Category Archives: Weight Loss

Retooling…

Hi folks,

In case you’re wondering I’m behind in my updates because of Thanksgiving and because I’m still trying to do some winter retooling on my goals. Expect updates to resume next week.

In the mean time, if you haven’t voted in the Six-Pack Challenge I’ve put together a web-site (so you don’t need to be on Facebook) to make it really easy. Just go to this site to vote:

http://www.abclarke.com/6pack.html

Remember, please vote just once, and if I win we help raise another $1,400 for Team Continuum!

– Art

The Six Pack Charity Challenge

1 Reply

Put Up or Shut Up

So, the week of November 5^th has come and gone, and it’s time to pony up for the Six Pack Charity Challenge.

To refresh your memory, a bunch of folks I know have bet $200 each of our own money. To win the bet, we need to be voted as having the “best abs” as photographed last week. Whoever is declared the winner (and voting goes to December 1^st) gets to donate his bet, along with EVERYONE ELSE’S bet to the charity of his choice (and strangely it’s only guys who are egomaniacal enough to try this…).

I’m playing for Team Continuum. My basic training plan was (a) train for marathon and (b) try not to gain weight. How did I do? Well, you can review the data in the “Nude Numbers” posts, but again a picture is worth a thousand words.

How to Vote…

I need your help. I think I have a chance to win – although there is stiff competition. Click on my photo below and it will take you to all the contestant photos. Once there, view the photos, select your winner, and then click on the vote link.

My face is obscured by the camera (hard to do a self photo without doing that) but rest assured it’s me. Please vote for whomever you think won, but I certainly wouldn’t begrudge you if you thought I did.

As a comparison point (apologies, but I don’t’ have many photos of me) this was me about two years ago. Feel free to let “effort expended” factor into your vote:

I’m not sure if I mentioned it but please VOTE FOR ME!!!!!

Thanks in advance,

– Art

Nude Numbers (#22)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here to find out.

Summary

This is the week I have to come clean on my Six-Pack Challenge progress. I’ll post separately following this.

But I spent the last week in Mexico and did well on training in the start of the week, but got very sick at the end. Read on for more.

Subjective Data

Workouts earlier in the week went well, but starting Thursday the flu I’d been fighting off got the better of me (which was a shame since it got both me and J, and we were in Mexico). It was nice to eat-to-gain again though J. I also took my photo for the challenge… more on that in another post.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Note: There is no Body-Fat data for most of the week because I didn’t have a way to do it in Mexico (and forgot on Sunday).

Assessment

Apart from getting the flu, the new plan started out well (“apart from that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”). I swam a bunch in the large pool at the resort we stayed at, alternating drilling and swimming, and I found things getting easier over time.

I decided to take the next phase of training with a new philosophy; listen to my body more. So, once the flu set in on Thursday, I’ve backed off training. I’m still a little under the weather as I write this, but am heading the right way. Hopefully this way I’ll manage injuries better.

Plan

I’ll be re-jigging how I present this next week, but my plan for this week is (subject to recovering from my illness):

20-40 25-yard swimming laps
90-150 minutes of Spinning
2-4 hours of weight training
Set and maintain a diet of about 3,000 calories a day (trying to gain between .5 to 1.0 pounds per week)

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#21)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here to find out.

Summary

I’m posting the last two weeks in my old format to be consistent, but I have now starting on my new winter training schedule. A different format of data will show up the week of November 18^th.

This is a post of data from before the marathon (which I didn’t do). I ramped down from workouts at the end of the week (which was planned), but otherwise stuck to plan.

Subjective Data

The main trick this week was diet; I kept to a strict diet, cutting at the end of the week and limiting sodium intake. Not doing the marathon sucked, but many of my friends successfully completed it and kudos to them. Next year!

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

Stuck exactly to plan. I worked out at the beginning of the week, then cut calories towards the end (who says I can’t try to look my best for the six-pack challenge). Also, since I was off to Mexico the next week and I’d eat a lot, it was fine to cut going into the week.

Plan

Go to Mexico; eat a lot; read a lot; do nothing; return.

The goals starting 11/5 are as follows:

Be able to swim 1km without stopping by 3/1/08. This is really about form and balance for me.
Gain 5-10 pounds from my 11/5/07 weight while keeping a 32 inch max waist by 3/1/08 (Starting weight: 157 lbs).
For weight lifting, increase my 1RM by 5% on average across the board by 3/1/08 from my 10/30 1RMs (1RM = 1-Rep-Maximum).

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#20)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here to find out.

Summary

I did OK with my plan for the week, but I had a big decision to make. And I’ve made it. Read on for more (and do click the links… they’re fun J ).

Subjective Data

I did some (not much) weight lifting, tried some spinning, and went to see a physical therapist. Why? Because the pain from my run last Saturday did not subside as quickly as I would have liked. I also went back to my ortho-specialist to see what he thought and had an MRI. The result: nothing is broken, but I have a bad sprain and lots of bruising in my right foot.

My eating wasn’t great later in the week, and my numbers show it.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I had dinner on Thursday with my friends Jim and Sudipta (who by the way has a great new kids book on sale now… The Mine-O-Saur. Check it out). And during the conversation I asked them for their advice on whether to run or not. I thought Jim’s response is a good candidate for quote of the month:

You’re not Kenyan – the marathon is not a life defining event for you. If you injure yourself permanently during the run, it will become a life-defining event. Don’t make this a life defining event!

