The Basics

I didn't do much today. Watched my 4 year old play soccer in the rain which was, well, interesting. Had a pretty basic filet mignon with brown rice and roasted asparagus dinner, 700 calories, no recipe needed. Took a day off from the gym, somewhat to rest after Saturday and somewhat because I was busy all day with the nothing I had to do today. So be it.

As such I figured I'd talk about all the things that I find important to my regiment. Basic necessities that really help me succeed with my plan.

1) Quality non-stick pans. Oil adds a significant amount of calories to a meal, and the more you use, the less you lose. Sorry, that sounds corny as heck. I did that earlier today watching Iron Chef - I think I said something to the effect of "that is an impressive reinterpretation of a classic dish". Really? I'm that guy now apparently, the guy that says corny and stupid things. Wait, where were we? Pans. Yes pans. Good non-stick pans are critical - make sure you have them. Well seasoned cast iron pans are important too, as you shouldn't heat non-stick too high or put it in the oven.

2) Good running shoes. This is something I don't have, and I regret it. My running shoes are at least 7 years old, and even though they are low mileage, they're old. When I bought them I went to a running store in Chicago that tested my running style and balance and got me the right shoes. But now, who knows if the rubber is still good, or if my feet and body have changed. All I know is my toes sometimes hurt after a run, and I may be out of balance which messes up my whole body. I should go fix this ASAP.

3) A good gym. I'm a huge fan of my gym, Lifetime Fitness. They have a lap pool, which is nice, enough equipment so that even at the most crowded times you can do pretty much whatever you want, and a cafeteria so I can get a healthy smoothie after a workout. Plus, their trainers have been friendly and supportive, without being obnoxious and pushy. I used to belong to Bally's which was exactly the opposite - overcrowded and uncomfortable. It is nice seeing people of all fitness levels walking around too, not just roid infested robots. And no, they didn't pay me to write this.

4) Frank's Red Hot. I love this stuff. You can put this on a shoe and it would be delicious. Before I went on the diet, I was experimenting to see if there was any kid food (pizza, mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.) that wasn't rendered absolutely tasty with the simple addition of Frank's Red Hot. There wasn't. It has a good balance of heat, vinegar, and flavor, which improves any food that is lucky enough to be slathered with its spicy goodness. And as you reduce the fat, heat and vinegar are great ways to bring flavor to the party, and Frank's makes a lot of food taste better.

5) Grapefruits. There was a fad diet out there that insisted if you ate grapefruit you would stimulate your body to lose weight and simultaneously encourage the karma and harmony of the world to align to create a universal and lasting peace across the planet. Or something like that. Anyway, I don't buy any of that, consciously at least, but I do enjoy grapefruits. A half to start the day provides good nutrition and a half to end the day gives your mouth something better to do than mauling an innocent brownie. My wife makes fun of me for my grapefruit thing, but it helps me get by.

6) www.caloriecount.about.com. How do I know a kumquat has 13 calories in it? Because I look on this website. It has a great database of foods that even includes the caloric content of such delicacies as Arby's Sauce and Horsey Sauce, in case you want to know that, pus it allows you to adjust the serving size to get proper information. Great source of information.

That's what comes to mind right now.