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My Google cording cutting continues as all future entries will be found at jawahlblog.wordpress.com.

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.