Well, facts are facts. I had a stress fracture, but now I have nerve pinching, swelling and bruising in my right foot. I get sharp piercing pain any time I stand up after sitting for 45 minutes or more. I could try to run the marathon on Sunday of next week, but odds are that (a) the pain would become unbearable late in the race and (b) I’ll permanently injure myself by re-breaking the stress-fracture or doing something else stupid as my body compensates over 26 miles to avoid the pain.

So, this morning I notified Team Continuum that I would not run, and have been guaranteed a spot in next year’s marathon. I’m going to take at least 6-8 weeks off running, and then work with a physical-therapist to slowly ramp up again. I’d like to target doing a marathon in the April or May timeframe of next year (and then maybe I do NY next year, maybe not…) – let me know if you have suggestions for one to do.

Also, thanks to everyone for their suggestions (public and private) on what to do. I really appreciate the feedback and support. In case folks are wondering on the breakdown of “live to fight another day” vs. “go for it!” the breakdown was:

Live to Fight Another Day	Go For It
20+ (I stopped counting…)	0

Telling, no?

Plan

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed – I am. But when God gives you lemons, you find a new God. Whoops, I mean, you regroup and start again. So, the plan for this week is continue my new weight lifting routine, do some spinning, continue physical therapy, and then… get ready for Mexico. J and I are off to Mexico for 5 days next week (so, no updates next week). When I return, there will be a new format for tracking the metrics on my winter goals, which to remind you are:

Be able to swim 1km without stopping by 3/1/08. This is really about form and balance for me.
Gain 5-10 pounds from my 11/5/07 weight while keeping a 32 inch max waist by 3/1/08 (I’m expecting my 11/5 weight to be around 153-158).
For weight lifting, increase my 1RM by 5% on average across the board by 3/1/08 from my 10/30 1RMs (1RM = 1-Rep-Maximum).

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#19)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here for why.

Summary

I did one “last chance” run to see if my leg could take the mileage on Saturday. Results: 17 mile run, but I’m in a lot of pain now and back in my restraining-boot. So, I need to make a hard call by end of this week: surrender and fight another day, or go for broke in two weeks? Send me your thoughts!

Subjective Data

This was a rest week which was good since I had a slight cold. I did two spinning classes, no weight lifting, but my bike ride on Saturday didn’t pan out. So, instead I decided to try my luck running again (stupid me, I know). The good news is I got 17 miles done in 3:03:00 (although I had to walk the last mile). The bad news is, like my run 2 weeks ago, I’m in a lot of pain.

That said, I’m in slightly less pain than 2 weeks ago even though I did over 2x the mileage… hmmm…

Eating was very on target all week, and the numbers show that.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

The rest was good. The diet-control was good. On that front, not a lot to change.

On the run, I learned a bunch of things:

Going at a super slow pace actually makes things worse, not better. I did the first 4 miles at a 12-minute-mile pace and it really sucked. I need to run at my natural pace, which means a 9-10 minute mile pace with breaks.
Tighter laces earlier in the run actually seems to help.
I need to stop every 1-2 miles and walk for at least 60 seconds to let the pain subside (that’s what kills my overall times). If I do the marathon, that’s what I’ll need to do.
It hurts more if I stop moving J
But it hurts A LOT while I run. Specifically, sharp piercing pain on the top of my right foot when kicking off that is consistent with severe tendonitis.

Plan

This is the week I need to make my big decision: to go or not go for it. I have to decide by Friday, although I’m hoping to stretch it to Sunday since I’m having breakfast with my aunt from Ireland on Sunday and she’s run a bunch of marathon’s before (I’d like her advice).

The plan this week is to resume lifting on my old schedule, keep eating under control (still shooting for that Six-Pack Challenge), and do some spinning to maintain cardio (later in week once my foot heals from Saturday’s run).

As a reminder, I get to decide on October 24^th whether to try to run the marathon anyway, or take my guaranteed spot next year. Let me know your thoughts.

I’ve decided my final goals for the winter will be all about swimming and lifting:

Be able to swim 1km without stopping by 3/1/08. This is really about form and balance for me.
Gain 5-10 pounds from my 11/5/07 weight while keeping a 32 inch max waist by 3/1/08 (I’m expecting my 11/5 weight to be around 150-155).
For weight lifting, increase my 1RM by 5% on average across the board by 3/1/08 from my 10/30 1RMs (1RM = 1-Rep-Maximum. I did a re-measure of those 2 weeks ago).

I’ll create a new tracking dashboard for this after the marathon.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#18)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here for why.

Summary

I’m still a likely “no shot” for the NYC marathon but I’m keeping some hope alive. Good week last week, although I got sick (flu?) towards the end. This week the plan is for lots of rest. Woo hoo!

FYI – for some reason my blog was shut down over the weekend, but is back now.

Subjective Data

With the exception of running (which I’m still not doing), I had a good week. My weight workouts were hard and good. I did more spinning and got a short bike ride in. I still haven’t resumed swimming yet, which I’m not happy with, but my motivation to get in the water is lower now that fall is here.

My eating was mostly good all week – although Saturday and Sunday were bad. I think I have a cold or flu as well. On Saturday I was dazed all day, and on Sunday was coughing and had aches.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

Apart from getting sick at the end of week, I had a good week. I stuck to plan very well.

This next week was a planned rest week anyway, so in some ways the sickness is well timed. I plan to do nothing most of the week, but I will try for a 50-mile bike-ride in Connecticut on Saturday weather permitting.

I’m still working on my winter goals, but they are looking like I what I outlined last week:

Be able to swim 1km without stopping by 3/1/08
Be between 163 and 168 lb with a 32 inch max waist by 3/1/08

I have a potential swimming partner lined up for the winter – now we just need to find a 25 yard pool that doesn’t require membership of a gym to use (since I already have membership in another gym).

