Mojo Manifestation

Hibernation Manifestation

2009-01-31T22:29:00.004-05:00

Hello,

For people who check here often, you will be shocked to know I've been regular with my updates to Daily PicNick, my photoblog. In fact, I was able to blog 23 of the 31 days in January - with the only gaps coming due to vacations/trips. So I am putting Mojo Manifestation into hibernation for awhile (this time officially instead of by default). Don't get me wrong - I'm not giving up the WL fight, but I think having the more open format for typing up something interesting in my life, is liberating and I think I can be much more regular with updates.

So maybe I'll see you back here someday, but for now....the Mojo is going on the down-low.

Peace!
Nick

2009 PAD 2

2009-01-05T06:11:00.003-05:00

Change in plans for the picture a day effort. I created a new blog instead, makes it easier to add info about the picture and for ppl to leave feedback. I've named it the Daily PicNick, clever aren't I? ;)

http://dailypicnick.blogspot.com/

2009 PAD

2009-01-04T15:57:00.003-05:00

Hello,

I'm starting a new online effort, taking and uploading a Picture A Day for the entire year!

You can find the photo album here:

2009 PAD

Or you can view in any RSS viewer using this link: Nick's 2009 POD RSS

Nick

2009-01-04T02:29:00.002-05:00

Hello,
This was a TV interview done a couple years ago, as I was getting close to reaching goal. I met Florine at a local promotional event (with Leslie Sansone), and she was intrigued by my story. Would be nice to get back to that weight - I'm about 35 lbs higher right now. But I've at least maintained (while trying to lose) for the past six months.

Nick

Day Two, why do they smile as they cause me pain?

2008-12-02T22:58:00.003-05:00

Hello,

Pretty good day, my second on this agressive WL plan / diet. FYI - Cardio Kickboxing is painful when you don't do it that often; and my video was put on by three women who smiled broadly throughout at my anguish.

That workout was the result of an hour of failing to find a new gym. I went out to my city wellness center to check it out; they had a few treadmills and some workout machines - but most importantly, no contract and short term membership plans (1 month, 6 months). I quit Ballys over the summer since I never go there except in winter and it makes no sense to be paying that much every month. Anyway, I decided to sign up, but they said I had to come back when the admin office was open. AND, the guy would not let me workout tonight! So I left and stopped at another gym, but WAY too expensive for a 3 month deal. So I ended up home and brought up that workout off a DVR recording from FitTV. It was effective! To top it off, I went out and ran a mile in the 15 deg wind chills. I'm happy with day two.

Nick
-

Breakfast + Lunch - Target 15 points
1 coffee
1 papad
3 eggs
4 grilled cheese
2 bacon
5 palak paneer
=16

Dinner - Target 10 points
5 palak paneer
5 FA burgers w/ roasted red pepper sce

Goals Met (Y/N)

y_30 mins hard intensity exercise - prefer running
y_30 mins light or hard intensity exercise (i.e. a 30 walk @ work)
15 min hard run, 45 min kickboxing workout
y_Total Points Target 25 (20 if exercise goals not met)
26 - but a very rough estimate on home made foodstuffs
y_Water Intake Target 60 oz
FAIL_No eating after 9:30 PM (10:30)
y_Multi Vitamin Foraged

Morning WI: 218 (yesterday was 221)

New Month, New Week, New Attitude!

2008-12-01T22:04:00.002-05:00

Hello,

I'm sick of half-assed attempts at WL and pretty much disgusted with my weight gain. I am attempting to "fast track" my way to success and Mojo. So here I go for two weeks. So far one day down. Will there be more posts, and will this blog fizzle out again as I lose my fight yet again? We shall see.

I'm using a new format for WL goals, focusing on some key areas for me: eating earlier in the day, and getting exercise in.

