Currently 5.0

I felt like I was getting too comfortable on the tredmill, so I increased the speed, normally I keep it at 4.6 and switch the speed back and forth every minute (minus the 5 minute warm up) today I was at 5.0 and loved the challenge, about 5 weeks ago, it was hard for me to keep up at 4.4, but now running at 5.0... I can tell my endurance is building up.

I shouldn't jinx it tho, with my little ankle issue I had on saturday (all better btw) I tweeted Jas Rao (@JasRao) (<--- if you would like to follow him on twitter)... earlier to check and see how he's doing, my journalist workout buddy from across the pond. He went to Holland for holiday, but went to the movies and just bought water. I'm doing the same thing, I feel so much better that I'm not drinking coffee (plus saving some money haha)

Not much more to update, just getting off of work soon...

I was feeling like...

Shit this morning... Seriously feeling like crap... like 90% of Americans feel, especially those who feel like they are in a dead end job and not being valued for their self worth. It can really hurt someones self esteem. On my real late night shifts at the radio station, I was so thankful there was a dominos right up the street, where i could order a large deep dish extra cheese pizza... all to myself. Ohhh and cheesy bread!!! nom nom nom. These days, I've traded in my pizza cravings for whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies... so far so good.

Today I got two reject letters from two networks I REALLY want to work for, I know the market is competitive, but I know I'm qualified and can do so much more for the companies.. not all hope is lost, I keep applying every time I see a new job that fits my qualifications.

I want to feel good, I hate feeling depress when things could be better but its not like I'm at rock bottom like I was a couple of months ago. 7am passes... 8am passes....9am passes...10 passes... finally at 11:30am I made myself go to the gym, that to me was the only way to make myself feel good. Stuffing my face with food is NOT an option anymore...

Usually I'm burning 420 calories on the eliptical (sp?) this time I came up to 415, but on the tredmill usually i burn 250 with that previous method i wrote about... but this time it came out to be 280, I increased the cooling down level by 2 points and the last two minutes ran straight through... I'm pretty confident by next week I can get up to 4.8, but we will see.

There's only one rowing machine at my gym, normally its taken but this time it wasn't, I got on there for 10 minutes, burnt about 75 calories, I totally made up for those 5 calories i didn't burn on the first machine.

I had a crappy ass weekend too, where I didn't go to the gym for two days, i made it outside to run by the beach. I got hella sunburn, on my way home I tripped and twisted my ankle. In bed, I was crabby and mad I couldn't make it out to my friend's birthday...in bed tho i was using my free weights to work out my arms. I barely broke out into a sweat but felt a good burn. Still that wasn't enough for me. This morning, no swelling... right now, it doesn't hurt. I'm clumsy, but even when I hurt myself, I heal quick.

how do I feel now? 110% better, thanks to the gym, drinking plenty of water now off to shower, make my lunch & dinner and head to the radio studio

Cool Tredmill Regime

 Believe me, it makes your workout go by faster and you will be pleased with the 250+ calories you burn in a half in hour... this is a part of my hour cardio. It's a good workout, especially when you are just getting back into an old workout routine. It's helped me build up endurance, I walk it until I get to 4.6

Set 1
5 minutes - 3.4 speed (warm up)

Set 2
5 minutes
1st min - 4.0
2nd min - 3.4
3rd min - 4.0
4th min - 3.4
5th min - 4.0

Set 3
5 minutes

1st min - 4.2
2nd min - 3.4
3rd min - 4.2
4th min - 3.4
5th min - 4.2

Set 4
5 minutes
1st min - 4.4
2nd min - 3.4
3rd min - 4.4
4th min - 3.4
5th min 4.4

Set 5
5 minutes
1st min - 4.6
2nd min - 3.4
3rd min - 4.6
4th min - 3.4
5th min - 4.6

To make my 30 min mark, I just repeat set 5, once I feel more comfortable I will up the second set of 5 to 4.8

Don't Believe Burma Superstar! You CAN make your own TEA LEAF salad!

