Eventually, Even Mr. Miyagi Agreed...The Belt DOES Matter

Some of you may remember how I took issue with Mr. Miyagi in an earlier post, explaining that the belt does matter, even though he said it didn't (See Mr. Miyagi was wrong -- it IS all about the belt).

Eventually, though, the wise old Mr. Miyagi even came to understand there are times when it's all about the belt, as illustrated in today's video.

What's that got to do with me, other than demonstrating I may have an unhealthy obsession with 80s movies?

Well, I'm hear to talk again about the belt. In that earlier post, you may recall, I was happy because I was able to squeeze (and I do mean SQUEEZE) into my belt, on the first hole. It had been several weeks since I could even wear a belt, so getting it around me and buckling it -- not matter how hard it was -- was a major achievement.

Today I notched that same belt on the second hole -- and comfortably, too. I'm down to the second hole!

Sometimes, when you're trying to lose weight, a scale can be a poor indicator of your progress. I do my weigh-ins first thing out of bed in the morning, presumably meaning day-to-day comparisons should have some validity. Still, all sorts of factors can throw those day-to-day checks. If I eat too late the night before, if I'm retaining a little more fluid one day -- there are all sorts of factors that can throw the weigh-in off a bit. In my case, even though this is Wednesday, I still have the effects of Sunday's off-day (and the unplanned off-night the evening before).

So yeah, when I stepped on the scales this morning, I wasn't all that happy.

And seeing your weight fluctuate the wrong direction can be a diet-killer. You think, "Heck, all that work, all that dieting, for THIS? Why bother," then you go off and eat a half-dozen tacos.

There's a better way -- while the scale might not always be the best indicator of how you're doing, the measuring tape doesn't lie. If you're losing inches, you're losing fat. And even without an official measuring day, the one quick indicator of how you're doing is the lowly BELT.

So when I slipped into the second hole -- comfortably -- I didn't much care what the scale said, I knew I was still doing right. The Belt always tells the truth!

Now for my workout and food for the day.

Workout
Weight training, chest, shoulders and triceps

Chest
Dumbbell Bench Press
55-pound dumbbells, 1 set, 10 reps
85-pound dumbbells, 3 sets, 8 reps each
85-pound dumbbells, 1 sex 6 reps

Incline Barbell Press
115 pounds, 2 sets, 8 reps each

Flat-bench Dumbbell Flyes
40-pounds, 2 sets, 8 reps each

Shoulders
Seated Barbell Press
95 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps
115 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps

Machine Lateral Raises
105 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps

Rear Deltoid Machine Flyes
125 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps each

Triceps
Lying Curl Bar Extensions (also known as nose breaks if you don't do them correctly)
50 pounds, 1 set, 10 reps
60 pounds, 1 set, 8 reps

Cable press down
150 pounds, 2 sets, 10 reps

Abs
Seated Machine Crunch
110 pounds, 1 set, 15 reps
110 pounds, 1 set, 10 reps

Now, for the food component of my new healthy plan.

Breakfast
Eggs (1 whole, 2 whites)
Mushrooms

Lunch
Denver steak -- 5 ounces
Mixed veggies -- 2/3 cup

Snack
Salad (lettuce, boiled egg, tomatoes/carrots/mushroom)
Dressing

First Dinner
Boiled chicken breast -- 4 ounces
Mozzarella cheese -- 1/4 cup

Second Dinner
Chicken Fajitas (No, NOT the fajita mixture I mentioned last week, the really BAD-for me stuff) These consisted of a total of four ounces of chicken breast, onions, peppers and salsa, along with a little bit of mozzarella cheese on two whole-wheat tortillas.

Snack
More fajitas mixture (2.5 ounces chicken, onions, peppers, salsa, mozzarella), but NO tortilla.

Total for the day

1,415 calories
57 grams of fat (a little high)
155 grams protein

Water -- 75 ounces
diet soda -- 24 ounces

Well, folks, that's it for the day. Later this week I'll do an official weigh-in/measurement, and maybe talk a little about some of the changes I'm seeing and feeling as I move toward the fourth full week of this!

Thanks for stopping by.

Tacos!!!!

This must be test week. Last night we (meaning, everyone in the family but ME) had chili, which is one of my favorite foods.

Tonight "we" one-upped that, with perhaps my absolute favorite food. Tacos. I can polish off a dozen tacos in a single sitting, and sometimes still want more. If you gave me a choice of nearly any food, I'd select tacos. I'd take them over ice cream, doughnuts, pizza, chili, hot dogs, hamburgers, steak (well, most of the time), maybe even lobster and crab.

Well, okay, the lobster and the crab might edge them out only because those would be such a rarity.

But you get the idea. I really, really, really like tacos. When I walked in the door tonight, the scent of taco meat cooking on the stove top enveloped me, conjuring images of tacky little Mexican restaurant wall decorations, mariachi music playing over the speakers, all-you-can eat baskets of tortilla chips with salsa, and a big giant plate of tacos.

Last night, I made the mistake of lingering in the kitchen, hovering over the pots of chili, looking longingly at the bubbling concoction, which led to me very nearly wrecking the diet for the day. Nearly. But, as I mentioned in my blog yesterday, I turned away the temptation, taking only a single taste (well, okay, I had another after I posted the blog, but that was just two spoonfuls, and they weren't even big spoons).

Today?

I walked through the kitchen, glanced at the taco meat, then proceeded to dress, go to the gym and ride 14 miles on the exercise bike.

Then I came home, had a couple of lean turkey burgers (just the meat, no buns, cheese, or anything else) and some low-fat pork-n-beans.

YUUUUUUMMMMM!

Anyway, that was my evening.

Now, for my exercise and diet for the day...

Exercise
Cardio
Stationary Bike, 42 minutes (22 on lvl 5, rest on lvl 4)
14 miles
425 calories burned

Eats for the day...

Breakfast
Coffee
Two whole eggs
Lean ham -- 2 ounces

Lunch
Bottom round steak -- 4 ounces
Mixed Asian Veggies -- 1 cup

Snack
Fat-free Greek Yogurt

Dinner
Lean turkey patties -- 2 (again, just the bare patties)
Pork-n-beans -- half a can.

Totals for the day
Calories -- 1,010
Fat -- 43 grams
Protein -- 133 grams

Water -- 80 ounces
Diet Soda -- 24 ounces

And that's about it for the day. Thanks for stopping by!