finbarrio

4/12 woke up not feeling well (stomach) b-fast: whole wheat bagel, tofuti cream cheese lunch: apple/granola cereal with banana dinner: zip - got home from work and went to bed No workouts 4/13 still ill b-fast: ww bagel/tofutti cream cheese snacks: plum, 2 green apples lunch: 2 veggie burgers, chips w/ salsa dinner: tofu w/ steamed veggies, veggie pot stickers 4/14 feeling better finally b-fast: ww bagel/ tofutti cream cheese snack: banana, clif bar lunch: workouts: road biking 2 hrs lifted weights (full body)

Don't mean to pry, but are you sure your insomnia isn't a result of having something on your mind? That is the only time I can't sleep - when I have something on my mind- something unresolved or something I'm stressed about. I find that if I get up and write out what it is that's on my mind, and what I'm going to do about it, then I fall back to sleep no problem. Even on a crappy pillow. Btw, I use a fairly flat, medium firmness pillow. It's not too comfy, but I've had neck problems before and it helps.

Wow - thanks for those facts. Let me ask you - do you ever get depressed or frustrated reading all that stuff? I just finished reading Jane Goodall's book - I think called Harvest for Hope - and it had a lot of similar, jaw-dropping facts. And it was good to read and got me energized, but it also made me pissed at how shitty our fellow human beings can treat the world. It makes me feel hopeless - that we are but specs of dust trying to stop a bulldozer. I mean, I know plenty of people who KNOW stuff like this is true and happening, but just choose to ignore it. Good, "Christian" people. It just gets me so frustrated.

That ninja outfit could get you in trouble... http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/14333392.htm

Hmm, good topic. I think I'm going to South Africa for work in June, so I'll be able to cross that off the list. I'll have plenty of play time as well. So Costa Rica might be # 1 for me also. Nicole - does that all-inclusive veggie-friendly resort have a web site? I've never been to the west coast of US or Canada, which I'd like to do. Travel can be tough for us vegan freaks, though. Then again, so can Easter dinners with the family!

Whatever the logo, I'd personally like to see a black or brown colored shirt.

Going great so far for me. I've started lifting again - just at home and with a limited set of weights and exercises, but it's better than nothing. I also bought a road bike to supplement my mt biking. So I have started road riding in the AM, and continue to mt bike in the PM and on weekends (obviously not every day, but close to it). And I do a quick boxing workout each morning as well. Eating-wise, I've been eating very healthy. I can't remember the last time I had soda and haven't had sweets for a while either. I think I'm going to struggle with keeping weight on because of the extra cardio, so I have to address that quickly as when I lose weight, I lose it quick and in bunches. The fitness challenge really helps get my butt out of bed or off the couch when I'm feeling lazy. Great motivator.

Starting this to keep track of workouts and diet. 4/10: b-fast: whole wheat bagel, tofuti cream cheese snacks during day: apple, plum, banana, clif bar lunch: pasta w/ veggeis, chips and hummus dinner: brown rice w/ chickpeas and punjab Workouts: quick boxing workout (few minutes every morning before shower) road biking for 1 hr 4/11 bfast: clif bar, whole wheat bagel, tofuti cream cheese snacks: apple, plum, clif bar lunch: delicious veggie salad w/ tofu dinner: veggie "nests", veggie pot stickers, veggie sushi, half a vegan chocolate bar (BAD!) workouts: quick boxing workout road biking for 1 hr Mt biking for 1 hr 40 mins.

Thanks, JW. My one road ride so far was 10X more dangerous than my normal mt biking rides. Some scary drivers out there. Hey wasn't "c-c-cardio" a Genesis song?

Sorry to change the subject, but I got a new road bike today (a Trek Pilot) and I had to tell someone. WooHoo!!!! Extra morning workouts - I'm rockin' the fitness challenge. Interruption over. We now return to your regularly scheduled program.

Hey Rae! Welcome! Your story is awesome - so glad you've lost the weight and become more active. Another East-coaster. We gotta set up an East Coast meet-up one of these days.

Thanks for the link. That looks really interesting.

I have friends who hunt, and say they're keeping the deer population in check, and they use the whole animal and all that - but I still don't get it. Killing something for the "sport" of it is sadistic, any way you slice it. Killing for money is immoral. What really drives me nuts is when you see the so-called Christian politicians out hunting - Dick Cheney and his buddies. Do they really think Jesus would approve of killing something for the fun of it? I DON'T GET IT! (I'm all fired up now)

Happy b-day, Shelby! Party like a rock star!

