Diet & Exercise - Day 1

Today is DAY 1 of my new diet and exercise commitment. I have been a member at Bally's Fitness for a while now and I have a brand new P90X in the box gathering dust in my closet. Funny how having both a gym membership and a P90X hasn't lost me a single pound - oh, that's right, I have to USE them to get some results...therein lies the rub.

But today - a new start!

I have signed up on www.beachbody.com and have a online coach to get me into shape tout de suite!

I have the P90X, I am going to the gym today after work and I am starting my balanced, non-fad 2000 calorie a day diet.

Now I have never had a weight or fitness problem for most of my life. I am a former tanker, prison guard and police officer. My 20 year career in law enforcement and the military kept me in shape and my body type and metabolism allowed me to pretty much eat as I wanted. Since I am half-Japanese and I still maintain a lot of aspects of the Japanese diet; namely white rice everyday, three times a day if possible - so most diets menus and foods just don't work for me.



I do enjoy brown rice now and then - but ONLY when I WANT brown rice. The brown rice PR campaign extolling it's nutty, chewy, wholesome taste and texture just doesn't work for me on a daily basis, but then I am a bit of a rice snob. Most Asians I know are rice snobs.



I prefer Japanese short grain white rice - not Chinese, not Thai Jasmine or Indian Basmati - but Japanese short grain white rice. The Japanese also make a microwave single serving rice bowl - ready in 1.5 minutes and tastes AWESOME!

In any case, now that I have a less active lifestyle, I have gained 20 pounds or so over the past 3 - 4 years, and I don't like it.

I worked out with a personal trainer a few years ago who didn't listen to my desire to simply maintain my body the way it was and he started me on a regimen of heavy lifting, supplements and a high calorie diet typical of a weightlifter and the pounds and muscle piled on - a back injury then derailed my working out and I was left with more weight that I had ever known on my frame and a bad back that kept me from doing anything but simply taking it easy, not lifting more than 10 pounds and being very careful not to put any stress or strain on my back.

Finally, my back issues are still present but under control and better overall so I have been cleared to start working out and I hope to get back to my happy weight of 175-180 and to lose my belly.

It is going to be tough since I am a carb-o-phile and also hate water.

I have never liked water, never drank water unless it contained coffee, tea or all of the wonderful chemicals, flavorings and corn syrup in a can of soda pop - Coke was my preferred carbonated drug.

In the past two years, I have switched from soda pop to Glaceau's Vitamin Water; namely the Dragonfruit Power-C variety, so less high fructose corn syrup and 1/2 of the calories. 16 oz. of Coca-Cola has 200 calories and 16 oz. of Power-C Vitamin Water has 100 calories. The label say 50 calories but it is for "one" serving if you read the label and the label also says that a 16 oz. bottle contains "two" servings. Tricky, tricky!



Glaceau claims that their Power-C vitamin water blend, with dragon fruit and taurine, “enables the body to exert physical power by contributing to the integrity of the musculoskeletal system.” It hasn’t exactly instilled in me the strength and ferocity of the dragon that legends promise, but it is yummy. It meets my entire vitamin C needs for the day and 50% of the daily recommended values for 5 of the B-vitamins. I guess we can’t all be strong like dragons, but at least we can be well-hydrated and vitamin-rich the entire year.

Power-C, unfortunately, has 50 calories per serving and I can guzzle 500 calories or more of it a day - not good on a 2000 calorie a day diet.

SO - today I bought a bottle of water, plain, clear flavor and calorie less water to go with my 500 calorie Baja Fresh Chipotle Chicken and Mango Salad.

However - I STILL can't drink plain water - just can't, won't willn't! I added a packet of 10 calorie Propel grape flavored water additive and it is actually not so bad.

Maybe I can skip my workout since I cut so many calories by changing this one thing?!

As I eye up my now empty fried flour tortilla shell bowl that my salad came in - I think not.