5 Lbs in 5 Days: Part 2

5 days ago I posted my plan to lose 5 lbs in 5 days. When I started the post, I was joking. By the time I finished it I actually convinced myself I might be able to do it.


And I did.Kinda.
When I stepped on the scale a second time, just a few minutes later, I weighed in between 181 and 182.

(I had to shift my weight around to get this to show 180 lbs.)

Which makes sense, because I only executed half my plan (the dieting part). I didn't do an ounce of exercise.

In the end I lost more weight than I expected but can't decide whether or not I look any thinner. I just might keep this up another couple days.

Is Bandwidth Inversely Proportional to Age?

Why is it that the older people are, the slower their Internet is? I seriously think that there are service providers out there that have a secret "Over 50" package they sell to retirees. It costs more than normal high speed Internet, but goes way, way slower. "Heck, they'll never know the difference."

So, if you think your Internet speed is too slow for what you're paying, you should look into it. Especially if you have DSL. Just click on the link below and follow the instructions to find out whether you're getting the service you paid for.

http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/

If you are little confused on whether or not you have DSL or Cable, just check where it comes out of the wall. If it looks like cable, it's cable. If it's a phone line with some funky attachment, it's DSL. We have DSL and when I run the test I normally get between 750 and 850 kbps. Here's what mine read tonight.



Every once in a while AT&T must mistake me for my 60 year old neighbors, because our Internet connection suddenly goes very slow and stays that way until we call AT&T. And when we finally get them on the line, they apologize and fix it "remotely" within just a few minutes.

Getting Older

Something about this video makes me wish I was 14 again. I can't wait for Charlie and Max to get a little older. But I never want them to grow up.

5 Lbs in 5 Days

Ashley goes to Utah tomorrow and I will meet her there 5 days later. So I got to thinking, why not surprise her with a new me for Christmas? I figure it would take 5 lbs to really make a splash.

I've seen people lose more in less time on The Biggest Loser, so I know it's possible. But they're also HUGE and have all day to work out (not to mention $250,000 to motivate them to eat right).

That begs the question, could I lose 5 lbs in 5 days...without cutting off an arm, visiting the hospital or dying due to dehydration or starvation?

I think it's a question of math and physical stamina. I'd have to deprive myself of 3500 calories per day. The problem is that I normally consume less than 2500 calories per day (which means I also only burn 2500 calories per day). Even if I starved myself for 5 days straight and maintained my normal calorie expenditure I'd only lose 3.5 lbs. That means I need to work out too.

At a bare minimum I'd need to work off another 1.5 lbs, or 5250 calories, in addition to the calories I lose not eating. I can burn about 150 calories in 10 minutes on a treadmill, so that's only 5 hours and 50 minutes (just over an hour a day) of running to make up the difference.

Unfortunately, I'm left with the whole living until Christmas issue. To fix that, let's say I dropped my caloric intake to 1500 calories per day instead of all the way down to zero. If I maintained my current daily activities, I'd expect to shed 1000 calories per day, leaving me with another 2500 per day that I would have to exercise my way out of. In other words, to reach my goal of 5 lbs in 5 days, I would have add 2 hrs 45 min on the treadmill (or its equivalent) each day to the 1000 calories I avoid by dieting. That's starting to sound more feasible, especially if I broke up my exercise routine into a morning and evening workout.

I may just have to try it.

100% Cotton

I prefer my cotton blended with a good portion of Polyester. Even better with a touch of Rayon. Just please don't try to tell me that 100% cotton is anything better than just a clever marketing ploy.
Like many of you, I grew up believing that cotton really was the fabric of our lives. When I looked at a shirt label and saw "100% Cotton" I was relieved because I thought I had a quality garment in my hand. Unfortunately I was simply the victim of shrewd and very effective marketing.

How can a fabric that shrinks up to 10% when washed for the first time even be acceptable, let alone be promoted as a wonder textile? And what about the fact that your 100% cotton clothing will fade almost twice as fast as anything else you own?

And did you ever stop to think about how ridiculous the concept of "Shrink to Fit" was? You have to hand it to Levi's for trying to market the unpredictable nature of cotton. But did they really expect me to take home a pair of 501 jeans, wash them in warm water and just hope that they turn out to be the right size when the jeans dried?

The fabric of our lives? I think not. Cotton is simply a natural and very affordable commodity with a whole lot of marketing dollars behind it. I'm not quite ready to boycott the stuff. Just don't make me buy it in its pure form. Do me a favor and dilute it with something like Polyester so I can have a t-shirt that will keep its shape and color.

What I Don't Want for Christmas

Ashley's been bugging me for my Birthday/Christmas wish list for a couple weeks now. It's been strangly difficult to come up with one. Normally I'd be asking for a new sand wedge, a wool sweater or something similar. But this year I'm at a total loss for good ideas. So here are my bad ones.

Something I don't need and don't want for Christmas, but would love to get some time soon:

• A round of golf at Pasatiempo.

What I need, but isn't the stuff Christmas is made of:

• A new engine and new brakes for my Karmann Ghia.

Obviously I could use some help with this list. Any suggestions?

Nick Faldo, You're Wise Beyond My Years

"Golf is not about the quality of your good shots, it is about the quality of your bad shots." - Nick Faldo

(I gotta get me some of those pants.)