Food...Gym...Repeat.

Back from the gym.

Today was an epic workout day. Actually this whole week reminds me of the "last chance workout" from THE BIGGEST LOSER.

It's my last week in Salt Lake City. I am squeezing every bit out of the gym that I can muster.

I dropped about 1000 or more calories today with a combo platter of cardio and weight work.

For a late breakfast (woke up late) I had 4 fish sticks (126 calories) and 4 Amy's Pizza Bites (126 calories).

When I got back from the gym, I was starving. I had a bag of steamed veggies (90 calories), a helping of my specialty bean salad (120 calories), and a MorningStar 1/4lb Griller (250 calories) on a slice of Ezekiel bread (80 calories)

So far I'm totalling 792 calories. But taking my workout into consideration, I've actually worked out more calories than I have eaten. I feel amazing...so I'm not worried about the deficit.

Only a couple days left until I finally get to take that elusive "after" photo. I'm also going to finally weigh myself. I'm just curious. This was never about losing a certain amount of weight. I just wanted to feel healthy. AND I FEEL GREAT!

Thanks for sticking around!

Ciao!

Snack/Lunch

Hi there!

I'm back from the gym and to be completely honest, I'm not FAMISHED.

I feel like having an assortment of things. Now this could be dangerous. Snacking is where you get into trouble.

But not when you plan it out. For breakfast this morning, I had a basic 2 eggs, vegan sausage patty, and one piece of Ezekiel toast. That rounded out to about 300 calories.

It's getting a little hard to eat a "meal" after my show, so I am going to make this snack/lunch a little larger than usual.

The menu:

*4 Gluten-Free Fish Sticks (95 calories)
*Steamed bag of veggies (90 calories)
*Mahi Mahi Burger (120 calories)
*Side of bean salad (120 calories)
*Slice of Ezekiel bread (80 calories)

This might have been my biggest lunch yet. But it's going to be worth it because I probably won't have a real dinner. And I worked off about 600 calories at the gym.

My grand total for lunch was 505 calories!

My grand total for TODAY so far is 805 calories minus the 600 I lost at the gym. So I'm still breaking a good 205 for the day. I know that's not how it really works...but it's good enough for me!

See you at dinner...or whatever it's going to be.

Ciao!

Post-Gym Lunch!

Hello All!

Just got back to the gym where I worked out like CRAZY!

My girlfriend was here for 3 days and I didn't stick to my diet to a T. I didn't do terribly.

For example, we snacked at California Pizza Kitchen and only got a small order of Corn Guacamole and a small order of Sesame Ginger Chicken Dumplings (steamed).

Either way, I was on the CrossRamp for over an hour and lost (or so it said) around 900 calories. Then I did some ab workouts and finished it off with a cool down jog.

I'm back now and ready for some protein.

Lunch:

*Whey Protein Shake
*Turkey Sandwich (mustard, tomato, lettuce)
*Bean salad (sprinkled with FlaxSeed)

See you at dinner!

Ciao!

Monday Morning Shake!

Good morning!!!

Today's day starts with a healthy delicious fruit smoothie!

Ingredients:

*Frozen berries
*Fage Yogurt
*Fiber cereal
*Small spoonful of organic peanut butter
*Nonfat milk

I would take a picture of it...but it's already gone. It was delicious!

Ciao for now! See you at lunch!

Late Breakfast or Early Lunch?

Good morning!

I woke up early today to do some serious health shopping at WHOLE FOODS.

Some highlights include:

*Ground Flaxseed
*Chocolate whey protein powder
*Organic Peanut Butter
*Nori paper (for snacking)
*Mahi Mahi Burgers
*Beans galore (Pinto, Black, Kidney, Garbanzo...)
*Ezekiel Bread (my new favorite)

I went really early so I didn't get to have breakfast. I got home from the store and made myself a salad!