Plan

Plan for next week:

Rest.
Continue calories under control (but not crazy cutting).
Weather permitting, do 50 mile bike ride in CT on Saturday.
Do smile.

As a reminder, I get to decide on October 24^th whether to try to run the marathon anyway, or take my guaranteed spot next year. Let me know your thoughts.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#17)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here for why.

Summary

I’m still a likely “no shot” for the NYC marathon but I’m keeping some hope alive. I tried Yoga for the first time this week and liked it. And I’d love your thoughts on what my winter Fitness goals should be. Read on.

Subjective Data

As I mentioned last week, my running days are over for the foreseeable future. My foot hurt most of the week, but by Sunday I was able to walk 4-5 miles without being in a lot of pain. I had a light cardio week where I didn’t swim (didn’t feel motivated to get into the water), did some weight work, and tried Yoga for the first time in my life. All in all, it was an enjoyable week but I’d still like to be on the road…

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I’m kind of in limbo at the moment; I’m pretty sure the marathon is shot, but I’m unwilling to call it until I have to (Oct 24). Therefore the key focus this week was maintain some cardio-endurance, and work on weights (and the six pack challenge). Given the challenge, I’ve started cutting body fat again just to see if I have a shot at winning (which led to a very funny dinner conversation with some friends on Friday when I passed on dessert). On the suggestion of a friend, I tried Yoga for the first time; it was fun, challenging, and relaxing. I’ll have to do that again.

I’m also starting to think about my post-November-4^th/winter fitness goals. Here’s what I have so far, let me know what you think:

Be able to swim 1km (80 laps) without stopping by March 1^st (starting at 5 laps between breaks now): Basically get my swimming form down for a triathlon in the spring.
Be between 163lb and 168lb with a 31-32 inch waist by March 1^st (starting at 155-158 and 31 inches right now): Weight training and weight gaining for the winter – the challenge here is gain the muscle without the fat, which shows up as belly-fat on me. That works out to around 0.5 lbs a week of muscle gain.

I did a series of tests on Wednesday to baseline my measurements (bodyfat, dimensions, and max-weights) for the winter. (I’ll put together a new dashboard based on whatever goals I ultimately pick in the next few weeks so you can play along at home if you’re interested.)

The timing of the test was fortuitous. I was feeling down about the marathon (likely) being shot and I almost cancelled the (previously scheduled) test. But afterwards, and especially when comparing my results to my August 2006 test results, I looked at things in perspective. Sometimes, especially when one of my big goals looks shot, I lose faith, but the numbers reminded me that (a) I’ve made a lot of progress in the last 15 months and (b) this is a process, not an event.

Plan

Plan for next week:

Keep weight cutting (through November 5^th‘s 6-Pack Charity Challenge);
Do some spinning, yoga or swimming.
Keep weight training going at current pace.
Come up with another draft of goals for the winter.
Don’t run.
Do smile.

As a reminder, I get to decide on October 24^th whether to try to run the marathon anyway, or take my guaranteed spot next year. Let me know your thoughts.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#16)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here for why.

Summary

And just like that, I go from a “long shot” to a likely “no shot” on the NYC Marathon. Read on for why.

Subjective Data

I took longer than expected to recover from last Sunday’s run – the bottom and sides of my foot continues to be sore from the tendonitis. I decided not to run all week except for my long-run (target of 15-18 miles) on Saturday. I substituted some swimming and spinning instead, coupled with rest for my right foot. My weight training was good but also relaxed. I thought I was actually doing a good job of trying to recover.

Alas, on Saturday’s run, the pain started on mile 2, and by mile 7, with sharp pain shooting through my entire right leg every time I stepped, it was apparent I was seriously hurting myself by running further. I spent the rest of Saturday with my leg getting progressively sorer and even had to wear crutches on Saturday and Sunday before my leg could bear weight again. As I write this, I’m back to wearing a restraining boot on my foot and being on an ibuprofen diet. I’m not sure, but I think that’s a bad sign.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

Time to be honest with myself: The marathon has gone from a long-shot to a “likely” no-shot.

Why do I use the word “likely”? Well…

Plan

Thanks to all of you and Team Continuum, I have the option of declaring my intention to withdraw and get a guaranteed spot in next year’s marathon. If I do elect that option, I will train for and attempt this again next year (without the fundraising again).

The deal is (a) if I meet my minimum funding commitment (which thanks to y’all we blew that target out of the water), and (b) I declare my intention to withdraw by either October 19^th or October 24^th (I’m still in discussions on this), then I get a spot next year. In the interest of laziness, specifically not making a decision before I need to, I’m not going to withdraw until the latest moment I can.

So between now and then I’m not going to run at all in the hope that 4 weeks of rest will work wonders. I’m not hopeful, and I’d love your thoughts on what to do. Please add comments or e-mail me between now and October 19^th, and I’ll make my decision then.

So, complete change in plan, while I await the October 19^th (or 24^th) deadline:

Stop running. Period. End of sentence.
Re-start swimming this week assuming my leg has trouble bearing weight. If my leg feels 100% better, I’ll consider spinning at the end of the week (I know that biking doesn’t aggravate the injury given that I was able to do 180 miles on my leg with no pain).
Keep weight training on the same plan for now, but I’ll be mixing that up soon (I’ll figure that out next week).
My weight gain plans were successful, almost too successful, so I’m cutting back now. I went from 152 (my low) to 163-165 (relative high today), so I plan to cut back down to around 156-157 pounds, and then add weight again. I’m starting to track calories closely again, and hope to get back to around 156 within 5 weeks, which happens to be the week of the 6-Pack Charity Challenge
J
Keep smiling because, well, what else can I do.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#15)

3 Replies

For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here.

