Supersize

I was looking for something to watch on Hulu and came across this Jay Leno segment, 2008: A Look Back. I really like the McDonald's and Nike spoofs.

I don't know if it's true but Leno said that as a McDonald's spokesperson, Phelps was entitled to free food for life.

Check out Phelps on McDonald's.

Month-End Review, May

I didn't exercise as much as I wanted to but I still managed to be active for most of the month.

Here's how it happened:

10 Minute Solution: Fitness Ball Workouts (Arms and Shoulders) 1 x

Adaptive Motion Trainer, 7 x's

Arc Trainer, 1 x

EFX, 1 x

Elliptical Trainer, 1 x

Mowing of The Lawn, 1 x

StairMaster, 1 x

Stationary Bike, 1 x

Swimming, 9 x's

Treadmill, 14 x's

Yard Work (Attacking the Weeds and Mini-Trees) 1 x

I tried the EFX for the first time today and I really liked it. Anytime sweat is rolling down my face, I feel good.

90 Calories

I kept seeing Weight Watchers' products in the store and decided, awhile back, to try one of the products to satisfy my sweet tooth. I figured if lots of people lose weight by joining Weight Watchers, the sweets couldn't be caloric bombs. I know one shouldn't assume anything or just blindly trust a recognizable product.

Well, I bought the Weight Watchers' version of Twinkies and some WW lemon cakes. I knew that the lemon cakes weighed in at 90 calories per cake. Imagine my surprise when I actually held one of the cakes in my hand and that, my friends, was a defining moment.

The lemon and golden sponge (i.e. kinda Twinkie) cakes are so small. I don't know what I thought 90 calories looked like but the cakes certainly put things in perspective for me. From that moment on, I paid considerable attention to serving sizes.

Another Teaser

I got pulled in by another Oprah teaser. Contestants from The Biggest Loser were on the show on Wednesday. I didn’t know that it was a rerun but, as the library likes to say about books, if you haven’t read it, it’s still new.

The contestants were from season five when Ali Vincent emerged as the winner.

Several season five contestants were on the show to display their new bodies. Oprah brought up the amount of exercise the contestants are asked to endure and wondered if six hours a day was an attainable goal for most people. Jillian said that they don’t advocate six hours in real life but want to show what people are of capable of and, if the contestants are able to exercise for five hours a day, she thinks that people can exercise for five hours a week.

Oprah also asked if the contestants would gain weight once at home due to the reduction in exercise but Jillian said that the contestants would just need to break even since they would be moving into maintenance mode and would not need to make such a massive calorie deficit.

I do wonder how the contestants withstand all of that exercising, though, since I tend to exercise for an hour a day and I can feel the soreness, especially in the lower half of my body. Today, whenever I planted my feet, I felt it keenly in my thighs. My hips are sore too.

Pictures were shown of Jillian's plump years. In her teens, her heaviest weight was 170 and she’s 5’1.

I was thinking that I would love to be 170 right about now.

Vincent said that when she started gaining weight, she remembered her very first five pounds and the additional pounds as she continued to gain.

The irony for me is that I never used to weigh myself and, now, I do it all the time – way more than I should. I weigh myself so much that when there are normal fluctuations in my weight, I get crushed.

I liked Bob's advice. He said not to wait until Jan. 1st or your birthday or for Monday; start today on your journey toward well-being. And that's timeless counsel.

Lightning and Thunder

I was planning on going to The Wreck Center to swim but didn't because the pool was closed due to the chlorine level. I took a look at the Mehlville Pool brochure but afternoon open swim wasn't on tap until Thursday. So, I decided to pack my gym bag and head to the faraway Wohl Center.

As I'm driving toward Wohl, I see lightning and the zigzag pattern continues to divide the sky. I detour and head home because I know that there will be no swimming with the lightning and thunder.

A funnel cloud is spotted at I-255 and Telegraph and there are storm warnings all over the place.

I miss the pool when I don't go. It's been only four days since I last swam but it seems like forever.

I decided to nix the gym too since I've been exercising for 11 straight days.

I had to live vicariously through my aquatic frog whose breastroke kick is superb. Well, he's not kicking it in this pic; you'll just have to take my word for it.



And, of course, lightning and thunder reminds me of Bob Marley's Revolution.

