Super Bears, Super Bowl!!!

Unbelievable, I can't believe the Chicago Bears will be playing in Miami
for Super Bowl XLI.  This has been a great season, full of excitement.
Sure, backing Rex Grossman is like riding a roller coaster, but it's a
great time anyways!

Here's to hoping the Bears can take down the Indianapolis Colts and
achieve a Super Bowl championship for the great city of Chicago.  It's
always been a Bears town! :)

Interesting side note: this will be the first Super Bowl with one black
coach, much less two black coaches.

Oh, and if you're a Bears fan like I am, you may want to download their
fight song.  Here's a link to where I found it:
http://www.chicagobearsbandwagon.com/beardown.htm
RIGHT click on "Bear Down MP3", then click "Save Link As" or
something similar, and decide where to save it on your computer.

Good luck and GO BEARS!!!

Lyrics to "Bear Down, Chicago Bears":

Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
Make every play clear the way to victory!
Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
Put up a fight with a might so fearlessly!

We'll never forget the way you thrilled the nation,
With your T formation.

Bear Down, Chicago Bears.
And let them know why you're wearing the crown.

You're the pride and joy,
of all Illinois.

Chicago Bears, Bear Down!!!

Microwaving as art

Let's cut to the chase...I microwave a lot of food. It takes of lot
of carbs, fats, proteins, and alcohol to maintain my slim and trim
weight of 240 lbs. Luckily, most alcohol doesn't have to be heated up
so I stick to microwaving those other calorie contributors.

For the longest time I've put my foods in the microwave, punched in a
few minutes on the display of the glorious magic heating box, and let
the little guy work it's magic. Most of the time I'd have to stir my
food halfway through the process to help my sweet microwaving buddy
heat my food more thoroughly.

I'm writing today more as a Public Service Announcement than
anything....so here's the announcement: DON'T BE AFRAID OF YOUR
MICROWAVE POWER SETTINGS!!! Sure, we've all tooled around with these
settings at one point or another, whether it be a Hungry Man meal or
two, or even a Lean Cuisine for you ladies out there! Unfortunately,
I have yet to meet anyone that regularly adjusts the power settings to
achieve optimal levels of food heating. Well if you're reading this,
then please do me a favor and start spreading the word...the power
settings are actually useful!

For instance, I usually do my microwaving at work, heating up all the
delicious leftovers my little wife makes for us (thanks
Giada!)...she's quite the catch! Anywho, the other day I had 4 pieces
of marinated flank steak, a big spoonful of mac 'n cheese with
chicken, and 3 meatballs to top it off. All I did was set the
microwave to about 4:30 or 5 mins, pressed start, and dropped the
power setting to 5 out of 10. All that does is turn the magnetron
(the device that transmits the heatwaves into your food) on for 5/10
(or 1/2) of the time, and off for 5/10 of the time, going between the
on/off every :15 seconds or so. If you have 6/10, the magnetron stays
on a little longer than it stays off, and 4/10 stays off longer than
on. You get the picture.

I could go on and on about this, but I can't stress enough...even
though this might add a minute or so to your microwaving, it will be
worth it in the long run. Go ahead, give it a shot...don't be afraid
of those power settings...they're there for a reason!

Dieting

I want to start off by saying I'm an overweight ( 6' 1", 240lbs on a bad day) 27 year old man with high cholesterol, high triglycerides (both of which I'm on medication for), and slowly-reaching-high blood pressure.  I may not be of the highest authority to offer my opinion on a person's "diet". 

 

Now here's the other side - I've been in constant contact with some sort of nutrition professional (Dietitian or Nutritionist) since I've been about 14 years old.  It started with my mom taking me to a Dietitian because of my triglyceride problem, and now I'm married to the cutest little RD (registered Dietitian) you ever-did-see.  [Quick side note - if you think I'm spelling Dietician wrong, it's actually spelled Dietitian, ask the American Dietetic Association, www.eatright.org ]  I've also been a subscriber to Men's Health magazine on and off for almost 10 years.  So I learned all of the in's and out's of the Nutrition Facts labels on foods, I know a lot about what foods are good for you, what you should stay away from, all the details on good fats, bad fats, trans fats, fats fats, you name it.

 

My downfall (the reason I'm a bit of a chubber) is portion control.  Instead of having 2 slices of pizza, I go for 4.  Instead of having one breadstick at the Olive Garden, I engulf between 4 and 6.  Usual exchange between Johnny Olive Garden and myself: "More breadsticks sir?" "Keep 'em coming, I don't feel like I'm about to explode yet, so there must be plenty more room!"

 

Anyways the whole reason I'm writing this is because of all these fad diets that everyone has been talking about since the beginning of time.  I'm not going to harp on any particular diet (Atkins, South Beach, Grapefruit), I'd rather lump them all together.  In the beginning, the word "diet" just meant "food and drink regularly provided or consumed" or simply "habitual nourishment" (thanks to www.m-w.com!)  So, really, a diet is just what you eat every day.  You know, like a penguin's diet consists of fish and cupcakes, or a flamingo's diet consists of shrimp (that's where they get their pink color), or my diet consists of beer and pizza during the NFL season.

 

Anyways, here's my main point of this whole deal...if you choose to go on a diet, make sure it is something you're willing to stick to for the rest of your life.  IF YOU CAN'T SEE YOURSELF NEVER EVER EVER EATING HAMBURGERS AGAIN, then don't go on a no-hamburger diet.  A "diet" should not be something to lose a quick 10 lbs, and then you'll keep the weight off by going back to your normal activities.  Guess what?  Most people never keep that weight off.  The most successful people are the ones who embrace the lifestyle change and make the commitment to eat better for the rest of their lives, and stay active while doing it.

 

Is your dog overweight?  I'm guessing you're probably overweight as well.  My dog is about 2lbs overweight (she's only 20 lbs) so we have to change our lifestyles together!  Let's do it!!!!!

 

Ok, I'm off my soapbox.  Here's hoping I'm watching the Bears play in Miami in February.