Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Cool tools
First, an update: the reason I haven't been posting here is that I have been too busy, not because I haven't been thinking a lot about the weight maintenance game, or keeping up with the running. As for my how its been going, the good news is that I ran a half marathon back in May, with a time I am pleased with. The bad news is that my weight has been ever so slowly creeping back. One step forward, 1.1 steps backwards.
I feel as if I am starting to make a very positive change. I have finally reached the point where I am really feeling heavy. I still wear my 'skinny' clothes but they feel a bit snug now. I can't deny that I've gained when I catch a reflection of myself. So I have a new determination to get back to all the good habits I had before.
Well, I've had a bit of luck or maybe divine intervention because just at this time 3 very helpful tools have come my way. These are Calorie Count Plus, The Hacker's Diet, and the 5BX exercise program.
Now, I've always been averse to calorie counting, because it seems like an unnatural way to live. But I've been thinking lately that living with a constant supply of energy rich food at our fingertips is not very natural either. So, I'm going to give it a go, at least for a while. I think it will be a good learning experience and help me recalibrate my sense of the proper quantity of food I need to maintain my weight.
I think Calorie Count Plus has been around for a while, but I've only become aware of it very recently, while I was searching through Firefox add-ons. CCP is an online tool that lets you record what you eat, and they will tally the calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc. Very handy and pretty easy to use. What really got me going is the Firefox add-on (see it here) that interfaces with this website. The neatest thing about this add-on is that it puts an "Eat Meter" on your browser so that you can see at a glance your calorie consumption throughout the day, and how many you have available if you want to stay within your target. Check it out!
The Hacker's Diet is an excellent diet plan for those who like to take an analytical approach to dieting. It is presented as an online book. Written with clarity and humor by an engineer, it boils down to this:
Finally, the 5BX program is calisthenics program designed for the Royal Canadian Air Force to keep their pilots in shape, and it has been very popular with the general public. It claims that if you follow the program you can stay in excellent shape using a workout that requires no special equipment and takes only 11 minutes a day. The Hacker's Diet recommends a modified version of this program, but I'm going to try to adopt the original 5BX (maybe it's the pilot angle). I will of course keep up my running. What really appeals to me about the 5BX is that it is a no-excuses program. You cannot honestly claim that you do not have the time (11 minutes), equipment (shoes), or proper weather to get your daily workout.
I'll try to update this blog from time to time, hopefully more frequently than in the past, but not every day. See you later.
I feel as if I am starting to make a very positive change. I have finally reached the point where I am really feeling heavy. I still wear my 'skinny' clothes but they feel a bit snug now. I can't deny that I've gained when I catch a reflection of myself. So I have a new determination to get back to all the good habits I had before.
Well, I've had a bit of luck or maybe divine intervention because just at this time 3 very helpful tools have come my way. These are Calorie Count Plus, The Hacker's Diet, and the 5BX exercise program.
Now, I've always been averse to calorie counting, because it seems like an unnatural way to live. But I've been thinking lately that living with a constant supply of energy rich food at our fingertips is not very natural either. So, I'm going to give it a go, at least for a while. I think it will be a good learning experience and help me recalibrate my sense of the proper quantity of food I need to maintain my weight.
I think Calorie Count Plus has been around for a while, but I've only become aware of it very recently, while I was searching through Firefox add-ons. CCP is an online tool that lets you record what you eat, and they will tally the calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc. Very handy and pretty easy to use. What really got me going is the Firefox add-on (see it here) that interfaces with this website. The neatest thing about this add-on is that it puts an "Eat Meter" on your browser so that you can see at a glance your calorie consumption throughout the day, and how many you have available if you want to stay within your target. Check it out!
The Hacker's Diet is an excellent diet plan for those who like to take an analytical approach to dieting. It is presented as an online book. Written with clarity and humor by an engineer, it boils down to this:
- Weight control is totally a function of calories in minus calories out.
- People who have trouble with weight gain have a faulty feedback circuit--i.e. their body does not give proper signals about when to eat and when to stop.
- Because of daily fluctuations in water balance, weighing yourself on a scale can be misleading and discouraging.
- The solution? Use a weighted averaging scheme to track your weight. This will show a clear trend and help you gauge your success. Then you can adjust your diet accordingly. Use this in place of your faulty appetite gauge.
Finally, the 5BX program is calisthenics program designed for the Royal Canadian Air Force to keep their pilots in shape, and it has been very popular with the general public. It claims that if you follow the program you can stay in excellent shape using a workout that requires no special equipment and takes only 11 minutes a day. The Hacker's Diet recommends a modified version of this program, but I'm going to try to adopt the original 5BX (maybe it's the pilot angle). I will of course keep up my running. What really appeals to me about the 5BX is that it is a no-excuses program. You cannot honestly claim that you do not have the time (11 minutes), equipment (shoes), or proper weather to get your daily workout.
I'll try to update this blog from time to time, hopefully more frequently than in the past, but not every day. See you later.