Nick

Breakfast + Lunch - Target 15 points
2 coffee
3.5 granola barz
1 phakora
1 ww yogurt
2 apples

Dinner - Target 10 points
8 Pizza
4 stir fry leftovers

Goals Met (Y/N)
Y_30 mins hard intensity exercise - prefer running
Ran for 30 mins
Y_30 mins light or hard intensity exercise (i.e. a 30 walk @ work)
Ran for 15 mins.
Y_Total Points Target 25 (20 if exercise goals not met)
21.5, a bit under but I ate a LOT yesterday, and late.
Y_Water Intake Target 60 oz
Y_No eating after 9:30 PM
finished dinner at 9:50 PM
Y_Multi Vitamin Foraged

Back to WW

2008-08-05T00:03:00.005-04:00

Hello!

*steps up to mic* "Is this on? Is there anyone out there?"

It's been quite some time, so let me catch you up on my life! Weight-wise I was still meandering up the scale, reaching 217, but four weeks ago I decided to go back to WW. I did lose over 130 lbs when I was going regularly, so I really wanted to try to get back into that mindset and stop these gains! 217 is exactly 40 lbs higher than when I hit goal three years ago. Eek! Hadn't worked that out until just now. Das a lot!

So I went back to WW and the first two trips back were quite unsatisfying. I ended 14 days 0.6 lbs UP from where I started! I worked hard to not get frustrated, especially after I had spent the last weekend before that WI, working out more than I can ever remember! Ran on Friday, Biked on Saturday, and did a Run/Swim/Run combo on Sunday. But then last week dividends finally showed up with a 3.4 lb loss. So I'm re-invigorated about WL and WW and look forward to another good WI this Thursday.

So with the MS150, July ended as quite the active month for me.
July's totals:
Bike: 20h 43m 45s - 257.8 Mi
Run: 2h 40m 39s - 15.56 Mi
Swim: 50m - 800 Yd

Considering that all those numbers were pretty close to zero for April, May and June - that's pretty amazing!

I will try to check in more often!
Nick

Thursday Food Journal

2008-05-15T23:53:00.009-04:00

Hello,

Day two of Enough! has gone well. I'm in remarkably good spirits tonight, after winning a race in my rFactor online racing league with some friends. It was a nice payoff after a lot of practice over the past two weeks.

Worked a ton of hours today, but made progress on some things so didn't mind too much. Started with a 6am meeting (blah!) - hope I don't have to participate in that one too often!

Here is foodstuffs for today. Yes, the Enough! explanation is still planned for this weekend. Mostly, this delay is due to a busy week, but it's also good in that it gives me a few days to make sure I'm serious. This blog is a testament to one or two day starts and stalls.

1 coffee
5 ziti
1 yogurt
2 strawberries

3 waffles
3 pbj
5 ice cream
3 mushroom patties w/ salsa
1 cheese wedge

3.5 popcorn

=27.5
Water: 40oz

--
ETA: It's pretty damn impressive three of y'all found my post yesterday given that I only blog once every three months! Not sure what that implies about your social lives, but it makes me feel loved

Wednesday Food Journal

2008-05-14T18:19:00.005-04:00

Hello,
Have decided to try to revive this blog! I'm going to be posting my food journal here to start. I have had ENOUGH of my half-assed approach to WL and exercise! Longer post on that this weekend.

1 coffee
5 vegall w/MS

5 2x mushroom patties
1 cheese
3 waffles
3 ice cream

4.5 PBJ
5 mushroom patties
1 cheese wedge
=28.5

Total pts: 28.5 (target 26)
Water oz 30oz (target 60)

Mojo Man Lives

2008-03-18T21:06:00.005-04:00

Hello,

If a tree falls in the woods, and no one knows, does it make a sound? If a blog owner never blogs, and then he does, will anyone notice? I've been waiting for many months for a burst of consistant Mojo to strike me but it hasn't happened. So I'm here just to say hi and think in public. Who knows, maybe just typing some thoughts will help...

I have a new tool to help me with my extensive blogging - a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop. It's SO much faster than the Pentium3 machine I had been using! Still trying to get this Vista thing to work for me completely, but I've resisted the urge to 'upgrade' to XP so far. Currently installing the first service pack so we'll see if that solves some of the issues.

