Day 13 5/365 Friday the 13th day no Soda or T.G.I.F.

B: Banana, Fruit cup, lrg decaf black iced coffee n/s, L: Chicken chili men (from Wamagama) w/water D: 4 oz. filet mignon, asparagus, garden salad 16oz water w/lemon

Heading back from Wamagama in the torrential downpour this afternoon, I ducked into the State Street station to head back to the office. I entered this tunnel to get to the Orange Line side of the station. This is the connector tunnel between the Blue and Orange line. As I gripped the camera by my side, I could feel the chill down my spine as I got the sense that I was in the middle of a horror movie and my luck had run out. :>)

Still to hot in the house to cook so the family headed out to the 99 for dinner. Now as we all know the 99 is not the place to try to get a healthy meal but I was able to take one and modify it so it was. So i asked for the Filet Mignon with double veggie but all items had to come without any of the sauce. When the entree arrived I immediately split the portions in half and brought one half home for tomorrow.

TGIF, tomorrow should be fun and interesting. Heading to Campanelli stadium in Brockton for a Cage match. No Michael Vick will not be there.

Day 12 4/365 Come on in the water is Nice

B: Starbucks Fruit and Cheese Plate (1/2 apple, 7 grapes and 2 small cheese cubes), Banana . lrg decaf black iced coffee L: Grapefruit & pomegranate juice D: grilled scallops w/potato

As this week nears its close, I am preparing to begin getting my self back to being able to run a 5k without a problem. In order to get there I will be following the routine at the below link. Also I happy to say that a couple of friends are going to train also so they can run the Turkey Trot with me in November. Spread the word about lifewithoutsoda.com . I would like to have as many followers as I can get. It is a big motivator. Everyone else come on in the water is nice.

http://www.runningplanet.com/training/beginning-runner-program.html

Week 1

Monday - Rest. You will have two rest days per week. If you feel you need more rest days, take them. In these early stages you do not want to do more than your body is ready for.

Tuesday - Walk for 30 minutes at a comfortable pace. Since this is your first workout, take it nice and easy. Walk at a pace that gets your heart rate up and makes you breath heavier than normal, but you should no be out of breath.

Wednesday - Walk for 30 minutes at a comfortable pace. Same workout as yesterday.

Thursday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and then jog for 30 seconds. Follow that sequence for the entire workout. This is your first taste of running. Do not run for more than 30 seconds at a time. Run at a pace that is fairly comfortable.

Friday - Rest. Let your body recover from its first encounter with running.

Saturday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 30 seconds. This is the same workout as Thursday. Keep your pace comfortable.

Sunday - Walk/Jog for 30 minutes. You make a slight increase in the jogging interval here. Walk for 5 minutes and jog for 1 minute. You will start making consistent increases in the time of your running intervals.

Day 11 3/365 "I will take a Large Steak and Cheese with the works."

B: Bagel w/strawberry Jam, Banana, and Large Black decaf iced coffee
n/s L: Small BLT no mayo, water D: BLT syrian pocket with cup of milk.

That is what I really wanted to say but the reality is I can't have
one until I can run the 3 miles from my house to the Galley. So
because it was so hot today, the oven was not to be turned on and I
needed to get something cold. So I opted for another BLT today. It
has been 11 days and I am right on target. The first week was me
stopping soda and changing my eating habits. This week is me focusing
on eating at least 3 small meals a day at the same time with some
type of routine. Week 3 I hit the gym and focus on getting my self
ready to run the Turkey Trot in November. So far so good. In these 11
days I do feel better. Not so tired and I am more alert.

ARTICLE CBS NEWS: CDC Chief: Soda Tax Could Combat Obesity

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/07/27/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5192172.shtml

Maybe out got out just in time. :>)

While Democrats await the results of bipartisan negotiations over health care reform in the Senate Finance Committee, one of the proposals put before the committee received a nod of approval from health officials today: taxing soda.

The committee -- the last congressional panel expected to produce its own recommendations for health care reform --listened to arguments earlier this year both for and against imposing a three-cent tax on sodas as well as other sugary drinks, including energy and sports drinks like Gatorade.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a three-cent tax would generate $24 billion over the next four years, and proponents of the tax argued before the committee that it would lower consumption of sugary drinks and improve Americans' overall health.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Weight of the Nation" conference today, CDC chief Dr. Thomas Freiden said increasing the price of unhealthy foods "would be effective" at combating the nation's obesity problem,reports CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder.

Freiden said he was not endorsing the tax as a member of the administration but was "just presenting the science," according to Ambinder. He also said policies that would reduce the cost of healthy foods would effectively bring down obesity rates.

Obesity-related health spending reaches $147 billion a year, double what it was nearly a decade ago, according to a study published Monday by the journal Health Affairs.

Given that evidence, the argument goes, a soda tax could plausibly pay for health care reform both by raising revenues and bringing down the medical expenses associated with obesity.

"It is extremely difficult in reality to make such a snapshot estimate of something so complicated as obesity," Ambinder notes. "This is one reason why researchers in the field tend to focus on suffering and disparities within populations, rather than aggregate cost."

Even though the growth rates of American obesity are leveling off overall, he points out, the rate is not slowing among African American women, Hispanics, Native Americans, or among poorer Americans.

Those opposed to the soda tax, however, are also emphasizing the impact it could have on poor Americans. The American Beverage Association, which strongly opposes the tax, told the Wall Street Journal the tax would hit poor Americans the hardest.

The association announced this month it has formed a coalition called Americans Against Food Taxes to oppose the soda tax, the Hill newspaper reported. Made up of 110 organizations opposed to raising taxes on food and beverages to pay for health reform, the group is running an advertisement that shows a family enjoying soda on a camping trip.

Given the current state of the economy, the ad says, "this is no time for Congress to be adding taxes on the simple pleasures we all enjoy." 

Day 10 2/365 AC/DC concert

Brought the iPhone to the concert to try it out. As I entered the stadium I picked up a pair of red horns to wear into the concert. While waiting in line to enter, this woman asked where I had gotten them as we entered the field. I told her that I had gotten them before I had entered the ticket gate. She then frowned. Always quick thinking, I said "If you take a picture with the horns on she could have them. The deal was done. I got my picture and she got her horns. It's a long way to the top if you are going to rock and roll.

Day 9 No Soda 1/365

I did well eating wise today. B: Bagel w/cream cheese, Banana Iced Decaf black coffee w/ N/S L: plum tomato w/tuna no mayo and pineapple. D: 1 Sushi roll. Tomorrow will be a tough one though. Heading to Gillette to see AC/DC with the crew from work. Of course I also had to pick up an iPhone to bring with me. Things can get ugly during an I.T. outing. We will be on the field so I will be sure to upload a pic with the phone.

Day 8 one more thing.

I begin the journey at 288 lbs.

The Beginning and Project 365 begins on Day 8

This is the picture that made me decide to stop drinking soda on
Sunday July 19, 2009 and become the inspiration to finally begin my
Project 365 journey. My goals are simple stop drinking soda and by
doing so drop some weight, set some realistic goals and live day to
day. I won't promise instant success because as a realist true
success is only realized by having the ability to fail and stay the
course. The one promise I will make though is "No Soda" during this
journey. Each day I will add a picture of things I have encountered
and document what I have consumed for the day. At the end of each
week I will say where I am in my weight loss journey and finally each
month I will do a self portrait. So with that "life without soda"
begins. First Goal set: I will plan to run the Turkey Trot on
Thanksgiving morning in Hingham this year.