How I Lost 35 Pounds in 5 Months
January 16th, 2010
It’s January. It’s time to set goals. Many will have “Lose X lbs.” on their list so I thought I’d share how I lost quite a bit of weight recently. The secret of my success (yes, like Michael J. Fox) is – drumroll please – eating a solid diet of acai berries! Just kidding. I don’t know what acai berries are other than they appeared in banner ads all across the web in 2009. Acai berries might be magical but my weight loss tips are not. My weight loss came mostly as a result of discipline, which meant stopping bad habits and replacing them with good ones. The following list contains some of the practices, tools, and guidelines I followed while dropping a little over 16% of my body weight over the past five months.
1. Change eating habits before exercise habits
Many will join the local gym and exercise like crazy as they try to achieve their weight loss goal. If this is your plan, stop right now. Get your diet in order before you dive heavy into exercise. If you start with exercise, you’ll likely be hungrier, which means eating too many calories and too many of the wrong calories. Form good eating habits first, lose some pounds in the process, and then move on to exercise (see #6).
2. Aim for a realistic, healthy and sustainable goal
You may think you want to lose 50 pounds in two months, but I can say it won’t be realistic, healthy or sustainable. Simple online tools to help you determine the weight range you should be in and how many calories you should eat each day include:
These tools don’t take into account all the variables. They also don’t take into account things like body fat targets, waist size reduction, and overall fitness. Use the outputs as guidelines and a place to start rather than the answer to questions of your ideal weight and calorie needs. The idea is to set healthy goals that you can achieve and keep up over the long run.
3. Cut carbs drastically at the start
This one is likely to irritate some folks but I’ve found it helps kick start weight loss. Follow the first 2-week phase of the Atkins or South Beach diet. You’ll ween your body off carbs and most processed foods. Think of it as a smoker quitting smoking cold turkey. You’ll likely feel sugar withdrawals and swear that you’re dying but after about a week you’ll condition your body to be satisfied with more nutritious food. After the two weeks, start to add healthy carbs back into your diet, but limit starchy foods like regular pasta, white rice, and white breads. Whole grains are the suggested replacement. Just be careful not to fall for the marketing use of the term “whole grain” prominently featured on many food labels these days. You’ll need to checkout the ingredients to be sure it’s the real deal and not chock full of garbage in addition to whole grains.
4. Track what you eat religiously
I used DailyBurn to track my meals each day. Doing this made me conscience of what I was eating on a daily basis. 
It showed how many calories, carbs, fat, protein, etc. I was taking in. Make what you eat in your face even after you’ve stuffed your face. You’ll find it changes your eating habits almost immediately.
5. Drink at least 64 oz. of water per day
This is good to do in general but especially important when you’re trying to lose weight. Our bodies need H2O. Drinking lots of water can also help control your appetite.
6. Develop a sustainable exercise routine slowly
My secret weapons to sustaining an exercise routine. Sled dogs.
Being overly ambitious at the start of a big goal or project is common. When it comes to losing weight this (too often) means a killer exercise routine that inevitably burns out quick with zero positive results. Once you’ve established better eating habits (see #1) then start to establish a sustainable exercise routine. This means finding what works best for you. Can you only afford 30 minutes a day a few days a week? Find exercises that allow you to get a good workout in that amount of time. Only join a gym if you are going to go on a regular basis. Most people will not go to a gym if it’s an inconvenience. My wife goes to the gym regularly and I think it works for her because going to the gym is an enjoyable break away from the kids. I don’t care for the gym. It’s a hassle and exercise machines are boring to me. So I go on long brisk walks instead. That works for me. Find something that works for you, start slowly and ramp it up gradually.
7. Tell others about your goal
If you tell people your goal then you’re more likely to stick to it. I was encouraged and teased relentlessly for announcing my goal and progress on various social networks once a week. I would remind myself of the goal and give an update on my latest weigh in. I found my friends’ and family’s feedback helped me to stay disciplined.
None of the points above are ground breaking. There is no silver bullet. It’s hard work but does get easier as time goes by and new good habits replace the old bad ones. I hope it helps someone out as they strive to drop some pounds and develop a healthier lifestyle. If nothing else, I’ve now got this post for friends to shove in my face if I ever gain back the pounds I lost. That’s what I call motivation! 
