HIT THE ROAD

The sun was shining early this morning, despite the fact that it wasn't especially warm, so I decided to definitely rest my arm from any eliptical work by running outdoors.

It was the first time I had done that since going out in the freezing air of Indianapolis at Thanksgiving - I'm not counting my long walks in 90 degree heat in India in November and February.

It was good! Here are some reflections:

1. Keep it interesting. I thought up a new route today, which I estimated to be around 5 miles - turns out it was 6.5, but at least it was something different.

2. We could do with some more sidewalks around this area - you take your life in your hands on some of the roads I used.

3. It's probably better to look at www.mapmyrun.com before you go, than after like I did.

4. I know I've said this before, but running on the road is a whole different experience to using a treadmill. It's far harder.

5. Having established an unimpressive time for this route, I have no alternative but to do it again tomorrow - and improve!

BETTER BE CAREFUL

I'm still having issues with my right arm, so will probably avoid the eliptical when I go to the gym in the morning - and possibly for a few weeks to come.

Having looked all over the internet, I have narrowed the cause of the problem down to one of three things -

1. Tennis elbow
2. Golfer's elbow
3. Carpel Tunnel issues

Of course, being a man, I have little intention of visiting a doctor yet to find out which, if any, of those it is. I'll just keep taking anti-inflammatories, sleeping in a brace and trying not to overdo it too much.

Will keep you posted!

CANDY

With Easter coming up, here's the most comprehensive list of points values for candy that I've ever come across -

http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/awsum34/TIDBITS---You-Need-To-Know/Candy_Points.html

HOW LONG?

I was subbing for a WW leader in Patchogue last night and had a great time with the group. When I introduced myself to them, I told them about my total weight loss and there followed the inevitable question - How long did it take you?

I guess that's important to us as Americans, who live life on the run. We're probably the only nation on earth who will even stand in front of a microwave shouting, "Hurry up!"

I told them fifteen years and there was a gasp. I think some people reckoned I was kidding, but I wasn't. From the first time I joined Weight Watchers in Miller Place in the summer of 1992 to the moment I became a Lifetime Member in Selden in May 2007, it was virtually 15 years.

Of course, I must add that I was not following the WW program for most of that time frame. There were short bursts of activity and enthusiasm, varying between a few weeks and a few months during that period, but the truth is I didn't get to where I wanted to be until I joined for the fifth time and determined to stick at it.

It's that commitment that is tough to follow through on, but the better we are at it, the more satisfied we will be giving an answer when someone asks, "How long?"

TASTY READING

At Christmas a friend of mine gave me a subscription to Clean Eating, a magazine that in all honesty I had never heard of before. My first issue came in the mail today and there's a ton of good stuff in it -scores of outstanding recipes. Check it out -

www.cleaneatingmag.com

DOING OKAY

We had our Weight Watchers' spring staff meeting/ training yesterday afternoon. I must admit that Sunday after church would not be my immediate choice of timing for a three plus hours get-together with colleagues.

In all honesty, I just didn't want to be there.

There was, however, one particular point that made it all worthwhile. Sitting just across from me were three young women who have all recently become staff members after collectively losing a total of around 200lb - and they are all members of my Saturday morning groups.

We all need to know whether we're doing a reasonable job and their presence reassured me that I'm doing okay!

SNACK IDEAS

I picked up two great snack ideas from members of one of my WW groups this evening -

1. Spread an Arnolds Sandwich Thin with humus (lowfat I'm guessing). Add tomato, lettuce, etc and you have a delicious 2 Points sandwich.

2. Hot popcorn. Cook light popcorn and place in a bowl with a lid. Cover popcorn with spray butter, place lid on bowl and shake well. Remove lid, add hot sauce to taste.

Can't wait to try them!

EXERCISING ON THE SOUTH BEACH

Here's an interesting interview with the developer of the South Beach Diet. Of course I'm not advocating the plan because diets don't work.

This is about exercise though and his comments are very significant -

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-health-sbeach0317,0,7964377.story

JUST DO IT!

My weekends are extremely busy and exhausting too for that matter. So by the time I get home from church early Sunday afternoon, I am totally shot. In recent months my Sunday visits to the gym have largely been replaced by a nap in my cozy chair-and-a-half in our den.

Today I decided I needed to change all that and I think I found the secret - don't sit down.

As soon as I got home after our morning service and lunch at a nearby diner, I got changed and went straight out the door, without pausing to sit and think about it.

The Nike principle works - just do it!

