The FFK got some blog love today on FSU’s Campus Recreation blog today! Look for my awesome name!
Using Social Media to Reach Your Goals
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All the Zoodles: An Unsolicited Review of the Kitchen Basics Spiral Vegetable Slicer
I guess I should start this post with the statement that I am not a vegetarian (If the moon was made of spare ribs, I would eat it), I am not vegan (diary is delicious bliss in any form…except cottage form), nor am I a paleo (I am not a Flinstone), but I am a guy trying to lose weight who loves to try different kinds of food. That’s why after almost everyone I knew became obsessed with spaghetti squash and zucchini (colloquially known as zoodles) (fun fact: I actually can’t pronounce “colloquially.” It’s really weird.) I had to give them a shot!
A while back, Megan and I made this killer baked spaghetti squash and cheese recipe from SkinnyTaste so we knew that we liked the taste and the texture which wasn’t as big of a jump for your palate as you might expect. Last week, it felt like my Twitter feed was clogged up with zoodle recipes and Tweets about how easy and delicious it was to make. Even the Huffington Post wrote an article about it! So, I took to the interwebs on the hunt to find the right spiral slicer. After reading a few reviews and avoiding the As Seen on TV model, I went with the Kitchen Basics Spiral Vegetable Slicer. It had the best reviews and it was on sale when I bought it.
How do I like it, you ask? WELL KEEP READING, SON!
First of all, it’s essentially a pencil sharpener.
There is a cap that goes on the end of your vegetable of choice, but I found it easier just to grab it and turn. It’s in an hourglass shape so as your turn the veggie, it cores on the other side. You don’t have to apply a lot of pressure either! Even the skin of the veggie is easy to get through. I would also make sure to cut off the ends and cut off any blemishes if needed.
This is all I got from one squash…
and this is what I got from a pretty big zucchini!
This time, we only did two veggies which ended up being more than enough for the two of us. Since most of it was just a giant strand of vegetable deliciousness, I gave it a rough chop to before I put it in the pan.
I had seen a couple of different ways to cook up the veggies if you want them to be like spaghetti. While I think about of people boil them, I just added a little olive oil and sliced garlic into the pan on medium to high heat. Pretty soon, they started to sweat and pretty much saute.
It took them about 4-5 minutes to get soft. A LOT of water came out so it would be smart to drain them before serving.
AND HERE’S THE FINISHED PRODUCT!
When it was cooking, I whipped (opened) up a simple spaghetti sauce for a topping and we dug in.
The result? Delciousness!
Megan said it best though; “pasta” made this way is not really a substitute for your typical grain/carbtastic pasta. It’s really a dish of its own. Now that we have this nifty gadget, I can’t wait to put it to good use! The possibilities are endless…and delicious!
Do you have a veggie slicer?
How do you like it?
Any good recipes to pass along?
Self Pity Rant (AKA The Real Reason Why We All Blog)
I can’t even think of an analogy or metaphor for how lost I feel right now…
Earlier, well…when I started writing this post, I tweeted this. It has just been one of those mucho frustrating weeks where I feel like I’m doing well because I’m exercising but in reality my eating is nowhere close to where it needs to be and I just am sick of it all. My weight shouldn’t be able to fluctuate 10 pounds every week. That horrifies me to no end because I know if I can’t change it, I’m in some serious trouble.
I mean yeah, I have my days of eating poorly, but I have narrowed them down considerably compared to even a few months ago and I’m still 20 pounds heavier. It was like my body was sick of being at the 225-230 plateau and just shot up 20 pounds. It’s insane.
At times I think “maybe you should take a break from Weight Watchers…” but I don’t really know if that’s the problem. Maybe I just need to track everything and then just actually be proactive about the many audibles my life throws at me. But I know there is more to it than that. My issue is how I look at not so much food, but how I treat meals and the importance of meals as celebrations and fellowship are to me. That’s something incredibly delicate that I have to explore, but I have no clue how to actually navigate that internal conversation.
I’m just mad that this isn’t coming easy to me when it never really has. I try to act like it is as simple as just tracking and being active, but it’s not nor has it ever been. On paper, weight loss is easy, but there are times when you are just pissed at your metabolism and genetics (no offense, ancestors).
I feel trapped in my own head. If I’m not eating, I’m planning my next meal. If I’m not exercising, I’m thinking about what I’m going to do at the gym or how many miles I’m going to run. I do all of this worrying and planning for the 5 seconds I spend on the scale every Sunday morning. There is no end goal any more. I’m just trying to get through the day and the week. At this point, I can’t even fathom the thought of being below 200. I guess I’m losing hope.
At this point, I’m so lost. I’m praying this is some rock bottom that I have to hit before my life goes in to some Rocky-style montage where I train and get in to shape so I can avenge Apollo’s death. All I know is tomorrow is another day and I’ll have to deal with it no matter what. Might as well try my best and see where that gets me.
26 Reasons The Final Months Of Grad School Are The Absolute Worst
This is not weight loss related, but it is amazingly true.
