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Friday, May 28, 2010

Friday May 28th, 2010 - Tummy Ache

this is a horrible post. I need to be back to posting everyday, but I have not felt well today and I am going to bed. Beware of BBQ's. Just because your aunt made the cheese and bacon casserole doesn't mean you need to eat it. Want to stay on track for the holiday weekend? Eat vegan. Just watch out for that broccoli. Straight to the hips!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Thursday May 27th, 2010 - Band Wagon

Last week was insane. My younger sister's birthday. Then, my middle son's graduation. And then, the first phase of my mom's birthday party in Littleton and the second phase, an overnight party up in Blackhawk/Central City (Casinos). Top all that off with my in-laws visiting for Jeff's graduation and you come up with an exhausting week.

While I was sick a few weeks ago, I still managed to get back into the gym routine last week and I'm going strong this week. Judging by how sore I got, Tuesday's workout was brutal. Later today I'll be back in the gym. I haven't weighed myself for fear that I may have bounced backwards. With all of the commotion, BBQ's, and beer last week, I surely gained or at least maintained the same weight. I'll get a fair read on it tomorrow. I might be joyfully surprised. I certainly feel great. The muscle build up with this new routine is astounding. If I even go anywhere near the weights I was lifting before, they feel weak. Now I have to watched my calories again. I shouldn't have anymore disruptions.

Today I will go to the gym, but I was thinking about a bike ride as well. I should probably wait until Saturday for the bike ride in case I need a lift from my knight in shining armor, Cheri. Yesterday I painted and I'm caught up on all my chores so today is the perfect day to write.

My fictional character, Nic, has been busy exploring and enjoying the Amalfi Coast in Italy, but he's been having some pretty nasty dreams. I mean that both in a sexual way as well as just creepy scary. At this point in the book some of that nightmare anxiety will begin to intertwine with his conscious mind. Nic is becoming unstable, but just not enough for his oblivious and drunken father to notice. Soon he will tip over the edge. Drama baby; drama.

Oh yeah, let's not forget my latest paintings. You can see them at http://www.paulsharits.com/about_chris.htm Blazing Sun and Vortex are the newest ones. Thankfully, I've gotten through that flower stage and now I'm expressing my concept of truth. This is my favorite art quote out of a Dean Koontz novel nonetheless... "the heart is an artist that paints over what profoundly disturbs it, leaving on the canvas a less dark, less sharp version of the truth."


Sunday, May 16, 2010

Sunday May 16th, 2010 - Allergies

I'm not fully convinced my sinus yuck is allergies or a spring cold. I've had a heck of a time keeping my nasal passages open. I've had to Actifed and Afrin just to breath. And, to top it all off, I have to sleep with a CPAP (forced air nose mask for sleep apnea) which means I have to have clear nasal passages. For the last week I've gotten up in the middle of the night because I couldn't breath. It takes me about 30 minutes before I'm good for more sleep.

On top of bad sleep and the vertiginous effects of Actifed, I was physically unable to workout. This week I'll get back to the "intensity" workout. I did manage to finish the bathroom ceiling project. It looks great, but it sure did take some serious work. This coming week I should be able to paint my mom something similar to "Tulipes." While we took her out for a birthday dinner last night, we are still going to have a party leading to a huge surprise party in Central City, Colorado. It's an old mining town that has converted to a gambling casino district. They still mine up there, but not for gold; they mine your pockets, but she loves slot machines so we'll make an overnight party out of it. I don't think she reads my blog so it will still be a surprise. My in-laws should arrive by dinner Monday. My younger sister's birthday is Wednesday and Jeff's graduation and BBQ is Friday, so I'm not going to get much me time.

Maybe I'll just head up to the gym when it gets to hectic down here.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Monday May 10th, 2010 - More plaster

Right now the strict(er) vegan diet and the intense max lift workouts are doing the job. I've losta solid 5 pounds this month. In addition to the gym I've been active and sweaty working on the bathroom remodel and yard work. In general I've stayed very busy. Good diet and physical exertion is working at least for now.

I just got off the phone with a friend who recently visited the "Holiday Inn" (psych ward) for a month. They told him he was bipolar and they put him on Lithium. God I hate Lithium. Almost killed me 2007. Anyway, it got me to think'n that I'm doing pretty good right now. I'm busy, maybe even manic, but I'm sleeping and not doing shit like spending sprees or grandiose things so I think I'm okay. The art business has been busy. And, at some point this year, should be profitable. I was pressuring a French museum to make a "rights" payment, but now with the Euro at 1.29 exchange against the dollar, I would just assume they not pay me until the Euro recovers and hits at least 1.5.

I'm hoping to finish this bathroom remodel this week so I can get back to painting. I'd like to paint a spring meadow for my mom and maybe something for my mother-in-law who is visiting somewhere around the 20th. I have one week really. And I seriously want to write on my book. I have notes and hand written verse all over the place. I need to get it written or I won't stop thinking about it.

I have to finish up. It's 11:30pm and I need to up at 6am. Tomorrow I'll write about suicide. Not mine. Not that there would ever be "mine," but in general.


