Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

[geo]

Day 167

Food
=================================
B: 10 grain hot cereal with flax and wheat bran and strawberries and cinnamon
L: baked potato and sweet potato with mixed veggies and corn and salsa
1/2 cantaloupe
S: banana and carrots with a little home made peanut butter
D: baked potato and sweet potato
apple and orange
S: home made bran muffins

Exercise
=================================
Cycling: 1 x 40 mins on exercycle
M: 10 mins

Daily Log
=================================
Great day today. Did my endurance cycling after lunch and it went well. That was it for the exercise for the day.

Happy 56th birthday to me! 155 lbs of health! Thank you Dr McDougall and Jeff Novick! Yes this lifestyle DOES work miracles!

The rest of the day was spent out shopping for food and things. And putting my basement gym area together. Cleaning and laying out the exercise mats and such. I've set apart a 12'x12' area for my weight training. Still waiting for a piece or 2 of equipment to come. Have a multi-bench that I still need to put together as well as a bunch of adjustable dumbbells to set up (200 lbs worth to start off with).

Recieved my heart rate monitor which was my birthday ppresent to myself. Haven't had a chance to test it yet but its pretty cool. Made some bran muffins in the afternoon, thought they didn't really come out well. They tasted good, but then overinflated and sunk back into themselves and were too moist. Oh well, we'll try again another day I"m learning so much about how not to bake...

In the evening took dau and her friend roller skating. They seemed to enjoy themselves and everyone had fun. Got home late and decided to start a family favorite meal for tomorrow... slow cooker BBQ pulled pork...

I used to love this stuff, so simple yet so delicious and it smells great while cooking. But these days I'm not bothered by it at all. I can easily cook all the meat for the family that they want and yet never feel like I need to partake of it at all. It doesn't bother me to cook it or have it in the house at all.

I do wish they would eat less of it and thus I try to cook a big meat meal only once or twice a week for them. So far, thats the best I can do with them but at least they have upped their intake of fruits and veggies over the past year simply because they are readily available in the fridge.

I think thats the key to changing peoples eating habits that aren't interested in this woe...just simply make your food readily available in the house and they will come

Went to bed later than usual and fell asleep quickly as always...HBTM, HBTM, HBDG,HBTM...

[geo]

Day 168

Food
=================================
B: steel cut oats with flax and cinnamon and strawberries
L: baked potato and sweet potato with mex veggies and marinara sauce
1/2 cantaloupe
S: oat bran and wheat bran hot cereal with honey
D: baked potato and sweet potato
apple and orange
S: home made bran muffins

Exercise
=================================
Cycling: 1 x 40 mins on exercycle
M: 10 mins

Daily log
=================================
Great day today. Slept well and got up with lots of energy. Did my endurance cycling after lunch and it was a strong session.

Went food shopping in the afternoon with dau and took her to her friends birthday party for the afternoon/evening. Basically rested most of the day. Felt a bit hungry in the afternoon so I had a big bowl of hot cereal which really always satisfies me.

The evening was spent just doing some surfing and reading and watching a few shows with the wife on tv/dvr. Really just a pretty lazy day for a change.

[Caroveggie]

Happy birthday Geo! I enjoy your journal and look forward to when you'll post your next results... and maybe a pic or two?

[geo]

Day 169

Foood
=================================
B: GF hot cereal with blue berries and flax and honey
L: baked potato and sweet potato with mex veggies and brussel sprouts and marinara sauce
1/2 cantaloupe
bran muffins
S: banana and strawberry smoothie with almond milk
D: baked potato and sweet potato
apple and orange
S: oat bran and WW bran cereal with molasses
banana

Exercise
=================================
Cycling: 1 x 40 mins on exercycle
HIT: 20 mins body weight exercises
HIIT: 20/10 x 8 Tabata's on exercycle
M: 10 mins

Daily Log
=================================
Great day today. Slept well and got up with lots of energy. Did my HIT training first thing in the morning and it went well with continued profgression in most exercises. Did my endurance cycling right after lunch and it went well also. Finally did my HIIT training after dinner and it went well also. Tested my new heart rate monitor while I was doiing my HIIT and it seemed to work well. Compared it to the readings I was getting on my blood pressure cuff and they were matching very well on pulse rate so it seems to be quite accurate. Not bad for $26

I spent the rest of the morning putting together my new multi-position weight bench that I will be using for my next journey. I'm still waiting to recieve my "Power Tower" aka VKR machine (Verticle Knee Raise) which is a combination VKR and Pullup and Dip and Pushup multi station peice of equipment. Hopefully that will come in before March 1 when I start my next journey.

Stress levels were low all day. I spent the rest of the day basically just resting, reading, and surfing and watching a little tv with the wife in the evening. Also started writing my story up. Mostly completed just need to clean it up a bit and scan in some pics I found that aren't too embarrassing

Went to bed a little early as I was feeling tired and bored of tv. Fell asleep quickly as usual.