Standstill

Today is normally a swimming day but The Wreck Center is closed. Of course, I could have gone to The Heights or somewhere to swim but a storm was brewing and I put my swimming plans on the shelf.

I'm so glad that I went to the Mehlville Pool on Saturday or else I would be seriously jonesing.

Speaking of swimming, my little weight tracking swimmer has not budged recently. Plateaus are so freaking frustrating and it makes you feel like the scale is broken because it does not waver in one direction or the other. Of course, the standstill has nothing to do with the carb fest that I had yesterday which included a diet of Special K crackers and Cheez-Its. I even had some reduced fat Cheez-Its in my car but did I go and get them? No. Frankly, cracker lady had forgotten the reduced Its were even in my trunk and when g'ma asked me if I wanted some Cheez-Its, I couldn't resist.

The Things My Grandmother Gave Me

In a record five minutes, my grandmother offered me Popeyes, greens, watermelon and V8 Diet Splash (10 calories per 8oz serving).

I didn't bother to reiterate that I'm not eating fried foods.

My grandmother insisted that I take a peach fruit cup that she scored from Aldi. Put it in your bag, she said. Then she went back for a plastic fork. Later on, g'ma wanted to give me a biscotti mix (with decorations still lingering) that
she got for Mother's Day. I didn't want to take it but she insisted. When I looked at the ingredients, the fat content was actually not that bad. I'll either try it or give it away. I also left with the hand fan (also from Mother's Day) that I had forgotten last Sunday.

When I was visiting my Aunt Al later on, she asked me if I wanted a soda. No, I say. I can't tell you the last time that I had a soda. What do you drink then?, my aunt wanted to know. Water or green tea, I report.

Actually, I do remember the last time that I had a soda. It was in October and I was fresh off disembarking from a cruise ship. I had half of a white soda which broke an almost two year streak of not having the stuff. I had already sinned greatly -- eating at midnight, ordering room service, one dessert, two desserts, lots of cheese etc. etc. Even though I exercised while the boat was rocking (kudos to me), climbed the stairs and walked laps around the deck, I had a five pound cruise setback. Never, ever go on a cruise (unless it's a fitness one) if you are trying to lose weight. Cruises appeal to your basic human desires and even though it seemed mathematically impossible (an extra 17,500 calories) for me to gain five pounds, somehow it happened and I did not feel good at all about the gluttony.

Denting the Statistic

Today was supposed to be my day off from exercise since I went to the gym yesterday in order to catch some of the Cavaliers/Magic game.

At times, it's hard not to exercise. Even though I was feeling sluggish and weary, the pool was calling my name. I wanted to practice front crawl breathing. I found a video that I had not seen on YouTube that had some helpful hints.



Since I stopped swimming on Saturday, I hadn't been to the The Poo in awhile -- maybe it's because they keep the water so dang chilly. I reminded myself that competitive swimmers like the water cool so I was surprised when a member of the swim team looked at me, opened her mouth wide with excitement and said the water is so cold today. I like the Mehlville pool with its unusual hardwood ceiling but...
I was watching the local news yesterday and they talked about how the swimming pools will open soon and that 60% of African-Americans don't know how to swim. One gentleman, the director of the city pools, says that lots of parents push their children to play football and basketball, a trend documented in Hoop Dreams.

When I went swimming on Wednesday, there were about 20 kids in the pool taking lessons. Several of the kiddos have been taking lessons for quite awhile and, judging by their skills, there will be a dent in that statistic very soon.

Tip-Off

Gym time coincided with the 8:00 p.m. tip-off of game two between the Nuggets and the Lakers.

The Nuggets blew a golden opportunity on Tuesday to go up 1-0 on the Lakers and they were looking pretty outmatched in the first half of today's game.

After splitting time on the AMT and Treadmill, I headed home at half-time and was looking for news of the game. Most sites are stingy with updates but I looked around anyway and landed on ESPN where I discovered NBA Gamecast which streams in stats in real time. There's even a basketball that's launched towards the goal. It fits perfectly in the hoop if there's a made shot. I also like the way the stats are highlighted by the team's color. Once the game was over, Gamecast unceremoniously announced end game and put the win in the Nuggets' column.

Gamecast was a good way to keep up with the series. For some reason, I also appreciated the inaudibility of it all.

