30 days

30 days of juicing (off and on) and what do I have to show for it?

Well:
- 15 pounds lost (+-5)
- new found taste for vegetables
- still psyched
- realize its a long term goal and life style choice
- add good things to eat or do to (eventually) get rid of the bad
- have to get the whole family involved
- Too much of anything is bad!
- Takes effort!

More as I think of them.

It ain't easy...

..being overweight!

But it took effort to become this way and it'll take effort to change.

I get that. I do!

But what the hell! Not this much! Right?!!

I mean 3 weeks of juicing (not ONLY like fasting, but throughout the day) and watching what I eat and increasing my vegetable intake by like 50,000%, and still 11 pounds! WTH!

I'm not stopping mind you...far from it.... just venting!

Thanks for listening!

Discoveries...and tricks.

UPDATE:
I may not like beet juice but just eating beets are good! Some are sweet and they're good for you.

I don't like beet juice!  I don't like it!  Perhaps it's the fiber (cellulose?) or the taste or the smell...or all three.  But I drink it nonetheless, since it's (supposed to) have a lot great health benefits, one of which is to lower blood pressure.

But I found an alternative: beet powder! And wheatgrass powder! And echinacea powder. And kelp powder!

So I make a batch of Mean Green juice and with each glass add a teaspoon of one or two powders.

Journey...

Not the band...but a path..a trip, trek or voyage.

It's been about a week since I've "added juicing to my daily diet (as in 'food intake' NOT the conventional 'diet')".

And let me tell you...it's exciting.  And I'm still juiced.  :)
I mean psyched.

In my November 25th post I talked about the path I went to to get to juicing  Read it now if you wanna.

I watched another documentary called "Hungry for Change" which I learned another trick to losing weight and becoming healthy.  Rather that use the word 'diet' which has a really bad connotation and a whole bunch of bad vibes and mojo, a guy (David Wolfe) in the film recommended to "add good" rather than try (and fail, sometimes miserably) in removing "the bad."  Which is a GREAT idea.

Eventually, for me it took 2 weeks of adding vegetables and juicing, to come to a decision to renounce Coke and sugar, in my diet.  Not cold turkey mind you, but slowly and slowly.  In the past month (when I FIRST started becoming motivated to change) I have cut most soda/pop and sugar (in my tea, etc) from my day.

I make about 1-2 jugs of juice a day and drink from them throughout the day.


Some discoveries and tricks...coming.

Oops...

Well...now I know how falling off the wagon feels like...kinda.

Binged on some SUuuuGaaarr!! Cupcakes and croissants!!

Anywho....tomorrow's another day.

So...first few days

Well, I gotta say it ain't hard but it ain't a breeze neither (I know, double negative...Sue me!)

First there is still some prep time before you juice the fruits and veggies. (So I'm thinking why did I get the Big Mouth juicer, if I'm still cutting?)....Because there isn't THAT much cutting, etc. I'm just a bit lazy and impatient. (Hey, what can I say, it's a BAAAAD habit)

So we're getting everything from the corner grocery store. I've read to buy Organic, but I ain't dishing out more dough (sometimes, twice) till I see some visible effects on me person.

So..how is it???

Well...not bad! Not bad at all.

I'm working on making the right type of juice with a good mix of fruits (30-50%) and veggies (70-50%).

The TRULY AMAZING thing is how psyched I STILL am about this. Knowing me I had thought I'd quit by now. But I'm actually still psyched about the potential. Think about that?! Just the POTENTIAL!

So go and buy as many fruits and vegetables as you can (afford) and then juice them and then enjoy!

Thanks.

Juicer!

I got my Juicer!

I went with the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor 67650, a centrifugal ejector juicer.  It was at a good price (on Amazon) and it had a lot of good reviews.

It was a tussle between the masticating ones and the centrifugal ones.  But price won out in the end.  The masticating ones were expensive, from $150 on.  It works well.  It is a little noisy but the pulp is dry(ish) so I guess it works.

I tried it and made 2 jugs of juice.  One vegetable and the other fruit and mix.
I'm actually pleasantly surprised that the juice actually tastes good!

And my kids liked it too.

So I'm thinking of doing a 60/40 fast from tomorrow on.  60% juice and the rest 40% nuts, etc.

I'm PSYCHED!

Trying...into a healthier...me. And beyond!

     I started watching some documentaries lately about living a better lifestyle and becoming healthier.  I'm surprised they have actually made an impact.  Maybe it's the age and all the "other" stuff, but I'm taking it a little more seriously this time (at least I think so...or I'm convinced myself right now)

     So I started with Supersize Me and Food, Inc.  Both of which are good movies about the general effects of the food industry.  So set that aside to stew for a few months.

