Belief-O-Matic!
The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches my beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that my views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa. Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with my professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with my thinking.
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (94%)
3. Liberal Quakers (92%)
4. Neo-Pagan (85%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (79%)
6. New Age (77%)
7. Nontheist (69%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (68%)
9. Taoism (64%)
10. Mahayana Buddhism (61%)
11. Reform Judaism (57%)
12. Bahá'í Faith (52%)
13. Orthodox Quaker (52%)
14. New Thought (47%)
15. Scientology (45%)
16. Jainism (41%)
17. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (37%)
18. Orthodox Judaism (35%)
19. Sikhism (31%)
20. Islam (27%)
21. Hinduism (27%)
22. Seventh Day Adventist (27%)
23. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (23%)
24. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (21%)
25. Eastern Orthodox (18%)
26. Roman Catholic (18%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (13%)
Interesting that the top two and the second to last are the ones that I have considered myself at various points of my life.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Pick of the Week!
Sarcastic Dialectician For Hire.
Everyone knows I'm pretty sarcastic at times...
The 'Dialectic' part though, I'm sure most people would call me, if they knew what it meant. I'm not questioning any ones intelligence here or anything! I swear. I'm the last person to poke fun for not knowing what words mean. (Or how to pronounce them...who knew cacophony wasn't pronounced cak-o-fone-ee)
Dialectic - the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments.
I'm amazed at how well I believe this word fits me. I enjoy using logic in an exchange of arguments to arrive at the truth. I also think a dialectic conversation is a great way to fully understand another person's views on given subjects.
I've also learned, within the fairly recent past, that this method of reaching understanding between two people can't always work. In fact, unless it's with another Dialectician, it almost never works. I've wondered why in the past, some of the people I argue with, I become better friends with, and some, worse friends. I think I've realized now that some people argue/discuss to reach the truth. Some to be heard, some to be understood, some to get things off of their chest. I think, now that I have learned this, I can become better friends with everyone I argue/discuss with by figuring out what their desire is behind the argument, not just the point they are arguing/discussing.
The funny thing is, I only found the word dialectic while looking for a word to rhyme with eclectic. Strange, eh? Finding one word that describes me by trying to rhyme with another word that fits me like a glove. Hence the web address for this blog: dialecticeclectic.blogspot.com. Describes me well, except for the blogspot.com part. There was only so much I could do there. I could probably B.S. something to make that describe me, too ,but I'm not feeling that creative right now.
And now, the segue into...
The Pick of The Week!!
Wyclef Jean - The Ecleftic
I was flipping through the Starz channels, looking for things I wanted to Tivo, and I came across ' Wyclef Jean's All-Star Jam @ Carnegie Hall ' on Starz-Black. This concert for charity (music education for inner city youth) included artists like Eric Clapton (yeah!), Stevie Wonder (sweet!), Destiny's Child (eh), Charlotte Church (strange), Mary J Blige (awesome), one of Marley's boys (good), and a bunch of teens called Clef's kids who play exceptional music for their age. They only showed about an hour of the show on the TV, but there is a DVD that has the whole thing (Xmas present??)
Now, I've had a CD called Wyclef Jean - The Ecleftic for a couple of years now, and it is awesome. I'm not sure which came first, the concert or the cd, but the have some songs in common. Good songs:
Wish You Were Here (pink Floyd cover)
911 (with Mary J Blige)
There are also a few that are older Clef songs (remakes, I know) that I like a lot:
Guantanamera
No Woman, No Cry
Gone Til November
Maria, Maria
And new remakes/collaborations:
Summertime w/Charlotte Church
Stayin Alive w/Rock Steady Crew
Now That We Found Love w/Third World
Wonderful Tonight w/Eric Clapton
And a new song he and Clapton wrote, called 'My Song'
And a few songs done by the Clef Kids:
Amazing Grace
Bach Medley
Lift Every Heart & Sing
The only bad part is that, for some reason, they had Destiny's Child doing Independent Woman & Say My Name. That was strange.
So, check them out. Either the Wycleftic CD, or the All-Stars DVD. They are awesome!