My Top 21-100 Movies for The First 10 Years of 2000
January 11th, 2010
Here is a continuation of my previous list of top movies. The rankings after 40 become kind of pointless, but I did it anyway. I didn’t comment on these movies like the top 20. It’s too time consuming. If there are questions I get in the comments here or elsewhere, I’ll be sure to share my thoughts. Also, there are a lot of movies I haven’t seen. If you see a movie not on this list or the previous one that you think I should have on here, please leave the name in the comments. Chances are I never saw it. Maybe that was intentional, maybe not.
A side note: One cool thing I was able to do for this list was write a small Python script to get all the movie info via the Netflix API. Everything was auto-generated. I provided my ranked list and the script did the rest. Click on an image for the Netflix page for that flick. For each item in the list, you can also add the disc to your Netflix queue with the link under the title, see the Netflix users’ rating, and know if it’s available on Blu-ray as of the publish date of this post.
Quote from EC: “Let’s roll like a troll!”
January 11th, 2010
My nine year old son yelled this out as the family was getting ready to go out the other day. I’ll take partial blame for this one, as I have the habit of saying “let’s roll” when I’m trying to get the kids ready to go somewhere. I don’t ever recall throwing trolls into the mix. EC gets credit for that.
Why I Got a PS3 (And Not an Xbox 360)
January 3rd, 2010
I think I’m one of the last hold outs on the high-def revolution. I finally caved in this holiday season, and as a result, ended up buying a PS3. I’m not a big gamer. I play a little bit with my son and will occasionally play a sports game here and there. Therefore, my reasons for going with a PS3 over an XBox 360 are not likely in line with those of most big gamers so I thought I’d post them here. I realize it’s a bit too late to re-flame the fires of the whole PS3 vs. Xbox 360 debate, but my reasons for buying a PS3 may be telling for how Sony might have some hope with the PS3 after a horrific start.
1. I wanted a Blu-ray player
Definitely the number one driver was the Blu-ray player in the PS3. I would’ve had to buy a separate Blu-ray player otherwise and it wouldn’t have likely been as solid as the one that comes with the PS3. No brainer here. Oh yeah, in case you’re wondering, there is a noticeable difference between Blu-ray and an upconverted DVD when you start looking at 1080p HD displays 40″ or bigger from most normal viewing distances. I was never convinced of this until I saw it with my own eyes, up close and personal.
2. No charge for PSN
I understand why Microsoft charges for XBox Live and I expect Sony to try to start charging in the future or at least adding paid-only features to PSN. I think it’s absurd that an XBox Live subscription is required for things like Netflix streaming on the XBox 360. It’s not like Microsoft is providing any value add there. At least with the games, you can argue you’re getting the benefit of the whole XBox Live infrastructure and features. I think Microsoft needs to rethink how they force the use of XBox Live as more features come out that don’t necessarily require or make use of the XBox Live services.
3. Wifi is included
Hard core gamers don’t use wifi, I realize this. But I’m not a hard core gamer. For Netflix streaming, media server style streaming (UPnP) from my Ubuntu boxes, and my family’s limited online game play, 802.11g wifi works great. I hate that the Xbox 360 does not include wifi.
4. PS3 is still more reliable overall
I didn’t think this was the case anymore until I recently heard Leo Laporte on the Windows Weekly podcast say he’s gone through several Xbox 360 units with various failures. He said the last failure has driven him to the PS3. I also would read about troubling Xbox 360 failure rate numbers as recent as September of 2009.
5. The PS3 holiday bundle was better
I paid $299 for the PS3 on black Friday, but got it with two excellent $50+ games, Little Big Planet and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 had bundles with more games but none were as high quality and family friendly as those that came with the PS3.