     I watched Fork over Knives just to understand what the title meant.  It was a good introduction to the vegan/vegetarian/plant based diet/lifestyle.  I learned about watching my dairy intake as well. Also it got me thinking about where does our food come from.  So I added this to the stew and turned the heat up to medium.

     A few weeks go by and I watch Vegucated.  I REALL, REALLY liked this documentary (it helps that the host was cute!).  But no, I didn't go completely vegan (because of religious grounds, really.  More on that later.  Maybe).  But it got me thinking about cutting out the animal based proteins and eating more vegetables.  I made some changes, like cutting out meat and (slowly) chicken and started eating more fruits and vegetables and nuts, etc.  Turn the heat up to high!

     (The only issue with the Vegucated way was the AMOUNT of vegetables I had to eat to feel full and PREP time.  There had to be a better way!)

     So enter at the most serendipitous time, the movie that REALLY, REALLY tipped me over the edge and motivated me to REALLY (that's a lot of REALLYs, huh) change my eating habits, the documentary:  Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  This film answered the nagging questions I had after Vegucated, "How am I supposed to prepare and eat all those vegetables?!!!"
The simple answer from the movie was:  juicing!  It combines the best of BOTH worlds:  You CAN HAVE your vegetables/fruits/nuts AND EAT them too!  It was like a BIG light bulb going off in my head!  Serve piping hot!

     So I pulled the trigger and bought my first juicer today (expected delivery is Monday) and went out grocery shopping with the family and bought some vegetables and fruits.  I also went online to research about juicing and got some free Amazon Kindle books that have recipes and a process.  I also found some good websites to help me on my journey.

     I want to do this right so I'm going slowly.  I'm going to add juicing to my daily eating habits and then later (slowly) do a 3-10 day fast of JUST juicing.  I think that may work.  Hopefully!

     So by Slowly I mean, sloooowly. I don't want to fall off the wagon as it was and stop in the middle.  I know it's going to challenging.  Especially the withdrawal symtoms.  Or so I've heard.

     I'll post my results here in hopes of motivation for me but for others as well.

NOTE:  All the movies above can either be found in Netflix or on Amazon Prime.

Thanks for reading!

Quirky Resubmits

I resubmitted some of my ideas to Quirky.com

Vote!!

http://www.quirky.com/ideations/343117 - iPad band

http://www.quirky.com/ideations/343073 - Bungee with rubber holes

Thanks!!

iPhone 5! WTH?!

What's happening with Apple?

The iPhone 5 event was, to me (hence my blog), a...BUST!

I mean we waited and waited.  Persevered thru rumor after rumor, to get what???
A glorified (larger) iPhone 4S!  Nothing (larger, thinner, faster, EarPods or the new Lightening connector...Well, if you look at it now, I mean, maybe...no...NO!) makes me wanna "Get It Right Now!"

I mean even while I was going through all the live blogs during the event, I kept thinking...where's the "One More thing?" "It's really not an iPhone 5 but maybe an iPhone 4Z or 4S Squared."

So I go to thinking...are all these (above mentioned) things enough to wanna upgrade?  And I keep coming back to..."You know, I think I'll pass on this one also." [I had the 4S for a little while and it wasn't "worthy" enough for me to keep it.  Especially Siri.  I still stick to the point that making a phone mostly based on beta software is a BIG mistake.  And still is.]

So..."No."  "Nope"  "Sorry" "Nah huh!"

I mean, ALL your apps are going to be letter-boxed, till they move them over to the new hardware.

And after Apple posted the keynote online, I watched it and Tim just COULD NOT sell it!  He couldn't.  Schiller couldn't.  Forstall couldn't (I mean talk about "Seen it!"  I hate when they just re-hash old WWDC iOS points).  It just didn't seem sincere or even like they (Tim, at least) was trying.  His voice was low and almost forced.  And don't get me started on Ive.  Man...I watched the iPhone 5 video and kept thinking "You're lying to us aren't you! You cheeky British bastard!  You're lying through your hairy, v-necked shirt!!!  Damn you!!!"

Anywho....

Well, my wife wants one...so maybe I'll change my mind.

You are now...

...Men!

So the kids are getting bigger and are more conscious of their smells or how other people smell them (I guess). So they've started using my deodorant. Now they're my own flesh and blood but, c'mon there gotta be limits. I don't wanna give or get kooties.

