The Identity Thief

I was up for about twenty hours when I got around to watching this movie on the plane last night.  I try to rent comedies because they look ok on the iPad and because they don't require a lot of mental energy.  I fell asleep halfway through this movie and slogged through the second half without paying too much attention.  Needless to say, it's a dud.  The plotlines are thin, the physical comedy is weak and the dialogue is poor.

I do not recommend this movie.

Whole 30: Day 30

Energy level:
I haven't been sleeping well lately so my energy level has been low.  It's been a vicious cycle because I haven't been working out either to give my right shoulder a break.

Mood:
My mood was ok this morning, but is improving as my vacation nears.

Cravings:
These haven't been an issue for a couple of weeks now.  It'll be interesting to see how my body reacts to wheat, dairy and sugar.  I suspect I'll feel like crap pretty quickly.

Progress:

Don't let the uptick at the end fool you; I'm confident I'm in the best shape of my recent life right now.  I lost over ten pounds, most of which was fat.  I also dropped about two inches off my waist.  My mind is clear and my physical cravings are gone.

I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to start Paleo.  Cold turkey is the easiest way to start and this program will help you reset your blood sugar.  You'll also learn how to treat food in a different light.  You can still live to eat, but your thoughts won't be dominated by cravings for junk food.

I'll move back to less strict Paleo with almond meal, butter and occasional dairy, but will follow Whole 30 now and then if I feel I need another reset.

House of Cards: Season 1

I knew about this show, but dismissed it because I don't like Spacey.  However, a friend at work gave it two thumbs up so I checked it out.  I was instantly hooked on the gritty plotlines, the excellent acting and believable dialogue.  I don't know much about DC politics, but these storylines feel plausible and that's enough for me. 

Spacey may be a jerk, but he plays his role effectively.

I highly recommend this show and I eagerly await Season 2.

Cutting the cord with Google

I'm not happy with Google's response to the NSA spying allegations.  The current CEO is also not in favor of open standards.  I don't care for Google knowing every intimate detail of my life so I'm going to cut the cord as much as I can.

Step 1: Stop using Gmail
This step will be tough, but my website hoster gives me an e-mail account so I'm going to start using it for my personal communication.  I can use Thunderbird which isn't as cool as Gmail, but at least it's relatively safe from prying eyes.

I have a Tor mail account as well so the FBI/NSA probably thinks I'm a child molesting pervert dealing illicit drugs and black market guns.  For the record, I'm none of those.

Step 2: Stop using Chrome
This step is the easiest as Firefox is more than an adequate replacement.

Step 3: Don't upgrade to another Android smartphone
I'm due for an upgrade so I'll get a Blackberry Q10 since I use my current phone only for checking e-mail, texting, calling and occasionally navigation.  The Blackberry will allow me to easily check my new personal account, will be better for texting because of the physical keyboard and has ok navigation.  I'll probably save up to get a Garmin for my car since it's something I can take to Europe or Asia.

I briefly considered an iPhone, but I already have enough plants in Apple's walled garden.

Step 4: Move blog from Blogger to Wordpress
This step will wait until after my vacation because I don't feel like messing with stuff now.

I don't really have much to hide, but I value what privacy I do have and I don't care to contribute to Google's efforts to own the internet.  Perhaps I should take my tinfoil hat off, but I like to be prepared.

Whole 30: Day 29

Energy level:
I had very little energy today because I slept poorly last night.

Mood:
My mood was just ok.

Cravings:
No cravings today except maybe for some butter.

Progress:

I'm still maintaining roughly five pounds of fat loss which is good for a month.  I'm also down nearly two inches off my spare tire.  My torso is much more solid now.

Goon

A stupid, but highly entertaining movie.  It's well cast and chock full of hockey violence.  It's definitely an adult movie so keep the younguns away.

I recommend this movie.

Whole 30: Day 28

Energy level:
My energy was pretty good today.

Mood:
My mood has been impacted more by my impending vacation than anything else, but I'm certainly less irritable these days.

