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Two Dollar Breakfasts and Free Coffee

I may have not gone totally healthy this morning, but I went thrifty. For $2 plus tax I had a Del Taco Break-Feast Deal, which included two egg and cheese burritos, and a bag of hash browns.

Sure, I could have packed my oatmeal this morning for work and gone all healthy and even more thrifty, but man does not live on common sense alone! Which reminds me of another post...me being the pleasure seeker extraordinaire and all.

Free 'Holiday Drinks'

Don't know if you have one nearby, but today (Tuesday, Nov. 11), Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stores will serve free 12-ounce "holiday drinks" from 5 to 8 p.m. As my good friends at the LA Times mentioned: "Think Holiday Blend coffees, Peppermint Ice Blendeds and Winter Dream Tea."

To find a store near you go to the company's website.

Online Health Stores

Try MyConsumerGuide's Health & Wellness catalog page for a one-stop resource for a lot of healthy bargains. MyConsumerGuide is your personal guide to online shopping!

DIGG!

Health Product Resource and More

Just wanted to make a quick post...having neglected to do so for awhile.

First, I've been busy trying to stay above water financially...so that means less blog time. I'd like you to consider clicking on any of the ads found here to help keep things rolling along. Also, you may want to check out MyConsumerGuide's Health Catalog Page for a list of some great health product resources.

Secondly, I would be thrilled if you visited my MonaVie site and tried this awesome product...especially those of you who know you could be adding more to your personal anti-oxidant campaign.

Thanks for visiting my site!

DIGG!

I Ate a Breakfast Croissant From Jack in the Box

These days, when I succumb to an urge to go to a drive-thru for fast food, I feel terrible. This morning, Jack in the Box was my destination...and a breakfast croissant was my sin of choice. It was convenient, fast, and "sustained" me for my drive this morning.

What was the damage from that croisant (filled with egg, cheese, ham, and bacon)? Well...Calories 450...Calories from Fat 225


% Daily Value *
Total Fat 25g (38%)
Saturated Fat 9g (45%)
Trans Fat 3.5g
Cholesterol 235mg (78%)
Sodium 860mg (36%)
Potassium 240mg (7%)
Total Carbohydrate 36g (12%)
Dietary Fiber 1g (4%)
Sugars 5g
Protein (0%)

Arrrrgh! Way too much fat! That is not going healthy!

What does TheDailyPlate.com say I need to do to get rid of those bad calories?

Running: 6.7 mph (9 min/mile) for 15 minutes

Swimming: crawl, +y75+ per min (vigorous) for 19 minutes

Accordion: playing for 116 minutes

Well, I'll probably just go for a walk for 1/2 hour tonight. I am doing better as far as staying away from fast food joints. But, this morning I slipped. Meanwhile, anyone know how to get rid of those Jack in the Box cravings? BTW...the coffee was pretty good!

DIGG story!

If I Listen Close

It's been two weeks since I began blogging about getting healthy. During this time my weight has gone up and down, and today it's at 285...two pounds less. I'm grateful for that, but not ecstatic. Knowing my track record over the last several years makes me remember that my lifestyle change will have to be permanent for there to be a difference.

I'm learning more and more that good health is about a total body, mind, and spiritual approach. Nothing should be left out. It's also becoming clear that my emotions are a big aspect of how well I do at the dinner table. It's not been an easy two weeks in this-thing-called-life department either.

A Friend's Prescription: PDEF

Through it all, I know that I am not alone and as a friend prescribed to me for my tough times, it's about devoting my self to a regime of prayer, diet, exercise, and fellowship.

As Billy Graham writes in one of his devotionals, "God is the only source of true happiness...How hard it is for us to believe this, however!"

So, while I pursue my goal of better health, I can not forget that I can always lean on God to show me the way. I believe He's helped me lose that couple pounds by certain promptings throughout this two-week period..."stay away from the extra helping," "cook something healthy at home," "take an evening walk."

If I listen close, I think I hear him say, "Keep up the good work!"

DIGG story!

Food Diary: I Ate Red Vines

Some have scoffed at my I Ate Almonds, I Ate a Breakfast Burrito, and I Ate a Donut blog posts.

