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Seven down and an eternity to go
Liberty Foodie
lunch

Well here I am just about 10 days into that nasty four letter word called a diet. I will admit however, it’s not as bad as I anticipated it would be. Then again, I am still just tippy-toeing into it, not diving in head first. This way seems to work best for me.

And I am proud to report that with just a few modifications I’ve already dropped seven pounds.

What the heck?

Yep, hold on to your hats folks. So far I’ve just done two things to get the pounds to drop.

First thing was to cut down the Bud Light (and Coors and Miller Lite, PBR, Michelob, Heineken, Dos Equis…you get my drift).

As it turns out, you do get a beer belly from drinking beer, much to my dismay. Something about way too many extra calories and blah…blah…blah. Since my last foodie column I’ve only had one beer – AND IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON. This is huge people. Football without beer is like a Fourth of July without fireworks (at least for me it is).

The same goes for my favorite adult beverage - whiskey. I’ve cut that way down as well. Sometimes you just don’t realize how quickly those extra, yet nutrient empty calories, add up.

And if you’re a weekend lush like me – those were a lot of calories...holy moly.

The second thing I did was to increase my physical activity from nearly zero these past few months to almost every day.

Day one at the gym, I ALMOST DIED!!

Seriously, you forget just how out of shape and unconditioned you become when you don’t make physical activity a daily routine. I enjoy many hobbies but running is definitely NOT one of them.

But I avoided the treadmill and stepped on the elliptical on my first return visit to the gym. I brushed the cob-webs off my workout gloves, put them on and stepped on the machine. I set the manual controls and started moving. It felt good….for 5 minutes. Then reality set in.

My feet hurt. I can’t take another step. Why did I set this for 30 minutes? I’m sweating like heck. My heart is pounding. Someone help me…this machine is killing me!

But as they say the hardest thing is getting started.

The more I went, the easier those 30 minutes became. It also reminded me just how much I missed weight training. If I can’t make the gym then I make sure to ride my stationary bike at home. I also have some free weights and dumbbells at the house so no more excuses. I even dusted off my roller derby skates and now skate alongside the players as I coach them on strategy.

Lead by example right?

The one thing I will need to focus on next is my eating habits.

I managed to lose seven pounds, (Ok more than likely most of this is what they call water weight but it’s still seven less pounds to carry around), while still hitting up my favorite Latin food place (D &M Hispanic) for a get-together with my friends.

OMG, I had their Cuban sandwich with a side of yucca fries…and savored every bite!

I also feasted on a super huge breakfast this past weekend at Huddle House. Eggs and bacon and bacon and bacon and coffee.

I had to hit McDonald’s once as I rushed from assignment to assignment.

But I was good on this one…well if you consider opting for a chicken sandwich instead of a quarter-pounder good.

But even those three not so healthy meal stops were far less than I’ve opted for in the past. Baby steps people!

While the increase of activity and decrease of bad beverage intake has jump started the weight-loss, part two of actually refining my diet will likely be my biggest obstacle.

But I found that I actually enjoy garlic roasted Brussel sprouts, steamed or roasted red cabbage, brown rice and that I can go almost a whole week without eating red meat.

Look I’m Cuban…red meat, rice and black beans is a big part of our diet. As is roasted pig…OMG…just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

And when consuming meat what I’ve started to do is trim down the portion size. Less meat on the plate and more room for vegetables.

But I still plan to have my cheat days and I’m already planning my next foodie trip. I heard of a cool place in Brunswick called the Farmer and the Larder.

It’s operated by well-known local chef Matthew Raiford and his business partner and food Alchemist Jovan Sage. From what I know about Raiford the food is likely to be from locally grown or produced products.

I’ll keep you posted.

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