THE PROTEIN THING

The biggest single issue I have with my WW members is encouraging them to eat sufficient protein. You might be surprised to know how many people think consuming vast quantities of salad is the healthiest way to go.

Poppycock!

Our bodies need fuel in order to burn fat and the best fuel we can give them is solid protein. Protein is categorized as a Filling Food on WW Momentum program and I've done a little experiment today, eating way more of it than usual while staying withing my daily Points allowance.

I am stuffed and have never once been remotely hungry.

Enough said?

Hope my research wasn't wasted!

GOING CHINESE?

Adopt a true Chinese diet, and you'll hit your daily POINTS® Target with ease: Make vegetables the prominent food on your plate, and include a small portion of steamed rice and a few ounces of protein.

Best bets when eating at a Chinese restaurant are stir-fried or steamed dishes with the sauce on the side. Watch out for anything crispy or fried, like General Tso's chicken or orange beef. And because dish names don't often indicate that they're deep fried, make sure to ask.

Noodle dishes should make you think twice—they may be swimming in oil—but dig right into steamed dumplings and hot and sour soup. Then top your meal off with a fortune cookie, a bargain sweet at just a POINTS value of 2 for one.

Wise Choices POINTS Value

Egg drop soup, 1 cup 1

Fortune cookie 2

Hot and sour soup, 1 cup 2

Steamed white rice, 1/2 cup 2

Broccoli stir-fry, 1 cup 3

Beef and broccoli, 1 cup 4

Chicken egg foo yung 4

Chinese vegetables with tofu, 1 cup 4

Steamed shrimp dumplings, 4, 4

Boiled wontons, 6. 5

Not-So-Wise Choices POINTS Value

Kung Pao beef, 1 cup 10

Beef or pork fried dumplings, 4, 6

Orange-ginger beef, 1 cup 11

Sweet and sour pork, 1 cup 12

General Tso's chicken, 1 cup 15

MAN ALIVE!

I'm sitting here watching Half Ton Mom on TLC and it's scarey. Gives me a whole new appreciation of people who come into my WW groups needing to lose just 10 or 15 pounds. Kudos to them for getting a grip on things now!

THE WEEKEND IS UPON US

This is the time of week that I take a deep breath and know that I will emerge from things exhausted some time on Monday morning.

Weekends are full - Saturday starts it off with a seven hours, non-stop stint at Weight Watchers and then it moves on from there. I go out with our church's mobile soup kitchen on Saturday afternoons, try to stay quiet for the evening and then head out early Sunday for a full morning of church.

I live for the weekend, but probably in quite the opposite way that the normal working person does. For the average human being, these two days represent down time, family time, recreation, catching up. To me they're what I'm planning for all week and are by far the most demanding days.

I love weekends. I love my WW groups and I love church.

Imagine getting up on a Saturday morning and Sunday morning and going out to do what you thoroughly enjoy doing and not only is it called work, but you get paid for it.

I really am a blessed man!

ROUTINE

There's a lot to be said for getting into an established routine, but the trouble is we don't live in an ideal world, so there will always be things that interrupt our carefully worked out rituals.

That's what happened with my exercise while I was in India. While I did get some in the first week I was there, the second week was one of traveling, early mornings and little real opportunity to work out - that's my excuse anyway.

When I got home at the weekend I was shot, so didn't get anything done, but mother nature hepled me on Monday when I had to spend three hours shoveling snow just to get the driveway clear. I did some more snow removal yesterday morning, but really did start to get into my regular routine again today.

It's tough getting back to it. Running seemed more demanding and the demonized super-eliptical thingy at the gym seemed almost impossible for the first ten minutes. But I went through my workout, leaving me sore, tired, but content.

It's always good to get back into routine!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Here are some down-to-earth, very real words from Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels -

You can tell me you choose to quit, choose to be less that you are and what God intended, but don't ever tell me YOU CAN'T DO IT !!!

Got it? - or do you want me to explain it????

THAT'LL DO!

It looks like the weather will dictate I don't get to my weekly weigh-in at WW tomorrow - I'm guessing the center will be close until the snowstorm passes.

So for this week I'll go with what my bathroom scale is telling me and it's good. Seems I succesfully navigated my trip to India and ten days of my favorite cuisine, by coming out of it with no weight gain at all.

Since it was impossible to control what I was eating most of the time, I focused on what I dod have some say on, the size of the portions I ate. I also exercised whenever it was feasible and let me tell you, it was hilarious to see the reactions of Indian villagers to an old white American running through their community in shorts and t-shirt!

When you can't control the substance, you can still be cautious about the amounts you eat - and that will often help you achieve your goals.