I am a cheapskate...

I prepared a potent protein shake - 01 scoop EAS Whey, 01 scoop Weider's Casein in 500 ml milk. The only thing which I missed out was probably two spoons of coffee.
Unfortunately, I could not consume it immediately, in fact I could not consume it over the next six hours. Naturally the milk curdled. This was the second time this had occured; first time my buddy had thrown away the whole stuff into the sink....what the....this s....cost me..a hell.. 60g of premium protein down the drain - I could'nt let it happen for the second time. So I gulped the shake/slush down. It was slightly (quite) bitter, very thick, very filling and the satisfaction of not throwing away a drink worth Rs 100 was priceless. In the hindsight I would rather not let the milk curdle since the taste was pretty-pretty bad.

Nations morph...

      Had a rather interesting conversation with a colleague-
      Exasperated with the the sad state of affairs and happenings in the homeland, I remarked that non-violent fatalism as exposed by Gautam Buddha, Mahavir Jain, lately and especially Mahatma Gandhi was responsible for the shrinking borders and the decline of Indian nation.
My colleague said “koi apne saath kuch lekar gaya/jaata..." - nobody has taken anything /takes anything with him when he departs, this includes lands/nation.
Beautiful ascetic thought - The lands are still there, people still inhabit these lands-the nation's exist- albeit the names/flags have changed.....

Why I shout...

The reason I shout over the roof tops about my diet is - it is easier to cheat oneself than go back on your word in public.
So when I say I have quit sugar in public, not only do I have a valid reason of refusing tea/soft drinks/juice/sweetlime in public but over a period of time all but the daftest will stop offering it.
It helps a lot when your friends check you when you are about the slip or your acquaintances give amused/disapproving looks when you falter.
And anyway your conscious tells you that you will open yourself to ridicule then the brain listens better and obeys far better than when your conscious tells you that you are doing a wrong with no witnesses.
Call me a sceptic but we are far more moral and up upright in public than when we are alone.

Good times, Times, Great times

Last year (2012) was pretty good for me as far strength was concerned. I lifted and lifted with a plan so for my 36th B'day in August I was the strongest I have ever been. I could deadlift 160kg, press 70 kg, bench press 105 for 5 reps, Squat 115 for 5 reps. Doesn't seem much when you compare with power lifters but for me it was a big ego booster, and one of these days I did 5 pullups at 102-105 kg. Yes I was obese but I could lift and I had 16.5"arms, I moved around like a bull (handsome one though).

In September 12 I realised that my knees & elbows ached, so I switched over from 5x5/3x5 protocol to Dan John/Pavel's 40 days Easy Strength protocol and generally took it easy. I shifted from Jabalpur to Hisar in February 13 (livelihood reasons).

Now instead of picking up from where I left off, I wasted away and my weight skyrocketed to 111kg. Tying shoelaces became an exercise in itself. Doctor advised bariatric surgery. I didn't really relish the idea of doctors chopping away parts of me, so after years of neglect I finally decided to give dietary changes a chance.

In the past I had tried tried out GM diet, low Cal diet but this time I needed something long term. So the primary change I made was - no simple carbohydrates. So no sugar, no sugar products, no rice, no potatoes, no flour products. I eat vegetables, meats, eggs, milk, curd, coffee and artificial sweeteners (sorry naysayers I am not an ascetic, I don't intend to be an ascetic, all I want to be healthy and fit).

It seemingly works; I am down to 103kg. I actually need to lose about 30kg before I can fit into my size 32(yes I once wore them) Levis jeans. I would be very happy to get into my size 34 pants or infact anything which is below 40. I actually intended to follow the Carb Nite protocol, however social obligations and my weak will did mess that up on certain occasions.

Losing weight after being obese, and wasting money on charlatans like VLCC is a big plus but since I am not training not even working out I am weak, weak as a wimp. Today I tried to lifts Bailey jack; couldn't budge it beyond waist. Yesterday I tried to hang from a bar and realised I am officially a sissy.

Now I have to make up goals and reinvent myself.
These are the fitness goals I have for myself:-
1. Reduce my weight to 73kg
2. Do the following Lifts
    Front Squat, Clean, Push press - 100kg
 .  Squat- 140kg
    Deadlift - 190kg
    Press - 85kg (I actually want to press 100kg but first things first)
    Learn and practice - Snatch, Clean & Jerk
3. Run the following
   Mile and half in 12 minutes
   5k or three mile race in 28 minutes
4. Do with a 20kg kettlebell swings in Tabata protocol without wishing I was dead.
5. Build up muscle mass, I really loved it when arms didn't fit in my shirt sleeves.

When we do that those will be Great times- timeline August 13 is a few months away, I will be halfway there by that time (ideally I would have liked to achieve all my goals but then I would need Gods by my side, considering that I am neither a saint nor a genius fiend chances of that happening are slightly bleak). I would be grateful for moral support though...

Papa going to office...Papa coming from office

Nothing more to say...

Scary

This pic deserves a separate page not only because I look great but because well the great expressions

Papa - Betu moments

1st one was taken on a separate date (yes I know that you know, moustache is a dead giveaway)

Escalators

I was browsing through photographs of my time in Jabalpur, I remembered an interesting thing- My betu learnt how to move in an escalator before my wife did...in fact quite some time before. Background- My wife could not get up on an escalator for the love of God, she would shriek, scream and claw, anything except get on to the damned thing. Maana had just got up on to her feet after few months of crawling, when during a visit to the mall she insisted on climbing on the escalator on her own rather than in my lap.

Kettlebell training

I bought a 20kg kettlebell online..that is Maana attempting a deadlift with 2x her bodyweight.