Summary

A week of good and bad news. On the good side, I got new shoes and now I can run much faster and further without the sharp pain. I got back into the gym, and ramped up my running mileage (actually ramped up a little too much). On the bad side, I got a bone scan and confirmed I have a stress fracture and some tendonitis in my right leg. That said, provided I try to not run every day and rest well between runs, coaches and doctors still think I have a chance at a (slightly painful but) safe marathon. 5 weeks to go.

Subjective Data

On Monday I figured out that if I run slowly (<11 min mile) I can avoid the pain for short distances (2-4 miles) so I started doing that. I also saw my ortho guy again, and got set up for a bone-scan to check for stress fractures.

On Wednesday I went to a running store, and bought new shoes. I did a test run on Wednesday, one on Friday, and then a long run on Sunday.

And in the new shoes, I found I could increase my speed (up to 8.5 min miles) without the pain occurring, which is a good sign.

That said…

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

The other piece of objective data to add is the results of my bone scan. The radiologist said he saw “nonspecific focal fusiform radionuclide activity in the distal right fibula suggestive of a stress fracture.” He didn’t see any problem with the bones in the bottom of my foot, which is good, but didn’t explain the sharp pain. However, switching shoes has made that pain go away.

Assessment

Buying a new pair of shoes was a god send. The sharp pain doesn’t show up now provided I keep good form and my speed slower than 8.5 minute miles. Awesome.

I did well sticking to last week’s plan, but ran a little more than I should have on Friday (I had a blast running with an old friend and let myself run too far). I moved my Saturday 10-mile run to Sunday to align better with some of my training partners, and that run was easy. That said I woke up this morning with a slight limp so I need to remember to ramp up slowly.

The confirmation of the stress fracture is bad news, but it’s not necessarily a marathon-killer. It just means I’ll need to do light training (try to get in 1 or 2 but no more long runs) and then try my best on November 4^th. At this point I’ll be happy with finishing, really happy with less than 5 hours, and will probably kill myself if I shoot for less than four.

I kept weight room work and other activities to a minimum, and kept with my gaining weight plans.

Plan

Getting down to the final 5 weeks here. Here’s my plan for the week ahead. The basic theme is to keep cardio up through spinning and running, and save up for the long run on Saturday.

Monday: Rest after 10 mile run on Sunday. Try to make the limp (pain in right heel) go away.
Tuesday: Weight room and short run if pain isn’t there. If there is pain, skip the run.
Wednesday: Weight room and 4-6 mile run.
Thursday: Weight room, and swim.
Friday: Weight room, and maybe a swim or spin.
Saturday: 15 mile run.
Sunday: Rest up.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#14)

3 Replies

For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? I’m tracking my training progress for the New York Marathon. Click here.

Summary

This was a bad week for my training as my right foot developed a sharp pain immediately upon returning to running. I let the depressing thought of not running the marathon weigh me down all week.

Thankfully part of the reason for “Running Naked” is to force myself to admit to folks when I stumble, and I woke up this morning more determined as a result (thanks everyone, even if you don’t believe you actually did anything!). I got an x-ray done this afternoon (no obvious breaks in foot), scheduled a few more specialist visits this week, got back into the weight room and I may have found a way to run at least short distances that keeps the pain away (I ran across the Queensboro bridge).

This week is all about figuring out what is wrong without getting annoying or depressed at the hand of cards I’m playing with.

Subjective Data

I rested on Monday after the ride, and then tried to run on Tuesday. Even though I had absolutely no foot pain during the ride, I got a half-mile into my Tuesday run and the same pain I had two weeks ago in the top of the foot returned. It’s was a very sharp pain, and not runnable-through.

The next day my scale broke.

And in general, I let myself feel a little depressed and annoyed at my body, and the things around me, breaking down. This led to me being very (relatively) inactive this week. I stopped going to the weight room. By Friday I convinced myself to try a short run (still painful) and did a low-key bike-ride supporting a long training run on Saturday. On Sunday I just hung out with friends.

But all week, I was annoyed at myself for being annoyed at myself. Sigh.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I went from a high to a real low when I couldn’t even run a half-mile without collapsing in pain. And I let the disappointment at that take me completely off my training track. Last week sucked, but in retrospect (as I write this) I know I’m going to have those weeks. For some reason the thought of publishing my “laziness” last week spurred me on today to resume my training, so thanks in advance to everyone for at least viewing this blog and giving me encouragement.

That said, I’m still shooting to win The Six Pack Charity Challenge, and finish the NYC Marathon. So I’m going to focus everything on the Marathon until told otherwise (by my body or a doctor).

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

The big thing is remember to keep smiling, and that I’m doing this for charity. I’m going to slowly ramp up mileage as I test out the foot and try to find a way to run without pain, but where the marathon was “at risk” before, it’s now a long shot. But I’m also going to let everything else take a back seat to running and not worry if I don’t spend every spare moment at the gym. So:

Short runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (no more than 6 miles on any run)
Leg permitting, perhaps a long run (10+ miles) on Saturday.
Swim if I feel like it, but don’t sweat it if I don’t.
Keep the weight room work going, but again, only as I feel like it.
Keep eating sensibly but continue gaining some weight.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#13)

2 Replies

For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here

Summary

I successfully completed the New York to Providence bike ride to raise money for the Jack Brown Appeal. And I met Jack, who was so cool! I’ll write about it in a separate post.