Everyone knows I'm pretty sarcastic at times...
The 'Dialectic' part though, I'm sure most people would call me, if they knew what it meant. I'm not questioning any ones intelligence here or anything! I swear. I'm the last person to poke fun for not knowing what words mean. (Or how to pronounce them...who knew cacophony wasn't pronounced cak-o-fone-ee)
Dialectic - the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments.
I'm amazed at how well I believe this word fits me. I enjoy using logic in an exchange of arguments to arrive at the truth. I also think a dialectic conversation is a great way to fully understand another person's views on given subjects.
I've also learned, within the fairly recent past, that this method of reaching understanding between two people can't always work. In fact, unless it's with another Dialectician, it almost never works. I've wondered why in the past, some of the people I argue with, I become better friends with, and some, worse friends. I think I've realized now that some people argue/discuss to reach the truth. Some to be heard, some to be understood, some to get things off of their chest. I think, now that I have learned this, I can become better friends with everyone I argue/discuss with by figuring out what their desire is behind the argument, not just the point they are arguing/discussing.
The funny thing is, I only found the word dialectic while looking for a word to rhyme with eclectic. Strange, eh? Finding one word that describes me by trying to rhyme with another word that fits me like a glove. Hence the web address for this blog: dialecticeclectic.blogspot.com. Describes me well, except for the blogspot.com part. There was only so much I could do there. I could probably B.S. something to make that describe me, too ,but I'm not feeling that creative right now.
And now, the segue into...
The Pick of The Week!!
Wyclef Jean - The Ecleftic
I was flipping through the Starz channels, looking for things I wanted to Tivo, and I came across ' Wyclef Jean's All-Star Jam @ Carnegie Hall ' on Starz-Black. This concert for charity (music education for inner city youth) included artists like Eric Clapton (yeah!), Stevie Wonder (sweet!), Destiny's Child (eh), Charlotte Church (strange), Mary J Blige (awesome), one of Marley's boys (good), and a bunch of teens called Clef's kids who play exceptional music for their age. They only showed about an hour of the show on the TV, but there is a DVD that has the whole thing (Xmas present??)
Now, I've had a CD called Wyclef Jean - The Ecleftic for a couple of years now, and it is awesome. I'm not sure which came first, the concert or the cd, but the have some songs in common. Good songs:
Wish You Were Here (pink Floyd cover)
911 (with Mary J Blige)
There are also a few that are older Clef songs (remakes, I know) that I like a lot:
Guantanamera
No Woman, No Cry
Gone Til November
Maria, Maria
And new remakes/collaborations:
Summertime w/Charlotte Church
Stayin Alive w/Rock Steady Crew
Now That We Found Love w/Third World
Wonderful Tonight w/Eric Clapton
And a new song he and Clapton wrote, called 'My Song'
And a few songs done by the Clef Kids:
Amazing Grace
Bach Medley
Lift Every Heart & Sing
The only bad part is that, for some reason, they had Destiny's Child doing Independent Woman & Say My Name. That was strange.
So, check them out. Either the Wycleftic CD, or the All-Stars DVD. They are awesome!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Counting My Blessings
As I'm on my way out the door to go join the old folks at the ARC, I figured I'd count a few of my blessings, as far as this current weight shift is concerned.
1) Support structure at home
JoVanna has been a huge help to me. She enjoys cooking, and now the two of us can work together to make meals that are tasty, healthy, and more importantly, made for two in the first place! As far as meats go, I can only cook hot dogs & fish. That's it. Now I can have chicken, beef, pork, turkey, it's awesome! Wow, variety in foods!
2) Support structure outside the home
The family has been a huge help, all talking to each other to remind each other about the goal. Its like having some people to whom I am responsible towards. I have also let most everyone know at work. That way, I have some help there whenever I get a craving for one of the many things I walk by on a given day at the grocery store. I must say, if you are ever trying to seriously lose weight, try not to work at a grocery store. While, I admit, I have better access to fresh produce and meats and lots of other items that are good for you, I also have Swiss Cake Rolls staring me in the face everyday. Why is that the one thing I look at and think, Damn, those look good. Of everything I could have huge cravings for, that's the one thing. How weird.