Cravings:
These are gone, but I'm about ready to end this challenge and have a treat.  I know I can eat mostly Paleo from here on out and can use a ketogenic diet now and then to reset my blood sugar levels.

Progress:

I'm still maintaining the good progress and don't expect to lose any more weight though perhaps my waist could shrink a little bit more.

Whole 30: Day 27

Energy level:
I've had pretty good energy though not as much as yesterday.  I did take a nap this afternoon, but those don't have to indicate a lack of energy.

Mood:
My mood has been good today and my thoughts clear.

Cravings:
The cravings are now completely mental.  Given all the advertising and my past lifestyle, I don't think I could maintain Whole 30 or even Paleo 100% of the time, but I have done a good job resetting my blood sugar so eating crap is now a conscious choice rather than a necessity.

Progress:

I don't think my scale handles it when my weight goes down since lower weight seems paired with a larger body fat percentage.  I'm sure this scale can measure elite athletes so it should be accurate for me.  I'm not too chuffed either way since the progress is visible.

Whole 30: Day 26

Energy level:
I've had good energy today and accomplished quite a bit.

Mood:
It's Saturday and I'm going on vacation soon so my mood has been great.

Cravings:
I'm already starting to think about the foods I can eat next Thursday, but I don't have to have them.  I've proven I can stay the course physically, but perhaps not mentally.

Progress:

I'm still maintaining the fat loss.  I'm down 11 pounds, 7 of which are fat.  I'm almost down 1.5 inches from my spare tire.  I'm starting to get some definition in my torso which is one of my many fitness goals.

Whole 30: Day 25

Energy level:
I stayed up late last night watching the NBA Finals Game 7 so I was dragging a bit this morning.

Mood:
My mood was pretty good today.

Cravings:
These came back a bit seeing other people eat crap, but I'm doing alright.  I forgot to thaw out some deli meat so I didn't take a snack like I usually do.

Progress:

This morning I clocked in with the least amount of fat pounds since I started.  I'm pretty darn close to just 20% body fat which would be a big accomplishment for me.

Whole 30: Day 24

Energy level:
I ran out of gas once I got home, but did alright during the day.

Mood:
My mood was just ok today despite the good weather.  I skipped working out this morning so perhaps I'm missing out on some endorphins.

Cravings:
These are gone.

Progress:

I seemed to have reached my floor again.  I'm curious as to how lean I could get if I maintain this diet, but I'd like to add some more variety in.

Whole 30: Day 23

Energy level:
I slept in a bit this morning so I'd say my energy level has just been ok.  I got third during the second round of mitt work during boxing when I usually last the full three rounds.

Mood:
My mood has been pretty good.  It was a nice day out and I'm going on vacation soon.

Cravings:
These are gone.  I get body hungry, but no longer mind hungry.

Progress:

I would've expected the body fat to drop by now especially since I can see my spare tire is smaller.  No worries since the waist measurement is showing the loss.  I'm down more than two inches.

I can also tell the diet is working because I pee mostly water and dooker infrequently.  I guess those add up to an efficient gut which is always a good thing.

StrongLifts 5x5

Today marks the end of my first twelve week StrongLifts 5x5 cycle and I think it'll be my only one.  I did get my deadlift up to two plates and my bench to nearly one, but the other lifts didn't make as much progress.  Five sets of five reps each at a relatively heavy weight seems like overkill to me so I'll give Wendler's 5/3/1 a try after vacation.

I know this program works for some, but it didn't really work for me.

Whole 30: Day 22

Energy level:
I got a bit tired late in the afternoon, but I had a lot of meetings at work.

Mood:
My mood was pretty good.

Cravings:
I don't think I craved anything really and easily passed on doughnuts this morning.

Progress:

The numbers indicate my progress has stalled a bit, but I feel as lean and as mean as ever.  It's still tough to grab on to belly chunk so I'm going to chalk up these numbers to a finicky scale.  Heh.  They are what they are, but don't define my total fitness.

