I bagged my first Baramundi fish today

I have been keeping up with my pledge to eat three fish meals each week lately, and it's doing me some good. I am doing the full ROM regime for the first time since 2009, and I can now blast 30 minutes straight on my eliptical at level 15. I am going yo level 16 tomorrow.

With that said, I have had great difficulty finding the Baramundi fish. For those who don't know, the Baramundi is a smallish member of the Australian Cod clan. It is a little herbivorous vegetarian fish which converts plant food to flesh at a rate of 1.8 to 1, just like the Catfish. You can raise them in aquaculture settings without much difficulty. We're talking about a lean, low cal, mild, white Cod fish which has plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids.

In case you missed it, Dr. Oz replaced the Salmon with the Baramundi on his list of the top 20 super foods. He shocked the world when he did that. The Salmon had a peerless rep until this moment. Why the switch? The Salmon is a carnivorous predator fish that packs a lot of fat, just as all predators do. It is a healthy piece of fish, but it is not low cal, and it is not low fat. The Baramundi is low cal and low fat.

I finally found some at the farmer's market in Calabasas this morning. I bought a whole fish, which turns out to be a mistake. I had never cleaned and filleted a fish in my life. I jacked my left index finger in the process. Next time, I am buying the filet.

The eating made it worth the blood. I felt fantastic when I finished. It put me in a good mood. I felt I had done a real favor for my body.

This was the first time I ever prepared fish at home. I attempted to blacken it Cajun style, and it din't quite work. I am going to continue experimenting until I get it right. I will let you know how it goes.

Bod Pod VII: The Return of the Lean

About 12 weeks ago I began Bod Pod testing for one reason: If you gain 1 pound of lean and lose 1 pound of fat, the scale will say you made Zero (0) progress. Today's Bod Pod was a good proof of this theory. As you well know from my prior posts, my weight increased this week after reaching a low point of approximately 217 pounds. I was bugging out last night when it reached 224.

Two weeks ago, I weighed in at 221.272. This morning, the Bod Pod measured me at 220.348. That's a paltry change of 0.924 pounds. Reason to scream bloody murder? Nope. Under the hood things were cooking. My fat weight dropped from 75.655 down to 70.865, a loss of 4.79 pounds. My lean weight spiked upward from 145.617 to 149.482, an increase of 3.865 pounds.

The net effect is that my body fat percentage dropped 2% (exactly). In terms of body volume, I lost less than one liter. I find this very strange. I was told lean muscle occupies 33% of the volume of fat, weight unit for weight unit. You can't prove that statement by me. The numbers don't add up.

I defied the laws of physical science again by adding lean and removing fat at the same time. My lean is now at the highest point since I began testing. I got my customary 2% change in body fat, but all scales would tell you I lost less than 1 pound of total weight. Without the Bod Pod, I would be a very upset gentileman today. With the Bod Pod test, I am mildly pleased.

Two weeks ago, I vowed I would tollerate no further losses of lean weight. Further, I vowed I would recover what I had lost. By God, I did it. I got it all back, and some. Further, I still managed to trim-off a healthy portion of fat at the same time. I have a cocky snicker on my face right now. I can call my shots and hit them.

On the dark side of the fence, I lost less than 7 pounds of fat. As you know, approximately 0.5 pounds of fat per day, or 3.5 pounds per week, or 7 pounds in two weeks, has been my average throughout this process. My fat loss was very slow during this past two week cycle. Furthermore, a continuation of the 1% per week rate of progress naturally means it will take me 15 weeks to complete the course. That takes me all the way out to November.

With that said, I would still be happy as hell with a repeat performance. If I dump another 4.79 pounds of fat and add another 3.86 pounds of lean in these next two weeks, I will be a happy camper.

Another interesting thing: My BMR is now projected at 1,899 kcal, down from 2,589 calculation I was given by Dr. Saedi at the beginning of the gastric bypass process. The reason is simple: It takes much more energy to haul 330 pounds around than 220. As you can see, my window for weight loss is shrinking. My margin for error has dropped some 700 kcal per day. This means it is going to get harder to lose, not easier. My shrinking BMR will eventually lead to a stabilization of my body weight.