I am sore from 3 days in the saddle, but seem to have emerged injury free and ready to switch to running. I also gained 1-2 pounds without adding a lot of fat, which is cool. Now, 7 weeks to go until the marathon, and time to get back to running.

Subjective Data

Completed the NYC-Providence 180+ mile bike ride without any injuries. And had a blast doing it.
Weight lifting was good this week, but admittedly it was stupid to do heavy leg lifting two days before the ride started.
I ate whatever I wanted this week, but after spending over 25 hours in a bike, I’m not too worried.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

The ride was a blast, I rode very well (for me), and I’ll write about it separately. My leg injury didn’t even play in, even the foot bruise I got last Saturday, and although I am sore today, it’s the good kind of sore. That’s one of the two major events out of the way (just the November marathon remains), which is awesome.

I will post photos later (we’re still gathering them together).

On the sad side, it likely means my bike goes into storage for the winter season. I’ll miss it.

I cut back on the swimming this week because of time pressure, but my form was good when I did get time and my speed is improving. My weight control was on track. I gained 1-2 pounds without a major increase in body fat.

I’m still shooting to win The Six Pack Charity Challenge, and finish the NYC Marathon.

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

Time to switch over to running. I’ll do a short 1.7 mile run on Tuesday, and then work with my trainers to come up with a short-time plan to ramp up for the marathon. More details next week. I’ll also keep lifting, do some swimming, and eat around 2,875-3,125 calories a day to gain some weight.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#12)

2 Replies

For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here

Summary

I may have reinjured myself slightly running, so I’m resting my leg just in case (yes Susan, you were right L ). My 200 mile bike ride starts this Friday so that’s the focus this week. Separately, given the consistent feedback on my CA trip that I was scary thin, I got professionally measured for body fat percentage this week. I’m actually around 9% body-fat when measured correctly. That means, my goal of 10-12% by November has been hit, and it’s time to start increasing calories and adding more muscle.

Speaking of goals, we passed $11,000 in fundraising this week. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far. You guys are awesome! But let’s keep going – anyone up for $15,000?

As promised J and I are matching the first $10,000 in donations with a $2,500 donation of our own.

Subjective Data

Back to swimming and lifting after my rest week. My swimming form continues to improve. My lifting continues to be fun.
The bad news is I did another run on Saturday, but wore the wrong pair of shoes (I have two pairs that look the same, one of which I meant to throw out). I appear to have bruised the top of my right foot, but hopefully that recovers in time for Friday’s ride.
I was traveling in California for most of the week, and saw a lot of people I hadn’t seen in over a year. The consistent feedback I got was that I’m too thin.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

Last week’s rest did me good, and most of my (non-leg) aches and pains are gone. I returned to the weight room as planned. Due to traveling in California, I didn’t get any bike rides in. My swimming was on track though, and my balance and kicking has improved a lot. My running is still problematic, and even though I ramped back to just 5 miles this week, I may have reinjured myself. We’ll see, but I’m staying off my feet until Friday (I’ll do a test ride on Wednesday to make sure my foot is ok). Friday is the start of my 200 mile ride to Providence, RI.

My trip to California was eye-opening. Everyone was shocked by how much weight I lost, and their perspective was valuable. J and I (and our NY friends) have seen the change gradually, so the shock value wasn’t as high for us, but I was at 155 this week from 185 when I left CA. Still, the comments of folks in California convinced me to get professionally measured for body-fat %, instead of relying on my scale. The result is I’m at 9% body fat, when my goal was 10-12% by November.

So I’m switching my diet to “maintain and gain” from “lose” mode. I’m starting to eat more, which means I need to make sure I do good work in the weight room to really take advantage of the extra calories. Nice to have the “feed bag” on again though J

This may mean I’m blowing my chances to win The Six Pack Charity Challenge, but I’m still optimistic.

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

This week is all about making the ride to Providence. There is a slight chance I’ll be visible on the CBS Morning Show this Thursday morning (around 7-7:30am EST) if you want to see the group of us doing the Jack Brown Appeal ride (we’re doing a little PR to try to raise extra money). I’ll be riding with 40 British Cops for the appeal J

Stay off leg until Friday except for test ride on Wednesday. Do 80 mile bike ride on Friday, 80 mile bike ride on Saturday, 40 mile bike ride on Sunday, and collapse as an exhausted heap on Sunday afternoon.
Increase swimming to keep pressure off the leg.
Increase calories to 2,875-3,125 calories a day. Keep lifting to take advantage of this.
Keep smiling.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#11)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here

Summary

This was my first week of running since the injury, and it went well. I only did 10 miles instead of 17 because, well, read the assessment for why. My eating wasn’t good (despite best intentions) and so weight and body fat stayed constant. I still think I have a shot at the Sep 7-9 200 mile bike ride, and at the November 5^th marathon.

Subjective Data

This was a “rest week” and I did a good job on that. No lifting. And minimal swimming. On the swimming front, my balance continues to improve a lot with kicking.
Did my first run since my injury. I didn’t do the 17 miles I’d planned; I did 10 miles (see the Assessment for why), and stopped then even though I felt fine. The good news is I was walking the next day, but it definitely caused my tendonitis to flare up a little (not much), so it’s still touch and go for November.
My eating was not good this week (despite my plans). And I’m traveling on business this week, so it’ll be hard to stay on track. That said, I didn’t pig out during the week.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

According to plan, this was a rest week with no lifting and minimal cardio. I stuck to that plan with a light swim on Tuesday and Thursday. The big event was a return to running.

My original plan had been do go from no running for 6 weeks to a 17-mile bruiser. I got lots of feedback from the Tubes that this was a, how to put it, spectacularly stupid idea™.