Disclosure #1

If I'm listening to my MP3 player and Sizzla's I'm With The Girls comes on, I start marching. Military riddim is perfect for this kind of exercise. The song is almost three minutes long and I consider the marching small but meaningful exercise. The post-marching boost to my mood and goofiness that ensues is a plus.

The marching inspiration comes from the 1-Mile Breakdown, a handout that a nurse practitioner gave to my mother.

1-Mile Breakdown
Put on fast music and keep a brisk tempo to this routine:

2 minutes of marching in place or walking

3 minutes of side stepping

1 minute of marching in place or walking

3 minutes of knee lifts

1 minute of marching in place or walking

3 minutes of kicks

2 minutes of marching or walking in place

Total time: 15 minutes

Total distance walked: 1 mile


By the way, the knee lifts are no joke.

Just One More Pound

Two years ago today, I headed to Newark, NJ on flight 2642 via Charlotte. I flew over 1,000 miles to reach my destination and I had no idea that I would embark on another journey.

'Drea Minus Fifty

I don’t know how many miles I’ve logged in the gym or in the pool but I have lost 52 pounds in two years, a modest number compared to the weight loss of some.

My slow weight loss can probably be attributed to my jones for carbs and sweets in addition to eating deep into the evening. I'm satisfied, though, that I've been able to keep off the bulk of the weight that I've shed.

My Aunt Alice asked me how much weight I plan to lose. I try not to think about weight loss in big numbers but I would be pleased if I could knock off another 15 pounds or so. For now, though, I'd be content to lose just one more pound.

After Swimming

My fascination with the pool continues and, for awhile, I had the pool all to myself.

That's 21 laps in the old fitness log.

The weather was perfect. When it's sunny, the wall is like a movie screen for the waves of the water and sunlight.

I was so hungry and sleepy after swimming. I ate dinner, healthy veggie quiche, half of a sweet potato and Roma tomato, immediately followed by about 1.5 cups of watermelon.

The good thing about watermelon is that it’s water heavy and low in calories. I forget that about fruits and vegetables at times.

My mother says that if she is sleepy and hungry, the desire to sleep rules. Since it was only about 7:00 p.m. when hunger and sleepiness struck, going to sleep was not an option since I’ve had bouts with insomnia.

I managed to keep my head up and finish a few tasks before sleeping tight.

Mo'Nique And Precious

Saw Mo'Nique on Oprah last week. It was a memorable show for a couple of reasons. I'm hardly ever home early enough to see Oprah and I enjoyed the comedians who were featured. George Lopez and Dane Cook were on the show as well.

Mo'Nique, a plus-sized woman who exudes confidence, talked about how her husband gently brought up the topic of weight. He told her that 262 was too much. Mo'Nique says that she almost immediately started working out.

The comedienne also stars in Precious, a film based on the novel by Sapphire. More than 10 years after reading Push, the book still resonates with me. The main character faces many issues but at the forefront of my mind is the size of Precious:

But I'm big, five feet nine-ten, I weigh over two hundred pounds. Kids is scared of me.

And I've always remembered the part of about the arms:

If Precious was fat, there was no word to describe her mother, who took up half the couch, whose arms seemed like huge animals.

The passage in which Precious compares herself to a vampire and talks about how, in many respects, she doesn't exist in the larger picture is also memorable.

Sapphire is also known for Wild Thing, a controversial poem about the rape of the woman who became known as The Central Park Jogger.

Central Park Jogger Still Running 20 Years Later

I can't wait to see Precious and I hear that Mo'Nique really represents in the film.

The Queen of Comedy

SO Delicious

I went to Trader Joe's to get some staples and I got everything that I wanted except for shallots. I headed to Dierbergs, the closest store around.

On the way to the shallots, I checked out the frozen section to see if they might have Skinny Cows on sale which they didn't. While I was checking out the Skinny Cows, I saw So Delicious and the banana split, made with coconut milk and agave, was calling my name.

All Natural SO Delicious Banana Split

But, wait, the So Delicious was $6.26 for an eight count and I had just fortified my cache of Mini Chocolate Tofu Sandwiches at Trader Joe's for $2.69, also an eight count.

Even though I was eager to try the banana split flavor, I left the SO Delicious at Dierbergs -- not an easy feat when your name is being called.

Habit-Forming

My work trashcan doubles as a food log.