My Top 20 Movies for The First Ten Years of 2000
January 2nd, 2010
I’ve never written about movies here before, but I’m a pretty big movie fan and can’t pass up the opportunity to write a bit about those who top my list over the past ten years. I was so into movies at a younger age that I seriously considered going to film school when it came time to make a decision about my post-secondary education. So, I like movies and I got the urge to write a bit about some of my favorites from the last ten years. Pretty simple. Now on to the list, in descending order:
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20. The Aviator (2004)I’m a sucker for films based on true stories, especially those centered on characters as unique as Howard Hughes. Martin Scorcese captures the bravado and madness of Hughes as well as the history in the making. The acting is top notch all the way around. Beautiful film. |
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19. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)Remaking a movie formerly filled with the Rat Pack should be disastrous, especially when the new cast is full of some of the biggest names in the movie biz today. But Ocean’s Eleven is fun to watch (over and over again), even with the impossible scheme the plot is built around. |
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18. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)Comedy is hard to do right. While all the best picture nominations normally go to movies depicting the darkest of life’s corners, movies that make us laugh are tossed to the side. Little Miss Sunshine made me laugh hard, very hard, many times throughout. While some may argue the characters are cliché for an indie film, I will argue that truly funny indie films don’t come along very often so I’ll take the clichés in this case. |
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17. Catch Me If You Can (2002)I’ve watched this movie numerous times. I never grow tired of it. It’s fun, based on a true story, and has some strong acting. This one proved to me just how versatile Spielberg is as a director. Interesting to note is that we’re only at movie 17 and Leonardo is in two of my top 20. I didn’t realize I was such a big fan of the Keebler elf (as one audience member sitting behind me called him in Titanic). |
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16. In Good Company (2004)If comedy is hard to do right, then making comedy with a heart may be the ultimate challenge. In Good Company is funny and it has a heart. Even better is that the ending isn’t predictable fluff that often plagues this genre. |
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15. Breach (2007)Some found this one too slow. I think it’s a rare quiet thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat without ever demanding big action or over the top acting. And this is all done while we know the ending, as it’s based on the true story of an FBI agent who is captured for selling secrets to Russia for over twenty years. Pretty amazing. |
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14. Syriana (2005)If I didn’t know better, I could’ve sworn this one was a Stephen Soderbergh film. The multiple intertwined stories about a complex topic is not unlike Soderbergh’s Traffic, another flick I considered for this list. Syriana has everything required for a disaster on the screen – several big name actors, a hot political topic (oil and the Middle East), and a plethora of plot lines to make sense of. Instead of a disaster, we get an intelligent, entertaining, and ultimately powerful film. |
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13. Cinderella Man (2005)I can’t remember walking away from a movie more inspired than when I left Cinderella Man. It does have a typical sports movie ending but the journey along the way is anything but typical. |
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12. The Dark Knight (2008)Superhero movies are hot. I would’ve put Spiderman (1 or 2, not 3) on this list as I believe it revived the genre this decade. But, as good as the first two Spiderman movies were, The Dark Knight is even better. One big reason I believe The Dark Knight is superior is due to Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. I can’t remember the last time I saw such a repulsive villain, a missing ingredient from the Spiderman movies. In addition to The Joker, we also get a tale for the 2000’s. The moral dilemmas and plot lines seem to be taken from the news of the last ten years. |
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11. Owning Mahowny (2003)There are plenty of films about addiction. Actors that want recognition around Oscar time seem to gravitate towards roles such as that of an addict. But Owning Mahowny is a different tale of addiction. It’s about a gambling addict and Philip Seymour Hoffman plays this compulsive gambler with a quiet intensity that makes one feel the insanity of the struggle. |
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10. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)If you had told me I’d be putting a documentary in my top ten list a year ago, I would have laughed. It’s not that documentaries can’t be great, it’s just that I haven’t seen any that I thought “this is awesome” like I do with traditional movies. Then I watched The King of Kong. Three times. Who knew the story of a grown man going for the world’s highest Donkey Kong score would be so compelling. There is a sweetness and a real story of intrigue being told in this documentary. I wish more fiction was as good as this. |
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9. Meet The Parents (2000)Don’t laugh, unless it’s because you’re thinking of a scene from Meet The Parents. This is one of my all time favorite comedies. I think Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller make comedic magic happen. This one is full of smart writing without reverting to the debauchery and foul mouthed comedy that came into favor around 2005 and continues today. “I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?” |
