Author: Robert Ford

Wonder Woman clobbers Green Lantern. I haven’t been to Campbell River in years.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 46
Argh. Food is annoying. I picked up my daughter from a choir practice and she hadn’t eaten. She wanted pizza. So we stopped at a place that sold us a medium for the price of a small and of course I sit in a car with fresh pizza.

I think I’d have more self-control were Salma Hayek to ask me out on a hot date involving chocolate sauce.

Now I have to quell the self-berating voices in my head. Terrific. I have better things to do.

So, once again, today I set the new intention to have a clean, on-plan day.

I do have a weight lifting session planned. Yesterday’s yoga class was like moving bricks through molasses, an interesting side-effect of the hard Tuesday workout.

Wonder Woman and Cheetah, who’ll be the bad guy in the movie. Maybe the Toronto Zoo?

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 45
OK, so, that’s basically another two days hosed due to my weak will and fatigue. The fitness is fine; there’s lots of muscle building, but damn. I get too tired and I eat badly.

I skipped cycling today because I’m almost a month with this cold and I have to find some rest somehow.

Time for yoga. Breath deeply.

I officially declare it Wonder Woman Week.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 44
It’s time for me to lose my mind. Oops. I just thought I lost it. Wait, it’s over there in a crumpled bag.

I tried very hard to get to sleep early and I’m not sure how well it went. The nightmare of not being able to find a bathroom woke me up and then after going to the bathroom, I realized I had less than 30 minutes before the alarm was to go. I therefore added ten minutes and hoped for the best.

So, here I am, tired, grumpy and without enough coffee.

And, I’m about half-way through Phase 8. Yikes.

And, I really felt the 70 lb kettlebells yesterday. That’s good.

Furthermore, I see the trainer today. That might not be so good.

Cool Avengers group shot. I wonder what they are thinking in Chilliwack.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 43
It’s time to reflect on why I let the weekend slide. I missed two days of documenting and tried to stay on track, but … no.

So, what’s the deal? I did yoga and a bit of strength training on Saturday. Sunday was a rest day due to many commitments. But I ate. I am tired. Grumpy. Frustrated. Where’s the brain chemistry going in this situation? Nowhere good, but how does it connect to food choices? I’ve got my supplies at work for the week and I’m ready to go.

Perhaps some conundrums are as simple as a lingering cold, situational stress and just not wanting to play ball.

From the #1 New Avengers issue. Today is civic voting day in Vancouver and other parts of BC.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 41
I almost didn’t complete this entry or yesterday’s diet sheet. I didn’t tally it up because the count was fucked up and would have been inaccurate. But I went to the gym yesterday and upgraded my kettlebell burpees to red (36 kg / 79 lbs). This means is did a burpee and then picked up the kettlebells to standing and put them back down 7 times for three reps. Suck that skinny bastards in the gym.

But today I went to the other gym that I am really disliking and it was busy. I think part of it is the vibe. There were some grunting oafs on machines. Call me old-fashioned, but I associate grunting with a) a number 2 and b) loose weights. Then there was the woman with the most perfect ass who was doing tricep exercises with one knee on a bench. Honestly she might as well have put up a neon sign saying, “hey everyone, isn’t my ass perfect?” I won’t even talk about her perfectly displayed, gravity defying boobs.

I had done four exercises by that point and that’s when I left because I was feeling physically like hell and I also could not be sure I would not mutter something to myself too loudly.

I’m going to yoga later and maybe I’ll just sit and meditate for the whole class.

Superheroes have to eat too you know. I’d like to catch a west coast sunset in Victoria today.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 40
When I saw how difficult it was for others in my family just to chart their food, it made me realize that what I’m doing documentation-wise is kind of abnormal in a good way.

Mind you, I don’t think I’m eating better. Yesterday was a mess, but fatigue and time demands are brutal. This morning was another carb heavy breakfast, but I did dump excess hash brown potatoes. It’s tough not eating everything you paid for.

At this point I think the calories burned not falling off the wagon count for more than just regular calorie burn.

Which ones are the Skrull imposters? Richmond BC is having an election this week too.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 39
It occurred to me this morning that it takes 3 full days to shake off the negative psychological effects of weighing in and looking at the numbers. I’m about half way through this. It’s best not to speak of it.

Today is Thursday. I look forward to seeing what the gym holds for homework.

I thought this New Avengers image looked cool. I need to catch a sunset from Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver to relieve stress.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 38
The upshot of reviewing all my recent measurements is that since Sept 11, when I started Phase 8, I have lost an inch in the waist and the chest but only .2 pounds.

Let’s be frank, I handled it well, but all the voices from childhood that talk about how I must have done something wrong to have failed to lose weight worked at me until my behaviour went sour later that evening. Now I get to add shame to the list of negative feelings.

But I did amuse myself by thinking in a Samuel L. Jackson voice to represent my body’s well documented tendency to keep weight. “What did I tell you, mother-fucker? I do not give up weight. Do what the fuck you want with calories-in and calories-out and your non-fat, keto, gluten free mother-fuckin’ diets. I keep weight, plain and simple. I keep it as fat, muscle or water and I sure as hell do not give any away.”

If it matters, my personal trainer is proud of me – except maybe my use of language.

More New Avengers. I bet it’s quieter in Cottage Country right now.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 37
I weigh in and measure today. I’m not sure what results I’m going to publish as I doubt it will be notable. What I’m trying to do is connect how I feel about my workouts and body and connect them – without judgement – to the numbers.

Considering I’m trying to bulk up in muscle, it will be interesting to see how illogical the numbers will be.

I am still trying to clear the passages from the cold and that’s getting old now.

New Avengers fighting some fake Avengers. Rachel Notely mentioned Salt Spring Island on the weekend.

Mutant Diet Phase 8 Day 36
Well. I can say that if you want to clear gunk out of your body due to a cold, try riding over the Burrard Street Bridge in 8° weather.

The cold is still gripping me but I’m not in the mood. I have a weigh-in tomorrow and I need to get a grip on the numbers as they relate to the strength training.

A co-worker said she thought I’d lost weight. We shall see. In the meantime, I must cough and sputter quietly at work.