3) Liking a wider variety of foods.
The only veggies I used to like were carrots and peas. Now it carrots, peas, corn, asparagus, green beans, snopeas, lima beans, lettuce, and even sprouts are ok. I used to only like hot dogs and McDonald's hamburgers. Now I'll eat fish, steak, ham, polish sausage, chicken, turkey, etc. I unfortunately still can't fathom a way to get into diet sodas. But, I have cut those down to one a day at most. 1-12 ounce can that is. Not some giant liter bottle.
4) Having a workout facility so close to home.
The Columbia ARC (Activities & Recreation Center) is a godsend. I don't have to worry about traffic on campus or downtown. I have no trouble finding a machine ever. I think it has a lot to do with my unbalanced schedule, though. Being able to go work out at 10am some days, 6:30pm others, and 2pm still others helps a lot. Avoids the big 7am and 5pm rushes!
5) Staying away from alcohol
YIKES. I know. It's tough. REALLY TOUGH. How does one walk away from the nectar of the gods, good beer. I've done some research, and not only is alcohol usually calorie laden (at least my good beers, Blue Moon 170cal, most dark beers 150-200cal), but it disrupts the body's ability to burn fat. They say the safe amount of alcohol in a week considering my size, age, and gender is ten a week, 2 a day with 2 off days. No banking the alcohol for the end of the week though. So I could have a couple of beers a day, but, its best to stay away from the calorie laden drinks. Siiigggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh......
6) The knowledge I've done it before, so i can do it again
Freshman year of college, instead of gaining the dreaded Freshman Fifteen, I lost 30! My activity level just soared when I moved up here to Columbia. I dropped all the way to 230 lbs that year. My junior year, I had made a New Year's resolution, and was sticking to it quite well until I broke my hand. Lost 25 lbs from New Year's to mid march. For Mike & Tracy's wedding I lost about 15-20 lbs just increasing activity and trying the psycho diet. That psycho diet sucked. Sucked hard. Can you imagine a diet making you hate one of your favorite foods? Eggs. I love eggs. I hated eggs on that diet.
Well, like I said, off to beat an old man off of my treadmill.
1) Support structure at home
JoVanna has been a huge help to me. She enjoys cooking, and now the two of us can work together to make meals that are tasty, healthy, and more importantly, made for two in the first place! As far as meats go, I can only cook hot dogs & fish. That's it. Now I can have chicken, beef, pork, turkey, it's awesome! Wow, variety in foods!
2) Support structure outside the home
The family has been a huge help, all talking to each other to remind each other about the goal. Its like having some people to whom I am responsible towards. I have also let most everyone know at work. That way, I have some help there whenever I get a craving for one of the many things I walk by on a given day at the grocery store. I must say, if you are ever trying to seriously lose weight, try not to work at a grocery store. While, I admit, I have better access to fresh produce and meats and lots of other items that are good for you, I also have Swiss Cake Rolls staring me in the face everyday. Why is that the one thing I look at and think, Damn, those look good. Of everything I could have huge cravings for, that's the one thing. How weird.
3) Liking a wider variety of foods.
The only veggies I used to like were carrots and peas. Now it carrots, peas, corn, asparagus, green beans, snopeas, lima beans, lettuce, and even sprouts are ok. I used to only like hot dogs and McDonald's hamburgers. Now I'll eat fish, steak, ham, polish sausage, chicken, turkey, etc. I unfortunately still can't fathom a way to get into diet sodas. But, I have cut those down to one a day at most. 1-12 ounce can that is. Not some giant liter bottle.
4) Having a workout facility so close to home.
The Columbia ARC (Activities & Recreation Center) is a godsend. I don't have to worry about traffic on campus or downtown. I have no trouble finding a machine ever. I think it has a lot to do with my unbalanced schedule, though. Being able to go work out at 10am some days, 6:30pm others, and 2pm still others helps a lot. Avoids the big 7am and 5pm rushes!
