the end, increasing your raw foods intake comes down to how creative you can be in building satisfying salads.  And if you want to step beyond salads, dehydration is used to cook up crackers, breads, etc.

Regardless whether all or part of your diet combined with the intake of lean proteins, cooked whole foods, etc., you are doing the right thing towards getting better and better.

Oddly Satisfying - Sweating

"Boy, I'm really sweatin.' Good sweat, beads of sweat...sweatin' bullets." - Elaine Benes

I admit it...I enjoy a good sweat.  While sweating shouldn't be the only indication of a good workout or yielding any meaningful positive results, for me, it is an important one.  Why?  Because, I find it satisfying to "work up a sweat" as they say (or used to say) when exercising.  I'm needy...I need positive feedback and while it takes a longer time to see results in the form of weight loss or muscle growth, sweat is immediate!  It tells you...hey Kyle, you  ain't just sitting on your butt...look at what you are doing?!?  You are sweatin' man!

Now...can you get sweat from a hot day?  A sauna?  Sure...but that just isn't the same...it only means that you are hot, but it doesn't mean you've accomplished anything more than stupidly avoiding air conditioning.

There are physiological benefits of sweating, i.e. lowering body temperature and some allege it is good for your skin and probably more arguable that your body releases "toxins" when you sweat.  Who knows...all I know is that it isn't bad for you to sweat and if it gives you the kind of feedback that says a workout well done, than you might tend to keep on doing it until the longer term benefits keep you pushing on.

Sure...I know that the amount of sweat doesn't reflect the amount of calories you burn; it simply reflects the ability of your own body to cool itself.  The more sweat, the more effectively you are releasing heat to keep cool.  Your heart rate is typically the best indication of exertion and caloric burn (among other factors), so becoming a sweaty mess while comfortably spinning along isn't a greater benefit than feeling your chest pound while you pound the pedals while keeping relatively dry.

In fact, that is a lesson for me...I really should start wearing my heart rate monitor more and pushing myself harder on my workouts and that should be the bigger motivator than sweating...

Regardless...I say to the Dry Idea antiperspirant commercials warning "Never Let Them See You Sweat", I say...sweat like a pig baby...you deserve it...it is just one oddly satisfying element that shows you are getting better and better.

Too much of a good thing...

You've heard the expression, too much of a good thing is not a good thing?  Yes...this can be true and something I'll be watching out for over the coming months.

I've been very strict with myself regarding food choices and have also been very cognizant of getting my workouts in.  This is good...very good...and in this combination this is just right.  I'm neither starving myself nor working out so much that my body can't take it.  Balance...yes.

Now...in some cases, though, I've looked at a good food choice like Sushi, but ate too much of it.  Sure...lean protein, minimal rice carbs, etc. but the new style sushi at most restaurants are really expanding their sauces, i.e. Wasabi Mayo, and using tempura crunchies, etc. so even with something as innocent as Sushi, you can have too much of that.

Also...while contemplating changing my diet to primarily vegetarian, I realize that you can overdo vegetarian as well if not careful.  Depending on your views on protein (and there is a lot of rhetoric out there decrying the current views of our body's need for the amount of protein we eat), you may have to consume a higher number of vegetarian calories to extract the same amount of protein from lean meat sources...so that is something to consider.

I know fat vegetarians...they are the one that eat pasta with marinara or veggie fried-rice as their staples while patting themselves on the back for their non-meat ways.

I'm not doing this for PETA...I'm trying to eat whole and clean...that's it...maybe end up closer to Paleo than vegetarian, but we'll certainly see.

So...I'm going to shoot for doing as much of a good thing as possible just before it becomes a bad thing...its all part of getting better and better.