Wow.

I started publishing my progress to keep me motivated to work harder, but I wasn’t expecting to get the benefit of people letting me know when I was an idiot. And I’ll admit now it was a stupid idea. I discussed it with my trainers, and we’ve agreed to ramp me on a different plan with a more gradual ramp back, that hopefully still gets me to the marathon. Thank you to everyone!

So instead, I decided to try one 5.2 mile loop, and then only if I felt fine, potentially do a second. I ended up doing 10.4 miles at a 9.5 minute mile pace on Saturday. I had no pain in my leg, but I know with this injury the pain shows up the next day. The good news is by Sunday my leg felt a little sore, but not bad. I feel I might still have a shot at this.

I didn’t do well on the eating plan this week. I didn’t really pig out any day, but I was consistently 500 calories above target every day (except Saturday where I was spot on). This should lead to maintaining body fat, but not cutting. I’m not really going to be able to adjust much this week as I’m traveling on business most of the week. I’d love folk’s thoughts on what’s the best way to stay active while traveling (an increase in traveling was one of the reasons I let myself get out of shape originally).

For anyone who’s following, I’m also trying to compete in The Six Pack Charity Challenge to raise more money for charity. If you’re interested, go checkout that Facebook group.

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

I’m making big changes in my plan this week.

I’m traveling this week, so it’s going to be hard to keep to my schedule. Still, I plan to lift at least 3 times this week, do 2-3 swims, 1-2 bike rides, and a long run on Saturday.
Keep 2,000-2,250 calories-per-day target to keep weight under control, especially next weekend. I’m going to shoot for staying within target all days except Saturday, but to be only off by 1,000-1,500 calories on Saturday assuming I get the 17 mile run in.
Keep smiling.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise money for people suffering from cancer

The Story so Far…

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Did you know, you can sign-up for an e-mail version of every post by clicking here
(and you can remove yourself at any time).

This is my 3-month anniversary of starting this blog. How time has flown. Thank you to everyone for their support (both financial and emotional) as I’ve been attempting this. And major thanks to my wife who, on top of everything else she does, somehow finds time to support me in this by listening, editing, and being supportive of the time this takes.

For any new readers I’ve picked up I thought I’d update my cheat sheet for the blog.

This is Running Naked, a blog where I’m chronicling in public my attempts to “achieve contentment through the pursuit of perfection“. (Don’t worry; I have no misconceptions of ever achieving perfection, but I believe that attempting to become a better human each day is itself the worthy goal).

Here’s a summary of the major posts so far:

Article	What it’s about
The Cortez School of Management	Why I’m “Running Naked”, how I got here, and what I’m trying to achieve.
How I Lost 25 Pounds by Being a Manager	A series of posts where I discuss 5 rules I’ve used for managing change professionally, and how I applied them to lose weight and get back in shape.
The Pragmatic Path to Agnosticism	A series of posts where I “run naked” on how I approach Spirituality and the nature of an Awesome Universe.
Pain, Suffering and Financial Loss	A plea for your help to raise money for people suffering from cancer, and for your support as I train for a 200 mile bike ride (September 2007) and the New York marathon (November 2007).
Why Doctors Use Soap	An introduction to a way of solving problems and tracking progress in both professional and personal contexts.
Nude Numbers	Week by week reports where I “run naked” with transparent data on how well I’m living up to my training commitments. The data is presented in SOAP note format.
Daydreaming, Laziness and Looking at the Negative	How I tackle goals in my life. Seriously J

There are other posts smattered throughout the blog, but those are the major ones. We’ll see where the next three months takes this.

Per a request from a few weeks ago, the next series of articles are going to be about managing and running naked teams. Stay tuned for “Nudity and the Modern Manager”.

If you have other requests, please e-mail me at “aclarke (at) abclarke.com”. Thanks again,

– Art

Help me raise over $10,000 to help people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#10)

1 Reply

For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here

Summary

Time to face facts: I have bad tendonitis, not a stress fracture. This puts the marathon at great risk. And given the big risk, I’m going to take a big chance. I’m going to concentrate training on the marathon, and risk the bike ride. That means I’ll attempt a long run this Saturday. It’s a make-or-break it run.

The other big change this week is I reviewed progress on training, and adjusted targets moving forward (see the dashboard) to better reflect the post-injury world. I also decided to take this week out of the weight room to give my body time to rebuild from a hard 13 weeks of lifting.

Subjective Data

My leg handled a lot of New York walking, swimming, and a little biking this week. It’s slightly sore, but not worryingly so. However, the fact that it gets sore after swimming pretty much guarantees it’s tendonitis, not a stress fracture.
I learned how to kick while swimming this week, and as expected it’s much harder than with flotation devices. My yardage came down (again within expectations). Still, I think my progress here has been great (if I don’t say so myself).
Another great lifting week, but aches and pains are starting to appear. See assessment for how I’ll deal with that.
Weight and body fat headed in the right direction again. But yet again, I pig out on weekends. It was hard not to this week as I spent 8 hours at Giant’s Stadium on Saturday (seeing the NJ Red Bulls against David Bechkam’s LA Galaxy in a high-scoring but no-defense football game) and 8 hours sailing around Long Island Sound on Sunday. Still, I need to tackle this.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I have bad tendonitis, not a stress fracture – this is demonstrated by the fact that kicking in the pool aggravates my leg. This is definitely bad news for the marathon. The first long-run (17 miles) is this Saturday, and if I can’t make those, I have no hope for the marathon.

