Day 40 AD - Exercise is for LOSERS!

Uuugh!  The exercise program didn't last more than a day.  What a joke.  Ab ripper X???  How about Ab ripper suX!  I can't say that I knew it wouldn't happen.  The good news is that I put myself on the scale today and weighed 174 pounds!  I haven't gained much, if any back at all.  Not that I was doing this for weight loss - but it's just interesting to know.  For the past 40 days I have simply altered my eating habits.  I didn't "eat local" either - like I had previously suggested.  I just don't gorge myself at meal time and that seems to do the trick.  And sweating off a couple pounds on the tennis court every now and then doesn't hurt either.

Day 2 AD - Ab Ripper X

If you haven't seen it in a while, you have to check my healthometer.  I had a spike today that made me do a double take when I was on the scale.  from 172 to 181 in one day??? Is that possible.  Most certainly there is something mechanically wrong with my scale.  I'll have to have it calibrated tomorrow.  Must have been all of that salad that I ate yesterday.

Day 1 AD - Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen

My plans of not going overboard, went overboard thanks to Rob and Monika's family birthday party for their daughter Amanda.  It was a food fest and the desserts just kept coming.  This came AFTER the personal delivery of an entire box of chocolate covered strawberries from Pat (Thanks again for that Pat!) in the afternoon.  I completely gorged myself on chocolate covered strawberries - I just couldn't contain myself.  Then at the party, well, I couldn't be rude. . . with all of those homemade desserts.  It's going to be VERY interesting how my body reacts to this in the morning.

Day 40 - The Grand Finale

Here we are - at the finish line.  40 days.  I did it!  I know, I know - you're all soooo proud of me aren't you?  Well, I don't know who has really been following this (except Jen - so loyal and devoted! Thanks Jen) but for all you naysayers out there I just want to tell you that IT CAN BE DONE.  And it's not as difficult as you might think.  Here's a little recap of the challenge, a post on today and my plan for what is to come.

Day 39 - Blue Crab Feast

Ok - so I ruined the surprise with the title.  And YES - tonight was a celebration of the first haul of Blue Crabs this season!  It couldn't have come at a better time.  Variety is the spice of life and my spice tonight was blue crab.  It was so good and so sweet and I added a little drawn butter to kick it up to the next level.  With fresh crabs you don't even need that because they are so tasty by themselves - Mmmm, so good. Day 39 was awesome!  But it didn't start out that way. . .

Day 38 - The V Brick

I was very moody and stressed today.  Mostly because of other things going on with work and banks and mortgages and slow ass computers and speeding tickets and lawyers and broken windshields and rental cars and auto body repairs - blah, blah, blah, blah blah!  You throw hunger on top of all that and you have the perfect recipe for moody and stress.  Man I could go for a peanut butter cup.

Day 37 - Stupid, Jerky

I can tell that my mind is starting to fall out of survival mode.  There is light at the end of the tunnel and with three days left I am not being as prepared as I should for the finish.  For example, today is my long day at work and I have a lunch break in the middle of the day.  I NEED to plan ahead for Tuesdays and prepare some type of lunch or snack or meal for after work.  I totally spaced out and forgot to do that today.

Day 36 - Amazing Surf Fishing - M.B.

Not so much a Survivor report - but a great fishing report.

I was moping around today wondering what to do.  I knew I should go to the beach to check it out but I was just procrastinating.  I fished all day yesterday and felt like I wasted so much time.  And I didn't feel like suiting up in all of my gear for spearfishing.  I checked the beach-cam and it looked so beautiful - should I stay or should I go?  Well, I think I made the right choice.

The water was flat calm at the Monmouth Beach surf today at 1:00 pm.  Except for the fact that it was BOILING as far as the eye could see with HUMONGOUS fish.

Day 35 - A Day Out With Dad

If you haven't checked back yet, the MEGABURGER post is updated - I think it's kind of funny so check it out and let me know what you think.

