Updates

Just before Christmas, I re-sprained my ankle. This tendency to happen is going to be with me for the rest of my life, and i have to be prepared to not only know my limits, but to be able to strengthen it back up if it happens. It caught me by surprise, and I thought I was strong enough for it not to happen. I was wrong.

But, 4 months and some change later, I am back to normal. Hell, I am past normal. I set a new Personal Record on the deadlift at 424Lbs. (silly metric weights). Last month I scored the highest I scored on the Navy Physical Readiness test since I was 20 and there was a Marine adding extra push-ups to my score. All of these fasted, for the record. I would venture to say I am better.

I set goals of self improvement. I still have a long way to go with the gymnastics and bodyweight training, but I notice a difference the more I train, and the more fat I lose. I set a goal weight at 190 Lbs back when my hungover bloated ass decided i was getting too fat. I have since passed that original goal only to see that I have farther to go. I am not wasting away. I am not losing muscle. I am simply losing fat. I bought new jeans only to find that two weeks later, they don't fit. I went down a jacket size, and my suits don't fit. These were all things that fit great when I was at what I thought was a good weight at 200, but now i look at pics of me at 200, and I can see the difference. I know this isn't a lot of weight, but the differences in my face and waistline show the truth! I thought i was genetically predispositioned for corpulence, but I figured it out. Genetics be damned!

In other news, Osama Bin Laden is Dead. Nothing has changed. We are still fighting wars all over creation, bleeding ourselves dry with poor economic and foreign policy, living and dying under a bureaucracy that subscribes to no one's politics while watching the yellow journalism on cable blaming the president. I hated that piece of shit as much as anyone out there, and that bastard is directly responsible for the most heinous acts of our time, but doe sit matter whether he is dead or alive? No.
I found this piece the other day. /www.washingtonpost.com Between war, stifling economic poliy, natural disasters, and the 24/7 sensationalism of it all, Are we winning?

I am currently devouring Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. This book is a real eye opener in terms of the rise of civilizations and the uneven distribution of the world's power. There are so many questions that spin off of it, I won't go into until after I read the book. It's very amazing in it's scope and thoughtfulness. I suppose that's why it won a Pulitzer.


I hope to recover from my slump on the blogging. I have been torn lately with all the cognitive dissonance within the Paleo movement lately. I almost want to stop using the term. It's really just a brand after all, and I suppose a brand is necessary in today's world.


Anyway, Here is some awesome music.

Local Natives | Who Knows Who Cares | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Quick, While the Little Ladies are Napping!!!

I haven't been as diligent with my writing lately. My time off work is actually busier than time on, what with Navy Reserve duty, Family stuff, Date night, and the quality time I spend with my little girl and her momma, I don't even think about this thing all that much. Sorry, Blog. You're just a hobby.

A small update: My weight loss continues! I am at 195Lbs. and this would add up to 35lbs. Lost over the course of the last year. I know it's not a large figure, but I have been more recomposition oriented than weight anyway. My lean Body Mass has increased, and my bodyfat% has gone down. I have hit the last notch on a belt I have had for years! The jeans I bought at Christmas to fit are now too big. I'll take that and run with it.

It's definitely becoming apparent on the outside too, as I have gotten comments on how I have trimmed down as well. I had a conversation with a friend who is also trimming down about how the appearances make a difference. Our "new skinny is our old fat" and it feels good to be noticed, but it's kind of a wake-up that you really did get fat. I never got to the point of obesity, but it was definitely not where i wanted to be. I feel great eating this way, and I am stronger, leaner, and faster so I don't see any changes in the near future. In fact, I had a momentary lapse of reason after "date night" Sunday when we went out for mexican (hurt us both) and the Drive-By Truckers show at the Freebird in Jax Beach. We spent all of Monday indoors recovering, and I slipped. We ordered pizza. I felt so dirty. LOL.

The biggest thing is this: As you reach your goals it is easier to justify a little cheat here and there. Use the negative impact it has yon your immediate feeling to remind yourself that it makes you feel like dogshit, so you don't do it again for a very long time. Alcohol used to be a major player in my recreational time. I still enjoy a few drinks, but I have to be more careful now. The fact that I turned myself into a lightweight is one factor, but the hangover is the real devil. My resolve is gone when it comes to recovery. I know a great big steak and brussel sprouts would be the thing to get me back to normal, but I end up eating a giant bacon cheeseburger (with the bun) or a whole thin-crust pizza by myself. I of course feel even worse after eating this, and it takes a few days to straighten back out. Food hangovers are worse than booze hangovers. I think they always were, but I could never tell the difference.

Now I want to use my mistakes as a lesson for anyone else getting into this lifestyle. It's not a huge thing to throw in a few cheat meals every once in a while, but just be smart about it. If you are going to pig out on Dominoes and beer, Just add a long fast in before hand, and try and eat well the next day. Use how bad you feel to enforce the good habits. You end up minimizing your indulgences over time just based on how you feel. I knew Mexican and rock and roll were going to mess me up, but I didn't anticipate the Hangover and the binge that came with it. You can sweat little things like nitrites in Bacon or the Omega-6 Content in Conventional beef, but the fact of the matter is, there is more pollution from a night out on the town than a whole year of eating Walmart Steak. Just plan for it.

On another note... My little girl has been getting more and more mobile lately. I am experimenting with a vimeo account, so hopefully there will be audio/visual excitement on my blog in the near future.

She just started truly walking last week.

DB Walks from Mike Fout on Vimeo.