Headhunters

This Norwegian thriller is a bit eclectic, but worth watching.  It gets a little slow in the latter half, but picks up the pace in the end.  Some might recognize the dude who plays Jaime Lannister.  He's Danish, but I guess managed credible Norwegian. 

There are some over-the-top moments in this movie, but it's always nice to see something outside of the Hollywood mold.

Whole 30: Day 21

Energy level:
My energy has been good today, but it took me a little while to get going this morning.

Mood:
My mood has been good despite the usual crap at work.

Cravings:
I think these have become psychological at this point.  I'm surrounded by people eating the modern American diet and I'm tempted.  I know that pizza is going to taste bad, but it's still in my head.  I don't like to deny myself anything.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when the 30 days are up.  I'm sure I'll have some crap, but I'll make sure it's worth it.  I won't get storebought cookies, but I might eat some homemade pie with ice cream.

Progress:

My waist has been steadily shrinking the past 21 days and it's getting tougher for me to grab fat on my torso.  The spare tire is there, but it's nearly deflated.

Whole 30: Day 20

Energy level:
I didn't have as much energy today as I did yesterday, but I had enough to get quite a bit done. 

The carbs from the fruit I ate today didn't seem to spike my blood sugar.

Mood:
My mood was good, but not as good as yesterday's.

Cravings:
I'm still tempted by crap food I see on TV, but have been able to resist without any trouble.  I have to be careful with fruit since the added sugar does bring back some urges, but I finished it off today and will not get any more until this Saturday.

Progress:

I'm two-thirds through my challenge and my progress looks solid.  I've lost a little more than twelve pounds and my waist is more than 1.5 inches narrower which indicates a good bit of the weight loss is belly fat.

By the end of the next third, I'd like to lose another 0.5 inches off my waist while dropping the fat pounds a bit.  I'm not convinced my scale is adequately capturing reality, but perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog

People have talked this movie up so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I'm not a big fan of musicals, but this one is ok.  It's not anything I recommend you run out and see, but you shouldn't ask to turn it off if someone has it on.

Whole 30: Day 19

Energy level:
I took a Benadryl last night to clear out my sinuses and it knocked me out well enough for me to sleep a solid eight hours.  I got quite a bit done today and only felt tired for a little bit in the afternoon. 

I was able to move around the squash court about as well as ever.

Mood:
I haven't been in a better mood since I was in Australia.

Cravings:
These still come and go, but I finally added some carbs back in today with strawberries, raspberries and sweet potato.  They all tasted really sweet, but shouldn't knock me off the wagon at all.  The fruit is all less than 12% carbs by mass and sweet potatoes are good at evening out blood sugar.  I definitely expect to have more energy going forward and will finish the 30 days without a single cheat without any further struggle.

Progress:

My weight is at a low for this challenge and I feel lean and mean.  My waist is more than an inch smaller than when I started so the progress is real.

Whole 30: Day 18

Energy level:
I slept poorly again last night and struggled deadlifting this morning.  I suspect I'm not getting enough calories since my body isn't quite fat efficient.

Mood:
I was in a bad mood up until I started watching Breaking Bad.

Cravings:
The cravings were really strong today and I came close to breaking down.  Don't worry though because I'm determined to stick it out for the full thirty days and I've got plenty of willpower.  I'm going to get some sweet potatoes tomorrow which should really help.  I think I've gone carb-free for about as long as I can.

Progress:

Some strange things are going on with the measurements, but I'm not going to sweat it because I'm definitely leaner.  I can see it in where my gut used to be and in my face.  I think I feel healthier overall as well and that feeling is my main goal.  The numbers will get in line sooner or later.

Breaking Bad: Season 5, Part I

I'm not sure if the next eight episodes will be considered in Season 5 or not.  It doesn't matter because I'll watch them for sure.  This show is awesome, but these past eight episodes have been fantastic.  You've got the same themes as before, but now you add in Walt's transformation from bumbling high school chemistry teacher to meth kingpin.