Plus a large majority of my readers are grads students who read my blog instead of writing or grading (that is a verbatim quote from a reader) so it’s applicable.
Five Tips for the New Runner
New to running? Here are some great tips!
#FFKPLANKADAY ANNOUNCEMENT!
The time has come, my little friends, to talk of other things.
Of holding planks and six pack abs, of being sore and things.
And when the end of April is boiling hot,
and whether pigs have wings,
Kahloo Kalay it’s time to plank!
With the great FFK!
Yes dear reader, it’s time for another month of #FFKPLANKADAY!!!!!!
So…what is #FFKPLANKADAY?
Every day in the month of April, you are challenged to hold a plank position for as long as you can!
Let’s be honest, your first one might not so great time. Big whoop! It’s your starting point! Your launching pad to greatness if you will. Each day, you’ll begin to see progress as you get stronger. Did I mention that a plank is amazing for your body? It works almost all of the major muscle areas! Here’s a a great video how to plank!
Since I am a social being, I want people to post their times, their feelings, their success and their issues.
I’ll be posting photos and Tweets and posts about it all through out the month using the hashtag #FFKPLANKADAY AND YOU SHOULD TOO! I’ll be collecting the creative posts and putting them in my Wordless Wednesday posts!
Here’s how to become a part of the #FFKPLANKADAY awesomeness…
Step 1: Post on your favorite social media channel (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) declaring your commitment to plank everyday in April.
Step 2: In that post, use the hashtag #FFKPLANKADAY
Step 3: PLANK!
Step 4: Record your plank in a creative (or simple) way. Like this!
Be sure to add the hashtag here too!
Step 5: Repeat Steps 3 and 4 3o times.
Step 6: Check out you fellow plankers with this Tagboard and cheer them on!
You could also set up some rewards for yourself too! Say you plank seven days in a row. Reward yourself with a new workout shirt or something awesome!
It’s as simple as that!
Last year I did a Facebook event, but it got kind of complicated and some rednecks somehow got invited to it and didn’t want to be a part of it and then they angrily messaged me about the millions of notifications they kept getting. It was a big ordeal. Soooooooooooo, just record your planks how ever you like, but use the hashtag too! You could also set a goal for yourself too. My goal is to hold a 5-minute plank by April 30th (or to outplank Dr. Jillian Volpe White in a planking competition. Which ever comes first…) What’s yours?
So let’s get to it! GET STOKED!
Why It’s Okay For You to Say “You’re Awesome”
I have been incredibly blessed to work in an division at Florida State that not only strongly encourages a sense of community, but they also stress the importance of professional development. This past week, I attended all the things.
One of the sessions that I went to was a networking session to get to to know other staff within the Division of Student Affairs. During this exercise, we were given five Post-It notes and were told to write down five things that we are.
“So what are you, Nathan?” I asked myself. “What defines you?” I mean, I know the basics. I’m a husband, a son, etc. but I didn’t have answer for the other three.
Do I dare write blogger?
Do I dare write fitness fanatic?
Do I dare write the things that I intrinsically define myself as, but hesitate to openly admit?
What if people make a comment?
“You? Fitness fanatic? You sure about that? Your manboobs say otherwise…”
“A Blogger? You don’t even have your own domain? Bro, do you even rafflecopter?”
These are the things I worry about, especially now since I’ve gained a little weight since December. What is my identity? Where do I fit in?
So, I wrote down blogger.
Then, I had to go up to a stranger and explain why this label was important to me. I talked to Marvin, a staff member who has worked for Florida State for 14 years. I told him about my journey and he shared his own experience with weight loss and how he lost 30 pounds to get off his medications. It was an inspiring conversation that we wouldn’t of had if I had written something else.
The next day, I went to another professional development retreat where we introduced ourselves along with a fact about ourselves. For the first time in a long time, my fact was the blog. I felt like I was taking pride in my work the way I should. (And then my friend Kellie the Baller told everyone to check it out. Win.)
It feels like with social media, we are so terrified of being definitive with our pride. It feels like there is a troll around every digital corner ready to take you down a peg. While it’s sometimes hard to brush them shoulders off from those comments, a lot of times it’s all in our heads. Sure I’ve had a few rough comments thrown my way (I’m an easy target…I’m awesome :)) but I have had such an amazing support system that keeps my charged and motivated.
Remember, you are awesome. Be okay with who you are and the rest will follow.
Controlling the Foodie Beast Within: The Nathan MacDonald Story
It makes your skin crawl.
Your insides squirm. The hair on your back raises when you hear it calling.
You try to shake the feeling, but you are powerless.
Then you can’t take it anymore.
You yell into the dark night…
“I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I… MUST… HAVE… LOCALLY-MADE ARTISAN CHEESES AND GRASS-FED BEEF WITH ROOT VEGETABLES FROM THE FARMERS MARKET!!!!!”
Wait…what?
How many points is burnt cheese from a Lean Cuisine?