Here are the ingredients:

*Baby romaine (15 calories)
*Chicken (100 calories)
*Cucumber, Grape tomatoes (Under 5 calories)
*Diced mango salsa (20 calories)
*Roasted Habanero salsa (20 calories)

I added a Babybel cheese to the end just to get a little dairy in my diet today. It was a mere 50 calories.

So far...I've only had about 210 calories today. We have two shows and I am going to hit the gym between.

Feeling good.

Ciao!

I'm Back! Never left!

Hey Homies and Homettes!

I'm back with my blog! I told you that I was coming back. Did you miss Daddy? Yessss...yess you diiid! Sit, stay..good girl.

Our show is officially open (to terrific reviews) and I have not stopped the healthy eating locomotive.

I have been eating mostly vegetarian throughout the week and keeping my calories to around 1400 a day. Going to the gym almost every day (excluding my cheat day..because...come on) and definitely noticing a difference.

In honor of being back...here's what I ate today:

Morning:
*Coffee
*Fiber One Honey Squares (two small hand fulls)

Then I went to the gym and burned off well over 500 CALORIES on the CrossRamp and doing various weight-training exercises.

Lunch:
*Amy's Vegan Mexican Casserole (so fucking good!)
*3/4 of a cucumber
*Fresh pico de gallo...to dunk the cucumber in.

Fun fact of the day: Adding fresh salsa (note:fresh) to any meal is a good way to get LYCOPENE, which keeps blood pressure low and severely cuts your risk of prostate cancer. Good to know. Tomatoes are your friend. If you don't like "tomatoes," try a yellow one...much less acidic and tastes a little more neutral. I happen to love tomatoes.

Dinner:
*1 can of tuna
*Dill relish
*Pinch of light mayo
*Flax chips

Off to the show! Can't wait to start this all up again! Thanks for sticking with me!

Best,
AB Superstar

Bit of a Break

Hey gangsters!

My apologies for not truly keeping up with this blog. We are knee-deep in the middle of tech rehearsals and putting the finishing touches on this show.

It's a little difficult to keep the blog at the front of my mind.

But what's important is that I am keeping HEALTHY EATING at the front of my mind.

I have been eating almost VEGAN. With MorningStar and Amy's frozen meals, I am a couple greens away from not showering...sorry vegans.

I hope I'm losing weight. I feel better. Not sure I'm noticing a huge physical difference. Other people are, but not me.

I will post when I can...and after we open the show...I will be back to my old self.

Until then...ciao!

Lunchtime Grab Bag!

Good afternoon!

I'm back at rehearsal after a fabulous lunch. We are slowly working through the show at this point so I have more time off than usual.

So it's bloggin' time!

For lunch today (unfortunately no picture...I was hungry), I had yet another salad creation. It was a grab bag of veggies, meat (or the like), hummus, hot sauce, and salsa.

I guess it was more Mexican than Mediterranean, but it was delicious nonetheless.

The gym is probably closed today for LABOR DAY, so I'll have to find some other means of working this lump of clay out. Maybe some pushups and reverse crunches in the park.

See you at dinner!

Back to Work!

Back from the day off and all is well!

Yesterday I cheated a bit, because I damn well deserve it.

For lunch, I had APPLEBEES!!!!! I know I know.

I had a "Fire Pit Bacon Cheeseburger." At least it sounds healthy. Wait a minute.

It was a flat top burger (cooked pretty damn perfect) topped with pepper jack cheese and smoked bacon. Topped with lettuce, onion, tomato, and a little chipotle mayo...it was a flavor explosion! And totally worth it.

Back to the healthy!

This morning, I had my usual fiber cereal (Fiber One Honey Squares) and one egg (cooked over easy). I bought a new hot sauce because...it's new...and I love hot sauce.

It's the new TABASCO BUFFALO SAUCE! Yes please.

I also bought a new travel coffee cup that has a french press built in. Fancy I know. Let's see if it works first.

See you at lunch!

Dinner and This Morning!

Good morning!

