Take the quiz...

Take Dr. Oz's Heart Health Quiz. I only scored 14 out of 22.

June 28
Weight: 187
Calories Burned: 2624 - short of my goal of 3000 which is disappointing as I thought my power walks would make the difference.
Calories Consumed: 1473
Fat: 15%
Carbs: 60%
Protein: 25%

Renewing my vows...

Recent events and my own lack of discipline have allowed me to veer off course. Time to make adjustments. I have found that I am averaging about 2716 calories burned per day. I am going to kick it up a level and try to hit 3,000 calories per day. This will involve some power walks at lunch etc. I will also shoot at keeping my calories consumed to under 2,000 per day and my fat intake under 20%.

According to a story published in the WSJ (click to see video) Interval Training may be better for your heart than regular training. The story includes the usual disclaimer of contact your physician for approval but makes some interesting points nonetheless.

Kathryn made one of my favorite meals last night....pizza and beer. Actually I made the beer but the pizza was all hers. She made the dough with our bread machine and its so easy a husband can do it but it takes some time (not effort). It's a super low fat dough but it cooks nicely and you would never know that its low fat. Then she added non-fat ricotta cheese and some low fat mozzarella. We chopped up some tomatoes and red peppers to complete the masterpiece after adding some low fat pepperoni (only 35% calories from fat). We made a second pizza that but avoided almost all of the fat by excluding the mozzarella and pepperoni.

Kathryn's awesome homemade pizza

The slingshot...

On Friday I received some tragic news that affected the lives of two close friends of mine and changed my plans the last few days. I don't really want to discuss it but it was very stressful and caused me to miss workouts on Friday and Saturday. And then I ate poorly do to stress and situation...no doubt poor excuses.
Friday Calories Burned: 2,533
Saturday Calories Burned: 2,559
Sunday Calories Burned: 2,758 (worked out)

The lesson learned is that the BodyBugg is very sensitive to my activity level. I have averaged burning 2,716 calories per day and have worked out every day except last Friday and Saturday.

On Saturday I went to the Del Mar Fair and had some beers at the International Beer Fest. Afterwards I did the Slingshot (click the link for the video). The film is of me and my wife's cousin's wife. No drunks were hurt in the making of this video - thanks (sort of) to Josh Graybill. The video also illustrates my recent weight situation. Enjoy.

Bending and breathing...

Dr. Dean Ornish is considered the world's leading expert on reversing heart disease. After my heart attack my cardiologist recommended I read his book on the subject. He advocated many things I expected such as a low fat diet and exercise and quitting smoking (not that I smoke). But he also suggested doing yoga and breathing exercises. This seemed a bit silly to me but he makes a very good case about stress relief and how yoga and breathing has been proven to lower stress. Try it!


Downward Dog Your Way to a Better Mood is an article that shows some studies that suggest your mood can be enhanced by exercise and yoga. Don't judge it until you have tried it and according to one friend of mine the ratio of beautiful women to men is outstanding!

June 23
Weight: 186
Calories Burned: 2703
Calories Consumed: 2418
Protein: 23%
Carbs: 55%
Fat: 22%
Total Calorie Deficit: 11,602

Consistently counting...

June 22
Weight: 186
Calories Burned: 2608
Calories Consumed: 2108
Protein: 35%
Carbs: 44%
Fat: 21%
Total Calorie Deficit: 11,317

My heart attack was not how I envisioned a heart attack. I had been exercising and got dizzy and just decided to drive home. 1/3 of people die during their first heart attack so it really is critical to recognize the symptoms and quickly call 911. I didn't realize I was having a heart attack even though I have poor family medical history and that is fairly common. Most people think you have  pressure on your chest and that it is obvious. My experience was different. I was confused and out of breath but I wouldn't describe it as chest pain. I also didn't experience pain in the jaw which is common.

The American Heart Association has an article dealing with recognizing heart attacks called 911- Warning Signs of a Heart Attack. It's brief and worth a look. Check it out.

June 21
Weight: 186
Calories Burned: 2770
Calories Consumed: 1855
Protein: 17%
Carbs: 40%
Fat:43% - lots of unsaturated fat but this is way to high
Total Calorie Deficit: 10,817

Grillin & chillin...

Today is the first day of summer and in that spirit let's review some bar-b-que or more specifically burgers statistics.
Each of the following is for  a 1/4 pound patty:
Lamb - 240 calories - 23% fat - 9g sat fat
Chuck - 209 calories - 20% fat - 5g sat fat
Turkey - 193 calories - 13% fat - 3g sat fat
Bison (grass fed) 124 calories - 2.5g sat fat
Lean sirloin - 140 calories - 5% fat - 2g sat fat
Turkey breast - 91 calories - 1% fat - 0.5g sat fat
Soy crumbles - 90 calories - 0g sat fat

As for chillin...getting some exercise is always great but it's even better if you can get outside to get it. The picture below is at the top of Cowles Mtn (from last Friday). It's 3 mile RT hike with 900' of vertical. And the views are great!

June 20
Calories Consumed: 2109
Calories Burned: 2522
Protein: 22%
Carbs: 44%
Fat: 34%
Total Calorie Deficit: 9902