Much worse is the fact that I am considerably behind my projections in terms of performance. I am now under-performing. My projections indicated that I should be at 210.138 today. Instead, I am at 220.348. This is a difference of 10.21 pounds. Now the good news is this: My projected lean weight was 147.95. Instead, my lean is 149.482. In terms of lean weight, I am ahead of schedule by 1.532 pounds. In fairness I can subtract the extra lean from the gap. Ultimately, this means I am packing 8.678 pounds of surplus fat I should have lost by now.

This is a bitch. I could have been 4.49 liters slimmer for my first visit to Club Minaj in Pasadena this weekend.

I shouldn't worry, though. Two weeks ago, I could say without boasting or fear of contradiction that I was the prettiest guy at Informa Research Services. Now I've gone way beyond that. When you see me naked, you will use profanity. That is how jealous you are going to be. I am far beyond hyper-sexy when I get buck naked now.

Start

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Starting weight := 330

Weight on surgery day := 309.4

Today's Weight := 220.348

Today's Lean Mass := 149.482

Total Fat Mass := 70.866

Fat Percentage Today := 32.16 %

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Moderate Fat Percentage := 25.00 %

Moderate Body Weight := 199.309333333333

Healthy Fat Percentage := 20.00 %

Healthy Body Weight := 186.8525

Ideal Fat Percentage := 17.00 %

Ideal Body Weight := 180.098795180723

Ideal Fat Mass := 30.6167951807229

Distance from Ideal Weight := 40.2492048192771

Ideal Weight Date := 10/26/2011

Ideal Weight Date Revised := 10/24/2011

------------------------------------------------

Days since Start := 196.436111111111

Days since surgery := 182.040277777778

30 Days Post-Surgery on := 3/6/2011

45 Days Post-Surgery on := 3/21/2011

60 Days Post-Surgery on := 4/5/2011

75 Days Post-Surgery on := 4/20/2011

90 Days Post-Surgery on := 5/5/2011

------------------------------------------------

Total weight loss := 109.652

Weight loss since surgery := 89.052

------------------------------------------------

Loss per day (overall) := 0.558206937511489

Loss Per day since surgery := 0.489188442728639

------------------------------------------------

Mass reduction percentage := 33.23 %

Completion Percentage := 110.76 %

Pounds to Half Way Mark := Already Done

Days to halfway := Already Done

Half way point := Already Done

Projected Easter Weight := Done 268

Projected Easter Revised := Done 268

Projected Weight 5/5/2011 := Done 262.6

Revised projection 5/5/2011 := Done 262.6

------------------------------------------------

Weight at 90% mass := 297

Weight at 80% mass := 263.4 on 5/3/2011

Weight at 70% mass := 231 achieved 7/7/2011

Weight at 60% mass := 198

------------------------------------------------

Date for 90% mass := Already Done

Date for 80% mass := Done 5/3/2011

Date for 70% mass := Done 7/7/2011

Date for 60% mass := 9/19/2011 10:28:49 AM

------------------------------------------------

Fat Percentage at 90% mass := 49.67 %

Fat Percentage at 80% mass := 43.38 %

Fat Percentage at 70% mass := 35.29 %

Fat Percentage at 60% mass := 24.50 %

------------------------------------------------

Revised Date for 80% mass := Done 5/3/2011

Revised Date for 70% mass := Done 7/7/2011

Revised Date for 60% mass := 9/18/2011 10:28:49 AM

Distance from 60% mass := 22.348

------------------------------------------------

Visit San Francisco Date := 6/11/2011

Days until San Francisco visit := Already done

San Francisco visit projected weight := Done= 245.338

San Francisco visit revised projected := Done= 245.338

Total loss before San Francisco visit := 84.662

Projected Body Fat Percentage := 40%

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Penultimate Quilici appointment date := 3/28/2011

Days since penultimate appointment := 17.152

Penultimate weighin at Quilici's office := 281

Loss since penultimate appointment := 21

------------------------------------------------

Most recent Quilici appointment date := 6/28/2011

Days since most recent appointment := 37.9366782407407

Penultimate weigh-in at Quilici's office := 237.5

Loss since penultimate appointment := 43.5 actually 47.5

------------------------------------------------

Next Quilici Next appointment date := 9/29/2011

Days past surgery (appointment) := 237.104166666667

Projected appointment Weight := 193.411381943862

------------------------------------------------

224.0?