They said that it was all about me...and what I ate...and who cares?!

However, this morning I am vindicated. I am bolstered. And I am even more commited to blogging about what I eat.

Yes, I am going to blog about eating a pack of Red Vines today. But first, the reason for my new found conviction. Reuters is reporting today that a study shows that those that keep a food diary just about every day lose about twice as much weight as those who do not.

That's right folks...twice as much weight as those who did not!

Study shows value of food diary in losing weight

WASHINGTON - Keeping a food diary -- a detailed account of what you eat and drink and the calories it packs -- is a powerful tool in helping people lose weight, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

The study involving 1,685 middle-aged men and women over six months found those who kept such a diary just about every day lost about twice as much weight as those who did not.

The skinny...

"For those who are working on weight loss, just writing down everything you eat is a pretty powerful technique," Victor Stevens of Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland said in a telephone interview.

"It helps the participants see where the extra calories are coming from, and then develop more specific plans to deal with those situations," said Stevens, who helped lead the study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The technique also helps hold dieters accountable for what they are eating, Stevens said.

I'm not going to rub into your noses...you scoffers you! After all, two months of my friend telling me I should write down everything I eat didn't sway me to do so. It's only recently that I've attempted to blog and/or write down my intake. I'm far from perfection. Some days I don't journal anything. But now I have no excuse!

Back to the Red Vines. So, the other night, I had a craving for something sweet. I never, hardly ever, crave Red Vines, the Original Red Twists. But I bought a pack and ate it all in no time. I felt bad. I mean emotionally bad. My stomach seemed to fare better.

What was the calorie damage? About 400 calories worth. No worries on the fat grams though...that's a big zero. Total carbs were 72 grams, 48 coming from sugar.

So there...I feel better now. You know why?

I blogged about it!

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TheBigRuski's Marketplace Notes: I'm still waiting on my bottle of MonaVie to arrive. As I've written before, I take 2 ounces in the morning and night. It might not be the "miracle juice," but I tell you what, it works for me. I'm not a big fruit eater and this makes up for it! Find out more about the 19-fruit blend at MonaVie.

DIGG story!

Too Much Cheddar

Coming up on a week of TheBigRuski Goes Healthy and looking back, its been a roller coaster. Yes, I ate almonds for snacks, but it was too many of them. Too much fat...even if it is healthy fat.


I ate a breakfast burrito one morning, cooked it myself and it was pretty healthy. But on another morning I had a breakfast burrito from Rose's Donuts and Cafe, and even though I had them make it with egg whites, there was too much cheddar cheese.

I estimate I ate about a 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese in dat thar burrito. That comes to 266 calories, 22 fat grams, and 70 mg of cholesterol. Too much, too much, too much!

Then there was the Mudd Pie, but it was my birthday...calorie trade off? Not really, unless you also believe that there are no calories if you don't finish it all.

Then, comes 4th of July, and I'm off to the races with Super Nachos from Gringos, and then at a friend's barbecue: a cheeseburger, 1.5 brat sausages, potato salad, guacomole and chips, and a slice of blueberry pie...oh, and 1.5 grape flavored Crush sodas.

So, now we come to the day-after 4th, and I'm doing pretty good. I'm not going to break it down now, but I will say this...I had a shot of wheatgrass and an acai super antioxident from Jamba Juice for a late-morning snack.

Then, getting back to the week in review, there's the exercise. I increased the number of times I walked, and on a couple of occasions went for more than the half-hour duration I had alloted myself. So, although not impressive, the exercise was somewhat consistent and improved.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate my week a 6. TheBigRuski went mediocre, but my resolve is strong!

Hope you had a great 4th...and a healthy dose of fun!

It's My Birthday...and I Ate Mudd Pie Last Night!

I like to do everything in excess...apparently.


My birthday is today, but the celebration started last night when a friend I've known for 20-plus years took me out to dinner. It was at a pier restaurant...very romantic spot, but my friend is a dude, so sorry, no stories to tell from that aspect.