Weight-wise, I've picked up a few more lbs over the winter. It's to the point now where I don't feel very comfortable running and that is very bothersome. I was going to run the Athens, OH half-marathon in April but realized that it wasn't gonna happen at this weight. So I'm going down anyway to cheer on my friend Kris. I have the pom-poms packed, and am training now to be a bandit and run her in to the finish line! But the Ride for MS is coming up, where I'm going to ride my bike (the one w/out the motor) 200 miles in two days; and I'm thinking about running a HM in Grand Rapids, MI a few months out. So it's really time to get Active and lose this extra weight! I was taken aback recently, by a picture I came across of when I hit goal (175 lbs) about 2.5 years ago (damn - I can't BELIEVE it was that long ago!). Here it is - if you've seen me recently the difference is VERY noticeable. And that has motivated me. We'll see if it's a sputtering kinda Mojo like many of the posts on this blog, or if I can sustain it. Wish me luck!

In other activities, I've gotten much better at pool the last couple years. I joined a league that plays every Wednesday and have a good partner in my buddy Larry. I've doubled my average and it's fun as I'm still improving. Now, I have to rent "The Hustler" and see how I can make this work for me! Every other Thursday is rFactor racing night, with a few friends (computer racing simulation). I own five steering wheels and only two are attached to cars.

And very soon, about a month out, Golf league starts up on Tuesdays. I can't wait for warm weather! It's been a long, cold and snowy winter in Detroit and I want to feel the warmth of the sun! Ah, it's not too far off before I can be rollin' in the pretty car with the top off, shades on, good music playin'...mmmmm...I can't wait!

Nick

All about me

2008-01-16T01:17:00.000-05:00

Well I usually don't get involved with these blog games, or memes, but this one seemed really fun.

Instructions: Answer the questions below by typing your answer into Google image search. Post a photo from the FIRST results page. The results can be pretty interesting, and pretty funny sometimes, too.

For reference, in case you can't figure out my answer, I put my google search term after the pics. Here we go!

Age you will be on your next birthday?
"38"

Place you would like to visit?
"boston finish line"

One of your favorite places
"Sy Thai"

Your favorite object?
"electron blue corvette"

Your favorite food?
"thai curry noodles" aka Curry Pad Thai

Your favorite animal?
"budgie"

Your favorite color?
"scarlet"

Name of a past pet?
"happy"

Where you live?
"detroit"

1st grade teacher’s last name?
"Mrs. Tish"

Middle Name?
"pratap"

A bad habit of yours?

It's a tie ...
"sleep late"
"eating too many PBJ sandwiches"
"sudoku toilet"

Favorite flower?
"multi-colored roses"

Favorite Holiday?
(not really, but more fun)
"groundhogs day"

Your turn!!

The Nickathlon

2007-07-02T15:46:00.000-04:00

Hello,

Tried something new on the exercise front yesterday - a swim/bike/run combo! My backyard pool is finally looking wonderful, and I'm still well trained up from the MS150 in June - so the perfect time for it. I was targeting 40 mins for each activity but as you'll see it didn't turn out so well! Still, I might keep this format so I can try to beat my time in the future.

Event, Time, Pace, Notes
Swim 30 laps, 0:16:37, 33.2 sec/lap, 1 lap = ~60 feet of swimming

Prep for Bike, 0:06:49, Towel off, change clothes, shoes, helmet

Bike 12.1 miles, 0:50:58, 4m12s/mile - 14.2 mph, Through city streets, stop signs, lights

Prep for Run, 0:06:03, Store bike in garage, remove helmet
and stuff, strap on Ipod, peed.

Run 4 mi, 0:40:44, 10m11s/mile, 72 deg, no wind, low humidity

Total Time 2:01:11

So clearly I guessed wrong on how quickly I can swim my pool! Still it was a lot of fun and I look forward to trying it again soon. And it was a great way to do two hours of high HR exercise and not get bored.

Nick

A New Goal!