Something damn peculiar is going on inside my body. I stood on the scale this evening when I got home, and the scale said 224.0. I have to admit that my eyes bulged out of their sockets when I saw that figure.

There is some strange metabolic hanky panky going on inside my guts, and I don't quite know what to make of it. Consider the following:

• I rose a bit late this morning and got on the bike immediately after my customary trip to the bathroom and the scale.
• When I finished my morning workout, I was concerned that I would be late for a morning meeting, so I skipped my morning protein drink. I thought I had one stowed away in the frige at work.
• When I got to work, the boss was launching scud missiles, and some fool had thrown away my protein drink as part of a frige clean-out. Thanks a lot.
• I didn't get my first calorie until 12:30 pm, at which time I had a Myoplex.
• I did my lunch-time olympic rower anyway. 21 minutes 221 kcal 4,300 kilometers.
• I had half a burrito over the rest of the afternoon before standing on the scale.

How in the name of God do you gain two pounds on that program? There are a plethora of conventional answers:

1. You are retaining water, and need to sweat.
2. You are constipated, and Magnesium Citrate is the remedy.
3. It's a temporary metabolic anomaly
4. The anabolic steroids are working
5. The party is over and you getting fat again

Answer 1 is at least partially wrong. I am sweating like a pig. Answer 2 is entirely possible, but where do you get two extra pounds from in my menu? Even with a complete block, I didn't take in that much matter. Number 3 is the strong card, just because it is so bloody vague. What steroids? I cycled off the pro-hormone formula 2 weeks ago. There ain't no such thing in my current regime.

This leaves us with answer 5: The party is over and you are getting fat again. I seriously doubt that. If you witnessed the medical film and know the colossal damage they did to my digestive tract, it is bloody unlikely that I will ever be able to gain weight rapidly again. Especially this rapidly.

Let's hope that I wake up from this nightmare tomorrow morning to discover that I am at a new all-time low, like 215. I realize that this is bloody unlikely. I will deem myself fortunate if I can push it back down to 218. This will, at the very least, yield a 3.2 pound over-all loss. Right now I am starring down the gun barrel at a 3 pound gain.

Of all the Bod-Pod tests I have done, tomorrows test look to be the most fascinating of them all. Curiosity is killing me. I am dying to see just what the hell is going on under the hood here.

At the moment I can see no reasonable, or even plausible, explanation for what has been going on during the past week. The Bod Pod is the only scientific test I know of that can shed some light on the subject.

222.2?

So I just stood on the bathroom scale a moment ago, and the digital read-out flashed 222.2. That is 222.2 English pounds. That's damn close to 100 metric kilograms, exactly.

What's the problem with that? Nearly two weeks ago, the Bod-Pod indicated that I weighed in at 221.2. We know the Bod Pod is 0.85 pounds lighter than the Tanita. Put that all together and it would appear that I have had two weeks with zero (0) progress. Not looking good.

Over and against this fact is the fact that all my clothing has loosened up tremendously in the past two weeks. Remember those 17 year old jeans from UCLA I told you about? The size 44x30 pants? I tried them on a few minutes ago, and I couldn't wear them in public. I would sag like a ghetto gansta-biache in those jeans. I am probably between size 40 and 38 right now.

I wore my throw-back Eric Dickerson jersey and blue shorts yesterday. The whole outfit was baggy. It wasn't baggy a mere two weeks ago. It was just about perfect two weeks ago.

I know that I know that I know, as sure as I am sitting here, that there has been a substantial contraction in my body volume this time around. I would be surprised if I measure in at anything above 92 liters tomorrow morning.

