At the airport this week

So I figured I should at least write about this and let you guys know. For those that fly out of Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), they've closed down the whole Elite check-in side at Terminal C. That includes all kiosks and the security gate meaning there's only one over there. I suggest you try to use Terminal E to check-in or if you park at Term C and don't have to check a bag, there's a small walkway that will take you to Term E that has a security check also. That line goes fairly fast.

Speaking of security lines, this past Monday, as I was in line trying to get through security, the man behind me thought he'd get through the line faster if he stood beside me. Every time I moved up, he moved up. If I inched up, he'd inch up too. Literally right next to me. Um, give a brotha some space why dontcha!

Then I decided I'd stop and get breakfast. Since I was flying out of Term C, I stopped by the area where Einstein's Bagels is where Term C branches to out in three different directions. The line to Einstein's was long (15 to 20 peeps) so I stopped to get an egg platter from the BBQ place next to it. When I sat down, I over heard two women that were standing at the end of the Einstein's line that thought it was a good idea to get coffee from the BBQ place and then try to cut in line to get flavor syrup from Einstein's. I think that's so bogus. I realize some people are in a hurry, but if you are, you shouldn't be stopping for coffee or anything else in the first place.

The flight was pretty uneventful which is a good thing when it comes to flying. I fell asleep, woke up and drank coffee, read, and then slept some more. When I arrived at BWI and was boarding the bus to the rental car facility, I noticed a couple with a baby in an extra large baby stroller that thought it was a good idea to leave the baby in the stroller and then try to load the whole stroller just the way it was in a full bus where it's customary for people to have to stand on the bus. Now I don't have kids and don't know how hard it is to travel with kids, but I figured it would be easier for one of the parents to hold the child while the other folds up the stroller and loads that and their luggage onto the bus. On top of that, It's more courteous to the other travelers. Like I said, I don't have kids so maybe I don't know any better.

Usually my trips are pretty uneventful and aren't worth mentioning much. Just thought I'd share how people are at airports.

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Here's a pic of last night's dinner. I went back to the chicken soup that helped me lose some weight. I also had a piece of baked chicken and garlic bread made with fresh garlic.


I'm trying to keep my portions sizes down again so all I had was this and a second bowl of soup. Everything was very tasty!

Tomorrow I'm meeting one of my mom's cousin's that lives in Virginia. My mom left the Philippines when her cousin was two so they've never met either. Do I call her aunt? I dunno... I'm not sure how these things work like that. I think my mom is excited I'm meeting her though. Anyways, I'll let you guys know how tomorrow goes.

Lata...

Friday July 17 is day #43

Day 43 boys and girls. Almost half way there. I actually had a couple of days this week where I skipped workouts just because I was too busy or tired. I made up for them by doubling up on a couple of other days. Not a big deal since although I did 2 workouts a day for a couple days, one of the days was a resistance workout and yoga and the other day was resistance and cardio.

I made some interesting dinners this week. On Monday I made Hillary's chicken dish. I don't think she's made it in a while either. Sorry, no pics of this dish. On Tuesday, I made bacon wrapped scallops. I had a side of garlic Parmesan asparagus and some cherries. Cherries are really good during the summer. Here's what that looked like:


Last night I made fish tacos. I made my own chipotle sauce which was ranch and 2 minced up chipotle peppers from a can. I topped the fish off with some cilantro and red cabbage and squeezed just a little lime juice. Can't forget a side of black beans to go with your tacos.


Sorry for the dark pic. I think one of the lights went out in my room. I have to admit... if I ever need chipotle sauce, I'm going to make it again. It's really easy and tastes better then anything out of a bottle.

I'll keep you guys updated on my P90X progress. Hopefully I can make it to the end so I can do a full review. Keep up the comments. It's pretty helpful in keeping me in check with my food and workouts.

Y'all come back now ya hear!

What! The park is closed!

Argghhhh! I was so PO'd last night. I drove to the park to go running and it was closed. It was really nice last night and the scenery while running probably would have been good too. What kind of public park closes especially in the summer and why didn't it say so on any of the websites?

At least I had a good dinner. I made a salmon with a layer of fat free mayo spread on top and seasoned with garlic salt and some pepper. I actually put a layer of seasoning on it before before spreading on the goodness, oh.. I mean mayo. Erin's dad usually makes it on the grill but I baked it for about 10 min (10 to 15 min depending on the size of your fish) then broiled for about 6 or 7 min. Broiling it gives it kind of that grilled effect. I also had sauteed squash and zucchini and some rice to go along with the fish. Pretty easy dish to make. The mayo probably isn't all that healthy but I did use the fat free.


I've been taking pics of my P90X progression but probably won't post anything for another couple of weeks.

Thanks for visiting!

Traveling Dougie

Phase 1 Complete!

Phase 1 of the P90X program is over and now on to phase 2. The resistance exercises changed a little but the cardio stuff is still the same. Today is officially day 33.