2007-05-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

Hello,
It's been awhile since I've jumped into the Mojo blogesphere! My focus has been on training runs leading up to last weeks Flying Pig half marathon. I did better than I thought I would, 2h:22m. The hilliest of the seven HM's I've run so I was content with that, given my weight is up 20 lbs from when I ran my best half back in 2005 (2:08). So now the focus turns to the MS 150 (http://bikerboy.notlong.com).

This will be my fourth year participating in this event, with my buddies Rick and Dan. Last year I upped it a notch and rode 200 miles in two days! This year, I'm focusing on riding faster and completing 150 miles. I'm upgrading my bike with clip-in pedals, which can add 20-30% more power for the same effort. With the HM just wrapping up, time is short to train however - the event is June 9th!

Foodwise, I'm dedicating myself to a long On-Program streak. For the following 60 days, I want to do the following
1) eat between 20 and 26 WW points a day
2) eat all my activity points from biking/running
3) drink 60 oz of water day
4) DO NOT eat real food* after 9 p.m.
* is OK!

Progress will be tracked in the sidebar. Where is the sidebar you ask? Its over there -->
Wish me luck!

Sunday WW point tracking:

POINTS Food
1.0 coffee
3.0 waffles
2.0 ssgs

3.0 pringles
14.0 tostitos
0.0 salsa
3.0 pbj
2.0 yogurt
2.0 applies

-4.0 APs for 20 miles biking

Total pts 26 (target 26)
Conclusion of major food intake befoe 9PM? Yes!
Water: 24oz so far, 60oz by sleepy time
Pistons sweep the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs? Nope.

Kensington Run

2007-02-28T20:35:00.000-05:00

Hello,

Finally got some exercise in today after NONE for three weeks! I went to Kensington Metropark and ran 4.5 miles of their trail. I usually apply a 1.5x multiplier to any distance there, as there are literally no portions of the trail that are flat - all hills, and big ones! So I'm counting it as a little over 6 miles. Gorgeous place to run though, and it was just warm enough to be comfortable.

Foodstuffs Consumed:
1 coffee

3 laughing cow cheese cubes
5 SO Fett Alf
2 apples

2 apple w/ PB
3 PBJ
2 Balance Choc/Caramel 100cal bar
3.5 TJs Tomato Soup with FA meatballz, onions, sun-dried tomats
3 PBJ

Total pts 24.5 (target 24)
Water 60oz (target 80)

Nick

Less Pig, More Goat

2007-02-27T01:11:00.000-05:00

Hello,

I'm am attempting to get my brain wrapped around the large MoJo push I need to have a successful Flying Pig. This involves eating less like a pig, and running like a goat. So I'm one for two today: OP eating-wise but that's coming off a high point weekend where I'm sure I gained more weight.

So plan is to run in the AM before work. The plan was also to get to sleep by Midnight but that just did not happen. We shall see what happens in the morning!

Total pts 26 (target ~30)
Water oz 55 (target 80)

Nick

Return to WW, Mojo Renewed

2007-02-11T18:38:00.000-05:00

Went back to a weight watchers meeting today! It's been a few months since my last visit, but the goal today was to get plugged back in to weekly meetings, and get the new material. WW changed their program a month or two back, including how you calculate your Points Target (how much you can eat everyday). Well as it turns out, my target went from 24 to 32! I can eat 33% more and lose weight - because it says so in their book!

OK, in reality I feel there is no f'ing way I can lose weight eating that much food (~1900 calories) - based on past experience. So here is what I'm going to do: eat 30 pts a day and try to avoid any weekly points allowance (you get 35 total). I've started journaling today and am taking in vast amounts of water. I have 3 months till the flying pig - it's time to get the weight off and running miles up!

Nick

Tuesday Return of MM

2007-01-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

Well I've recovered from the National Championship disaster, moving through denial, anger, and acceptance over the past week. Still not happy about it, will cringe when I think about it for probably many months. Ah well. Moving on.

