Blogging, Snacking, Slimming

I think I, like Kestrel, have a problem with blogging regularly. In my case, it’s not so much inertia; it’s because I’m somehow terrified that my blog posts- this least permanent of mediums!- are somehow less than perfect, my words or pictures, my phraseology or ideas, less than ideal.

It’s rubbish; have some hot, fresh, possibly-sub-ideal bloggery, why don’t you?

Interesting thought, that. It evokes the idea of food. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that I cook; it comes up in recipes and other things every so often. With that virtue and skill comes its corollary- I love to eat- and, though my metabolism is sufficiently razor-keen to keep me from ever being overweight, it doesn’t stop me from being in sad, sad shape. I weigh (at last check) approximately 162 pounds. My theory is that the only actual muscle tissue in that figure is that of my heart and gluteus maximus; the rest is perhaps some sort of putty, or chewing gum.

I, like I suspect many of my compatriots in the male gender, harbor secret desires to be The Guy- not some Hulk Hogan-esque freak, but instead someone well-muscled, not obvious about the muscles but, in fact, strong enough to casually heave forty-pound weights with one hand and nary a grunt of effort.

It’s a daydream; it’s not required to make sense.

Sadly, however, the amorphous doughy material of which I appear to be largely made has no secret, hidden reserves of stamina, boundless energy, or massive strength. So, since it seems to be providing no real purpose aside from keeping my belt buckle away from my spine by a couple inches more than I’d like, I’m attempting secretly to trade it in for actual muscle mass. I’m doing this by walking- five miles a week as an absolute minimum, but I’m trying to work my way up to three miles a day- this sounds like a lot but it’s about an hour. I have a lovely distance-measuring pedometer that came with a package of water-filter cartridges, and I’ve found that Google Maps helps me plan routes of the requisite size if I’m being less-than-spontaneous. My iPod, sadly many-generations-ago though it may be, is nonetheless perfectly adequate to give me listening material whilst I hike about, and I’m actually finding myself looking forward to the idea of just putting myself on autopilot and listening to music (or catching up on podcasts).

Since it’s not all about the legs no matter what some guys would like you to think, I’m doing the exercise program described in The Hacker’s Diet. It’s incredibly simple and causes me no undue discomfort and adds about ten minutes a day to my exercise program. The trade in on Whitish Putty Flesh to muscle mass is not economical- that is, it takes quite a bit of WPF to get me just a small amount of muscle. I’m perfectly okay with that. I’d even be okay if I have to start getting new jeans- though that idea makes me wince a little- 34-36 jeans are hard enough to find; back when I was wearing 32-36 it was nightmarish.

The idea of a diet as such is repulsive to me; instead I’m just keeping a few things in mind as I proceed with my exercise.

• I know cooking healthy food takes longer than eating unhealthily. I don’t mind as cooking is a hobby (and since quitting WoW, I have spare time to cook if I’m willing to wait a little while to eat. Which, really, I am, because of point two below).
• I’ve started only eating when I’m hungry. I drink whenever I want- milk, coffee or tea being my favorite drinks (and healthy!) with water as a healthier-but-less-enjoyable alternative. Eating, however, I’m trying to be more deliberate about. It’s amazing how often I was snacking ‘by habit’ or ‘for something to do’.
• Eating low-cal if I feel like I have to snack. Popcorn misted very lightly with salt water tastes better than buttered popcorn, and has a vanishingly small caloric footprint. Tonight’s bedtime snack- a small bowl of grapes- was healthy and actually quite satisfying.
• Eating smaller portions. I know my body has to think about things for about half an hour before it registers that I’ve just filled my stomach. This helps me eat what I need without overeating (not a pleasant sensation in any case).
• Eating slower. Give my body time to think.

Well, there’s 750 words that don’t have to be perfect. That gives you an idea of what I’m doing, and if you’re thinking you could be slimmer/stronger/in better shape in general, maybe some of this info was useful.

Regardless, tune in later this week for thoughts on RPGs (for I am nothing if not eclectic).

Cheers!