The weather report was a little off for today but Dad and I had planned to go out fishing so we did.  It was a long and arduous boat ride to the Shrewsbury Rocks from my house.  Took about 2 hours - remember I was complaining a while back that I can drive to the beach and jump in the water in this same location in 10 minutes??? Well, I should have done that instead.  It was really great being out in the open air with Dad but we didn't have much luck with the big bass like I had hoped.  It was too chilly to jump in the water to try any spearfishing.  We got a couple nice reads on the fishfinder but no bites.

Day 34 - Relaxing Saturday

I have been living off megaburger for the past 2 days.  I haven't really felt hungry after eating that whole thing.  Maybe that's my body's way of regulating itself.  I've only been picking here and there on some rice and a handful of beans every so often.

Today I had to clean those two big fish that were sitting on ice.

Day 33 - The Bass Get Bigger

The weekend weather outlook is good for fishing and outdoors.  Finally.  I worked most of the day and was done around 2 so I decided to check out the Monmouth Beach Surf Cam online.  I use this frequently to see how calm or rough the ocean is.  The wind was minimal and the waves were small so I started making plans to do some fishing.  Next I checked the tide chart to see what I would be dealing with.  It was dead low tide.  Not good for surf fishing.

Day 32 - MEGABURGER!

As you may or may not know, my reward for surviving past week 4 is a big juicy hamburger with the works.  I've been thinking about this since Monday - trying to figure out the best place to go for my "best burger ever!"  I've had some really good ones close by - Ichabods, Zacharys, Barnacle Bills, The Pour House, Where's the Beef, Mudville Pub, KJ's, etc.  All top notch by burger standards.  But how was I going to top them all?  Hmmm, where to go indeed?  And then it hit me. . .

Day 31 - I got a little headache today - Yuck!

While I was at work one of my co-workers spilled a bottle of monomer on the floor.  For those who don't know what that is, it's a liquid that we mix with powder to make hard acrylic.  It is very caustic and I am very sensitive to the odor - which permeates the entire office when it is spilled.

Day 30 - Wow! 30 days so far.

I am 75% done with this challenge.  It actually goes pretty fast once you get into a groove.  I have to admit, the fantastic striped bass season (so far) has been a HUGE help.  I have not felt hungry yet.  Many times it is not hunger but just the desire for something different or sweet or savory that is difficult for me.

Day 29 - Just another manic Monday

I think I'm starting to grow gills and fins.  Fish fish fish fish fish.  That's all I eat.  And some rice and an occasional handful of beans.  It's time to go picking some dandelion greens again too.  I am having trouble finding the violet greens, which I like MUCH better, because I've eaten all of the flowers in the yard and I can't find the greens very easily without the flowers.  Funny huh. 

Day 28 - Feeling ill?

Nope.  I slept well, woke easy and didn't gain a pound (see healthometer).  The weather was total crap today - cold and windy.  I spent a while cleaning the bass I shot on Friday.  They were sitting nicely in an icy cooler and cleaned up quite well - sashimi style. 

Day 27 - Special Occasion Reward Day

Today was Carly's communion and we were also planning to go to the Trump Country Club for a brunch celebration afterward.  As per my rules, I traded in my week 3 reward for this special occasion reward and put the challenge on hold this afternoon.  I indulged my sweet tooth and caught up on some much missed greens and veggies.  All in all I did a pretty good job at not going over the top crazy - I think.

Day 26 - A Successful Hunt!

The hunter in me came out today and I was on the prowl.  Fortunately for me, I was successful.  Unfortunately, it was still fish that I was hunting - rather than the turkey, goose or rabbit that I have been thinking about lately.  I dusted off my wetsuit this afternoon and got all of my gear ready for spearfishing.  It's been a couple of years since I have tried this (unsuccessfully) in New Jersey so I really wasn't too optimistic.  However, with all of the striped bass activity lately off the beach, I thought it was worth a try.  My hunch paid off.