I was actually paying attention yesterday and noticed the collection of Dannon lids. Ummmm, we tend to hold onto the liners at work for awhile.

I definitely find certain foods habit-forming. So, it's a good thing that I'm experimenting with different cuisine these days.

The Biggest Loser Finale

To recap: Tara and Helen made it into the final three on their own and America was to vote in the father or son from the brown team. When America voted in Mike and not Ron, I felt like Mike's chance of winning was excellent until I saw him stand next to Tara and Helen who were just as small as Mike. Because of Mike's starting weight, his loss percentage would be lower than either Tara or Helen's.

I was surprised by the smallness of the trio and had to fight the feeling that they looked anorexic.

The producers did a montage to show how far The Biggest Loser contestants had come. The flashback ended up being a “Stand Up, Get Up/Yes You Can” mantra from the trainers.

Some of the most dramatic bios were of Ron and Estella. Ron, who initially weighed in at 430 pounds, had tried gastric bypass and having his jaw wired shut. Estella, one of the older contestants, had not exercised in 25 years.

Estella’s husband, 64-year-old Jerry, won the at-home Biggest Loser contest by losing 177 pounds. His starting weight was 369 pounds. I would never have picked Jerry to win the $100,000 prize.

One of the cheesier aspects of the finale was to have the trainers, Bob and Jillian, backstage training two women vying for a spot on the next Biggest Loser. America voted (with little information) for Amanda, a 19- year-old, to be one of the next contestants.

The host, Allison Sweeney, kept saying that Tara, who won 12 challenges, had been unbeatable. Of course, Tara's streak ended and Helen emerged as the biggest loser.

Who would have thunk it? I definitely thought that Mike or Tara would win.

Here are the numbers for the final three contestants.

Mike
388
-207
--------
181, Current Weight

Tara
294
-155
-------
139, Current Weight

Helen
257
-140
-------
117, Current Weight

A lot of the contestants lost what some people weigh. Amazing.

I was inspired by most of the contestants and I feel really moved to push myself after what Ron accomplished with one knee and one shoulder. I figure if Ron can do 4.0 on the treadmill, I should definitely be able to push myself harder.

Here's Helen who said that she didn't know how to turn on a treadmill when she arrived at The BL ranch. She also said that something awoke inside of her during her weight loss journey:

Calm Before The Storm

Didn't know if I would be able to go swimming today since the sky looked menacing, ominous or whatever adjective is used to describe an impending storm and possible tornado.

I was so happy that the weather broke. I headed off to The Wreck Center hoping that the weather would remain calm.

When I got to the pool, there was no sign of the lifeguard but the security guard said that the pool was open.

There was only the front crawler and myself. It was so quiet that I felt as if I was doing yoga. Then, the sun came back out. Things could not have gone any better -- especially since I did not get to exercise yesterday. I went to my aunt's graduation instead. She has been plodding away at classes the way that I have been plodding away at the gym. Her three hour graduation trumps exercise since it was more exhausting.

After I left work yesterday, I had one of my almost ready-to-eat meals: green beans, Trader Joe's marinated chicken and Alexia Olive Oil and Sea Salt oven fries.


It's a good thing that I had my own food because my Aunt Girt orchestrated an impromptu party. When it comes to food, my aunt does not play. She brought her favorite Sam's pizza, tuna sandwiches, a foot long sub sandwich, watermelon, cantaloupe, chips etc.



It was a post-graduation feast and I was so glad that I had eaten before the graduation because I would have experienced untold guilt eating so late and so decadently. I did have some watermelon and it was worthy of an Al Green moan.

Jones On The Horizon

As I was heading toward the door of The Wreck Center, I saw this woman that works there but we've never exchanged a word. I tried to make eye contact with her and she finally looked over her shoulder and said, What would you say if I told you that the pool was closed? Ah man is my instant response. I started to calculate my options when she said just kidding.

I can't believe she wanted to punk me on our first communiqué.

I barely managed to squeak out 21 laps today. First, there was a slight pinch in my back and I hardly ever have back issues. Then the pinch moved to my rib area which made swimming laborious for awhile. I stretched on the pool wall and just kept plodding away and, finally, I felt like myself. So, here's some appreciation for all of those days when I am without pain or discomfort.

Before I went swimming, I stopped by Jay International to score some basil. What a bargain!