So...although I never ordered a main course, this is what I had:

Freshly baked sourdough bread - 3 slices
Butter - 3 tabs
Oysters Rockefeller - 5 oysters with the sauce that includes spinach
Steamed Clams with drawn butter - about 8 small suckers
Mudd Pie - half of a gargantuan piece, that I am going to say was for me about 10 ounces of Mocha ice cream, 2 tablespoons of cream and chocolate syrup, 1 tablespoon of Oreo crust.

I didn't step on the scales today. However, we did walk up and down some hills close to the beach for about 20 minutes.

What's the moral of the story? Don't make every day a birthday celebration day, but don't freak out if you extend your "celebration"....a bit!

Have an awesome day...fill you in on the rest of the birthday eatings later.

P.S. I just realized I probably could have saved a million calories by not putting butter on my bread or pouring drawn butter on my clams.

Burning Off Donut Calories

As we continue in this saga, TheBigRuski Goes Healthy...and eats a donut along the way, we ask: How do we burn off the calories from an old-fashioned chocolate covered donut?

More specifically, how did I? How did I burn off 250 calories.

I did not, as the TheDailyPlate.com "recommends," do steel mill work, removing slag for 11 minutes. Nor did I play music on a guitar, standing for 39 minutes. I was thinking about officiating a basketball game for 17 minutes...but I thought that might interupt the flow of the game if I faked an injury at the 17-minute mark.

Nope, today I walked 30 minutes at a fairly slow pace. I'm nursing a bad back and can not really pound it out without being in some pain. So, that's what I did...walked for 30 minutes slowly.

Did I burn off the donut calories?

Well, not exactly, according to the TheDailyPlate.com, I burned off 130 calories. That's 120 calories short!

Am I going to cry? No. I will just carry on...you should, too!

TheBigRuski's Marketplace Notes: I finished my bottle of MonaVie tonight. I take 2 ounces in the morning and night. It might not be the "miracle juice," but I tell you what, it works for me. I'm not a big fruit eater and this makes up for it! Find out more about the 19-fruit blend at MonaVie.

I Ate a Donut

I've got a good news/bad news story for you. Which one do you want to hear first? Well, actually, now that I think of it, I did tell you the bad news one yesterday...I ate a donut...the old-fashioned chocolate covered kind.

And, as promised, I'll give you a nutritional breakdown on the donut...

Calories 250 Calories from Fat 100

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11g (17%)
Saturated Fat 4.5g (22%)
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 5mg (2%)
Sodium 190mg (8%)
Total Carbohydrate 36g (12%)
Dietary Fiber 1g (4%)
Sugars 23g
Protein 2g (4%)

Do I feel guilty? Yes, well a little bit. But, afterall that was so yesterday, and today is today.

So how can I burn off these donut calories? I could burn off the 250 calories from this Old-Fashioned Glazed Chocolate Donut in a variety of ways:

Steel Mill Work - removing slag for 11 minutes

Music - playing guitar, standing for 39 minutes

Officiating - basketball for 17 minutes

source: TheDailyPlate.com

Hmmmm...wonder where I could find steel mill work in Orange County, Calif.?

Now the good news. I had a protein shake for breakfast. I always feel lighter for most of the day after starting my morning like that. I'm going to give you the recipe for this great tasting shake packed with protein later.

Sunday ended being a wash as far as counting calories. I did some counting, but it was at the Barn Dance BBQ I attended that I gave up. However, I will say that I did not have seconds on anything! Believe me, it was tempting. Afterwards, I took a 1/2 hour walk by the pier. Awesome summere evening!

Have a good Monday...and a great week!

BTW, what's slag?

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TheBigRuski's Marketplace

Someone say nuts? Get almonds, healthy and delicious, in over 40 varieties at NutsOnline.com.

I Ate a Breakfast Burrito

Part of the deal here on my journey to get in better health and lose weight is counting my calories. I hate counting my calories! However, a friend of mine recommended going to TheDailyPlate.com and that's what you do there...count calories. Only I'm finding it really fun on this site...you can do a search for ANYTHING you eat and you'll see not only your calorie breakdown, but your nutritional numbers as well.