I have signed up for my next run; a big step as I feel I'm somewhat at a crossroads in my running. I ran 4 half marathons last year and each was slower than my best time set in October of 2005. This May will be a big test - if I can get my weight back down near goal I think I'll be a lot more successful running. SO, if I'm successful in 1) weight reduction and 2) training for the then I will start to consider a much larger goal. I've thought someday I would attempt a full marathon and I get really excited thinking about a hard summer of traing leading up to this reward....we shall see!

Monday Journal

2 omelettes
.5 coffee
1.5 OJ

6 4x pbj

10 stir fry (boca ground, stir fry veges, oniions, water chest, tjs pepper mix, mushrooms, garlic, coco milk, thai roasted red pepper, oil, cumin, mustard seed, turmeric, stirfry sce, lemon juice)
2 tortillas

4 popcorn

Exercise: ZERO

Total pts 26 (target 24)
Water oz 46 (target 80)

Nick

Pre-game Nerves

2007-01-08T01:19:00.000-05:00

Well a week has passed with no running. I've been fighting a nasty cold that is in it's final throes. I hope to get back to activity on Tuesday. As for tomorrow, it's finally here! The National Championship game, Ohio State Buckeyes versus some stinky Gators from Florida. As you may know, I'm from Columbus and hold a degree from OSU. I BLEED scarlet and gray. I hope the game tomorrow turns out something like this:

Sunday food journal:
4 omelettes
3.5 ssg patties

5 2x salami sammiches
6 4x PBJ

3 tostitos scoops w/ salsa
3 salad w/ blue cheese, pepperoni, dressing
3 baby carrots w/ pb

3 popcorn
=30.5

More Running Equals More Thai Food

2006-12-31T02:03:00.000-05:00

Run for an hour, eat the food I love. It's just that simple. I can do this!

Brunch
0.5 Coffee
3.5 Pumpkin Pancakes

Dinner
20 Sy Thai Curry Pad Thai

More Dinner
8 PBJ
2 Tostitos scoops w/ salsa
1 Jello pudding cup

-10 ran 5 miles

=25 points
Water: 80oz

MojoMan - Ifestation

2006-12-30T13:57:00.000-05:00

Hello,
I'm back from a long hiatus of MM posting. Is anyone still out there? Hello? *echo helloooo....helloooo* Well per usual, if I'm posting I have a fresh dose of Weight Loss mojo brewing. I'm past the holiday madness, and much like the past 12 months, I've gotten through it with no loss, BUT no gain. This is cause for .

I've been mulling over my running goals and what weight I need to get to. I'm getting close to setting some fairly lofty goals for 2007. This NEEDS to lead to getting in the right mindset for me to have any chance of success. Goals and Mojo over nine month periods are tough though. Still more mulling to do before I list them out here. Here is my OP journal from Friday. Hope to post one later for today!

1 Coffee, Mmmmm
3.5 pear salad
3.5 GBs
1 Apple

2 Greens
2 beans
1 Scoops
2 Boca burgers w/ garlic salsa
1.5 corn
2 cornbread

1.5 GB
2 Apple
2 popcorn

Water: 60oz (woot!)
Total: 25 points

Happy New Year!
Nick

And the results

2006-11-23T00:31:00.000-05:00

Thank you Mojo suppliers for your pre-cruise injections. I felt their power for the full nine days and the results are in.

I ran 2-3 miles most days of the cruise.
I took the stairs from the 3rd floor to the 9th floor dining room every time, at least twice a day.
I ordered a healthier food option most times. i.e. sugar free dessert
I had one horrible breakdown, consuming roughly 50 points in 20 mins (chocolate and buffet were involved - 'nuff said), but made up for it by a) skipping breakfast/lunch the next day and b) running 5 miles the next morning

I returned to my home 2 pounds lighter than the day I left! I was quite thrilled and also quite amazed. I was eating an average of 50 points a day! How could I have lost weight?