Last night, I promised you a picture of my dinner. Unfortunately I was actually TOO HUNGRY and forgot to take a photo.

To be honest, it wasn't too exciting. I made a ground beef (extra lean) burrito with lettuce and low fat sour cream and black olives. It was exactly what I needed after my workout.

I watched The King's Speech last night and it was fantastic. I highly suggest you watch it and if you've already seen it...watch it again. Just for the brilliant performances!

This morning I had this delicious and simple breakfast!

I had some sunny side up eggs (perfectly cooked I might add) and a Morningstar Vegan Sausage Pattie. For how gross it sounds...the taste isn't too far off from the real thing.
I took my vitamins and drank plenty of water. Now I'm off to take on the day! See you at lunch!

La Lunch.

Gooooood evening!

My lunch today was another TACO SALAD!

I have mixed greens topped with sour cream (low fat of course!), salsa, lean beef and onions, and some tortilla chips for a nice CRUNCH!

It was smaller than I wanted it to be...don't let the picture fool you.

For dinner, I am honestly stumped as to what I want. I will just have to make something on the fly. Whatever it is...you will definitely see a picture of it as soon as it's made!

Any guesses?

Any suggestions?

New Snacks...New Attitude!

Hello!

Quick post before I head to rehearsal.

Found a great snack that I am now obsessed with, and it keeps me nice and full.

Right now at the town grocery store, you can get 2 things of Hummus for 5 bucks. Great deal...great snack!

A little bit of raw veggies make this a snack that keeps me full...and sometimes bloated...but good bloated.

When you buy hummus, make sure that there is a good amount of olive oil in it because your body needs good fats like that. Same kind of fat that's in a healthy portion of Avocado.

Last night I had 2 Gardenburgers and some veggies for dinner. I will post pics of the burgers later...they are fucking addictive.

Until then.

Ciao!

Mea Culpa!

Before I say HELLO, I want to apologize for not posting a single thing yesterday!

We had a very busy day at the show yesterday and all of my blogging went out the window!

But I'm back...never fear.

Yesterday was SO busy, that I didn't eat dinner. But I did go grocery shopping and stocked up real nice. See?

Busy morning!

Hello Afternoon Crowd!

Had some oatmeal for breakfast today! Banana bread flavor...delicious. Doesn't even come close to my Grandma's banana bread. Yum.

I only had rehearsal for 45 minutes and I'm not back until 3pm, so I decided to head to the gym to get some WORK done.

I ran for 30 minutes on the CrossRamp. Then I did some ab exercises and some other circuit training exercises.

It's starting to feel a little more natural in my schedule. And I'm definitely feeling less tired and more motivated to go and sweat.

Lunch hasn't happened yet, but I'm thinking it's either going to be either a turkey burger or a Subway sandwich. Either way, it's going to be yummy.

See you in a bit!

Lunchtime Scramble!

Hiyoooo!!!

It's lunchtime over at the old N2N! I was craving eggs, so I made myself a scramble and a side salad.

Inside the scramble we have 2 eggs, some swiss cheese, some onions, and some ham. Delicious.

Eggs are a super good way of getting protein without having to prepare a big piece of meat. And they're so versatile too!

The salad is just mixed greens and cucumber.

Had a couple chips with some salsa afterwards...another craving being sated.

See you all at dinner!

Week 2...Here we goooo!

Good morning!

Started off today at 8:30am with a quick run w/ my cast mate, Matt Dengler. He plays Gabe...and he has a fucking beautiful voice. It's nice to have someone to run with if only for the motivation.

We ran for 15 minutes uphill to the center of the University of Utah campus. Then we turned around and headed back down. Upon our return, we sweated through a 2-minute plank and then finished off with 20 pushups.

Nice to get a little sweat going and get the blood flowing. I think that's going to be a daily thing.

After the workout, I needed some energy. So I had this shake.

