Changes

Over the past year I have put on approximately 30lbs.  I don't know if it has been the past year, maybe only the past 6 months.  Either way this is not a mystery.  It is not because I am eating less than my body is using.  In truth over the past year my diet has become bad.  I cook less, I eat out more.  My gym workouts are practically non-existant.  I do not swim.  My kettlebells are essentially gathering dust.

My clothes are fitting tighter, some not really at all.  I used to be close to fitting into a size 34 pant, now I am close to fitting into size 40s.

I post a lot about choices.  Choices are what we have in our control.  The ability to steer our life and health where we want it.  Sometimes where we are is chosen for us.  That is not the case for me.  There is nothing stopping me but myself.

Things are different now.  I used to have an exceptionally strong online social support network.  Most of these people are still out there.  Some still post in the same place, but I find I do not. 

Some of these people who have known me online for years have done amazing things and have stayed in their fitness community and some have even defined it.  I could not be more proud of these people it is an honor to know them.

They made different choices than I did.  This post is not about choices though.  I made some, now it is time to see about fixing the damage.  I still have support, even if it is different than it once was.  I just need to embrace it.  That is one change.  I need to make others. 

Over the past few days I have looked at my habits and have identified things that can be changed.

DIET:  I eat like crap.  This should not be a hard one to change.  I have done it before I can do it again.

• Eat more vegetables:  Salads, raw veggies etc
• Eat a big salad 5 times a week
• Bring raw vegeatbles to work for snacks 5 days a week
• Cook more: Pre-cook meatloafs and roasts.  Cook more often
• Cook for Monday - Friday dinners
• Pre plan these meals
• Eat out less: with the exception of lunch cut back eating out.
• Eat out with the GF on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Watch intake on after practice nights, keep under calories
• Drink more green tea
• Drink green tea at least once per day
• Stop buying baked goods, "just one more time, tomorrow is a new day"  It is tomorrow
• It's tommorrow.
• Watch Calories
• Aiming for just under 2000.  Track using www.myfitnesspal.com

EXERCISE:  Pretty much non-existant, Finding gym motivation is hard.

• Swing the kettlebell at least twice a week, 200+ swings
• Walk more.  Average steps seems to be about 3,500.
• Walk more to double this 3 times a week
• Practice is the only think I have done consistently
• Aim for 2x a week, make at least 1x a week
• Slow work 2x a week at home
• Circuit 2x a week
• Swings, Pushups, Rows, Squats, Mountain climbers

This is a lot of changes.  They will not happen all at once, that is a recipe to burn out.  This week I am implementing a few though.

• Green tea at least once per day
• More vegetables
• Eat out less
• Watch intake after practice
• Watch calories
• Stop buying baked goods.

Current Stats
Weight: 250lbs
Neck: 16"
Waist: 44"
Hips: 46"

Bugs! (w/ photos)

No not the creepy crawly ones.

Wabbit.

Awhile ago I decided I should cook rabbit.  I tried it as a child and when I found out it was bunny I didn't like it.  I am much older now and am willing to try things again.

I didn't hunt my rabbit.  I went to the butcher.  They had frozen farm raised bunny.  It was not cheap.  Oh well off I went with my bunny.  It got home and got put in the fridge for another night (It was frozen).

I looked up recipes.  Take one jointed rabbit.  I saw this repeated over and over.  I am a city kid.  Wtf is jointing?  I consulted the great Oracle Google and behold I was shown many many videos on jointing.  The most helpful was probably from ifood.tv.  http://www.ifood.tv/video/how-to-joint-and-prepare-a-rabbit-for-cooking

Well ok.  I can do that, looks easy.  I took pictures as I went to detail how my jointing went.  Now if you are squeamish you might not like these, however they are really no worse than cutting up a chicken...except it's clearly NOT a chicken.

 Here I have my hard won bunny.  The butcher took care of most of the hard stuff.  Skinned, no head, no paws.  Awesome.  Just a nice rabbit.

 She said to follow the line and once you have cut through to the hip, to twist off the leg joint.  Easy!  Ok I mis judged where that joint was.  Applying the twisting pressure to where the joint actually is, is far more effective than applying it to the leg bone.

 Ok.  Here we go now!  Starting to look less like an animal and more like meat!  I have both the legs removed at this point.  All that is left is the front legs and the "saddle"

 The arms are pretty simple.  They have no physical joint.  The float free from the rest of the skeleton.  Cut through the muscle and the legs are free.  The video says they are only good for stock.  However the recipe I have chose is essentially a soup/stew so I opted to use them.  I have also removed the right saddle at this point.  It went pretty much as described and just pulled out. 

And the finished product minus the carcass.  Two legs, Two arms, Two saddle pieces.  Now it looks like meat.

It was an interesting thing to do.  I have never rendered a body to meat before.  I haven't even really carved a chicken or a turkey after it's been cooked.

I think a chicken would be different mentally though.  We are raised on chicken.  We grow up on them, we know what one looks like whole dead.

The rabbit was new.  It is not something we see unless we go looking for it.  I know all meat comes from animals.  That we kill and eat them.  I didn't hunt  this bunny, or clean or skin it.  I did the very last part of the butchering, but it is still as close to an animal as I have been that I am going to eat.  I see rabbits everyday here in Calgary.  Alive, running around, making baby rabbits.  Wild animals.

Worth the experience to be a little connected to your food.  Hunters get a raw deal a lot off the time, but frankly those guys are more connected to their food than any of us non hunters will ever be.