I've always been pretty strong so I usually do the resistance training with lighter weight and more reps to help try to lean out. I'm using resistance bands as oppose to actual weights because it's easy to just roll them up and throw in my suitcase when traveling. The type of bands I'm using have 3 different bands for different resistance and you can use different combinations of the three bands to change it up. I have noticed a huge increase in core strength and flexibility since I started the program.

Last night's dinner was pretty good. I made lamb chops seasoned with garlic salt and pepper and just pan fried to a medium rare. I also made baked sweet potato fries with a garlic mayo dipping sauce. The sauce was just mayo (2 to 3 tbsp of Hellman's Fat Free) with 1 clove of fresh minced garlic, juice from 1 lime , and some green onions. I also had a little rice with it as well. Here's what it looked like:


Tonight I think I'm gonna go exploring for a park to go running. I heard there's a park in Severna Park, MD. I'll check it out and let you know how it goes. For dinner tonight I'm going to make salmon just like how Erin's dad makes it. It's really good and can't wait.

I'll let you know how running and dinner turns out. Thanks for reading. Until then...

Traveling Dougie

Chicken and wraps

I'm in my rest week for the P90X program. Next week it's back to work and the workouts will change a little which is the premise of the workouts. The workouts change to get you over your plateaus so you can continue to progress.

On to food...

Last week, I made something new and something old. I used to make a baked chicken that was marinated in a mixture of hoisin sauce and a little coconut juice and thought that was sounding good so I made some of that. I saved some of the sauce and cooked it down to make a spread or dipping sauce for some wraps. The wraps consisted of some sweet corn and some chopped up tomatoes and orange bell pepper. I just seasoned and sauteed and then placed on top of some romaine lettuce. Here's what it looked like:



I had one wrap with chicken and one without. Both ways turned out really good.

I'm home this week and probably won't have any more entries this week since this weekend is the 4th July. I've already got some ideas for food for next week so check back then. Have a good and safe 4th.

Later

Irish Stout... Steak!

So I'm back in Annapolis this week. While at home last week I decided I probably wouldn't focus so much on losing weight, but just to get my pant size down. Right now I'm wearing a 34, but would ultimately like to get to a 32. Doesn't seem like much but even when I hit 192 lbs, I was still barely in a 33 pant.

Now to the food

I made an interesting discovery on the Food Network while I was home last week. I saw someone making some steaks marinaded with a little Irish stout so I decided to give that a try this week. I basically bought some beef tenderloins and made a marinade of a bottle of Guinness and some Worcestershire. Be careful not to put too much Worcestershire or the sauce becomes too spicy and overpowers the beer. Set aside a quarter of that to make sauce to top the steak with later. Marinade your steak(s) for about an hour and season just before cooking (Montreal Steak Seasoning is my choice). To cook, I broiled in the oven (the urban man's grill) for 10 min on one side and 8 min on the other for a nice pink middle. While that cooks, put the sauce that you set aside into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. This breaks down the alcohol in the beer. I pan fried some asparagus with garlic for my side and had a little brown rice as well. Here's what the meal looked like:


Workouts are going good as well. I'm on day 12 of the P90X workouts. Last night was Yoga X and that kicked my butt. I can't even finish that video yet. I got 45 min into it and had to stop. I'm determined to finish it so I'm gonna stick with it. Legs and Back video was this morning and I'll probably shoot some hoops after work today.

Thanks for reading! I'm out...

Traveling Dougie

Being home doesn't change anything

Hi All,

So I got a little break from the travel bug and had a chance to stay home this week. That doesn't change anything though. I've been waking up at 7AM to do my P90X workouts before turning on my computer to start work. Breakfast has consisted of 2 eggs over easy and a piece of toast. I use the spray olive oil to oil up my pan and season my eggs with a little garlic pepper and some Tony Chachere. Lunches has been mostly left overs but one day I had to resort to good ole Ramen noodles.

For dinner last night I took advantage of having the crock pot and tried out a new recipe. Here it is:

4 to 8 pieces of chicken (I used 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, 3 boneless/skinless chicken thighs, and also threw in some drumsticks)
3 Granny Smith apples (removed core and cut into small wedges)
1 container of mushrooms (sliced)
1 medium sized yellow onion (halved slices)
Garlic pepper seasoning
Salt if you like
2 zucchinis

I seasoned the chicken with garlic pepper (I'm not big on using a lot of salt but feel free to use if you like). I then layered the ingredients in the crock pot starting with the mushrooms, then onions, then apples. Then just place the chicken on top, close and set to low. Cook for 7 to 9 hours. Basically, the apples break down into a liquid and marinates the other ingredients as they cook.

What's good about using the crock pot is you can put all of your ingredients in before you leave for work in the morning and come home and it's all ready for you. When the chicken was about ready, I cut the zucchini in spears, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with garlic pepper. Just pan sear them but you can throw them on a grill if that works best for you. In addition to the recipe, I threw a salad together for a little appetizer.

Here's what the meal looked like (Salad not pictured)


The chicken turned out very delicious but the real treat was the other ingredients that cooked in the apple juice. I topped off the rice with some of that. Everything cost around $40 and it was enough to feed 4 and still have left overs for lunches for a couple of days.