*Peanut butter
*Low fat vanilla yogurt
*Fiber cereal
*Skim milk
*Frozen berries

I also had half a grapefruit. Which was nice.

Okie dokie. I'm off to rehearsal. Thanks for reading!

My First Day Off!

After a long and successful first week of rehearsals for N2N (that's what I'm calling it now), it was time for a well-deserved day off!

I said that I was going to hit the gym today, but things got a bit sidetracked.

Most of the cast took a long (hour) walk down to Temple Square. It is really trippy to see the Mormon faith in real life. This place literally looks like a theme park. I was surprised there weren't misting machines as you walked around and large character Joseph Smiths and Brigham Youngs gallivanting around the city.

Then we went to the mall! This mall is stacked, y'all. I am originally from the West Coast, and this place truly brought me straight back home!

I had to break some of my dieting for today...this is why.

Fucking HOT DOG ON A STICK!

I can't even begin to tell you what this place means to me. I used to drink gallons of this lemonade a day during high school.

I had to get one...and it was so worth it. Not as many calories as I would have thought. A large is about 350 calories. I know..SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR. I couldn't resist.

After some walking around (and trying a hot sauce that was 6 million scoville units...20 times hotter than a habañero), it was time for lunch.

We went to Thaifoon which is a great little West Coast chain.


I ordered a miso soup...and this beautiful monstrosity.

What we have here is their famous Ahi Tuna Lettuce Wraps. The tuna is seared and tossed with pineapple, cilantro, onions, water chestnuts and other things.

It was fresh and delicious.

I went for a run with my cast mate after we got back home. The altitude here in Salt Lake is freaking ridiculous. Five minutes into running and it feels like you just ran for fifteen. But we got it done. Finished off with a hefty 2-minute plank and I feel like it was one successful day off.

Time to go back to my diet, back to the gym, and back to rehearsal tomorrow!

Stay tuned!

Breakfast of Champions!

Best breakfast I've had?

Probably a serving of vanilla yogurt with some fiber cereal on top.

For whatever reason, it hit the spot so fucking hard today that I almost got seconds.

Anyway...going to hit the gym twice today:

1. Morning/early-afternoon run.
2. Evening workout (cardio/weights).

See you crazy cats there!

Perfect Portion of Pollock.

Good morning!

Oy! I have had very little sleep because I was thinking about the storm in NYC.

Thankfully it is all over now and has officially passed the city with nothing more than some drops and some heavy winds. Yay!

Playing some catch up, here's what I had for lunch yesterday!

I got these portioned servings of frozen pollock from the store and decided to bake one off and serve it with some vegetables. Almost a Pollock Pot Pie without the delicious buttery crust.

All in all it was pretty tasty, considering the portion of pollock (say that 10 times...nevermind) shrunk considerably in the oven because of the water it retained.

For dinner, our company manager of Next to Normal made us reservations at one of the local brewery's that doubles as a restaurant. Great food, great company, and great times!

I had the BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGER which came topped with green chiles, pepper jack cheese, chipotle mayo, and lettuce and tomato. It was fucking delicious...and served with a side of fruit, which I appreciated.

I allotted myself at least 1000 calories for dinner because you never can be truly sure what's going into your meal.

If I had to guess, my daily total was somewhere around 1,250 or 1,300 calories.

Feeling really great after the first week, and already noticing a slight physical difference. I'm definitely going to keep this up!

Cottage Cheese and Abs.

Good morning!

I got up extra early (8am) to head to the gym to do some running.

Popped a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (90 calories) before I blasted out the door.

But I didn't know that the gym doesn't open until 9am on weekends. At least I got a nice walk in some room temperature weather. I'll say I lost 4.5 calories doing that.

When I got home, I still had some time before rehearsal started. So I decided to look up some abdominal exercises. But I really dislike crunches and any sort of neck strain.

So I did this: STANDING ABDOMINAL EXERCISE VIDEO

It got me sweating a little bit, and I definitely felt it in my mid-section. Certainly not the cardio I planned on doing this morning. But you have to roll with the punches.