There is a lot I can learn from this cruise. For one, I ate breakfast everyday. It was a sit-down meal, with made-to-order omelettes, fruit, potatoes, pancakes and juice. Easily 10-15 points. And I was eating less than everyone I was with. Anyway, I think this early meal (albeit after my run) really got my metabolism going for the rest of the day. And I think the early running does the same thing. I usually do all my running in the evening, so this was a very new experience.

Second of all, even if you factor out the running, there was lots of activity in my day. Walking all over the ship was the biggest form of activity - and those bad boys are big! Throw in shore excursions, snorkling, rock wall climbing, and jetskiing, and calories were being burned everywhere. Compare that to my normal days where I sit in a car 40 mins each way to go to work where I sit in a chair for 9 hours. Only to come home and sit and watch TV for 2 hours. Sure I throw in a few runs a week, but it does not compare to the ship lifestyle.

So I want to focus on trying to incorporate the following lifestyle changes, in some form:
1) Eating a real breakfast - drinking coffee does not count! With my not being a morning person this will be difficult, but there are many 'on the go' options
2) Try to get up early multiple times a week to run. In the winter this would be at the gym, where I'd have to shower and go to work directly.
3) Get in more activity. Take a break from work and walk for 30 mins between buildings and tunnels at work. Do quick workout videos at home.

We will see how it goes. I have done very poorly this week thus far, on incorporating these changes.

Nick

Morals for Morsels

2006-11-09T00:22:00.000-05:00

Hello!
I am posting an urgent request for Mojo Injection! See the handy link below to take action.

I am going on a 10 day cruise in a couple days and am dreading the unrivaled access to high-point food. As you know, these things for the most part are all inclusive when it comes to food with buffets and such all over the place. There is even an eating establishment open 24/7 offering such sustanance as pizza and french fries. Eeek! So if you have any tips, mental queues, strong drugs, face shields, or handcuffs - let me know!

I do have one thing I'm trying to keep in mind. It's from a WW meeting and my favorite leader of all time, Harriet. A gentleman was going on a cruise and worried about staying on plan. She asked him if he was married, and if there would be attractive women on the cruise. He answered yes to both and she asked him if he would be cheating on his wife with some of these women? He screamed "of course not!" (while at the same time giggling with glee at some private fantasy). So that was the point - when tasty food is placed in front of us, we should have JUST as strong personal conviction for not going off-program, as we do for our most important personal morals. Or maybe it was that married dudes should leave the hotties alone so there's more of them for me! Hmmm, now I have go think about that. In the meantime, I look forward to your comments!

Nick

Sunday Journal

2006-11-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

Points: 25.5, 1.5 over
water: 68 oz

Lunch: 10.0 points
3.0: kashi ceral with milk
7.0: bolono wraps

Dinner: 7.5 points
7.5: PBJ

Snack: 8.0 points
4.0: baby carrots w/ PB
4.0: Pita crisps w/ hummous

Nick

Saturday Food Journal

2006-11-05T02:02:00.000-05:00

Hello,
I pop in to journal my food intake for the day. I joined a 3 month challenge today to lose 12 lbs. 182.5 by the new year is the goal!
Nick

Breakfast: 7 points
4: omelettesx2
3: tj ssg patties x 3

Lunch: 6 points
6: pbj x 4

Dinner: 6 points
6: shiritaki pasta w/ mtballs and sce

Snack: 8 points
6: apples with pb
2: popcorn

Weight: 194.5
Points allowed: 24
Points: 27
Water: 60oz

It's Race Time

2006-10-28T12:49:00.000-04:00

Greeting Mojo Purveyors!
This is it! Tomorrow is the Detroit Free-Press Marathon/Half-Marathon that I've been training for. Unfortunately, mother nature is NOT cooperating - expecting temps in the mid-30s with winds in the 20MPH range! That is absolutely going to suck large male animal organs! Part of the course takes us into Windsor, Ontario, Canada over a bridge. Friends are coming into town to cheer me on, so that will be fun. My friend Kris is also coming into town to run the half marathon - her second. It will be my sixth. Will not be anywhere near my PR however - see prior MM posts below for many reasons why!

Wish me Warm Mojo for tomorrow!
Nick