Day 25 - More boring crap

I need to liven this challenge up a bit.  I wouldn't read it if I were you.  Early start to today.  I didn't have the desire to cook at 5:30 am so I just stuffed a bunch of pre-cooked beans and rice in a lunch container and brought it to work.  I sprinkled a little salt on it for flavor.  Man - that salt is lasting a long time - that was a great idea to make the salt the first week.  I use a tiny bit on almost everything.

I paid the price from lack of preparation at work today because all I had was. . .

Day 24 - What to do when the Challenge is over?

Sorry to be a boring blogger but when you're at work from the early morning until 6 pm, then go to photography class from 7 to 9, there's not much to report.  As much as everyone likes to hear about other people getting root canals, I'm not going to go there (yet).

I was smart this morning - cooked up a nice bass fillet with some salt, pepper, rice.  Added some smoked bass and packaged it up to take to work.  I snacked on it a little on the car ride,

Day 23 - Reflection

Nothing significant to report today.  Fish, rice, fish, rice, some greens here and there, some wild garlic and onions.  Bad breath.  And an occasional sweet treat of frozen pineapple.  I do have some observations that I have been meaning to write about.  It's just been so busy lately with the past few reports and photos that I haven't shared some other insightful things that I have discovered during this experience.  I think you may find it interesting. . .

Day 22 - Lucky Mr Turkey

I dropped off the kids at school today and in addition to the normal resident geese that I usually see on the school grounds, there was a wild turkey.  The kids were very excited and wanted me to just go out and "get that turkey."  I told them that turkeys don't want to be gotten and it wouldn't be as easy as inviting him over for dinner.  Turkeys are really fast!  Ty wanted me to go right back home and get the wrist rocket and some marbles and take some shots at this bird.  I have to be honest, I really wanted to do the same thing.  A wild turkey would make a fantastic meal and is just the variety I have been searching for.

Day 21 - Marathon Day

Don't misunderstand, this was not a marathon day for the Survivor Challenge - it was the actual NJ Marathon and the route was planned to go right past our front lawn.  What a neat experience.  Thousands of runners went by from 9 am until 1pm.  It was a hot 85 degree day and these people were sweating.  We moved our sprinkler to the front lawn and pointed it into the street so the runners could go by and get a quick sprinkle of water.  They were really appreciative and overall they were very nice people. 

Day 20 - Half way home!

Here we are at the halfway point - Day 20 - and still going strong!  In a couple days I will have completed my third week and the reward for week three is some fruit (a pineapple, orange and lemon).  Debbie picked them up at Whole Foods today so that the pineapple would be ripe (hopefully) by Monday.  This fruit is going to taste really good - especially the sweetness of the pineapple.  I skipped my last weekly challenge reward because I am going to trade it for an upcoming special occasion reward. 

Day 19 - Great day for fishing!

I had asked several people to go fishing with me this morning - you know who you are!  And ALL of them bailed out at the last minute or came up with some type of excuse - work, weather, doctors apt, communion preparation, etc.  It was almost enough to make me not go.  But all I can say right now is YOU ALL MISSED OUT.

Day 18 - Forgetful

Whoops! I had a little brain fart today and I forgot to prepare myself some breakfast AND lunch before work.  It was an early start and I was checking e-mail or something and before I knew it I had to leave for work.  I had a bluefish fillet in the fridge but not cooked and I had some rice and beans but I didn't pack any up.  I also had leftover greens that I am still a bit repulsed by.  So needless to say, I had about an 8 hour stint from 5 am on without anything but water (and that damn 1 piece left of chocolate angel food cake staring at me - sitting in a ziplock bag on the counter all day at work). 

Day 17 - Sashimi lunch

Bloggedy blog blog blog. . . It's tough to write stuff every day!  So far, not much to report.  My weight dipped a little bit again today (15 pounds lighter than starting day).  I feel quite good.  I was really looking forward to my sashimi lunch but it was a bit anticlimactic.