Tonight I get to be bad and hit up a steak night. At least Erin and I split it so it's only half as bad.

Until next time
Traveling Dougie out...

Helpful tool

There's a cool tool I've found to help keep up with my workouts. I've downloaded an app to my phone call MapMyRun. From my phone, the app is set up to automatically upload a run or a bike ride (if I decide to carry my phone). If I don't take my phone, they have a URL (http://MapMyRun.com) where I can manually enter my workout information. It can auto calculate the calories burned and keep track of your progress in a monthly summary. The site also allows you to import data from devices such as a Garmin GPS, Polar HRM (heart rate monitor), or the Nike +.

It's free to create an account. An awesome feature about MapMyRun is you can select some goals for yourself. Right now I am signed up for "Run 50 Miles in 30 Days". When you enter a workout, it automatically updates the progress of you goal. There are plenty more goals to choose from such as:

Run 100 miles in 30 days
Bike 300 miles in 30 days
Get more sleep in 15 or 30 days
Drink more water in 15 or 30 days
and much more...

You can challenge your friends to do these too and even set up groups to compare yourself to your friends. It's a great way to help get motivated especially if you travel alone.

Yesterday, I ran down the road where I thought there was a park that might have had a running trail or maybe just a sidewalk I could run on. Well, unfortunately it was just a wooded area. I did manage to run just over a mile to get to that location. I mapped it out on Google maps to get the exact mileage and then was able to enter it into my MapMyRun log.

Whether on the road or at home, you can still keep track of progress easily and at virtually no cost. Seeing your progress is a good way to keep you active and motivated.

Thanks for reading!

Traveling Dougie

A little about me...

This week I am in Annapolis, MD. It's a pretty cool little city. The Naval Academy is here and it's really close to Washington DC so there's a lot of good site seeing and eats in the area. Typically my travel schedule can put me in a different city every week but I'm actually suppose to be in and out of here quite a bit over the course of the next few months. So why not start finding the best restaurants and hang outs? Oh I plan to. This area has some really good seafood and I was told to look for something called a half smoked (???). But first things first... what's up with this blog?

Just over 2 years ago I was weighing in at 252 lbs. That is the heaviest I've been my whole life. Doesn't sound like much but when you're 5' 7" it's a lot. I had a fairly active lifestyle and probably went to the gym to lift weights at least 4 times a week but cardio wasn't in my regimen of exercises very often. That year I managed to get down to 192 lbs by the end of the year by simply cutting my portion sizes (in half) and adding running to my schedule and I was able to maintain around 200 lbs for about a year. Here are some before and after pics:





Here's where the traveling comes into play. In September 2008, I started a new job that put me on the road about 3 weeks out of the month. My schedule was to fly out on Monday morning and fly back either Thursday or Friday night. I ate out for every meal from the time I flew out til the time I got back home. The best part of it was every meal is expensed so I got to eat some really good steaks, seafood, BBQ, and what ever else you can imagine. Since I got to eat such good food and so much of it, I was spending less time on my workouts and my cardio sessions were going from 45 min or an hour to just 15 or 20 min. Sometimes even less. Needless to say, my weight jumped up to 225 lbs. Here's what I did about it.

About 8 to 10 weeks ago, I started looking for a hotel with a kitchen if possible. Ideally, I will cook dinner for every night of the week but allow myself to eat out one time a week. If I want to eat out one other time then that's OK too, I just don't let it get out of hand like before. When I cook, I make enough to bring into work for lunch the next day. I actually liked cooking before starting this regimen. If you don't' like to cook or don't know how all I have to say is if you can follow instructions to make Ramen Noodles, you can pick out any recipe off of google and make that too.

This means you have to make a trip to the grocery store too. This week I plan to have salmon some kind of veggies and my alternative food is homemade soup with pork neck bones and veggies. I also got me some fruits and 2 gallons of water for the week. Here are some pics of my dinner tonight.




I bought sushi grade salmon that was probably enough for 2 meals. I also made sauteed onions and mushrooms and spinach with garlic also. I had some non-stick olive oil spray and brown rice from a previous trip (I just saved the non-perishables at the office in a plastic bag) and bought some mangoes, kiwis, and cherries for the week to snack on or to have as my desert. Every once in a while, I'll buy a six pack of beer but will probably only drink 2 or 3 of those during the week. Yes, sorry, I do have to waste the beer sometimes which is why I don't buy it as often.

I also had a chance to go running today. The workout facilities is not good at all at this hotel so I just picked out a road to go run down. If the safety of the neighborhood is in doubt, I'll Google a park that I can go running at or I'll pull out my trusty resistance bands or jump rope. I also have the P90x workouts iso'd to my laptop so I can get in one of those workouts for variety.

All of this seems like a lot of work but I really think it's worth it. Not only do I get to see a bunch of different cities, but I get to eat good and healthy, and more economically during the these hard time. I'll try to make entries when I'm not traveling too. I'm aiming to show that there doesn't have to be a huge difference in your lifestyle on the road than when you're at home. Check back with us later and leave some comments. I'm looking forward to them.

Thanks,
Traveling Dougie