5) Staying away from alcohol
YIKES. I know. It's tough. REALLY TOUGH. How does one walk away from the nectar of the gods, good beer. I've done some research, and not only is alcohol usually calorie laden (at least my good beers, Blue Moon 170cal, most dark beers 150-200cal), but it disrupts the body's ability to burn fat. They say the safe amount of alcohol in a week considering my size, age, and gender is ten a week, 2 a day with 2 off days. No banking the alcohol for the end of the week though. So I could have a couple of beers a day, but, its best to stay away from the calorie laden drinks. Siiigggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh......
6) The knowledge I've done it before, so i can do it again
Freshman year of college, instead of gaining the dreaded Freshman Fifteen, I lost 30! My activity level just soared when I moved up here to Columbia. I dropped all the way to 230 lbs that year. My junior year, I had made a New Year's resolution, and was sticking to it quite well until I broke my hand. Lost 25 lbs from New Year's to mid march. For Mike & Tracy's wedding I lost about 15-20 lbs just increasing activity and trying the psycho diet. That psycho diet sucked. Sucked hard. Can you imagine a diet making you hate one of your favorite foods? Eggs. I love eggs. I hated eggs on that diet.
Well, like I said, off to beat an old man off of my treadmill.
Friday, October 12, 2007
First Goal Acheived!
5%!!!
First goal achieved, and about two weeks faster than hoped. Here's the goal layout...
9/19/07 - 10/26/07 First 5% - 17 lbs ( 37 days )
10/26/07 - 12/15/07 Second 5% 34 lbs, down to 306. ( 51 days )
12/15/07 - 01/04/07 Maintain. Do as little damage as possible over this period of time.
01/05/07 - Valentine's Day Third 5%, now down to 289. ( 61 days )
Valentine's - St. Patty's Ten lbs. Be careful on Patty's!!! Down to 279. ( 32 days, toughest stretch! Gotta pull this of to be able to let myself have a good time on St Patty's Day)
St. Patty's - My Bday Ten lbs. Down to 269. ( 51 days )
My Bday - 4th of July 11 lbs. Down to 258. ( 58 days )
82 lbs in ten months. It's a tough goal. And don't get me wrong, I'd be plenty happy with not reaching the final goal at all. I'm not even sure if it is possible. At my size, I might have too much of a frame and therefore, too much muscle to drop that far. I'll be seeing a doctor at some point to get a better idea of what I'm actually capable of, too.
I know I'm placing quite a bit into the numbers, but its the lifestyle change I am interested in. More on that another time.
Off to get some breakfast,
'Not quite as big' Big Dave
First goal achieved, and about two weeks faster than hoped. Here's the goal layout...
9/19/07 - 10/26/07 First 5% - 17 lbs ( 37 days )
10/26/07 - 12/15/07 Second 5% 34 lbs, down to 306. ( 51 days )
12/15/07 - 01/04/07 Maintain. Do as little damage as possible over this period of time.
01/05/07 - Valentine's Day Third 5%, now down to 289. ( 61 days )
Valentine's - St. Patty's Ten lbs. Be careful on Patty's!!! Down to 279. ( 32 days, toughest stretch! Gotta pull this of to be able to let myself have a good time on St Patty's Day)
St. Patty's - My Bday Ten lbs. Down to 269. ( 51 days )
My Bday - 4th of July 11 lbs. Down to 258. ( 58 days )
82 lbs in ten months. It's a tough goal. And don't get me wrong, I'd be plenty happy with not reaching the final goal at all. I'm not even sure if it is possible. At my size, I might have too much of a frame and therefore, too much muscle to drop that far. I'll be seeing a doctor at some point to get a better idea of what I'm actually capable of, too.
I know I'm placing quite a bit into the numbers, but its the lifestyle change I am interested in. More on that another time.
Off to get some breakfast,
'Not quite as big' Big Dave
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Promises, promises...
Wow. I'm big in this picture. (and thanks to Jason Conaway, felt up as well...)