The basil was used to make Garlic & Basil Beans.

I love the smell of basil and the taste is even better.

I was going to try a new chicken recipe, Chicken with Jerk Sauce and Cool Pineapple Salsa, but when I went to Trader Joe's, I saw some precooked marinated chicken breasts which I got instead; they were quite yummy and I can see a jones on the horizon.

'Drea's Zen Garden

I tried to take care of a patch of fence weeds today. First, I went out there with a Black and Decker trimmer but I was afraid that it might get broken because the weeds were tree-like. Next, I went after the clippers and, let me tell you, it was a frustrating experience. I decided to just go at the weeds one section at a time and, before I knew it, I had almost reached enlightenment.

Whenever I'm tidying the yard, I wonder about the cyclical aspect of grass, leaves and snow. In the end, I felt like I had my own zen sand garden. If nothing else, my arms got quite the workout.

To satisfy my basketball jones, I headed to the gym around 4:00 p.m. to watch the Mavericks vs. the Nuggets. This dunk by Dahntay Jones over Eric Dampier was exciting:



Or, you can look at it from this perspective:

I stayed on the treadmill for 65 minutes then I jumped on the AMT for 40. I thought about staying longer because, as you can see, the game was an exciting one but I nixed the idea and headed off to do some errands.

I stayed until the third quarter and I found out that the end of the game was a thriller:



And speaking of the NBA, a lot of players have gone wild with the tattoos.



I wish that I could have found a good picture of Kenyon Martin who is plastered with tatts. He even has a red lipstick marks tattoo on his neck. I do like the tattoo of the child that's on his arm which has a flesh of my flesh caption.

K-Mart got assessed a $25,000 dollar penalty for a flagrant foul in game two against the Mavericks. For a moment, I thought about all the things that I could do with that money.

Fretting

I missed my workout yesterday because of an unexpected work-related event. I had planned on going to work out after the shindig but I was a bit tired and if I admit it to myself, I had a few pangs as well which still did not stop me from wanting to go to the gym and shift my rest day.

I don't really need to squeeze in a workout, do I?

It's not possible to gain a pound in one day, is it? Really, I only looked at the Snickers bar that my co-worker waved in my face today.

The Biggest Loser; It's Changing Lives

This week’s Biggest Loser episode was very inspirational. The final four got a thirty day reprieve from ranch life. The trainers, Bob and Jillian, went to visit their trainees to see how they were doing and to also work them out.

While the contestants were at home, a package arrived for them and, of course, another challenge was in store. The contestants had to run a full marathon.

It was go time as soon as the four returned to the ranch. It was nice to see the camaraderie between Helen and Tara as they trotted off and ran together for awhile.

At mile 15, season five winner Ali Vincent, was waiting and ran with Tara. Bernie, an at-home winner, walked with Mike. Jillian ran with Tara at mile 25 and I’m glad that Jillian hung back in order to let Tara cross the finish line by her lonesome; she finished the race in 4:56:24 while Helen came in at 5:48:42. Mike, who walked the entire way because of an injury, finished at 8:58:03.

Dr. Huizenga had to make sure that Ron was okay with his shaking hands and elevated blood pressure. Ron was able to continue and was joined by previous BL contestants who accompanied him to the finish line. His final time was 13:16:19. I like how Ron broke the finish line tape with his cane. Not only did Ron finish the marathon but he lost 151 pounds with, as Jillian said, one arm and one leg.

Sports announcers usually jinx basketball players when they comment on their high free throw percentage and I thought it would be the same when Allison mentioned that Tara had never fallen below the yellow line and Tara never did. Along with Helen, Tara was guaranteed a spot in the final three. Ron and Mike ended up below the yellow line and it will be interesting to see who America votes into the final three. Last year, America went against Heba and her husband's wishes to vote Heba in because the couple had been such control freaks. Now, it'll be interesting to see if Ron will be voted in because he is perceived as less of a threat and for having played the game gangster style.

Check out Mike training his brother Max. If anyone should know how to provide some guidance, it's Mike who has lost 174 pounds while on The Biggest Loser ranch.

Back-Up Pool

Just as I was gathering my swimwear, I found out that my regular pool was having some pump situation taken care of. I pulled out my unofficial directory of pools and started making some calls.