Skyler is still my least favorite character followed by Walt, Jr.

All in all, Breaking Bad is one of the best shows on TV so check it out if you haven't already.

Whole 30: Day 17

Energy level:
It has been raining quite a bit and I didn't sleep well last night so my energy level was average today.

Mood:
My mood was good.

Cravings:
These haven't gone away completely as I nearly jacked some Asian chicken off someone's plate.  It looked just like Chinese fast food and smelled fantastic.  I'm sure it's covered in sugar and gluten, but it was still tempting.  Cookies sound good right about now as well.

Progress:

My waist is definitely shrinking which was one of my key objectives because belly fat is the worst for you.  I think eleven pounds lost over sixteen days or so is a decent amount and it seems like more than half was fat loss.  I'll assume the rest is water.

Game of Thrones: Season 3

I was able to power through nearly all of this season during FiOS' free On Demand weekend around Memorial Day and watched the rest via HBO Go.  I was a little disappointed with Season 2, but Season 3 picked up the slack.  It doesn't hurt the third book is more entertaining than the second, but there was finally a bit more action and bloodshed.

I like the casting of Tyrion and Tywin especially.

The real question is whether Martin will finish the series before the show catches up.

Whole 30: Day 16

Energy level:
I didn't sleep enough last night and had some strange dreams so my energy level was fairly low today.

Mood:
My mood has been solid.

Cravings:
I think the cravings are just in my head now because I don't like to deny myself anything.  I don't feel any particular hunger for crap which is good.  I'm at the take-it-or-leave-it level which is probably about as good as it's going to get for me.

Progress:

I don't mind the weight creeping up a little, but I'd really like to see the body fat trend downward.  I've still reset my blood sugar and fat metabolism so I'm on the right track, but I'd be happier about it if the numbers reflected how much better I feel.

Whole 30: Day 15

Energy level:
I had a decent amount of energy until this afternoon when I ran out of gas.  I think I'll add sweet potatoes back in this weekend.

Mood:
My mood was pretty good.

Cravings:
My cravings were under control except when I was driving home.  Cookies no longer appeal to me, but a milkshake sounds pretty good right about now.

Progress:

My scale has finally caught wise to my fat loss.  I'm not sure why it's delayed, but six fat pounds lost out of eleven total sounds about right because I probably lost a few pounds of water and bacteria from my gut.  Not too shabby.

My goal is to be at fifteen percent body fat at 190lbs so I don't mind the total weight going up.

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is wildly ambitious and mostly successful.  Some of the make-up jobs were a bit poor, but I liked how the same few actors played most of the main characters.  I don't know if I had the mental energy to follow all the plotlines or to extract any meaning, but I enjoyed this movie and recommend it. 

There are also some nice titties.

Whole 30: Day 14

Energy level:
I didn't want to get up this morning, but I had fairly good energy until I got home.

Mood:
My mood was mostly good today.

Cravings:
I didn't have any cravings yesterday, but they came back today.  I eat lunch in the cafeteria and saw a lot of folks eating the big cookies.  I wanted one, but was able to resist without too much trouble.  I am already starting to salivate over my post-30 reward meal, but I don't want to undo my hard work.  I've also got sixteen full days left on this program.

I haven't decided if I should stay nearly zero carb or I should start eating sweet potatoes again.  I'm making good progress so I think I'll try to tough it out as long as I can.

My jar of coconut oil came so I've got a high energy snack for work which will fill me up right quick.

Progress:

I'm still on pace for losing a pound a day which is crazy considering I'm nearly fourteen full days into the program.  Even if my scale doesn't think so, most of this weight has to be fat.  It better not be muscle or I'm going to be pissed.  Heh.  I was able to deadlift two plates this morning so I don't think so.  I feel pretty strong as well.

Whole 30: Day 13

Energy level:
I woke up early this morning to dooker out the curry ribs from last night, but have had good energy since.  I did quite a bit of exercising so I'm legitimately tired and did take a short nap this afternoon.  My head feels clear and my thoughts focused.