This may be the first-ever two-week cycle in which I make zero (0.0) progress on the weight front, but I doubt I have stood still. Most of these omens foreshadow a pretty sizable gain in lean weight, and a loss of fatty tissue. If I am extremely lucky, it will be a 7/7 situation. That is 7 pounds of lean gain, and 7 pounds of fat loss.

I know that sounds preposterous, but understand this: Muscle memory can raise your lean tissue weight in a snap, and I know my lean was higher than 145.2 pounds once upon a time. Further, 7 pounds of fat loss in two weeks is strictly average to below average for me.

Let's hope for the very best. I hope all the following happens tomorrow:

1. I get a sudden drop in weight tomorrow morning
2. My lean has increased 6 or 7 pounds
3. My fat weight has decreased 7 to 8 pounds.

If so, it will be a happy day of great progress.

A few bits of NFL News

RIP Bubba Smith

Bubba Smith finished his football career in the era before I was old enough to watch the game. Like so many Americas, I saw him scores of times in movies and television. He was a dear character actor in Hollywood.

As you all know, Bubba was found dead at the age of 66 today in his Hollywood home. The circumstances were not suspicious, and it is believed he passed away from natural causes. We are awaiting official confirmation of these preliminary conclusions, but the outcome looks certain. Rest in peace Bubba. We will all be joining you sooner or later.

Marc Bulger retires

As you all know, I was a Marc Bulger advocate and defender during the 2010 draft cycle when the Rams were preparing to replace him. I always said the Rams destroyed Marc Bulger, not Bulger the Rams. If I said it once, I said it a hundred times.

Marc surprised everyone in the football world today--except perhaps his friend Kurt Warner--by abruptly retiring. Marc's name was one of the hot ones on the NFL Network during the long hot lockout summer. The consensus on the NFL Network was that he would probably be a starting QB again in 2011.

I had hoped that these voices were correct, but I also knew the magnitude of the beating Bulger took in St. Louis behind that wretched OL we had. I was a little doubtful he could heal up as Jim Plunkett once did. As you know, remnants of that offensive line still remained at the start of 2010, and they were the chief reasons I didn't want to take Sam Bradford in the 2010 draft.

Although no one has said so, I suspect the magnitude of those injuries are greater than any of us thought. How else do you explain the lack of interesting signing him after each of his couple stops?

Kurt Warner gave us one tiny nugget during this summer suggesting that Marc might be better off stepping away from the field, using his time to tend to family and his charity foundation. This was only signal we got that Marc might be considering retirement.

We're not happy to see you go, brother, but enjoy your retirement.

The Rams Sign Cadillac Williams

I would like to welcome Cadillac to the Rams, but I want to caution all of you out there who think this is a big acquisition. Cadillac Williams is a 29 year old running back with a ton of millage on him who was replaced by an undrafted rookie free agent last season in Tampa. He is more than 1 full-year older than Steven Jackson, and he has suffered much worse injuries during his career. When I first heard the news, my first question was "Will he make the team?"

Don't expect Williams to change the fortunes of our organization.

I am way behind schedule

Way back on Saturday, June 18, 2011, I posted a blog in which I laid down some conservative hypothetical numbers regarding where I should be at this time. I just had a look at those hypotheticals and compared them to my real-world performance, and it doesn’t look good folks. I am behind the power curve by a considerable margin. The take home story is simple: I need a burst and breakthrough.

Here is the situation in a nutshell:

• According to my hypothetical projections, I should have been at 32.52% body fat on July 22
• The actual figure was 34%
• I should have weighed in at 219.938 pounds on July 22
• The actual figure was 221.2
• I should have had 147.95 pounds of lean on July 22
• The actual figure was 145
• I should have had 71.88 pounds of fat on July 22
• The actual figure was

The situation looks equally glum for this coming Friday. Take a look at these projections

• I should weigh in at 210.138 this Friday
• Right now, the bathroom scale is stuck at 218, meaning I am around 217.
• I think it unlikely that I will just suddenly plummet 7 pounds in the next 2 days.
• If I am lucky my weight will fall 4 pounds in the next two days, and my lean will improve.
• I am guestimating that my total body weight will be 213 this Friday. I hope I can hit that mark, but it may be difficult
• Speaking of lean, I should have 147.95 of lean on Friday. Let’s hope it is better than that.
• My Body Fat Percentage should be 29.59% this Friday. This would require a 4.41% drop from last time. That is far-fetched and unprecedented.