P.S. Speaking of rolling with the punches, I really hope that everyone in New York City is doing alright. Just stay calm and stay inside and eat and drink and be merry! It will pass! Love you all!

Especially you, Prump.

Turkey Burgers and Comedy

Today I did a little bit more shopping.

I found some great frozen turkey burgers and cooked them up tonight. Sadly...no picture because I was rushing downstairs to our cast lounge to watch a movie.

We watched Due Date starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifianakis.

Hilarious movie. I highly recommend it if you like those two fellas.

Anyway...my daily total is 1351 tonight. A little high for me considering the last couple of totals, but still well within the range I'm looking for.

Tomorrow is a new day. Going to get up early and hit the gym!

Yeehaw!

Super Healthy Snack!

Hello again!

I skipped my first snack between breakfast and lunch, so I decided to get clever with my afternoon snack.

I had this delectable little concoction of things.

What we have here is a glass of milk, a bottle V8 (spicy hot), a granny smith apple, and 2 stalks of celery.

It was delicious, nutritious, and to be honest, a little bit of a weird combo.

Oh well. Cheers to staying on the health train!

Big News!

I know it's only the end of week 1...but I have decided to tweak my diet!

I have noticed that a lot of my recipes include the word "sandwich" or "wrap" or "toast."

What I have found is that the calories I'm using on carbohydrates are completely unnecessary. Like my beautiful girlfriend says, "I don't like bread...it's just a vehicle for what's inside the sandwich." And she's absolutely right.

I would much rather have a bit more steak than to sacrifice it for a piece of bread.

So from this day forth on this diet...NO MORE CARBS!!!

Well...maybe the occasional wrap. Don't look at me like that! The whole wheat tortillas are fucking awesome!

xoxo.

Lunchtime!

Good afternoon...or as Madea would say, "GOOD AFTERNOONT!"

For lunch today, we have another Mexican wrap!

Here she is:

What we have here is a whole wheat tortilla (still incredibly delicious) stuffed with a couple tablespoons of low fat refried beans, chicken, spinach, and some shredded cheese.

Topped with some sour cream and delicious salsa, this wrap was exactly what I was craving.

And now it's well gone. Now I am off to get some dishwasher liquid...because I have a dishwasher in my housing...and I'm not going to waste it.

Ciao bella!

Gross Breakfast...kinda.

Good morning!

Short post for this morning. And no picture!

Trust me...you don't wanna see what I just ate.

The VEGAN SAUSAGE PATTIES that I had for breakfast this morning kinda tasted like sausage...but not enough. Know what I mean?

Anyway...paired with one egg and a small slice of grain toast, it wasn't horrible.

Starting off with a hearty 275 calories today. I have a feeling I may not snack today. Just healthy meals. We shall see.

Ciao!

Pasta Thursday!

Good Evening!

Tonight I had to make up for some major lack in calories.

I made a huge pot of pasta with some low sodium sauce, lean ground turkey, and veggies.

Here she is...

I made the whole box so I could have some leftovers whenever I want.

Also I shared some with the cast. They liked.

My calorie count total for today is:

1,185 Calories.

Special thanks to the 620 Calorie pasta serving I had!

Goodnight and good luck!

Not Very Interesting...

Yo yo yo!

So today is not very interesting (as the title would suggest) as far as food goes.

For breakfast, I had cereal.

I didn't bring a snack to rehearsal...and that was a mistake.

I went to the gym, and had a kick-ass work out.

I just had lunch. And it was a very simple spinach salad.

Ingredients:

*Baby spinach
*Almonds
*Tomato
*Peas
*Green beans
*Broccoli
*Light balsamic vinaigrette

It was fresh, delicious, and I could afford a bigger portion because I skipped my snack.

Total calorie count of the salad? 215 Calories.

I know what you're thinking, and I agree. I will definitely get a more protein-packed snack and dinner later on.

