Monday, January 11th, 2016

Hello all,

I missed last Friday's post because I got busy. But, I'm back on schedule. The first thing to report is the 'restaurant.com' app and website. It's like groupon for restaurants. You pre-pay for a dinner for 50-60 percent off menu price. I did this for Abyssinia Ethiopian restaurant a few days back. I got $20 for $8. We haven't used it yet, but I can tell you from the dozen times I've been...it's a great place to eat. Check out the app and see what's available in your zip code.

It's been a week since I've been using the Wake-Up Light. It's cool and all...but I can't trust that it will actually wake me up. I still have my fitbit and phone alarms set at the same time to make sure I get up. I may have more to report next week.

We've been trying to incorporate more fish into our diet. We had a really awesome salmon this evening and Amy even made fried rice with it. Brown fried rice. It was equally as good as her normal white rice version. She prefers white rice but I didn't see any decrease in quality. Of course I really like brown rice. If you were me, which you are not, you could have the best fried rice anytime you wanted because you would be dating Amy. People are predisposed to certain things that they prepare better than anyone else on the planet to someone else. For me, it's Amy's flied lice.

So, David Bowie died today. Or last night, I'm not sure. All I know is that my social media feed this morning was full of Bowie stuff. Though I am not a huge fan of his music, it is a shame to see a person leave this planet so early for something so stupid. I wish he were around just so that he could continue being awesome to those who appreciated him.

I've been continually hitting my required 10K steps and way beating it. So far, Kathleen has been my biggest competitor. Amy, Nicole, and Angie are not even close; though I certainly appreciate their participation in the daily challenges! If you would like to get in on the fun, I am on fitbit at itcomagic.com.

That's all tonight. If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or general feedback, please feel free to contact me in any number of ways. Also, if you like what you read here, please Like, Comment, and Share.

- Doug  

January 4th, 2016

Hello all,

I got my FitBit Charge in the mail the other day and I have been wearing it constantly. I am well over my minimum 10,000 steps/day for the most part. My sleep is not awesome but I am working on that.

Which brings me to a late Christmas present Amy got me that showed up in the mail today. It is the Phillips Wake-Up Light (HF3500). I read over the included booklet and it seems pretty neat. I will start using it tonight and give a report on my next post as to how well it works. It is supposed to wake you up with simulated sunlight so that you aren't super cranky all day...not that I feel that I am super cranky all day. But, hey, it's worth a shot!

Shout out to all my FitBit friends (Amy, Angie, Kathleen, and Nicole) that have taken daily and/or weekend challenges with me. If you haven't friend'ed me on the app, you can find me at itcomagic@gmail.com. I really like getting notifications throughout the day that I am whooping up on somebody.

I haven't started vaping on the regular yet. Big step, yo. I need to be in the right frame of mind. I am working on figuring out how to get into that frame of mind. Soon....soon.

Also, something else that crept back into my head is Alton Brown's Food Plan. It's simple and makes sense. Amy and I will soon be on the Whole 30 though it won't exactly be the strict and staunch version of the program. It will be our version of it. It basically coincides with Alton Brown's Plan (except the whole grains, dessert, and alcohol part, of course).

A really cool cookbook that Amy got for Christmas is 'Sheet Pan Suppers' by Molly Gilbert. We had the chicken and broccolini the other night and it was super good.

Bi-weekly check-in on my "No Fast Food" plan...NOPE! No drive-thru in sight! *YAY!*

Over the weekend we picked up a few random geocaches. And, Sunday, we had lunch with my boss and his girlfriend at El Idolo in Bartlett. This was our second time there. It's super good. If you leave hungry it's your own damn fault. The prices are beyond fair and and the service is top notch. This place will be around for a long time to come and I look forward to frequenting it often.

I think that's all for now. I want to keep these posts at bite-size pieces so that folks will actually read them. Before I go, though, if you like what you read here, please Like, Subscribe, and Share. I want your input on anything and everything I post. Tell your friends!!!

- Doug

January 1st, 2016

Hello all,

This is my first post of the new year. Amy and I had 'Little Italy' for lunch. It consisted of a couple of slices of pizza each that was pretty good, though not amazing. Tonight's dinner was an incredible salad from Amy.

We had a few cocktails before dinner and a few after.

My Fitbit is due tomorrow. I am currently using the app and I will say that I am well above my minimum 10,000 steps per day. If you would like to friend me on the app, my email is itcomagic@gmail.com.

I did not start my e-vape/quit-smoking today. Maybe tomorrow. We shall see.

If you like what you read here, please Like, Subscribe, and Share.

P.S. Here is a recipe you need. Enjoy!

- Doug

Hello all,

It's two hours until 2016. Amy and I just had a steak fillet, a baked potato with spray butter and cheese, an amazing salad, and some beer bread. A few cocktails and some wine. In an hour we're going to bust out the sparkling wine (not Champagne because it's 'Cooks'). Happy New Years to you all!