I love my neighborhood in San Francisco, I live in the Richmond district. Our district is very unique, when it comes to food. Right at my doorstep, I'm surrounded by cuisines from all over the world. When I was growing up, the Mandarin/Cantonese restaurants dominated, my aunt Dolores would take my cousin Sarah and I out to Dim Sum every weekend! Dim Sum is a small dishes that cost anywhere from 1-6 dollars. After the Soviet Union collapsed, there was a wave of Russian Delis and Bakeries.

You would all assume my favorite cuisine is Indian and it's ONE of my favorites, I love Burmese food as well. My favorite is the Tea Leaf Salad, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. For a long time, I've gone to Burma Superstar, Pagan, Mandalay and Little Star. I always wanted to make this at home, but they told me this "tea leaf" is "imported" from Burma and you can't get it in America. I let it go, but since I've started cooking at home more often --- because I KNOW what goes in the food,  I really want to make this salad. Sure enough, Burma Superstar told me a little "white" lie, you can make your own tea leaf salad and add your own twist. Check out this recipe!

5 teaspoons laphet (fermented tea leaves)

 

2 teaspoons crispy fried garlic

 

2 teaspoons crispy fried yellow beans

 

2 teaspoons roasted peanuts

 

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

 

Extra Ingredients (add to your liking)

 

- Chopped Tomato

 

- Chopped Cabbage

 - Peeled Garlic

 

- Green chili

 

Dressing:

 

1/2 teaspoon limejuice

 

3 teaspoons peanut oil

 

First, put laphet (fermented tea leaves) into a bowl. If you want your laphet to be spicy, pound la-phet and green chili together in a mortar. It'll became a paste. Pour 3 teaspoons of peanut oil. Leave it for awhile so that laphet can soak up the oil.

Put in crispy fried garlic, crispy fried yellow beans, roasted peanuts and sesame seeds in the bowl. Mix them together. You can also add chopped tomato, chopped cabbage, dried prawns, peeled garlic and green chili as you like.

Put 1/2 teaspoon of limejuice

I love water

You want to get back on track, this is a solid plan right here... WATER. My friend Sonie, who has the "Dr. Sonie Show" on 1170am, always stresses this. I notice I work out better when I drink a bottle of water right before my workouts. I will drink water when I feel "tempted" by those sidetrack cravings. It helps to revive you organs (and keep them working) Some studies have shown it helps speed up metabolisms, for those of you who have a slow metabolism. We are suppose to have 8 to 10 servings of water. I keep a bottle that serves up to 2, drink it at least 4x (and extra on work out days) it's simple math.

Here's some tips from ehow on how water can help you lose weight


Metabolism

•According to the Weight Loss for All website, drinking water can increase your metabolism. They claim that after drinking water, your body will burn calories 3 percent faster.

Appetite

•Drinking water is known to decrease appetite. According to Science Daily, the body often can't distinguish between being hungry and being thirsty. Drinking water when you feel hungry prevents unnecessary cravings.

Calories

•Replace soda and coffee with plain water to cut down your calorie intake. It is the simple difference between drinking a high-calorie beverage and a no-calorie beverage.

Toxins

•Water is an essential nutrient. It carries other nutrients, regulates body temperature and flushes toxins from the body. Drinking water helps to reduce your weight by regulating bowel functions and preventing water retention.

Petz... what's up with your blog title?

Are you experiencing low self esteem issues?

No.

I thought the title of this blog would catch people's attention, it's my way of putting a positive spin on "fat" because I've been called every ugly name you can imagine associated with "fat" oh yeah, hurts like hell. With this title, I get to take "fat" back and put my own petz twist to it. My goal is to lose 70 pounds by April. If I accomplish the goal, I will still keep this blog title, as a reminder of where I started from and where I never want to be again.

You dig?

For San Francisco Folks - Boot Camp SF 40 dollars!

BootCamp SF 40 dollars for 10 classes! 

I love a good deal!!! This deal is hot my friends, you can get 10 boot camp SF classes for 40 dollars!!! I've never been to a boot camp class, I'm a little nervous - but excited! I love exercising outside, but looking at this pic, I can barely do one push up, much less do six with one hand! click on the link above if you are interested in participating. Please read the rules at the bottom...