Saturday, May 8, 2010

Saturday May 8th, 2010 - Nuts

Yeah, I'm nuts. Hahaha. I have to make a short post because Betty White is hosting Saturday Night Live. She's the bomb.

Today was run around day, however, I did do a second sand and coat on the bathroom plaster. I'm sore from that. Tomorrow I will do my third high intensity workout. And then, it's mother's day. I bought my wife, who happens to be a mother trice, a leather hard cover for her Nook. They keep adding to it's capabilities. Now you can browse the web via wifi. If you go to Barnes and Noble to read on their wifi, they give you free stuff like cookies or espresso or free book uploads. Cool. It's basically like an iPad, but LED. I bought Dean Koonz book. It's supposed to be about a boy who sees dead people. Not like The Sixth Sense; more like visions. I think it will be good for my book. Should be fun.

Okay, so nuts. Part of my problem was snacking on crap like cookies or even peanut butter and jelly, but now I'm eating fruit and nuts. Usually non-salted almonds and apples. Another problem was dinner with the family. When I don't cook they have great stuff like meat loaf or chicken or salmon steaks like tonight. I usually eat salad and vegetables and maybe a roll, but that gets old, so I bought vegan frozen dishes. I usually hate them, but "Amy's" brand is pretty good. I bought a bunch of those frozen bean and rice burritos. They are awesome if you're on the run. One minute in the microwave and you have a healthy meal. I'm going up to the kitchen to eat some raw strawberries. No sugar coating. Sugar bad; raw good.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday May 7th, 2010 - Fool

Yesterday was my second "high intensity" workout and I got very sore, so if the idea is to make your body burn fat to repair muscle tissue, then I'm on the right track. This morning I weighed myself and was disappointed, but I have to keep in mind that I didn't get fat over night, so losing the fat will take time and diligence.

I was feeling cheated by the weight demon. All that hard work and then one weekend or day or weeks with too many calories from "good" food and bad liquor and boom, I gained it all back and then some. Now that I'm back on the calorie counter, I realize I was back into comfort eating.

My body, your body, is actually very smart. I'm not, if your overweight, you're not. On a primal level it knows how to adjust and adapt to anything. If you lose weight, it knows how to retain more calories for insurance against starvation. If you workout excessively, it stores extra fat so you will be able to do that level of activity everyday. Your body is just trying to maintain and sometimes that means gain.

If I stick to this new routine the scale will turn and I'll be back on track. Last year when I started dieting and exercising my body couldn't adjust fast enough to keep me from losing weight, but then it did adjust. It kept the reserves and kicked my appetite into a frenzy. And that's why my way stopped working. I hope that this new routine fools my body into burning extra fat throughout the summer.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Wednesday May 5th, 2010 - Garlicky Leek and Artichoke Soup

This rocks!

Garlicky Leek and Artichoke Soup

Ingredient List

Serves 6

  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 2 medium leeks, white parts chopped (2 cups)
  • 9 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 9.9-oz. jars water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained (2 cups) or 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
  • 2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (3/4 cup)
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 6 Tbs. prepared basil pesto

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes, or until leeks are softened and translucent. Add broth, artichokes, potatoes, thyme, and 2 cups water; cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; season with salt and pepper, if desired; and simmer, partially covered, 20 to 25 minutes, or until potatoes and garlic are very tender.
2. Remove thyme sprigs, and strip remaining thyme leaves into soup pot. Transfer soup to blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Return to pot and stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle soup into bowls, and garnish each serving with 1 Tbs. prepared pesto.

Nutritional Information

Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 670, Protein: 6g, Total fat: 12g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 25g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 670mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugars: 4g

Wednesday May 5th, 2010 - New routine

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I was frustrated. My diet and exercise was not giving the results I was looking for. For days I would struggle to lose a few pounds and then have one bad day and end up worse than I was before. I didn't write because I wasn't losing weight and I was just eating too much. Too much of everything. I even ate some meat and one night a little cheese. Maybe the worse thing was drinking beer and mixed drinks when we went out and even while I painted. I was very discouraged. I knew that it was going to take a severely strict diet and miles upon miles of bike riding and hours upon hours in the gym to get the same results as last year.

I think what happened last Fall was that my body started compensating for the heavy endurance exercise by reserving fat for future use. Just in case I kept torturing the body. In addition, my cravings went through the roof. In October 2009 I was 313. I took my picture and labeled it 310 because I thought I was still losing, but I never got there. During the winter I gained ten pounds even though I went through stages of good diet and exercise. I got discouraged and gained another 7 pounds during March and April. On May 1st, 2010 I weighed 332.

So I read about this routine that centered on intense resistance training with the theory that your body would need fat to repair your muscles. It works like this; instead of 4 sets of 10 with moderately heavy weights and 35 minute intense "virtual" bike four to five times a week, you workout only three times a week with just 5 minutes of cardio and max lifts for 1 or 2 sets of ten with no more than 30 seconds between lifts. I takes less time and it really made me sore for the first time in a very long while.

According to the online metabolic calculator, I should not eat more than 2600 calories in a day. I've been real good about my eating this month and today I weighed in at 327.6. Hope.