[geo]

Day 170

Food
=================================
B: oatmeal with flax and weat bran and blueberries
L: mixed veggies with salsa
edamame
apple and orange
S: 1/2 cantaloupe
D: baked potato and sweet potato
S: oat bran cereal with honey

Exercise
=================================
SC: u/d 5 x 17 floors
M: 10 mins

Daily Log
=================================
Good day today. Slept well and have lots of energy. Hurt myself first thing in the morning. Slipped and fell in the shower. Strained my lower back and right shoulder and bruised my chest. I at least partially caught myself so that I didn't hit my head and I'm basically ok but a bit sore and in some pain. Just what I needed the day before my final bloodwork Hopefully this won't impact an accurate CRP reading.

So I did some stair climbing at work today as that wasn't painful, but I did not do any cycling. So basically just a rest day due to my slip.

Went to the office today though I was in a bit of pain. Thankfully stress levels were pretty normal all day. After work I basically just relaxed with some reading and surfing and tv watching with the wife.

I take my final bloodwork in the morning so I stopped eating around 6:45 PM so that I could get at least a 12 hour fast in before testing. I was tired early in the evening so went to bed early and fell asleep quickly.

[scooterpie]

Sorry to hear of your tumble--I hope you mend quickly and it doesn't mess up your usual routine!

[geo]

End of One Year Journey!

Day 171

Food
=================================
B: 5 grain hot cereal with flax and wheat bran and molasses
L: baked potato and sweet potato with mex veggies and salsa
1/2 cantaloupe
S: SAD birthday cake
D: baked potato and sweet potato
banana
S: Grape Nuts and All bran buds cereal with almond milk

Exercise
=================================
Cycling: 1 x 60 mins on exercycle
HIT: 20 mins of body weight exercises
HIIT: 20/10 x 8 Tabata's on exercycle
M: 10 mins

Daily Log
=================================
Good day today. Feeling a bit better but back and shoulder are in some pain still. I went through my HIT routine gently and it went well but a little painful. My HIIT in the late evening went very well and I did a much longer ride than usual and at my fastest overall speed yet. I worked up a good sweat.

I worked from home today and stress levels were quite low for a change. In the afternoon I celebrated with a small birthday cake I bought. It was purely SAD decadence, but enjoyable as well. The rest of the day was spent doing some reading and writing up my final reports for this journey which I will post in a day or two...

End of a Journey!

My grand experiment is coming to an end. This morning I went and took my final blood work for this year long journey. I should get the results in the next 24-48 hours at which time I'll finish up my report and post it all along with the final results pics that my dau took of me today. They didn't come out very well but I think they will visually show what happens when you listen to Dr McDougall and Jeff Novick

Everything has a beginning and an end, which often times leads to another beginning. Thats true even for this journey. On March first I will start my next year long experiment. A journey into fitness, now that I have my health back.

What will make this next journey different is that I will be following a fitness program that will be 100% supported by a McDougall nutrition plan. I plan to use the latest cutting edge science to achieve the best fitness level I've ever had in the next year. I want to prove that not only can you get optimally healthy with this lifestyle but that you can get optimally fit as well, even at my age (and get all the protein you will ever need ). I think that will make for some interesting results...

As the infamous Porkey Pig once said in his best stammer, ...Thats All Folks!

I will continue this journal till the end of Feb (next 2 days) and then switch to a new journal. I don't plan to remove this journal so that others may glean some truths from it. But I suspect in another years time it will fade into the internet ether as do all good stories, maybe to be stumbled upon by some other lost traveller looking for a health solution or just some answers as to whether the McDougall Program really works.

I for one have my answers and will forever be grateful to Dr McDougall for his brilliant, revolutionary nutritional program - eat simple, whole, starch centered, plant-based foods. Eat when your hungry till satisfied. Then repeat for the rest of your life. You won't need to worry about a bucket list, as you'll have more than enough time to do anything and everything you ever wanted, for many years to come, with the best of health to allow it. What more could you ask for?

In Health,

[geo]

OK folks, I've posted my final 1 year report and story with a few pics, enjoy!

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=35090

[geo]

Day 172

Food
=================================
B: steel cut oats with flax and blueberries
L: baked potato and sweet potato with mixed veggies and corn and salsa
1/2 cantaloupe
S: SAD birthday cake
D: baked potato and sweet potato
banana
S: All-Bran Buds and Grape Nuts cereal with almond milk

Exercise
=================================
Cycling: 1 x 40 mins on exercycle
M: 10 mins

Daily Log
=================================
Great day today. Felt well rested and energetic throughout day. Did my round of endurance cycling in the evening and it went well though not particularly taxing. Felt very relaxed doing it. Need toremind myself I'm not out for a stroll and need to be challenging myself to progress:?

Worked from home due to the ice and wet heavy snow we got over night ~ another 6" or so. Stress levels were low and work was actually pretty good, not too busy or hectic for a change.

I got my blood work results and quickly wrote up my final report and posted it with pics. So hopefully everyone will be happy now that I'm done I do wish I was a better writer but I think I got my points across nevertheless. Hopefully it will spur others to give this lifestyle a real try.

It does work and works very well as long as you follow it too the letter. And really theres no reason you can't. Breaking bad habits is not really all that difficult and thats all this woe amounts too.

