Day One

Well day one is in the books and it feels great to be back on the track. I had lived a militantly healthy and organic life for a year so it's funny that returning to that feels more like going home than going back to the junk food world. I did, however, binge this weekend with all of the chocolate bunnies begging to be eaten, and even had a few sodas! I woke up this morning feeling like I had a sugar hang-over and couldn't believe I used to consume that stuff regularly at any point in my life.

So the day started with a weigh-in and I found that over that last couple of months of sliding slightly I was coming in at 164 lbs - not a bad place to pick up from as I had once weighed 197 lbs as of January 1, 2008! I had a bowl of my favorite organic granola - from Safeway of all places. The Safeway Organics brand maple granola is great stuff! Couple that with some Organics brand French Vanilla yogurt and you've got a yummy dessert (just remember to pace yourself because with a 1/2 cup of each you're creeping into the 400 cal range!)

After my bowl of cereal and a quick call to the endodontist to schedule the second of two root canals . . . well you can't have a Bond-like physique if you can't eat all that healthy food, I headed out for an audition and a workout.

At the gym, I decided it was time to continue the refocus I started last week. I have now put more emphasis on cardio and do an hour of straight cardio per workout - 30 minutes on the bike at the beginning, and 30 on the elliptical at the end of the workout. In between I do a twenty minute weight routine that is basically a super-set that hits all upper body parts. For those who don't know, a set is a group of repetitions of any given movement, while a super-set is a series of sets done one after the other with no breaks in between. My super-set consists of chest flyes, one-legged shoulder press, bicep curls, dead-lifts, bent over rows, lat raises, shrugs, and finally dips. I do 8 to 10 reps in each set. Phew!

Leaving the gym, I stopped by the grocery store to restock my kitchen with organic foods and unrefined items like brown sugar, whole wheat flour, brown rice, and all sorts of other things that, done wrong, can taste like cardboard. Although, today I did make a fantastic loaf of 100% whole wheat bread that tastes fantastic that I'm very happy with as it's a new recipe.

I didn't get time to eat lunch today so I supplemented with a 1/3 cup of cashews - all the calories, high in protein and essential fats, and good! For dinner I did some barbecued chicken breasts marinated in some home made BBQ sauce with some roasted potatoes and some corn. I finally rounded out the day with a piece of toast with some honey and another helping of cashews.

All in all, not a bad day for eating - certainly stayed away from the hurtful foods and didn't over-indulge on the healthy ones. That's really the biggest secret as far as I'm concerned: portion size. That is the single biggest error we make in our eating habits these days - we simply eat too much at a sitting. In many ways, we can blame restaurants with their ridiculous servings that have become the new norm. For anyone who is interested in shocking themselves into eating healthier, a great read is the book Fast Food Nation. It will intrigue you and gross you out!

I realize that this post was a little light on the humor, but I promise that I will be funnier in upcoming posts - really! Happy eating, and happy health!