One other thing...you can have your daily suggested calorie intake calculated as well. Mine stands at 2,933 per day. My weight, height, and goal of losing 1.5 pounds per week is calculated in.



So, I promised you earlier to give a breakdown on my homemade breakfast burrito (and 1/2 glass of fruit punch) I ate this morning...well, duh...breakfast! I'm not going to get into anything else but calories for now.

This was a really basic breakfast burrito. I did not have time or the ingredients to make it fancy. Here it is:

3 eggs scrambled: 280
1 7" corn tortilla: 70
3 oz. of shredded lite cheese: 210
1 tbsp. ketchup: 20
4 oz. fruit punch: 35

TOTAL: 615 calories

Not bad, huh? Especially considering I had 2,318 calories remaining to eat for the rest of the day. Speaking of which, my day went kind of funny with what I ate in addition to the burrito so far. I will not get into particulars right now, but let's leave it at telling you that one of the items was an old-fashioned chocolate donut. (get you the calorie count later)

Hey, I still have the rest of the day to just chill and do good!

I'm not into country, but I'm going to a Barn Dance and BBQ tonight sponsored by a local church I used to attend. I pray I eat in moderation!

Forget the Cheeseburger, Drop Resentments

There's so many things tied into your health. Yesterday, I mentioned how wonderful music is to your health. We can listen to music that calms, and even music that gets us pumped up to do something like climb a hill. The song I shared in the post helped me remember what's most important...and that is a healthy thing as well.

Last night, as I was reading my Life Recovery Bible, it occured to me how resentments can be so unhealthy. Holding onto resentments, especially for too long, can weigh you down as if you are carrying 1,000 pounds on your back.

So, in my journey to lose a bunch of weight I'm awakening to the fact that our desire for good health is about an overall package of doing the right things. One of them being the fact that we need to shed resentments ASAP!

This is the part that struck me most about my reading last night:

When we look at all that God has forgiven us, it makes sense to choose to forgive others. This also frees us from the torture of festering resentment. We can't change what others have done to us, but we can write off their debts and become willing to make amends.

Yes, torture! How healthy is that? So, not only am I going to eat better (forget the cheesburger), listen to music more, exercise more...I'm going to get rid of resentments!

An uncle of mine once told me that our lives are like art. There's a lot we have to create as we go. It's great that not only do we have so many "artists" among us, but we have a life manual as well...the Bible!

One other thing I want to mention about resentments. There's books and more books about how to deal with resentments. One that you might consider is by Max Lucado...and I love the title - Traveling Light:Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear. While reading, you'll see how important it is to drop the suitcase of resentments.

If you are interested in getting a copy of the Life Recovery Bible, you can get it at Amazon just by clicking here.

I haven't weighed myself yet this morning. I plan on having an egg burrito with lite cheese in a corn tortilla...I'll let you know the calorie breakdown in my next post. (And of the cheeseburger I'm NOT going to have today!)

Go have an awesome Sunday!

Healthy Music and You

As I get serious about getting healthy I'm reminded this evening about all the different things available to us to help us get healthy. One of them being music. There's been so many studies done on the benefits of listening to music.



I'd like to recommend a visit to another site of mine and an encouraging post that includes a music video. Alexander is a blog of devotions from famous and not-so-famous authors.

Third Day has been rockin' for several years now...and thought you might enjoy God of Wonders.

Oh, BTW...I have yet to eat dinner....I'm surviving on those 2 ounces of almonds just nicely, thank you! I'll be taking a shot of MonaVie as soon as I finish posting.

Have a blessed rest of the weekend!

I Ate Almonds

So, begins my journey to a healthier and less-weight me. Today, I weighed in at 287. I'm 6'3"...and wear it well...BTW!

A few hours ago I ate about 2 ounces of almonds. That's about 340 calories...270 which are fat calories, or 30 grams of fat, or 46% of my recommended daily fat intake.

Wow! Should I be discouraged? No...I'm not going to be. The journey is just getting started!

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TheBigRuski's Marketplace

Someone say nuts? Get almonds, healthy and delicious, in over 40 varieties at NutsOnline.com.



Want to be a part of my journey? Start out by trying Boca Java!