I spoke with my trainers and we’re going to try a new (but high risk) approach. I’m going to restrict running to once a week – on the long runs. I’m going to slow my bike riding to the minimum needed for the Sep 7, 8 and 9^th ride (which should just be Central Park loops). And I’m going to spend the remaining time in the weight room and the pool where the stress on my lower leg is minimized.

I’m admittedly quite worried about the long runs, and this upcoming Saturday will be a major test.

I learned to kick while swimming was hard this week, but fun. I can now keep my hips level with the top of the water as I traverse the pool and my overall coordination is a lot better. As I thought, my yardage had to drop. Just doing 250 yards was really difficult (I can do 2x that easily with floats). If I keep this up, maybe I’ll start doing tri’s next season. Lots of thanks to Space for recommending Total Immersion, which gave me a solid set of drills and a good understanding of why I’m doing them.

My lifting continues to be a blast, but I have lots of aches appearing. My lower back and deltoids feel sore in the morning. Thinking about it, I went through my logs and realized I hadn’t taken a break from lifting since May 13^th (13 weeks, but there were two light weeks in July).

As I mentioned, I pigged out last weekend and you can see it in my early week numbers. But some great eating habits got me in range again by the next weekend. WHERE I PIGGED OUT AGAIN. Clearly I need to work on this weekend eating stuff.

For anyone who’s following, I’m also trying to compete in The Six Pack Charity Challenge to raise more money for charity. If you’re interested, go checkout that Facebook group.

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

I’m making big changes in my plan this week.

Time to recognize that my targets for running, biking, spinning, and body fat are off course and I need new ones. I adjusted them all for my new plan to get to the marathon. You can see the new numbers in the “gray” areas of my dashboard.
This week is going to be a rest week, expect for Saturday where I’ll try a 17 mile run. I run a high risk of injury on that run, but if I don’t do it, the marathon is completely shot. Essentially I’m risking the ride to still have a shot at the run.
Do light biking this week, if weather permits, but I’m not going to worry if I miss it.
Do light swimming (20-40 yards) this week just to keep mobile
Stay out of the weight room for one week. Believe it or not, this is harder for me to accept than you’d think.
Keep 2,000-2,250 calories-per-day target to keep weight under control, especially next weekend. I’m going to shoot for staying within target all days except Saturday, but to be only off by 1,000-1,500 calories on Saturday assuming I get the 17 mile run in.
Keep smiling.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise over $10,000 to help people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#9)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here.

Summary

As mentioned earlier, I may have a stress fracture or tendonitis in my lower right leg. Things are feeling better, but the pace of recovery is making my coaches think it might be tendonitis (NOT GOOD). I did my first (very short) bike ride since the injury on Sunday without any follow-on pain. Swimming, lifting and eating are all going very well. The marathon and bike-ride plans are still in danger, but I’m optimistic on the bike ride. The marathon is a long shot now, but I’m going to still ramp up slowly. Never give up J

Also, I signed up for another silly fitness challenge: Read the Assessment below for details on the “Six Pack Charity Challenge”.

Subjective Data

My leg feels better, but the fact that I reinjured it last week swimming (which is non-impact) suggests tendonitis not a stress fracture. That’s not good news.
Swimming felt good this week, and on Sunday I got my first bike ride since the injury in. It felt very good, and there was no pain.
I had a fantastic lifting week. Good lifts, good intensity, and measurable progress from prior weeks.
Weight and body fat headed in the right direction again.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

I am definitely but slowly getting better. I’m starting to ramp up leg work. I did a short (13 mile) bike ride on Sunday at a relaxed pace (16mph average) and I felt fine. That said my coaches think (given the fact that kicking while swimming last week aggravated my injury) I am probably dealing with tendonitis. I’m choosing to not believe that. I’m focusing on the bike ride in 4 weeks for training right now since that minimizes the impact on my injured area, and I’m optimistic I can do that. I hope to try light running in 2-3 weeks.

My swimming is getting much better, and I’m hoping to start integrating kicking this week. I’m getting much more efficient and the breathing is becoming natural. Assuming I remove the floats this week I expect my yardage to drop a bit while I learn kicking. We’ll see.

My lifting was so much fun this week. I mentioned last week that I switched programs to a more intense but shorter program. It’s fun, and I’m amazed at how tired I feel afterwards but how much more power I’m getting. For the record, I’m not doing it to add tons of weight; I’m doing it to improve muscle power. On Saturday I worked my right leg again for the first time in 4 weeks and as I write this, my right quad is very angry with me. But wow, it was so much fun!

I had another great eating week, and my weight got down to 153.5 pounds with 15% BF. However, my father in law is visiting this week, and I allowed myself to way overeat on Saturday and Sunday. I’ll see that reflected in the numbers this week, so my challenge is to be excellent the rest of the week. Why?

Well, I have a new fund-raising-goal / stupid-egomaniacal-challenge that I’ve signed up for with some friends: The Six Pack Charity Challenge. The idea is each entrant puts up $250 and names a charity they’ll donate to. Then all contestants (you can enter at any time provided you do not have a six-pack when you enter) work hard to get a six-pack. On the week of November 5^th, we all take and post photos online for the Internet community. Whoever collects the most votes by December 5^th gets to donate not only their own money, but the money of all other contestants, to the charity they signed up for. And I aim to win.

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

I’m tweaking the plan slightly as I start adding in leg work again:

Start slowly ramping up work on my right leg. I’ll hopefully get some spinning and biking in this week.
Keep swimming and start adding kicking work. Target is 3 times this week (to make room for biking).
Keep doing the upper-body and core lifting, and start ramping leg work back up.
Keep 2,000-2,250 calories-per-day target to keep weight under control.
Keep smiling.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise over $10,000 to help people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#8)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is about? Click here.

