South Beach and Spam
I'm pretty happy with that title, but there is no essay to go with it. Just me checking in on a Monday.
Someone spammed the comments for my Aug 31st entry. That particular entry has well over a hundred comments, so you can't see the actual spam comment. I don't know what happens to the Radio comments when you get over a hundred, but there are definite problems. I can view up to 115, then no more. Anyway, I got the email notification of the comment this morning. It was nothing more than cluster of links to classic spam outfits like gambling places, cheap viagra, and the like. Here is the header information that I received:
Commenter's name: go to
Email address: bushmills2001@mail.com
Web site: http://www.onlinecasino777.net/
IP address: 195.57.165.180
Domain name: 195.57.165.180
Commenting on: http://blogs.salon.com/0001772/2004/08/31.html
Some of you are more technically gifted than I. I'm a junior techie at best. Really just a power user. Is there anything we can do about this? I know the IP address could be traced and a complaint lodged with the ISP. I know the IP address could be blacklisted. Anyone want to take a crack at bringing justice to these jerks? Spamming blog comments feels like aliens invading this cool world we've created. It pisses me off.
I could probably figure out how to get this done, but my life is something of a mess right now and I'm barely writing. I don't need another cause to champion.
South Beach Diet
I guess I'll say something about this since I said I would in my last entry. Yes, Jeanene and I started the famous South Beach Diet one week ago.
Why? The short answer is because I've gained an average of one pound a year since I was 18. I grew up before VCRs, cable TV, or video games. We played outside. We rode our bikes, played catch and touch football. I played every sport I could from age eight until I graduated from high school, where I played football, baseball, and was even on the track team just to get in some extra conditioning.
When I was eighteen I was 5'9" and weighed 165. I wore a 42 inch jacket and had a 29 inch waist. I was a physical person, very athletic and strong. Twenty-five years have passed and now I'm 5'8" and 190 pounds. I wear size 36 pants now, a full six inches larger than the length. I still have strong shoulders, so I carry my weight well. I don't think people see me as obese, but I am defintely carrying too much weight around.
The problem is that I eat in my 40s the way I did in my 20s. As much as I want of whatever I want and whenever I want it. I'm out of shape and I don't feel good. I have spent the last couple of decades getting degrees and engaging the world of the mind. I wouldn't change that, but my body is a part of me too, and I've neglected it. If I continue in this way, I will not enjoy my 50s and 60s like I want to enjoy them. Being out of shape and overweight drags you down physically, mentally, and spiritually.
It's time to do something.
I don't like diets. I don't think you should make a radical and impractical change in the way you eat, just to lose some pounds. You WILL go back to your old way of eating and gain all the weight back plus a few pounds extra. I know because I've tried it. What attracted Jeanene and me to the South Beach diet is its claim to be a transition to a new way of eating. You go through phase one, which is like boot camp. No carbs, sugars, or foods that are extremely high in fat. Phase one isn't easy for a carb fiend like me. I was pretty light headed for the first four days. But my body has adjusted and I feel fine.
Phase two is easier. You get some carbs back. You get to eat fruit and the occasional treat. Sounds like heaven right now. You stay in phase two as long as you need to be there.
Phase three is your new life. Forever. As I see it, the biggest change will be a new way of thinking about food. There are pleasure foods, which are good and can be enjoyed when appropriate. Then there are the foods you eat day in and day out to feed your body. Choosing better foods for daily consumption is the goal. Daily meals are for nourishment, not for pleasure, though many healthy foods are pleasurable or can become pleasurable in time.
I know I could fail. I could get to phase three and then slowly work myself back into eating "whatever and whenever" again. We all know how hard it is to change the way you eat.
But one thing is for certain. I will never change if I don't try. I'm being prayerful about this, and I'm doing it with Jeanene. And I'm telling you about it.
I think I might enjoy giving you an update now and again. That might help as well.
peace,
rlp
8:26:48 AM 
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