Day 16 - Wind blown kayak

Breakfast - glass of water
Lunch - bottle of water, container of rice and beans and the smell of a chocolate angel food cake. Mmmmm.
Dinner - glass of water, piece of striped bass
snacks - glasses of water, handful of beans here and there.

When I got home from work around 7:30 I had the great idea to jump in the kayak for a quick fishing excursion but as I started paddling to my spot the wind picked up quite a bit.

Day 15 - Keeping busy

Today I was dreading the fact that I really didn't have much to do and the weather report was once again forecasting rain and yuck.  However, I got through it fairly easily by finding some stuff to do around the house that I had been procrastinating.  In the middle of the day there was about a 2 hour break in the rain and drear so I used that opportunity to hop on the kayak for a little exercise and I was pleasantly surprised at the result.

Day 14 - I hate Day 14

I don't have a whole lot to do today.  It's raining outside so I'm stuck inside and my kids have a recent fascination with the TV Food Network.  Granted it's better than Nickelodeon or goofy cartoons but the food, the food, the FOOD!  It all looks sooooooo good.  Ace of Cakes, Good Eats, The Best Thing I Ever Ate!  Come on!  All I want is something sweet and savory and my meal plan just aint cutting it. 

Day 13 - Mastering the smoker

Although it is Saturday there is no rest for the weary.  It's kids baseball day!  Ty has a game at 8:30 am followed by Jamie's at 11.  Debbie is doing some work this morning so I am on baseball duty.
It was fun but we were rushed in the morning which made it difficult for me to eat breakfast.  I quickly sauteed some striped bass pieces which were quite delicious.  I'm getting pretty good at that and the way I slice it makes it cook very quickly. 

Day 12 - Smoking some fish

I have a nice batch of striped bass pieces drying in the refrigerator today.  Last night I made some brine with water, salt and some maple syrup (almost all gone).  I soaked the fish overnight and this morning I laid it all out on a drying rack and put it in the fridge.  I am trying to get a pellicle to form which is a sticky glaze on the outside of the meat.  This will let the smoke adhere to it.

Day 11 - Blues in the backyard

This is a long fishing report so if you're not interested then don't bother.
I had to add another post to Day 11 because of this very exciting event (if you're a fisherman).  After work I took Jamie out in the kayak at the end of my street.  There is access to the Branchport Creek of the Shrewsbury River.  I rigged a bicycle-kayak trailer so I can get some exercise when I go kayak fishing.  I'll post pictures of that later.  Anyway, we put the kayak in basically in my backyard and as we start paddling out we saw the splashes of many fish all around. 

Day 11 - The need for green

Got on the scale this morning and it read 179.  Down 11 pounds from my 190 starting point.  So that's 11 pounds in 11 days.  Interesting.  I'm not really intent on losing a bunch of weight with this diet and about 175 is as low as I really want to go.  I figure if I go to 175 then after I stop the diet I will probably put back on about 5-10 pretty easily.  So my target weight is ideally somewhere between 180-185.

That being said, I am going to have to figure out how to stay on this diet til the end - without losing any more weight (once I hit 175ish).  Hmmm.  Another challenge. 

Day 10 - Surviving the day at work

I had to rush a bit this morning because I had a long day ahead.  I work until 6 and then I have a digital photography class after work.  I had to get my camera together, make lunch, steam some clams, vacuum up some more fish fillets and get ready for work.  I was in a rush and left the kitchen a whirlwind - sorry Deb, I'll clean up later.  I got to work and at some point in the mid morning a box arrives and is sitting on our lunch table.  It had a Dr Cuozzo label on it so it must be from his office.  I opened it up and inside

Day 9 - Farewell Mr. Fredrickson

Long day ahead at work.  It was easier knowing that I had some nice striped bass in the cooler on ice - ready to fillet when I got home.  That wasn't going to be until 7:30 pm though.  And I had about an hour of cleaning to do before I could even start cooking.  So I had my regular beans and rice for lunch at work.

