Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Week 11.5 Update - Shame On Me!



Eleven weeks have passed since the start of El Cubano Gordo, and together the 17 contestants have lost 68 pounds.

Four weeks remain and the field is still wide open. Steve commands a strong lead but his weight loss is grinding to a hault. Annie and Chris have taken a slow and steady approach, and could chip away at Steve's lead. Niza and Angelique round out the top five with a combined 9 pounds of weight loss.

C'mon. There are four weeks left and if you are really motivated you could lose 12 pounds.

I for one am finally motivated. What has me so inspired?

Shame and fear. The idea of organizing a weight-loss competition and then showing up at the celebratory party weighing exactly what I did when I started it, or worse a pound more, is just too pathetic.


El Cubano Gordo Tracker - March 22, 2009


Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Return Of The King




Hello Al and my fellow El Cubano Gordos –

Over the past several weeks I’ve been inundated – yes, inundated – by emails, phone calls, text messages, Twitter tweets and Facebook posts all asking the same question: “Pete, since you’re the reigning El Cubano Gordo Champion who so illustriously defeated – nay – thrashed the competition last year, how is it that you are currently near the bottom in current polls?”

Well, it is time to respond to my friends, competitors, former and future losers, and followers with a very simple answer: strategy.

That’s right. For the past 2 months I’ve been doing all I can to not pull too far ahead (i.e., “Pulling A Steve”) under the guise of friendly competition that seems open to all. Well the time has come to say enough. I hereby serve notice to all that my daily workout regimen has officially begun. This consists of 140 morning finger tip pushups (the final 75 which include a hand clap between reps), 5 mile run over my lunch break followed by a hearty lunch of 3 almonds wrapped in organic lettuce, and then a brisk walk with my wife and very short dachshund, Maude, whom just found out she has tapeworms (don’t worry, she’s fine and still does “the scooter” all over our carpet.)

So consider this your official notice. If there is anyone in the ranks who would like double up their personal wager, count me in. My pushup form is unstoppable and my bicep curls have already generated massive results.

Yours,

Pete




Recipe of the Week, From Men's Health
Caprese Pasta Salad Using Shirataki
From: Michael White, Convivio Restaurant, NYC
Ingredients
1 lb of asparagus thinly sliced
8 oz shirataki noodles, rinsed and drained
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup green peas, cooked
1 cup diced fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup of basil
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes. Remove the slides with a slotted spoon, drop them into the ice water and thend rain.
2. Place the noodles in the pot of boiling water for 30 seconds to warm them. Then drain the noodles and put them in a large bowl. Add the asparagus and the remaining ingredients - the tomatoes, green peas, mozzarella, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper - and toss together.
Per Serving: 386 calories, 15 grams of protein, 12 g carbs, 31 g fat, 7 g fiber.

Boo, Sadly, Sigh, Wow


Boo, Sadly, Sigh, Wow are all adjectives we used to describe our weight gains last week.


After all, the truth can hurt, but our performance last week may be the kick in the pants we need to create fitness and diet plans that generate long lasting weight loss.


Good luck to everyone as we try to put together a solid 7 weeks of dieting before our meeting in NYC.



Sunday, March 1, 2009

Falling off the Wagon - Trying to find Motivation


I've been hoping that no one has been paying much attention to my weigh ins. I started strong, but at a very specific point in time, I completely fell off the wagon and haven't been able to get back since. I can tell you the exact day and time it happened. A group from work was taking my brother out for lunch on his birthday and invited me to come along (1/30/09). They went to a pizza joint. Sure there were salads on the menu but they were pricey (that's my excuse) and I just couldn't say no to a $4.99 lunch special for 2 slices of pizza AND a drink! What a deal! Literally, after that day of "cheating" whatever had gone "click" in my brain to get me motivated, just as quickly "clicked" off and I haven't been able to figure out how to turn it back on ever since.

Which brings me to the question that I've been trying to figure out - what can motivate me to lose weight? In November I had my 20 year elementary school reunion. I knew about it for months. Was it enough motivation to make me want to give up pancakes and start working out? No. I only fit in about 25% of the clothes in my closet. You would think that would motivate me. In February, my nephew got married and everyone wanted to look fantastic for the wedding. Was that enough? Nope. I'm part of this awesome competition and my husband is the most competitive person ever and expects me to do well. Enough? No. I have five kids and want to be a healthy (and attractive) super mom who can keep up with them and not feel all jiggly when we dance around the room. Sounds motivating, right?

Well, I thought for sure when Lent started that if nothing else could motivate me, perhaps a promise to GOD would get me out of this carb-loving, couch potato mode. I told Steve on Tuesday, "it's FAT TUESDAY, hon! I can eat whatever I want so please don't lecture me because tomorrow, I am taking this weight loss thing seriously. I am making a promise to GOD." Surely this would be my motivation to 'behave'.

I didn't even make it to lunch. (I was having a stressful day at work and resorted to my ultimate "comfort" lunch - a grilled cheese, fries and sunkist.)

So here I am on Sunday. Still trying to find my motivation. Perhaps a new month will mean a new beginning for me. (But why start on a Sunday, I'll wait until tomorrow. haha)