No worries.

Feeling great!

Continuing Down the Border!

Arriba Arriba!

I was so enthused about my Mexican-themed lunch, that I decided to carry it over to dinner!

I made this beautiful piece of culinary glory!

Chile Lime Shrimp!

Sliced some onions into strips and coarsely diced a garlic clove. I sauteed them in veggie oil until they were nice and happy.

While that was going on, I tossed my shrimp in my secret spice mixture and some fresh lime juice. Then I added the shrimp to the pan.

Once all of the flavors melded together, I served it over brown rice and garnished it with some delicious wilted spinach.

Overall, it was a flavor-packed dish that came in at 361 calories! Right on.

The cast decided to watch some Family Guy so I popped a 100-calorie bag of popcorn. No regrets in this diet business.

Especially since my daily calorie total today is 1,326. So far, I'm hitting in just the right range for this weight loss thing to happen.

More gym action tomorrow! See you there!

Hearty and Healthy Lunch!

Good afternoon!

I got to rehearsal today but they were running behind. I sat around for an hour and drank a cup of coffee. Then we took lunch. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches!

So I'm home now and I decided to go a little south of the border for lunch.

This is Salsa Chicken.

It's a half breast of chicken (no skin) cut into cubes and tossed with a little special seasoning (can't tell, won't tell). Then I pan fried it and added a bit of prepared salsa near the end of the cooking.

I served it with a small side salad with diced green chiles, and steamed broccoli.

It was delicious and everything you see in this picture is only 239 calories!

Pretty excellent what you can accomplish if you just think for a minute.

Back to rehearsal at 3:15 and then I will see you all for dinner.

My snack at 5pm?

2 slices of deli turkey and a slice of swiss cheese. Under 100 calories. Bam!

Cheers to eating well!

Snack time fools!

Good almost afternoon!

For my 11am snack, I decided to "shake" it up. Ahthankyou.















They have housed me here in Salt Lake City in a brand new cast housing building. It is fully stocked and incredibly accessible. I signed out a blender this morning and made myself a nice little snack shake.

Just a couple frozen mixed berries, a tablespoon of fiber cereal, splash of milk and low fat vanilla yogurt and blend! I didn't need any ice because the berries did the trick.

It was delicious and 150 calories. Not bad, Brightman. Not bad.

I feel great already, and it's only day 3.

Great New Workout!

Hey dudes and dudes with boobs,

Here is a great cardio exercise to try the next time you are at the gym.

Before you do your primary workout (whatever it may be), get on a treadmill and prepare to sweat.

*Crank the incline to 15.0
*Turn the speed to 3.5 or 4.0
*Walk (don't run) for 10-15 minutes
*Try not to hold the bars

After about 5 minutes, you will start to feel nice and glistened. After about 5 1/2 minutes, you feel like you want to grab the bars, but DON'T!

This exercise is tried, tested, and proven to say "Fuck off, fat!"

Honestly though, there are many instances where people lost about 2 inches on their waistline in about a month!

And that's only 10 minutes a day! Imagine the possibilities!

See you at lunch!

Breakfast Can Be Fun!

Good morning!

Thanks for bearing with my little game of "catch up" that I'm playing currently. I want to get back on track so I can continue to keep myself honest on this diet. So far...so great!

And heeeeeeeeeeeere's BREAKFAST!

What we have here is a red bell pepper stuffed with 2 scrambled eggs (no butter or milk) with onions. Topped off with not even a tablespoon of shredded cheese and broiled in the oven, and this is my front runner for best new breakfast. The toast was frivolous, but I always like to make a little sandwich. Old habits die hard...like John McClane (anyone?).

This humongous and filling breakfast was only 288 calories. I don't feel gross, but I feel satisfied and ready to hit the gym.

Today I am going to do a Men's Health workout called the "Beach Ready Workout." It's a combination of exercises that will really focus on my middle section (the danger zone, or the dresden), my chest, and my weak little arms.