"Limit 1 per person, buy as many as you'd like as gifts • Class space subject to availability • All classes must be redeemed by same customer; cannot be shared • Classes are six week sessions; once someone attends first class, the next seven must be used in those six weeks • Valid for new clients only • Other conditions apply • Promotional value expires on 10/05/11"

My 10 pounds of fat

I googled for a picture of what 10 pounds of fat would look like, this pretty much sums it up - what I've lost so far. For you pop culture fanatics, who can forget Oprah's wagon of fat? But it was one of those "fad" diets, she regain the weight back. I think anyone struggling with weight loss, we do look up to Oprah. I admire her candid honesty, something that's rare to find in a journalist these days.

Exercise Regime

 I always aim to do an hour worth a cardio, what helps me remain focus, I always drink a bottle of water before I hit the gym. It gives me a refreshing feeling. If I'm working out in the mornings especially, I don't have a sluggish feeling. After an hour of cardio, I spend the next half in hour doing weights, crunches on the board and simple yoga moves.

In my fitter days, I could do 100 crunches, as of right now I can only do 20/30. The good news is I'm not feeling winded after doing 10 crunches.

My gym is the local YMCA, right by my house, so I really have no excuse NOT to go. The Y is special, it used to be my preschool, I don't have the best of memories because the kids would always pick on me for being "weird" my first friend at preschool happen to be the preschool teacher.  Eve Becker, I've tried looking her up, if anyone knows her, she worked at the Y in the mid to late 80s. Her sister Rose also worked there too,  it would be cool to meet up, just to tell her thanks.

As I mention earlier, I have a pretty gnarly work schedule, SLEEP is important. I have to keep reminding myself "sleep = better workouts". When I get back to the city, I'm usually in downtown SF, I walk 5 miles from downtown to the Richmond district. To build endurance, I have two routes...

1st Route

Going up California Street and tackling that huge hill.  It builds up my endurance. It's pretty much a straight shoot, with a few more baby hills.

or...

2nd route

Walking to Fisherman Wharf, up leavenworth to lombard where I hike up the crooked street 
and make my way to Buchanan Street to California St.

I normally save the 2nd route for thursday mornings. My 5 mile walks happen 3x a week, this week I'm reaching my one month mark. Sometimes if I'm out with friends and make it back to the city, I will do the walk on the weekends.

I do one day of rest, sometimes tuesdays or thursdays.... but never go to the gym 7x a week, more like 6x (...ok 5x too if I need an extra day of rest)

The whole 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, I religiously follow, the only drinking I'm doing is mostly at a wine tasting event I like to go to on Saturdays. (Check out Blackwell). No more coffee, no more fraps - I've traded those in for green tea and organic honey.

Back to better eating habits

 No matter what you are told, the basics to losing weight is simply eating healthy and working out. Let's take the Kardashian sisters, the whole "quicktrim fad" (yes, I bought into it too) for the first week or so, I was on it, then I got to thinking I should do some research on it. I was horrified that people were being rushed to the hospital, getting their stomach pump and getting sick. As for myself, I did get a slight headache and I knew it was time to stop. It's hard for us to program this simply formula of eating right and working out, because we want to lose weight so badly and quickly (another huge mistake -- if you lose the weight too quickly, you gain it all back faster plus some extra pounds)

I'm not going to lie, my first round I was on supplements, I used the MHP products --- mostly the XPEL which was a water weight pill. I did my research on it from bodybuilders.com, I didn't have any side effects, it did its job, but I had to keep myself hydrated. You probably think I'm a hypocrit, dissing "quick trim" but endorsing MHP products. While I believe, 90% of what's out on the market in regards to supplements, is nothing but a load of crap and poisonous chemicals, I do believe 10% have a positive effect.

My diet consist of whole grains, fruit, veggies, vegetarian and vegan dishes. Instead of eating out (as in going out to a restaurant --- nothing sexual ;) I like cooking at home. I use extra virgin olive oil and this may seem bias, but check out on my mother's side of the family our second and third cousins have this awesome sun dried tomato farm (Mooney Farms) I buy a lot of their products for cooking.

It's hard for me to become completely vegan (props to all my vegan pals out there) but I do try to incorporate vegan dishes. I read The Great American Detox by Alex Jamieson, the wife of filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. Remember the "Super Size Me" dude? That's him. Alex recipes are very tasty, the one thing she teaches is cooking should be fun and not stressful. With my hectic schedule, it's sometimes hard for me to do the prep for her recipes, however, if you make time - they are excellent! I usually make her hearty porridge on the weekends, I find I have more time to experiment on the weekends.