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8. The Departed (2006)It’s a bit strange to find The Departed in my top 20, let alone top 10, considering after I first saw this one I was turned off by the way it felt a bit sloppy overall. The acting wasn’t at fault, but I thought the story and transitions between scenes were a mess. Then a funny thing happened. I watched it again about a year later and didn’t perceive any of those faults. The great acting remained and I found a new admiration for Martin Scorsese’s film along the way. |
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7. Brothers (2009)The only 2009 title on my list. I saw it last week over Christmas break and was completely blown away by how good everything was. The directing allows the viewer to see the real lives of these people without overstating the deep emotions running throughout. The acting was superb and the story was interesting. I could feel the tension between the characters from the start, especially in those shots at the dinner table. It’s rare to see a movie that could serve as a stage for big break out acting roles and political messages, but instead gives the audience something much greater, a connection with the characters that runs deep. |
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6. Finding Nemo (2003)Pixar is amazing and Finding Nemo is one of its better exhibits of what it can do in terms of making technically amazing films that tell good stories and have nearly perfect voice casting. I was often baffled that The Incredibles was considered a more popular Pixar flick during this period of time. I think Finding Nemo is Pixar’s second best movie to date, behind only Toy Story. And that is saying a lot when you consider some of their other titles like Toy Story 2, Up, Wall-E, and Ratatouille. |
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5. You Can Count on Me (2000)This one is much like Brothers in that it lets you in on the lives of a particular family. Where Brothers had the intensity of scenes of war in Afghanistan for a change of pace, You Can Count on Me doesn’t ever take the focus off the small town and lives of a grown up brother and sister still grappling with life after losing their parents at an early age. The results are both sad and funny, often at the same time. Sort of like real life. |
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4. City of God (2002)City of God is like an amazing car accident happening right before your eyes. Cars are flipping and smashing all over the road. People are helpless as metal crunches and glass shatters. Almost everyone involved has serious damage, if they make it out alive at all. And we as the onlookers can’t take our eyes off a single second, even in the worst of the carnage. That is City of God in a nutshell. A stylistic film capturing some of the worst society has to offer in the form of the life in the slums of Rio De Janeiro during the 70’s and 80’s. The images last forever in your memory. There is little desire for a repeat viewing but my admiration for this film runs deep. |
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3. The Bourne Triology (2002, 2004, 2007)Cheater! Yes I am. But, I felt like the Bourne movies are rare in that they can stand on their own as well as tell a coherent story when viewed as a whole. These are smart action films that entertain throughout, no small feat. Now consider there are three of them, all delivering an excellent balance of story telling, character development, and amazing action sequences. Amazing. And that is why I have them here all together representing number three on my list. |
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2. Walk The Line (2005)I was more than a bit tepid when I went to the theater to see this one when it was released. How can any actor pull off Johnny Cash’s presence, let alone sing the songs with his own voice? Love him or think he’s lost his mind, Joaquin Phoenix did the impossible. From the start, I believed I was watching the life of Johnny Cash on the screen. This isn’t even mentioning the fantastic job Reese Witherspoon did as June Carter. Beyond the tremendous acting and singing, we get a fine story of the rise, fall, and redemption of The Man in Black. |
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1. Lord of The Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003)I’m pushing it. One trilogy in a top 20 list might (just might) be justifiable, but two? It is a bit crazy but I have my reasons. I feel even more strongly about including The Lord of The Rings as a trilogy, as I never viewed the films as standing completely on their own. Just ask my Dad, who after watching The Fellowship of The Ring, looked at me in shock. To be continued?! Yep, my Dad didn’t realize it was a three part series and he’d have to hang in there two more years for the complete story to be told. I don’t think he made it, but I think my point does. These are one film broken into three slices. Where the Bourne films can stand on their own or as a whole, The Lord of The Rings doesn’t share the same luxury. But, it’s difficult to watch an over nine hour long movie (or 12+ hour one if viewing the extended version) so we get three separate titles if only out of logistical requirements. Enough justifying of the trilogy. Lord of The Rings does the impossible by taking a very long, complex fantasy book and turning it into a fantastic story on the screen. Die hard fans will nitpick the missing characters and scenes, but it’s hard to imagine a more perfect film. It’s gorgeous to look at, has characters we care about (very difficult in fantasy), a sense of humor, great adventure, and complex storytelling that ultimately gives us a tale of good triumphing over evil. I can’t wait for it to come out on Blu-ray. |