Tomorrow I will have a re-cap of my first day of our version of the Whole 30 program, my attempt to incorporate my e-vape into my day in order to cut back on smoking, and my attempt to cook everything at home and cut-out fast food for the next six months. If you have any suggestions, please post a note below or PM me.

Thank you to all of you that have Friend'ed me on the fitbit app. If you have a fitbit and want to Friend me, my email is itcomagic@gmail.com.

If you like what you have read so far, please Like, Comment, and Share this blog.

- Doug

Hello all,

I've decided that starting January 1st (its a Friday) that I will update this blog at least twice a week. Once on Monday to re-cap the weekend; and the second time on Friday to re-cap the week and going into the weekend. Any posts beyond that is bonus for you.

I have a reminder to post an article twice a week via the 'Coach.me' app. It's a pretty neat interface that reminds me throughout the day/week of certain things. Things I am attempting to make habits; like exercise, mediation, reading, expanding business ventures, etc.

One item in particular that I've been doing off and on for stretches is 'Luminosity'. It's like Brain Age for the NDS. It exercises your brain instead of staring blankly at Angry Birds. Give it a try.

I am super excited that this winter Amy (godzirra!) and I will be doing a large part of the Memphis-Arlington bottoms. We have been in the area several times but now we are going to hit the area hard. In fact, we are planning a Periscope event soon.

So, I just got my first badge from fitbit. It seems their default steps-per-day is 10,000. My first day I clocked 11,000+ steps without even trying. I forgot my pedometer on my iPhone was even on until I got the notification. Apparently, walking isn't going to be my concern. I'm going to have to improve on strength and resistance.

From time-to-time I'm going to post recipes that keep me heart/glucose healthy. But, for my first recipe post, I'm going to give you something that may very well kill some of you; but, it is literally heavenly. Enjoy.

- Doug

Hello all!

No "fast food" for six months? What does that even mean?!? Well, to me, it means that if someone can get you food out of a window in less that six minutes, it is processed to the point of unhealthy. Simply put, if you are on the list below, I will not come see you between January '16 and June '16.

McDonalds
Burger King
Wendys
Back Yard Burger
KFC
Chik-fil-A
Hardees
Buffalo Wild Wings
Krystals
Popeyes
Arbys
Danvers
Panda Express
Five Guys
Chipotle
Dixie Queen
Tops BBQ
Dominoes
Pizza Hut
Papa Johns
Subway
Little Caesars Pizza
Jimmy Johns
Firehouse Subs
Lenny's

Schlotzsky's Deli

Zaxby's

Sonic Dive-In

Jack Pirtle's

Krispy Krunchy Chicken

More To Come...

If you have any more suggestions for this list, leave a comment.

- Doug

Hello all!

Good news, everyone! I just ordered a Fitbit Charge! It should be here within a week and I'm pretty, pretty, pretty excited about it. It has a few bells and whistles beyond your standard Flex (that Amy has). I will be setting daily goals for exercising and better sleeping habits.
I used to meditate a few years ago and I am eager to get back into doing that. I have a really cool app called 'Calm' that I use to go to sleep. It has water sounds, forest sounds, birds, etc. You should check it out if you have trouble sleeping.

Also, I invested in an e-cig a couple of months ago, the e-go one, that I haven't been using as much as I should. That is going to start January 1st. I really do like it, but just like any quit-smoking thing, I am a little nervous about going full tilt on it; though I know I should. And I will.

Amy is out of town right now, but when she gets back we are going back on our Whole 30. And by Whole 30, I mean the Nom Nom Paleo version of it. That is, we will still eat soy and legumes, but we will be watching everything we eat.

Speaking of which, about five years ago I went on a "No Fast Food For A Year" thing. I kept up with every time I went through a drive-thru. For the entire year, I cheated eight (8) times. Not bad. This time around, for the six months of January '16 through June '16, my goal is zero (0) times. If I consider it "fast food", I don't go. End of story. Full stop. More on what I consider "fast food" on a future post.

Thanks to Dawn Tredway for her comment on eggs. I read it and am still processing it, so to speak. Check out the article she sent here.

Admittedly, the last few days have not been awesome as I am still wrapped up in the Christmas spirit. However, I am very excited to get back on track and show my doctor, Dr. John T. Crews (and his nurse Beth), that 5.6 is not a figure I will accept even though I am "well below the danger zone". This is too close and I WILL be that person that takes that figure and destroys it to its very core. I will NOT go quietly into the night.

Thank you to all who have commented, shared, and followed this blog so far. We have so far to go and I hope to not go it alone. Tell your friends. The more in-put I get, the stronger I become.

- Doug