The vegan/vegetarian dishes might not be for everyone,  it works great for me. For those of you who can't shake off your fast food cravings, I don't mean to sound preachy, but you really shouldn't eat it. The editor of men's health magazine,  put out some real cool books called Eat This Not That  they are worth checking out. I've read some stats on Late Night Lounge with Rohan Gill and The Junction.

The Beginning...

I'll keep this short and sweet... sometimes being gay, it eats inside you, especially if you're not comfortable with your sexuality. How did I make myself comfort? FOOD. I could wipe out a large pizza, make that extra large, I'm a very picky eater. I LOVED the extra cheese. Chug it down with some coke, you would have a very happy Petz. And a fat petz too. 2005ish, had this huge crush on a girl over in the east coast, this sounds sappy, but I would write to her every single day, long emails, thinking she would enjoy them, I would be over the moon when I got a response back from her. She must of loved the attention or was clearly annoyed with me. I really wanted to be with her,

I wanted to make it work, it was around January 2006, I needed the answer, after a year of crushing... getting those "mix" signals, seeing her go through some shitty relationships, I thought "Wow... maybe I have a chance." We were in Jersey, at this cute Italian restaurant, I was so happy to be in her company, but I made a promise to myself. Like Regis would say on "Who Wants to be a millionaire?" - "Is that your final answer," I was determine to get my "final" answer from her. There we were in her car, we took one snap from my digital camera and I finally mustard up some courage and asked if we had a chance. She said no, we don't have a chance. I felt my heart drop, but I didn't cry in front of her. When I got back to Manhattan, I cried myself to sleep. I knew I had to make personal changes and think about me.

So here I was at 250 pounds

After 10 months of intense training, changing my eating habits and lifestyle... I went down from 155-160.

I did pretty well for myself huh? Towards the end of 2008, I moved to the UK, I got a cool gig on the radio, my first on air position in London. I was very homesick though, those cadburys crept in, drinking started again, I just wasn't feeling happy. I failed at two relationships with two women I thought I had a solid chance with, but my heart got bruised (I don't believe in a broken heart) the lack of exercise, the depressing weather and so much drama swirled in - it was bad. The day I got back to the states, I was working my ass off (not working out) but trying to figure out what to do with myself. I would work out, lose motivation - feel my heart being tugged, pulling all nighters, drinking the fraps, eating the large pizzas, finally landed another radio job, but a hellish commute and crazy hours. Moved closer to my work, but wasn't making enough to afford rent, getting sick to my stomach when I dipped in my savings. I even hired  a personal trainer but flaked out on her, I just wasn't ready to commit.

There's  a new website, where people can ask you questions, so I have one and someone asked "you used to be so skinny, now you are so fat, what happen?" that really hurt, then a guy friend put me down about my weight and constantly making me feel bad that I wasn't doing enough, when in fact he had no idea about my back story and what I previous accomplished.

My friend Sohel and his brothers reopened their restaurant and I went and the photographer snapped some pics of Sohel and me. Sohel put them up, I actually untagged myself because I was so embarrassed at how I looked, I left one tagged though.

here I am with Sohel at 239 pounds, I'm back to wearing size 40 pants, XXL shirts ... ahhh sucks!

But I'm happy to report, after nearly a month of training, I started at 237, now I'm down to 226ish (pending on the water weight too it flexes between 225 - 226)

I'm going to be participating in a 3 mile marathon in the middle of November, so I'm training for that. I will write another blog of what goes into my daily diet. I love food, but I don't want to use is as a source of "comfort" but a source of "energy"

Like I told my best friend Deeps, we are surrounded by all sorts of choices, but it's up to us as individuals to make the right one.

This is Petz, the fat journalist signing off.

ps. I have to give props to my fellow journalist from across the pond, BBC Asian Network Radio Personality Jas Rao, you can follow him @JasRao on twitter, we are both working on losing weight and he has a fabulous blog, you should all check out. The link to his website is on the right hand side...