2007 is off to one hell of a start for me.
quit smokingget job with ODT publication
So, this is day 9 (maybe 8 -- I'm losing track) of being smoke free for me. I'm extremely proud of this accomplishment because for the first time in my smoking history, I felt REAL addiction to the cigarette. I was smoking almost -- and sometimes more than a pack a day. However, with this new health and fitness mindframe I gave it up. So far I've survived a drinking / bullshitting session with my aunt (both of which make me want to smoke), various stressful situations, and even direct temptation. I almost caved. But I've gone this far, why cave now?
As for my 'diet plan', a lack of guidelines and knowledge made being dedicated to it nearly impossible. Truthfully, I didn't even know what I was being dedicated TO. There was no plan. Determined to beat this, I talked to my cousin (who is 22, and majoring in sports nutrition and fitness) for the first time in awhile. He offered me help, and I'm taking it.
One topic we discussed were the ever-popular low carb diets. This was his opinion:
"The thing is, low carb diets have no actual physiological basis. I have no fucking clue what sort of doctor this Dr. Atkins was, but take my word for it, he clearly never studied metabolism of nutrients in the human body. Now, I could wax philosophic about muscle glycogen, carbohydrate sparing effect and maximal O2 consumption of your skeletal muscle fiber, ect et al, but your diet needs to be specific to your individual goals. I didn't read your whole blog, so I have no idea where you where going with it, but if you have any questions, just ask. It's kind of what I do. Or so they tell me. Cool pics by the way, I just got a digital camera and would like to get into taking pics, but the thing is, I'm functionally retarded. "
Huh? Okay...so, rather than shooting for counting carbs - he has me counting calories all this week on a meal planner. We're going to figure out my weekly calorie intake, and adjust that to what it SHOULD be. As pure speculation, he adds that I will probably be cutting about 250 calories a day, and doing 250 calories worth of exercise a day - losing around a pound of body fat a week which will allow me to shed 20 lbs by July.
First things first though...let's see just how much fatty, calorie-filled foods I consume in a week. Then we'll start worrying about shedding it.
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So, as can be expected, I'm really excited about the Outdoor Times call. The editor seemed really enthusiastic about working my "talents" into the publication. That will likely be discussed tomorrow when I get off work.
My assumption is that I will begin as a contributor, rather than a full-time employee -- although full-time is my ultimate goal. While it may take time to earn such a position, I'm confident that I can achieve even that in time. It's hardly a set back though -- especially considering I officially have a foot in the door. I'll keep you posted on that.
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So now for my two other goals. The fitness goal is now a serious work in progress - one which will not be fully completed until around July if all goes as planned.
A car is financial priority right now. I'm getting a decent income tax check this year, so that with a couple checks stashed away with it should get me a set of wheels to get me from point a to point b. If I get the ODT job full time - I may finally be able to afford to get out on my own.
Oh yes...2007 is going to be awesome because I'm making it that way.
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