Mood:
I don't know if it's the sunshine or what, but I feel great.  I'm less irritable and feel...whole.

Cravings:
I no longer desire crap and I think I'd be able to turn it down without any trouble.  I was talking to my dad yesterday about our family vacation and I do plan to eat things like milkshakes and such, but I'll be able to keep it all in check thanks to this reset.

I wasn't as hungry today, but ate plenty.  I'm still consuming few carbohydrates so I must've switched my body over to mostly fat burning by now.  I still have plenty of fat to shed so we'll see.

Progress:

The weight loss tapered off a little bit yesterday, but I still feel lean and mean.  I'd like to see the fat pounds drop as rapidly as the full weight, but I suspect the inaccuracy of my scale.  We'll see.  I feel a lot leaner and my gut seems smaller, but I guess I'm paranoid I've lost some muscle.

Shadows Linger by Glen Cook

Cook's Black Company books are well-written, fast paced and full of plot twists.  The magic in his world is a little vague, but doesn't overwhelm the action.  I like the world he's built and his characters spring up with depth without needed excessive backstory.

I highly recommend this book.

Whole 30: Day 12

Energy level:
My energy was good today and I was able to get quite a bit done.  I started to get tired in the afternoon, but rallied.  I should sleep well tonight.

Mood:
It's Saturday so my mood is good.

Cravings:
My cravings for crap seemed to have stabilized a bit, but junk food still seems appealing for some reason.  I was hungry today, but not as ravenous as I was last week.  Slowly, but surely I'm increasing my fat metabolism.

Progress:

I changed up the chart a bit because the fat pounds weren't adequately capturing the progress.  I'm still losing around a pound a day, but hopefully none of it is muscle.  My gut has shrank quite a bit and I'm starting to get much more definition in my torso.

Whole 30: Day 11

Energy level:
My energy level was good today though I'm beat now.  I woke up many times during the night to piss for some reason.

Mood:
Despite a crappy day at work, I'm feeling pretty good.

Cravings:
The cravings are still there, but I think they're slowly moving to the background or at least I'm finding it easier to ignore them.  I was eyein' my coworker's stash of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but I don't think they'd taste as good as I think. 

I suppose I'll always be a sugar junkie so it's up to me to be vigilant so nothing gets out of control.  I've found eating coconut oil helps since it's pure fat and easily digested.  My plan is to have a spoonful before every meal to make sure I stay at least a bit ketogenic.

Progress:

Despite what the graph shows, I'm down more than ten pounds so I'm back on track for losing a pound a day.  I guess the other six pounds are water.  I feel much leaner and have trouble grabbing fat around my waist so I suspect the fat measurement is inaccurate.

Jack Reacher

This movie starts off slowly and the pace never increases.  The plot is lame, the action is boring and it seems like the entire movie exists just so Cruise looks good.  The only redeeming feature is Pike's rack.

I do not recommend this movie.

Whole 30: Day 10

Energy level:
I slept in a bit this morning and missed my morning workout, but I was juiced after boxing.  I did alright during the day, but I'm starting to fade now.

Mood:
My mood was surprisingly good given the crap at work.

Cravings:
The cravings for crap seem to have stabilized, but I'm still hungry often.  I think I need more fat to boost my caloric intake since I'm eating very few carbs.  I had a couple of pemmican sticks today and will eat some coconut oil here in a few minutes to top me off. 

In about another week or so, I'll add starchy carbs and occasional fruit.

Progress:

I've now completed one-third of the program and I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm down 9.6lbs of which roughly 4 are fat according to my scale.  Hopefully the rest is water and not muscle.  My spare tire is deflating which is always welcome.

Whole 30: Day 9

Energy level:
I had no energy this morning and slept in so I missed my morning workout.  I slogged through the day, but felt better after eating some coconut oil and going to boxing.

Mood:
It was only fair until boxing.  I've got to do a better job of letting go at work.