I'll report back when I'm through. If I make it through.

Ciao!

Scheduling is Hard!

Hello my fine friends!

Sorry I haven't posted since yesterday afternoonish. Rehearsal for Next to Normal is in full swing and I need to figure out how to plan my meals better.

With a rehearsal schedule that has a built-in dinner break, it's tough to try and schedule a 3-hour diet around it. But I think I've figured it out.

Anyway, for lunch yesterday I made a tuna sandwich (no mayo) with lettuce on a couple of flax-seed sandwich thins. Pretty alright actually!

I had to improvise with dinner because my originally scheduled meal wasn't defrosted yet.

So I made this...

Making full use of my whole wheat tortillas, I decided to make a hot wrap. Except this time, I used some ham, swiss, tomato, lettuce, diced green chile, and a tiny bit of BBQ sauce so it didn't dry out on me.

It was JUST OKAY. It also sort of fell apart at the seams the minute after this picture was taken.

Oh well. I was hungry. I needed the calories because I was way under.

I ended my day yesterday with a calorie count of 1,273. That's more in the realm of what's healthy for me to lose a little weight.

Breakfast for today is coming straight after this post! So watch out! We're getting back on track one way or another!

Morning snack attack!

Sup people!

When you get up at 7:30am...you can get a lot of shit done.

I made breakfast, did an exercise, went over my vocal stuff for Next to Normal, and then made this for my 10:30am snack.

Just a slice of whole grain toast (no butter) with one scrambled egg (no butter; veggie spray) on top. A little dash of pepper is all she needed.

I really am starting to like this little diet of mine.

Off to shower and then some amazing rehearsal with some amazing folks!

Peace out!

10 Minutes Later...

Fat Blastin' Son!

I was looking at some workouts last night before I went to bed.

Also, I was under the impression that the brand new cast housing here in Salt Lake City is HAUNTED. More on that later.

I found this great 10-minute morning workout that you can do inside your house with very little space!

Here's the page: 10-Minute Fat Blaster.

Going to give it a shot at my house and then hit the gym later on.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Early Morning, New Start!

Good morning everyone!

I decided that eating my first meal at 8 in the morning is a little TOO late.

Because of this 3-hour system I am on, it would have me staying up until 11:30 or midnight if I started at 8am.

I think this 30-minute difference is going to help. We shall see.

So I'm up and right away I ate myself a bowl of this.

I was worried that it was going to taste like cardboard because of the GIGANTIC "Weight Control" letters that are actually bigger than the words "Instant Oatmeal."

But the upside to not loving sweets (thank you whomever) is that I don't need a crazy decadent breakfast full of sugar to get me going.

This oatmeal is just sweet enough.

Sometimes I feel silly about blogging about food that everyone already knows about, but to be honest, I can already feel this helping me. It keeps me centered and grounded in what I'm trying to do.

Heading to the gym to give myself an official weigh-in and do a quick workout before rehearsal.

Ciao for now!

My Calorie Count!

Hello Night Owls!

Just wanted to share something before I hit the hay (ate dinner at 8:30...had to wait 3 hours before bed).

I calculated my calorie intake as best as I could for today...

Give or take 100 calories, I ate about 1,057 of them in the last 24 hours.

I looked online and that actually is a bit low for a person of my height and current weight.

The good (and possibly bad) thing about it is that I actually feel okay. I'm not saying that I wouldn't LOVE a Domino's Pizza right now...but I feel alright.

Tomorrow, my goal is going to be around 1200 calories.

Until then, time for a good 8 hours. I've got some interval eating to do tomorrow!

Ciao!

Nighttime Fiesta!

Hola mi amigos y amigas!

Day one of rehearsal and day one of my new diet is now over!

Tonight I decided to kick off the dinner celebration with my favorite cuisine...

MEXICAN!!!!

I made a delicious (and healthy) chicken burrito!