I have to admit that I am struggling a bit with the question of why my weight and fat levels aren’t dropping faster. I suppose everyone suffers a few plateaus during the course of a long marathon of weight loss, however, I am at a loss to explain why this is happening to me during a moment when I am intensifying the workout tremendously.

Just how much work have I done? Consider the following table for today alone.

Order	Exercise	Minutes	Kcal
1	Bike	22	268
2	Eliptical	22	348
3	Rower	21	237
4	Treadmill	15	192
5	Bike	16	195
6	Bike	13	150
7	Eliptical	16	250
		125	1,640

As you can see, I damn near burned half a pound worth of fat in the workouts alone today. This doesn’t include the 25 minutes I spent in the saunas tonight, either. 150 minutes is quite a long time to spend training and steaming.

With effort like this, I believe my progress should be dramatic, and I should be on schedule. I am bitterly disappointed that this doesn’t appear to be the case. Unless I get a big surge in lean weight this week, I am going to be very unhappy with my progress come this Friday.

I just can't seem to get excited about my Rams this year.

Call me a pessimist, but I just can't get excited about my Rams this year. You may say that I am busy with a lot of other subjects in my life right now, and you would be partially right, but don't fool yourself: If my boys had had a tremendous off-season, filled crucial holes with exciting players, and made most of the right moves, I would be off the hook with excitement about it.

The NFC West is an absolute mess this season with the last division champ, the Seahawks, on the short-short list of who may win the Andrew Luck bowl in 2011. The Cardinals have gotten a bit better, but don't fool yourself: They still haven't replaced Kurt Warner. The 49ers are on the short-short list of who was most severely compromised by the lockout. So are my Rams.

We might be the favorite to win the division, but don't kid yourself: nothing is in the bag, and if we win this sack of shit, it won't mean much. It simply means that we were the most buoyant turd in the toilet bowl.

At the root of my pessimism is Billy Devaney's handling of the draft and free-agency.

As you well know, I was ready to bury Devaney in an unmarked grave in the middle of Nevada desert immediately after the draft. As far as I am concerned, he made all the wrong moves, not all the right moves.

In free agency, we have done something close to nothing to plug out critical holes. Do you honestly expect me to be excited about the signing of Eagle safety Quentin Mikell? Do you expect me to be excited about the signing of ball-dropping wide-receiver Michael Sims-Walker from the Jaguars? If you do, you are crazy. Neither of these men are capable of changing the fate of the Rams organization.

Now, I hope they prove me wrong, but I seriously doubt they will.

You do know that Zac Diles is a cast-off from one of the worst defenses in the league? You do know that Al Harris, great as he once was, is 36 years of age, and might not make the team.

I like the signing of Harvey Dahl, but only up to a point. It would have been better if we had gotten Mike Pouncey and Harvey Dahl.

Rumor has it we are close to acquiring a running back. Unless that man is Ronnie Brown of the Dolphins, we will not obtain a man capable of changing the fate of the organization. Ronnie just might...

Bottom line is that we just didn't make much progress this season. Like the Bengals, we seem to be ballin' on a budget. We don't seem to be making any high-quality moves. We still don't have a playmaker for Sam Bradford to work with. This pisses me off and frustrates me in the extreme.

Because so many other good and exciting things seem to be happening in my life at this point, it has been easy to turn a deaf ear to the NFL Network, not that they have had much to say about my Rams lately. There has been virtually no coverage of the Rams lately, because there has been nothing to talk about. No story hear folks.

Inept management is the story line here. If he were doing good things, Devaney would have one hell of an advocate in me. However, that just isn't the case.

Bottom line is this: I believe 2011 will be a lost season for the Rams, just as it will be for a whole bunch of NFL teams damaged by the recent labor strife.