Summary

As mentioned earlier, I may have a stress fracture in my lower right leg. This week continued my rehab with swimming and lifting. My recovery is taking longer than I want, and I was (stupidly) overly aggressive this week – I can still feel pain in my right leg. My weight control is back in place, and all metrics are (slowly) moving in the right direction. The marathon and bike-ride plans are still in danger, but if the injury is a stress fracture (hopefully), I can be back on the training plan in about 2 weeks.

Subjective Data

My leg continues to be sore, and healing is not as fast as I’d like. I overdid it with swimming last Wednesday (tried some kicking) and the leg felt a lot sorer on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I’m swearing off kicking for a while.
Missed swimming session on Thursday due to heavy work day (and sore leg).
Weight and body fat headed (slowly) in right directions again.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

It’s all about the healing – or the lack of speed there-of. Still, apart from stupidity on Wednesday, things are going in the right directions. I’m still hopeful that I can begin biking next week, and make the September 7-9 170 mile bike ride. The marathon training will take priority after that – and it will be tight, but I’m still going for it.

My swimming stroke and form has improved, but once I remove the floats (which I have because I can’t kick) it gets much harder. Yardage therefore is misleadingly high.

Weight lifting worked well this week. I switched programs to a more-intensive but shorter duration workout (45 mins as opposed to an hour), alternating muscle groups every day, and only repeating a group after at least 5 days. I’ve been ‘good’ sore all week, and the change-up has been really fun.

My eating habits were awesome all week (if I don’t say so myself), with one cheat meal on Saturday. But it was a doozy, at L’Ecole in NYC. I recommend the place if you’re an adventurous eater.

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

Basically more of the same:

Continue rest, rest, resting the leg.
Keep swimming. Target is 4 times per week.
Keep doing the upper-body and core lifting, and keep with light leg work.
Keep 2,000-2,250 calories-per-day target to keep weight under control.
Keep smiling.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise over $10,000 to help people suffering from cancer

Nude Numbers (#7)

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For reference, here’s last week’s data. Curious what this post is? Click here.

Summary

As mentioned earlier, I may have a stress fracture. This week continued my rehab with swimming and lifting. Weight control was better, but body fat remains higher than I’d like. The marathon and bike-ride plans are still in danger, but if the injury is a stress fracture (hopefully), I can be back on the training plan in about 3 weeks.

Subjective Data

Leg feels a lot better after 12 days in the boot. I can now walk without limping, although I do feel dull pain as the day progresses. I’m wearing the boot on alternate days right now.
I read the book Total Immersion, which tells me I have a lot more to learn about swimming. Still, I did (and enjoyed) the ‘yardage’ this week.
My back was sore again on Sunday (heavy lifting day on Saturday) so I took it off (continuing to listen to my body).
Weight is down with the restricted calorie targets I have, but body fat remains stubbornly high. I think I either need to cut more (which I don’t want to do) or accept my BF will remain around 16% until I can ramp up pool yardage or running mileage again.

Objective Data

Click here for a PDF version of my dashboard.

Assessment

Swimming continues, and I was able to get a lot more laps in this week. Towards the end of the week I concentrated more on form and drills than on doing laps, hence my Saturday lap numbers look low (they were alternated with lots of drills on balance).

Recovery is going well, and I’m still optimistic I’ll be back on the road to have a shot at the marathon. The bike ride is in September, and I’m not (maybe should be) too worried about it. It’s just 170 miles, and it’s spread over 2 and a half days.

Lifting was great this week, and I even worked leg drops and incline presses back in (although single-leg). Quick note in case you’re wondering: if you’re at a gym doing 45-degree single-leg incline-presses while wearing a boot on a fractured leg, some people will stop and chat with you and claim you’re “hard core.” Have to say, that was a first in my life J

My eating was good this week. I only cheated on one meal on Saturday (and it wasn’t even that big of a cheat). Still, while my weight went down, my BF stayed pretty constant. I admit this is more frustrating to me than I’d like, but I know I’m doing the right things so I’ll keep everything unchanged here for now.

As usual, if you have suggestions, leave a comment, or reach me at “art (at) abclarke.com”.

Plan

Basically more of the same:

Continue rest, rest, resting the leg. I’m alternating days wearing the boot, and not walking much (taking the bus to and from work instead of my 2-mile walk).
Keep swimming. I’m going to alternate drill days with yardage days to try to get some cardio workout (even if my form sucks).
Keep doing the upper-body and core lifting, and keep with light leg work.
Keep 2,000-2,250 calories-per-day target to keep weight under control.
Keep smiling.

Presentation Notes

No changes to data presentation this week. As with last week, data is presented in SOAP Note format.

– Art

Help me raise over $10,000 to help people suffering from cancer

The Fattening of America

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I was being lazy this morning and ‘flicking‘ online when I ran across the following link detailing the progression of obesity in the US in the last 20 years. Scary!!!

I would be interested to see that same data cross-referenced with rates of:

Increase/decrease in portion sizes at restaurants and/or grocery stores.
Advertising for food products and/or advertising for food products to kids.
Price per calorie of food (broken down by restaurants vs. grocery stores).

Not to claim that we shouldn’t take responsibility for our own actions, but since I started measuring what I ate, I’ve discovered that calorie counts in restaurant food are way higher than I thought, and appear to have risen substantially over the last 20 years. It makes sense since the marginal cost of serving more food is a small for a restaurant, yet popular with customers.

Even though I’m not obese, it’s generally a good idea for me to eat no more than half of any dish I’m served in a restaurant.