Undoing years of bad habits and simply doing what you instinctively know is right. A few weeks of concious effort on your part and you'll wonder why you ever thought it was so difficult. I urge everyone to make the change now, not next week or even tomorrow.

Start right now, the next food you put in your mouth should be real, whole, and plant based. Make it a nice, filling starch. Eat as much as you want to be satisfied. Take your time with it. Enjoy it, Savor it. Spend 20-30 mins eating slowly and methodically. Then wait for another 20-30 mins.

If your still hungry, try a nice big salad or plate full of veggies. Make it huge, as much as you want. Again eat it slowly and savor the nuances of the flavors and textures. Take your time, enjoy your meal. Then wait another 20-30 mins.

If your still not satisfied, then have a nice sweet piece of fruit. Taste its rich, delicious, sweetness. Again eat slowly, with purpose. Have a second piece of fruit if you want. No need to leave the table unsatisfied. Again wait for 20-30 mins.

And after all that if your still hungry, then go back to step one and repeat!

Do this everyday for every meal for the next 2-3 weeks. Thats all it will take to break your old habits and instill new ones. You'll soon forget why you ever thought it was difficult. Amazing things will happen.

You'll start feeling better, you'll have more energy, you'll sleep better and feel more relaxed through out the day. It may not be dramatic changes, but one day you'll realize that your doing more than you've ever done before and you don't feel tired and you don't even mind being busy.

You'll have a different perspective on life and may not even realize how much things have changed until you stop and reminence about the way things used to be. Then it will hit you.

You have changed. Changed for the better and it took no effort at all. Thats when you'll smile and laugh at yourself.

It really is just that easy...

[geo]

Day 173 - End of Journey...

Food
=================================
B: steel cut oats with flax and cinnamon and strawberries
L: baked potato with mex veggies and salsa
1/2 cantaloupe
S: Last of SAD Birthday cake
D: baked potato and sweet potato
banana
S: oat bran and wheat bran hot cereal with molasses

Exercise
=================================
Cycling: 1 x 45 mins on exercycle
HIT: 20 mins bodyweight exercises
HIIT: 20/10 x 8 Tabata's on exercycle
M: 10 mins

Daily Log
=================================
Great day today. Slept well and feeling energetic. Did my HIT first thing in the morning and it went well. Still seeing some progression on the exercises and getting stronger. Did my endurance cycling later in the morning and it went well also. Did my HIIT in the late evening (almost forgot to do it ). It also went well.

I worked from home and stress levels were moderate today. It was a long day fighting fires and I think there was maybe 5 mins in the day when I wasn't on the phone

So this will be my last entry on this year long journey. Its been fun and interesting posting everyday, if not a bit boring at times. I see there's been over 22,200 views of my journal to-date. I think that's amazing that there are so many people that would want to follow what little I had to say, especially since I was writing specifically just for myself. None the less I'm grateful to those that did stop by and ask questions or make comments. I always enjoyed that interaction and it did motivate me to keep on going and to think harder about what I was doing and saying everyday.

So big thanks to everyone that's stopped by over the year

Its been a lot of fun and a very interesting year to say the least. I've lost my weight, regained my health and my future is looking bright. Hopefully, I'll remain healthy for a very long time to come.

But I'm not going away! I still have a lot of goals and things I want to do health-wise that involve McDougalling. I now know what it takes to have optimal nutrition thanks to Dr McDougall and Jeff Novick. For the next year I want to explore what it takes to have optimal fitness, while eating an optimal diet. I want to find out if a McDougall lifestyle is conducive to reaching the highest levels of fitness both aerobically and anaerobically. I want to explore what it takes to become optimally fit, both in terms of effort and time. I think I know what that answer may be or at least a path to it. Now I want to prove it to myself. Much the same as I've proven to myself that the McDougall lifestyle is not only optimal nutrition-wise but also easily stops and reverses virtually all chronic diseases and other common everyday ailments we take for granted as just facts of life and aging. I see exciting times over the next year and I'm ready and eager to start on my next journey

Hopefully, some of you will be motivated to follow me and read my new journal which starts tomorrow.

I'll be leaving this journal up for posterity so I can occasionally review it and glean more insights from it. But I suspect that it will soon be relegated to some dusty corner of this forum and soon forgotten by most. Such is the fate of most internet postings. Maybe someone a few years from now will rediscover it and find it useful to them. If so, I will be happy. And if anyone has any questions I'll be glad to answer them all...I'm not going anywhere and I expect I'll be around as long as these forums are and who knows, maybe I'll even start my own blog some day.

So this is goodbye to my health journey. Its been real and fun, but in reality it will never end until life itself ends...

[zippy]

It was never boring following your progress, it was inspiring. Looking forward to reading your next fitness plus health journal. Hope you do a year long journal again to show us all what is possible.

[Caroveggie]

It was interesting and inspiring to follow your progress geo. Looking forward to the next journal.

~ one of the happy 22,200

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Geo,

You have inspired me years later! I enjoyed reading your progress. Congratulations!!!

[Reni]

Thank you for this journal. It has been very inspirational to me.

Congrats on your healthy new you!

-Reni

[geo]

Your very welcome Reni!

Hopefully, you will follow a similar path and gain great health!