Cravings:
Surprisingly, the cravings were more intense today than they were on Day 1 which is a bit troublesome.  Cookies don't sound all that good, but ice cream does.

Progress:

It seems like I took a couple of steps backwards yesterday.  Weak, but it's bound to happen.  I didn't cheat on my diet at all, but I think I'm low on calories and my body isn't quite into pure fat burning mode.  I've got to stay ketogenic for another week or so and then I'll reintroduce starchy carbs.

I'm down 6.8lbs so I'm not going to cry in the corner about anything. 

Whole 30: Day 8

Energy level:
I had trouble getting up this morning and was sluggish for most of the day.

Mood:
My mood was poor this morning, but improved after I got home and fired up the first disc of Breaking Bad: Season 5.

Cravings:
I'm surprised I'm still hungry often and still crave junk food.  All I can think about now is ice cream over a brownie.  Holy moly does that sound good right now.  Fortunately, I don't have any crap in the house so it's easy for me to stay on track.  I know these cravings will decrease.  I'm pretty sure I'm eating plenty and I'm getting a lot of animal fat and protein.

Progress:

Progress is slowing down a bit, but I expected as much.  I hope I'm not asymptotically approaching 38lbs because I think I can get down to around 30 if I stick with this plan.

Whole 30: Day 7

Energy level:
I slept well last night until 3:30 this morning.  Then I slept fitfully until I got up at 5.  My energy level was good until about 4 this afternoon.

Mood:
I was in a good mood until about 4 this afternoon.  I don't think I ate anything bad for lunch, but I'm not sure.

Cravings:
I'm still thinking about junk food, but it's getting easier to resist.  I'm still hungry often, but it's reducing a little.  I must have really effed up my fat metabolism last month.

Progress:

I lost another pound yesterday, but I guess it was water instead of fat.  It's tough to say because the fat measurement on my scale is inaccurate.  My waist did shrink and that metric is more important.  Four fat pounds in six days is still pretty damn good and I figure I can lose another couple during the next week.

Whole 30: Day 6

Energy:
I slept poorly last night, but I think it was because I was nervous about today's 25 mile bike ride in the Tour de Cure - Saratoga.  I hadn't ridden in a while and wasn't as fast as I would've liked, but it wasn't too bad.  I'm properly sore and tired so I expect to sleep well tonight.

Mood:
We got some good news at work which is always good, but I'd say my mood was neutral otherwise.

Cravings:
These still haven't gone away.  I've been able to resist, but it's tougher than I expected this far along in my purge.  I guess May was really unkind to my blood sugar and it'll take another few days for sure.

Progress:

I lost two pounds over Day 5, but my scale says it wasn't fat.  I imagine tomorrow's reading will be similar to Day 4's in that I'll recover the roughly one fat pound lost per day trend.  We'll see.

I have lost enough chunk to get back to where I was about a month ago which is nice.

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

I don't know why Conan needed to be remade given its awesomeness, but this version was acceptable.  There was plenty of blood, titties and cheese.  It didn't have the epicness of the original and the lead dudes' man-boobs were distractingly large.

Ah, I just checked IMDb, and this Conan was also Khal Drogo which explains why he looked familiar.

I recommend this movie.

Whole 30: Day 5

Energy:
I didn't want to get up early this morning to get an oil change, but I've had pretty good energy.  I'm tired, but it's more from working out and mowing the front jungle than the apathetic tiredness which comes from eating poorly.

Mood:
It's Saturday and the sun was out so I was doing pretty well.

Cravings:
My need for sweet is subsiding a little bit each day, but hasn't gone away as quickly as I thought it would.  I'm hungry quite a bit, but that, too, is subsiding.  Hopefully the cravings will go away in a couple of days or perhaps I should have some fruit.  I'd really like to wait for the third week since I'm probably eating fewer than 25g of carbs a day.

Progress:

I'm still losing one fat pound per day on average.  Day 3 is the only day which doesn't fit the line made from the other points.  I figured I'd lose about three pounds per week, but I'm not complaining.