Since this time I have been making sure I eat a little better at times, without ever really making a concerted effort on all fronts to do so, hence failure.
Along rolls all of the summer months...
Avoiding the pool...
Trying to find larger t-shirts to wear to softball games...
And finally, along comes a vacation in September.
During part of my vacation, I made sure I went to the SJA Homecoming!! For those of you who don't know, it's pretty cool. It's not the best party in the world, especially when you aren't as interested in getting stinking drunk in public anymore. But, I get to see lots of people I used to know, play some fair games, eat some fair food, and even play a little Bingo.
During the fair, my cousins brought up to my immediate family that some of them were going to begin a contest. A weight loss contest. Whoever loses the most after a certain period of time wins a pool of money that everyone puts together. Everyone in my family seemed interested, myself especially. I knew it was time to buckle down.
So here I am at the computer trying to decide the best way to continue my current weight loss success. I had to have lost some weight since that picture in March, but not a ton. I have lost (I personally believe) at least twenty pounds since the beginning of September. I have lost a confirmed 15 lbs since 9/12/07.
I haven't hit a wall or anything like that, but I want to do everything I reasonably can to change my lifestyle and habits in regards to food.
Many publications and websites suggest may different diet fads, exercise tips, and non-traditional methods to lose weight. Personally, I have my own plan. Nothing new, or untried I'm sure, but one that I think will work for me.
1) Count calories
2) Work Out
3) Stay Busy
1) Count Calories
According to a lot of the research I have been doing, the sure fire way to lose weight: Burn more than you eat. Doable! But how many am I supposed to eat? Ahh, there is where some differentiating opinions lie. I am using a website called my-calorie-counter.com to determine that starting point. It's a free site, too!
They say for my height (6'6") and current weight (as of 10/11/07, 325ish) and a sedentary lifestyle, to take in 3477 calories a day to maintain my weight. They also say 3500 calories is equal to a pound. So, if I cut 500 calories a day, that would be a pound a week. 1000 cals, 2 lbs, etc. Ahh, but that is for a sedentary lifestyle. For a moderately active lifestyle, 4497 calories a day.
I currently treadmill 3-5 times a week, and do Free motion weights 3 times a week (at best, trying to get more regular!) I also work in a job where I am on the go for quite a bit of the day. I stock, lift heavy objects, and walk a ton throughout my day at work. So I'd say a moderately active lifestyle is at least where I'm at if not better.
So, conclusion? If I maintain my moderately active lifestyle and cut 2000 calories a day, I can still eat 2497 calories a day and lose up to 4 lbs a week. That's doable. That's measurable. And that's what I like, a doable, measurable achievement.
2) Work out
I treadmill about 40 minutes each time I go, burning about 600-650 calories each time. I have reached inclines of 9 with speeds of 3.6. I'm aware that isn't very fast, it still isn't a run. But, I am starting out with something I know I can keep up with. Besides, my knees can't take running on a treadmill yet. I gotta start somewhere.
I free motion about 10 different machines. Squat, chest, row, quad, lat, shoulder, hamstring, bicep, triceps, and abdominal. I worked out at Gold's Gym for a while back before Mike & Tracy's wedding, and the instructor there started me out with these machines as a circuit training of sorts for losing weight. I am going to stick with those for now because, I gotta start somewhere.
3) Stay Busy
Work, possibly taking classes again soon, blossoming relationship, and a new nephew are doing a pretty good job of keeping me busy. Add in trying to change careers in the near future, moving again in August, and trying to keep up with tons of friends who have now moved all over the globe keeps me pretty busy. Forget golf and reading. Those have taken a bit of a back seat lately, and I will welcome them back when the time is there. I tend to eat or drink too much when I am doing those activities. So, that's why I am back to blogging. Many publications suggest keeping a workout/diet log, so this is going to partially be mine. Also I'd love to get back to expressing my views are various topics. Especially with the primaries coming up soon!
I know, I know, I've said I was going to be back to blogging a couple of other times, but, this promise, like the one I've made to myself about the weight loss, I intend to keep.
'Not quite as big' Big Dave
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