You see, my diet, like most Americans who are trying to lose weight, is at times stale and lifeless. During the week, my lunches consist of some nuked-up concoction of sodium and carbs with a few pieces of some chicken-like protein throw in. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to get jazzed about a Lean Cuisine on a Thursday when you’ve eaten the same thing every day. At that point, you’re ready for something different. Something…you might not always count or track…
It’s no secret that I’m kind of a food snob. Ironically, I didn’t hone in my food snobbery or my killer BBQ skills until years into my weight loss journey. (Here’s a photo of a brisket I smoked last month. I carry a photo of it in my wallet like it’s my child.) Probably because pre-weight loss, I would just eat anything and in large quantities. But with this great power, comes the need for greater willpower. How can I control this foodie beast inside that craves rich a delicious food, you ask? Well, for the past few months, I haven’t. It wouldn’t be as much of an issue if I would control my portions, but that’s a whole issue of it’s own that I’m dealing with.
I guess my biggest problem is that when you are on the go for so much of your week (like your average young professional/doctoral student power couple are), it’s easy to lust (yes, lust) after the idea of a meal that took longer than 3 minutes to make in the microwave. But it’s more than the food, it’s having the time to sit down with your significant other and talk and enjoy a meal at a table, not a desk. Since I think of it in that context, it’s hard for me not to want to make the most of those meals and experiences.
What I’m realizing now is that I need balance. I mean, Megan and I still make a TON of delicious and recipes from websites like Skinnytaste, but sometimes a rich cheese and meat plate just sounds better. Thankfully with Weight Watchers, this balance can exist. The flex points are there for those meals where you want to indulge (but not cheat) within reason. However, they are only really there if you actually count. This next week, I’m going to bat for perfection. I’m going to try to count my points as closely as possible. Not so I’ll see a loss on the scale, but for a gain of control on my eating. It’s important for me because the week after, I’m going to my personal food mecca: Austin, where BBQ and Tex-Mex flow freely, for an entire week for SXSWedu. I am well aware of the challenges that delicious trip will bring, but I also know that I have the opportunity to make a healthy choice wherever I go.
I’m treating this approach as an exercise and a test in my self control. I really don’t know what the end result will be. But I feel that it will make myself be even more judicious with my points and the decisions I make.
What do you think about this approach to Weight Watchers? Does this seem feasible?
Am I crazy?
Have you taken this approach? If so, how did it go?
‘Biggest Loser’ Winner Rachel Frederickson Admits She May Have Gone Too Far
Interesting update to Rachelgate2014. At least she admitted that she might have taken her regimen a little too far. Hopefully she truly believes that and is not just saying it to save face. Thoughts?
(You can check out my original response to the Biggest Loser finale here.)
The Biggest Loser Finale and the Human Response
After The Biggest Loser finale tonight, the Twitterverse blew up with accusations of a certain contestant becoming anorexic in an attempt to win. When Rachel (spoilers, sorry/not sorry) came out, you could feel the air suck out of the finale. I immediately thought “WOW” then thought “hmmmmm…” and then felt a little uneasy. I mean, people can look completely different and weigh the same. Heck, Jameis Winston and I weigh the same. I’m not Heisman material. So I thought “she used to be a swimmer and swimmers can be smaller.” Then she got on the scale and weighed 105. Whoa.
After that…Twitter got relentless, and since it was social media, it was pretty harsh. Criticism came from all directions from your average troll to previous Biggest Loser contestants who said that “women should be curvy” (which is a controversial comment in of itself). I’m a little ashamed of the way some people in the weight loss/fitness online community responded. It’s always interesting when people go from inspirational to ravenous. No grace. I thought this was a safe community? A place where we can struggle together and be supportive of one another. Why can’t it be a different struggle? I feel like we need to really reevaluate how we respond to something like this.
I have also read a lot of insane comments on the Biggest Loser’s Facebook page, however it is interesting that #boycottBiggestLoser isn’t a trending hashtag…
Anyway, this is when a lot of people are going to come out and say that Biggest Loser is a horrible show and does horrible things for weight loss in America (and I whole-heartedly respect that opinion. I know plenty of people who have that opinion.) But the fact of the matter is, for me at least, that the Biggest Loser has done some amazing things in the way we view obesity in America. It has created an awareness that obesity is a pandemic in America, but it is also treatable. Sure, their product placements are dumb and drive me nuts, but they are an evil that goes beyond the show itself. Think of the literal tons of weight the contestants have lost and the millions of people this show inspires. I know it inspired me when I first started my weight loss journey.
While it might look like Rachel lost too much weight to us, we don’t know her whole story. Just because we have a Twitter account doesn’t mean we get to play morale judge, jury and executioner. I ask that you don’t let this alleged controversy overshadow one of the best seasons of this show. Think of Tumi’s amazing success and how she has become a passionate runner from being an obese contestant scared of life. Think about Craig who has changed his family tree by losing weight to avoid having fatal heart disease like his father. Think about Reuben and how we have seen him transform over the past decade. Do not take this away from them by focusing on a single contestant.