When I got home the kids were excited to tell me all about how they let Mr Fredrickson go back home.

Day 8 - The day of the Striped Bass

Got a good night sleep - looking forward to my upcoming fishing adventure with dad.  Woke up and had some clams for breakfast.  No, not your ordinary clams - these had butter, salt and pepper!!!  What a difference.  This photo may look like a pan full of worms but

Day 7 - One Week Down!

I woke up this morning and went right out to Takanassee Lake because I thought there may be a chance to catch a trout for lunch.  Ha!  Boy was I mistaken.  I counted a hundred casts with my little gold spinner before I left (freezing my ass off).  Should I just give up my quest for trout?

Day 6 - Fish? hardly.

What  can I say about Day 6?  It's Saturday.  Ty had his first baseball game at 8:30 in the morning and the weather was threatening rain but never did happen.  It was a cold and dreary morning and the ocean and river were basically out of the question for fishing.  I still had a nice supply of clams but that's not going to sustain me for much longer.  Plus I'm getting sick of them.

Day 5 - Gone Fishing

I woke up this morning with high hopes in catching some type of fish for the grill.  The weather was threatening to rain all morning but I decided to throw caution to the wind and take the boat out.  I grabbed a handful of beans from the fridge for breakfast and brought some clams and worms with me for bait.  Today was the first day out on the boat this season so that in itself is usually an adventure.  Something always goes wrong with either the engine or the steering or the trailer or one of the other hundred things that could have something go wrong.  What was it going to be this year? 

Day 4 - Blogs?

I finally caught up to my blog.  Isn't 'blog' a stupid word?  I still don't fully understand it.  What's even the point of all this blogging.  Nobody knows or cares that I'm even doing this.  Well, I suppose I'll just call it a personal log to document my experiences - for me.

Had to get up at 5 today for work.  I guess I'll be skipping the photo session on Thursdays.  And breakfast too for that matter.

Day 4 - Clamming

Headed out this evening to restock my clam supplies.  Went with Ty, Pat and Jonah and we hit the end of low tide so there wasn't too much sand left to dig for steamers.  Surprisingly we did quite well.  This spot is very good.  Stocked up on some big cherrystones and a bunch of steamers and also collected some large worms

Day 3 - Sashimi

Waking up today without a headache was the best start I could have asked for.  Anyone who has suffered from headaches knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Breakfast today - well I was out of my cooked rice and beans and I didn't feel like having clams for breakfast so I just picked on some of the leftover greens from yesterday.  It wasn't much but I usually don't eat much for breakfast anyway.  Today is Wednesday and once a week I have allowed myself a sashimi lunch as part of this plan.  Let me explain why. . .

Day 2 - The Headache

Uuuugggh - What a day.  Debbie told me to expect this but did I listen?  Nope.  I woke up with a mild headache today that progressively got worse and worse and worse and worse (how many times can I write worse?) and worse throughout the day and when I got home from work it was still there. 

Day 1 . . .continued

Hmmm. . . what's for breakfast?

My agenda for today was to get my rations of beans and rice and some containers to put them in.  I also have to get some greens from the lawn and I have a great idea for some seasonings (read on).  I have been trying to find some places to catch fish for the past couple of days but have been unsuccessful.  I am a little worried about that. 

Day 1 - The Beginning (April 12, 2010)

Well, here we go again.  This is the official start of Survivor Diet Challenge II.  It will hopefully run from April 12, 2010 through May 21 ending on Memorial Day weekend.

Each day I am planning on waking up and recording my weight and blood pressure and at some point in the morning I will take a photo from the belly up and a profile photo.

Today I was excited to get started but I have to say that I was a little nervous about what I was about to embark upon (again).