Here's more info and a petition to sign. http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=9049

The gal doing curls in the Swedish version is HOT!

Lucky you - moving to Hamburg. Great city. Hopefully you'll be there in time for the World Cup!

Me and the wiferoo are big UFC fans. In the pre-show fights last night, I thought Stephan Bonner got a gift win over that Layne Staley-looking dude. Bonner looked very vulnerable. The Shamrock-Ortiz rivalry is an obvious selling point of the season, but I honestly started feeling like it got to be just slightly foolish during the show. I almost hope they just get it over with next episode and move on. Despite his fighter losing, I think Ortiz seems like a much better coach so far. It's a little old-skool vs new-skool - and it's hard to believe that Shamrock doesn't have a ground-game guy on his coaching staff. The next UFC is going to be awesome. I think Ortiz is going to kill Forrest Griffin. I don't see that getting past the 1st round. And as humbled as I think Tim Sylvia is after the Mir and Arlovsky losses, and as much as he seems like he is training his butt off for this fight, Arlovsky is a freak. I see him holding the belt for a while longer.

Forgot to thank those who responded to this for making my visit to Hamburg most enjoyable. THANKS!!! Great tips and great eats!!!

Ohhh, man, that is twisted. And funny.

I appreciate your idealistic view of this. I'm just concerned that these big companies are more (or only) concerned with profits, as opposed to providing products for "people who give a damn". And the USDA is going to help them by watering down the definition of "organic" as these big companies lobby them to. It has already happened, and the true organic growing/farming community is struggling to keep them from doing it any further. Here's an example: Writing for the New York Times Sunday Magazine (5/13/01), Michael Pollan reported that Organic Cow, previously represented to consumers as an organic dairy based in the Northeast and consisting of a network of small farms, was bought out by Horizon (who is owned by Dean - #23 on the graphic Neil provided above) . Another source of organic dairy products, Horizon is a $127 million public corporation that has become the Microsoft of organic milk, controlling 70 percent of the retail market. The milk is now "ultrapasteurized" using a highheat process that "kills the milk," destroying its enzymes and many of its vitamins so it can be sold over long distances. Arguably, ultrapasteurized organic milk is actually less nutritious than conventionally pasteurized non-organic milk. Horizon's "factory farms" in the West are described as a clear example of the certifiability of inhumane practices through the emerging corporate organics system. Pollan writes: "On Horizon's dairy farms in the west, thousands of cows that never encounter a blade of grass spend their days confined to a fenced dry lot, eating (certified organic) grain and tethered to milking machines three times a day." (Carole Resnick) Granted, most of us don't drink milk, but it sure makes me wonder from where/how the organic banana sitting in front of me was procured. Neil - as first glance I thought that graphic was a London Tube map.

Thanks for the post. Classic Morrissey. Man, the Canadian gov't is getting it from all angles. Good stuff!

Welcome Sean! Great bio, I'm psyched for you. And we're about the same size - I'm 6' 2", 194 lbs or so. My weight fluctuates depending on how much cardio I do each week - even one extra session can dip me down to under 190. But then I get to eat extra to bring me back up, which is nice! Where you from?

I guess I think that when these companies started out, they had the best of intentions - making products in less cruel and/or less harmful ways. I just feel like the "selling out" has the potential to change the mission from kinder products to more profitable ones. And when kindness and profits collide, I worry that profits will win out. But we'll see. Maybe the world is just evolving.

I think the jury is out. I appreciate that these business owners wanted to make a buck, and the distribution advantage that their new owners give them, but I worry that what made those companies special will eventually rub against what makes them profitable. For example, if Such and Such Organic Ice Cream gets bought out and the new company could realize a big savings if the ice cream wasn't organic, then I wonder what will win - what made the product special, or what will make it more profitable? Those big companies are accountable to their shareholders after all. And big corporations have the lobby to change things like what "organic" means, and if there's a buck in it for them, they will most definitely try to relax whatever regulations they can, which is really scary (and is already being tried). It also means that they have to suffer all that comes with being that big national brand. For example, if a company that would never test on animals is bought out by a company that does, then that product loses its ability to make that claim, and that sets the movement back. So we'll see. If past experiences in other industries, like banking and farming, is any indication, consolidation is bad news.