I hauled it to the North side in record time and was able to swim for about 35 minutes before open swim ended. I haven't been to the Wohl Center in ages and was surprised to see quite a few kids taking lessons. I stopped to chit chat with the lifeguard who told me that it felt like a sauna. I forget that it's warmer for the lifeguards while they're perched on those chairs. I headed to the deep end since the divider was in place. I should get a sticker for bravery since the deep end at Wohl is ten feet and the lifeguard was not close to me.

When I stuck my face in the water, all I could feel was heat. It was like a sauna instead of a pool but I got to experience different temperatures when I swam by the pipe disbursing water. I literally went from one temperature extreme to the other.

The water was so warm that it looks all foggy in this pic. I love the block glass windows at Wohl.

Was It Almond Butter?

I usually go straight to the fitness club or pool after work. Otherwise, I have time to relax and, possibly, forgo exercise.

Today, I decided to workout around an NBA playoff game. I've found that I can stay on a cardio machine for a very long time if a game is in front of me. I watched the first half of the Cavaliers/Hawks game which was pretty good but the Hawks have to play almost perfect to hang with the Cavs and it didn't happen.

I like the Lebron James MVP t-shirt. And did I hear that the Lakers lost the first game of the series to the Rockets? Whattttttttt?

I logged 85 minutes watching the first half of the game and a smidgen of TNT's half-time show. I wanted to stay longer but my thigh is already smarting from my other unofficial 'Dreathon on Saturday.

I finished off my peanut butter that came from Whole Foods. In the meantime, I decided to go back to my Algood p'butter and it didn't taste very well this time around. In fact, it tasted how I imagine Crisco would taste if you ate it straight out of the can. I can't believe that my taste buds changed so fast. I picked up some 365 Organic Peanut Butter and it's not what was in the Whole Foods container; the texture is completely different.

Hmmmm, just what did my benefactor give me? Was it almond butter? The 365 peanut butter was quite satisfying and I absolutely love the hint of sea salt but, now, I need to go on a quest to find out just what I was eating.

Most Recent Jones, #2

I've been digging oven fries for a minute. At times, I'll have a sweet potato and russet potato mix and, sometimes, I'll stick with the homogeneous oven fries.

These fries have chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and sea salt to make them flavorful.

Speaking of fried things, I watched The Amazing Race the other day and one of the detours was a food challenge. Apparently, the citizens of Beijing like their scorpions, starfish, larvae and grasshoppers deep fried. Jen and Kisha pretty much got eliminated from the race because Jen could hardly stomach the delicacies.

In this scene, Kisha (and Jen) try to say fried chicken, spare ribs and vegetarian noodles in Mandarin. I don't know how they pulled that one off.

Fitness Club Anniversary

I signed on the dotted line exactly one year ago for my first ever gym membership.

I tried out several gyms, including St. Louis Workout and Bally, before I decided on a chain that's open 24 hours and costs $21.95 a month plus the initial processing fee and an inexplicable year-end maintenance fee.

From May 3, 2008 to May 3, 2009, I lost 19 pounds; although, the weight loss was not strictly due to my activity at the fitness club. I continued to tweak my diet and I also participated in other activities outside of the gym, including rock climbing (Upper Limits), three swimming classes (YMCA), a rock climbing class (Center of Clayton), a stair climbing competition and a Women on Weights class (YMCA).

I still swim (at least two days) at a facility other than my fitness club which does not have a pool. While I was working on the swimming, I also got to check out The Heights and Riverchase which have very nice facilities but cost more for non-residents.

I plan to check out some other fitness centers, including 24 Hr Fitness which has a swimming pool, to see if I might be more at home elsewhere. Otherwise, I'm contract-free and paying on a month-to-month basis.

Recipe for Weight Loss

Ingredients:

Have a jones for basketball and no cable

Exercise for as long as the game is on

Directions:

Exchange machines at least once; ignore burning sensation in legs...

The Celtics/Bulls series was quite wild. Most of the games were frenetically fluid but game seven was more like a choppy slugfest. I'm sure that the Celtics didn't think that the Bulls would give them so much trouble but as Reggie Miller once said That's why they hot the hot dogs, pop the popcorn and play the game.

But who knew that the game would last for two and a half hours? My feet are just a little tender but, boy, I burned some calories.

Celtics Show Some Pride, Survive In 7