So being a good dad, I decided to go online and buy some for them.

Some time passed and I looked up at the clock. As my eyes adjusted to the burning light I screamed: "2 days!" What the F!!

Seriously, there's just soooo many choices.

First you have to decide if you need just an antiperspirant or a deodorant.  And then of course you have them together in a combo which saves time and search results.

Then you have to decide if you want an organic/natural one or one with that Aluminum stuff.  The more Aluminum the more it's a better antiperspirant.

After that then you have different sizes.  And brands.  And Specials/promotions. etc

So I told them to go smelly until they can buy their own!

New battery on my MBPro

So the battery on my MacBook Pro (MBP) started to hold less and less of a charge. I made an appointment with an Apple Genius and he said "Faulty battery."  I'm like, dude it's been only 3 years, how the hell?

He was nice and all but didn't really have a good solution outside of a new $180 battery. And coincidentally my Apple Care Warranty literally ended ONE day before.  He suggested talking to Apple's phone support, maybe they can do something.

I'm like "Damn skippy I will."

Well they were. They made it so I could get a new battery the next day. Koolio.  And no I didn't yell at them.

But, I'm not at the point I wanna make yet so keep reading.

So after the new battery is in I ask the tech guy what the hell happened. I told him I use my MBP as my desktop/only "PC" and keep it always plugged in with an external 21" monitor and BT trackpad and Keyboard.

Now listen to what he said, the "point", which I still don't believe but am begrudgingly (or is it grudgingly) applying:  "You're not supposed to keep it plugged in ALL the time"

I did a double-take (like you are all doing now, right?) and came back with "You're kidding me right?"

He said unplug it once in a while and when it's at about 10-20%, plug it back in.

I'm thinking, wait, I know damn well I heard, if it wasn't from Steve, someone high up, maybe in those "Watch how we did it" videos, with Ive's The Man, (http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/#macbookpro), that they're "intelligent" batteries now, so they should stop the flow when not needed.  Anyone else concur?

It's OK...I'm big enough to admit when I'm wrong..so when I am...I"ll admit it. :)

So far this unplugging thing is frustrating.

Older entries...

Sheesh..

Wow...reading my older blog entries, I feel like "What were you thinking"  "You actually put the effort to type all that out and then post it so others can see??!!"

I guess the only consolation is that not many did look at them.  :)

But I think writing is a skill best honed by practice, like almost every other thing.

So I decided to keep them and maybe edit them if they, later, sound REALLY REALLY corny.

Or may I'll come back in a few weeks and delete this entry.

Who knows?!

Definitely not me!

Importance.

Faith is Important.
Perception is important.
Thought is important.
Discipline is important.

Looking for a new stylus

I was looking for a new stylus to use with my iPad so I got to some researching.

There are sooo many now but some that stood out.

I had bought some generic styli from Ebay a while ago which have the earplug adapter and I use the Kensington Pen Stylus cause it fulfills two purposes: pen AND a stylus.

But it had to fill some particular requirements: It had to be a pen and a stylus.  And had to have a firm, almost rubber-like tip.

After some searching I found a good enough compromise, the Bic Round stick stylus cap from  http://more-real.com/.  It fits over a pen and has a firm tip. I ordered one today so I'll review it once I get it.


Some research sites:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/10/2925937/best-stylus-ipad-review

Music....it's tantalizing.  It's mesmerizing.  It's bad??


Don't get me wrong, I love to blast, when the feeling arises, I guess, The White Stripes just as much as the next guy...but it IS a distraction...

("So now you're mad, denying the truth
And it's hidden in the wisdom in the back of your tooth
.....
The truth well you know there's no stoppin' it
And the boat well ya know she's still rockin' it")

I'm in..denial.
It's over man...It is time...
Gotta make a decision.
Here I go.
What to do?
I have to be better.
Striving to be better, right?
That's the purpose.
Purpose.
Purpose?
Purpose!!
What Purpose!
Damn it man!
What the hell am I doing?
Now. Before. Ever!
It was clear!
So...so Clear!
But.  I think something's happened.
Older.  Wiser. More cynical. More...purposeful. More...sedentary.
That's It!
Change.
CHANGE!
It's the Ultimate (ONLY) Universal Constant.


I've decided.

Dreams

I don't propose to know the true meaning of dreams...some are interesting, others curiously exciting and raunchy while the rest just seems to be forgotten, jumbled heap or..(insert four letter word here)

Yet...

What is smart?

I like to think I'm smart.  Doesn't everyone.