Taco Bell

Argh. This post is a little dated. I jotted it down in a Taco Bell in Pflugerville last Thursday, the 14th. I’ll try to provide a better update on my health status soon, but for now all I have is this (with notes written today in parentheses):

After dropping to 162 yesterday (I’m back up to 165 now), I’m up to 162.6. For those concerned I would lose weight too fast, look. See? No need to worry. I have made no drastic changes to my diet. And for those fans of simple carbs out there, you’ll be happy to know I had a bagel for breakfast and two Taco Bell burritos for lunch.

But due to these indulgences, I feel like I should make up for it with more exercise. Taco Bell happens to be sponsoring the “Texas Round-Up,” a 10K/5K run. Maybe if I train for that I could eat more Taco Bell.

For the record, I never run, and I have not run consistently since the first semester of my freshman year of high school. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s nearly 12 years. Yikes.

Oh, crap. That was actually it. I also wrote a couple of notes about doing a nutritional analysis of the particular burrito concoction at Taco Bell that I eat, and also something on following Timothy Ferriss’ recommended routine for distance-run training.

I actually went jogging that day too! And worked out at the gym. Skipping work really pays off.

I just bought a skateboard and a pull-up bar. I’ll write about my bowling later. My diet has been atrocious. I’m not sleeping that well.

Have a beautiful day!

10 Pounds in 2 Weeks

Instead of starting this blog with an extensive introduction and an attempt to justify its existence, I'm just going to dive right in. I've considered creating this blog for several days, but now that I am fully possessed with the drive to get in shape with the summer months fast approaching (or perhaps already here, given the current Austin weather) the time is right for this blog's birth.

My short-term weight loss goal of 10 pounds in 2 weeks is basically arbitrary, but it comes from a conversation I had with a friend earlier today about the topic. I don't remember the context actually, but it gives me a number to work with.

My plan is to lose the weight through a combination of roughly following Timothy Ferriss' "slow-carb diet" in The 4-Hour Body and through walking a lot. My diet, as I have devised it at this point, will consist primarily of plates full of tempeh, black beans, mixed greens (turnip, mustard, collard, etc.) and sauerkraut. I am also eating some fruit: berries, citrus, and bananas.*

Today I walked about 10 miles. I am incorporating it into my regular routine: walking three miles each way to and from work, walking another three miles in total on my breaks, and walking here and there otherwise.

The last two nights I have eaten two Boca patties when I get home. Each patty contains 70 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, and 13 grams of protein. It's a nice way to muffle my late-night, post-walk hunger pangs, while also managing to be very diet-compatible and nutrient-dense.

With my weight currently at 164.4 pounds, my goal is to drop to </=154.4** by April 26. I'll keep you posted.


*Timothy Ferriss frowns on consuming fruit at all on his diet, but like I said, I'm only roughly following it.
**That's supposed to be "less than or equal to." Yeah?