With only a tablespoon of low fat refried beans and a delicious mix of chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, this burrito tasted so fresh and delicious.

The slightest dash of cheese and prepared salsa really set this thing off!

Going to go to bed a very happy niño.

Until tomorrow!

Lunchtime Wrap!

Salt Lake City is a funny place.

Everybody has a fixed smile. But not a creepy one. It's just very pleasant...ALL THE TIME.

Here's one thing that sucks...they don't have Bank of America.

Here's another thing that sucks...they DO have a Jack in the Box...but it's a 5-hour drive. Hang me.

Snack: A banana.
As some or most of you know about me, I usually don't go the banana route. But I'm giving it a shot. Trying to make a new habit.

Lunch: Turkey Swiss Wrap w/ Romaine and Diced Chiles.
No one said that a healthy lunch can't be delicious. This diet is going to be all about flavor for me. If it tastes good, I won't mind that it's GOOD FOR ME. The chiles in this wrap made all the difference. Also...is it just me, or does a whole wheat tortilla add a delicious taste to a wrap?

That's it for now. Back to my first day of rehearsal for Next to Normal!

Ciao!

First Breakfast, Smaller Portions

Did you know that it is extremely important to eat breakfast within the very first hour of waking?

I didn't either...until now.

My very first meal of this 3-Hour Diet was a good old-fashioned bowl of cereal.

As far as cereal goes with the diet, it encourages you to pick one that his high in fiber and to strictly follow the measurements.

I chose this one because in my opinion, they all look like the same freaking cereal:

Flakes, granola, some taste, and those weird mouse poop looking things.

Actually this cereal is not half bad, so I guess I would recommend it. You could find less calorie cereals than this one, but for the amount you are eating, it's just important to have something to get you started.

You need breakfast to get started. If you skip it (like I usually would), you end up making up for it later on by eating an entire Domino's Pizza (like I usually would).

I also had a bite of some lowfat cottage cheese with pineapple. The diet said I could. I forget how much I enjoy cottage cheese.

I will post my first snack and lunch in the next post!

See you then! Stay hungry!

The Beginning

Hello world.

In the last couple of months, I have noticed a change in my body.

It's not a big one, but it's there. And it annoys me.

I am incredibly blessed and thankful to have a happy life. And by happy, I mean REALLY HAPPY! I have a fun "job" as a working actor, a wonderful supportive network of family and friends, and the most beautiful girlfriend in the world.

Recently my girlfriend and I took an amazing vacation to Cancun, Mexico. All the food you could eat, and all the food you could drink. I was HAPPY.

In our hotel room, there was a scale.

I decided it would be hilarious to see how much weight I had gained since I last checked (probably around 2 months prior). As I stepped on the scale, it became less hilarious.

I am 181.6 lbs!!!!!

To be brutally honest, I wasn't shocked.


I have felt softer than ever and I believe that you know when you are not feeling your best. Something needed to change and there is only one person that can help me...ME.

Yesterday, I arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah to start rehearsals for NEXT TO NORMAL at The Pioneer Theatre. I came prepared with a plan that I am going to stick with starting today and ending on October 2nd.

It's a plan called The 3-Hour Diet. It was created by Jorge Cruise and it has been featured on countless television shows and praised by many folks, famous or otherwise.

I'll explain more in the coming posts, but here is a brief overview of what the plan is:

WebMD explains The 3-Hour Diet

It has a lot to do with portion sizes and interval eating. I will try and make the meals as interesting as I can and post as I am able.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Cheer me on. Pat my back. Give great suggestions for how to make interval eating fun and not a chore (although I'm pretty sure that's the point).

MY PROMISE TO YOU:

To make this blog funny, insightful, and educational. Also, hopefully I'll lose some weight.

If anyone wants to join me in my quest, comment and let me know you are doing it and we can cheer each other on. It certainly helps to have support.

It's time to stop being FAT & HAPPY.

It's time to just be HAPPY.