HUMP DAY: Not as "depressing" as Monday, Not as "exciting" as Friday!

Weigh In Wednesday!

Well it's finally here - the Mile-Stone of the 2 STONE (28lbs) OFF!!

Yippee - another 2lbs Off this week. It's taken 6 weeks since 

I started on the 8th of January. So here's to the next 2 STONE!

One thing that I've been watching lately, apart from the devine

"House of Cards" is the WINTER OLYMPICS. Every night 

I would sit down at 7:00pm with my calorie controlled Evening

Meal and watch the consummate Clare Balding review "Today

at the Winter Olympics" So addictive!!

I particularly liked some of the Outfits:

However, I read this the other day online in "The Daily Beast". 

 Yes, I do read the internet!  I know the Olympics are 

now over, but I figured I can use the advice for other TV viewing:

Ways to Avoid ‘Sochi Gut’ While Watching the Olympics (or TV in General)!

"Unless you’ve got a stationary bike in the living room, chances are you’re not the most active when you watch TV. 

"Cheering and jeering at the television an average of 5.3 hours per day was associated with a higher risk of obesity. These disappointing results persevered even after adjusting for other bad behaviors. I would never recommend watching less of the Olympics, but there are things we can do to minimize the impact of a 230-hour bout of sedentary living.

These healthy reminders will help you avoid gaining that “Sochi gut” while being a supportive fan."  

So, instead of the "Sochi gut", I'm going to try and avoid the "Oscar gut"!  I think I can incorporate these pointers from one event to the other.

1.  Careful how many times you drink to that

The opening ceremonies are over and you already played the over-or-under drinking game where you predict the number of athletes representing each country as they entered the stadium. But drinking for every triple Lutz, British flag or smirk from Putin could cause a calorie avalanche and sick Sochi gut. If you must, then alternate between a libation and spritzer of seltzer water with a splash of cranberry juice cocktail and lime to save on calories and post-podium hangovers.  

For the opening ceremonies of The Oscars, I can always just have a little gin and slim line tonic!  I can sip when Ellen introduces the show and have a little sip for each winner.  I'm not like others in my family (who shall remain nameless), so this won't be a problem.  They would drink each time that Jack Nicholson was shown on camera or drink to any nominee who was shown on camera.  In fact, they would all just drink every time they saw an actor on screen.  In fact, I'll drink to that!

2.  Give a standing ovation

Get involved in the action by standing up and clapping when an athlete deserves it. Show your team spirit and burn some calories.  What I’m saying—get up and move around during the games.  

So, I will stand up and cheer every time that Ellen dances!  Or when she says something funny!  I will stand up and cheer every time there is a winner.  Or when I like the speeches!  I will even stand up for the losers!  And I will stand up when I disagree!

As far as regular viewing, I can stand up every time that Dot Cotton smokes a fag on "EastEnders".  Or when I shed a tear during "Deal Or No Deal".  How about every time that Kevin Spacey taps his ring on something in "House of Cards"?  It's endless!  I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

This is the time of year when I miss living in Los Angeles!  Enjoy the Oscars!  Have you picked your winners? 

OSCARS:

Here's My Pick For the Evening:

ACTOR in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

ACTRESS in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

ACTOR in a Supporting Role: Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)

ACTRESS in a Supporting Role: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)

BEST PICTURE: 12 Years a Slave

Thanks for reading my Blog again and enjoy the Oscars if

you get around to watching them!

Here's a comment from a recent email I received from

my son Angus in Chile:

"So proud of you, two stone in such a short time, it's like an entire Bella."

Bella is Emily's youngest daughter aged 4!!

Jenny McNeice has come up with these items below that weigh 28lbs!

THE CALABAZA PUMPKIN

Also:

    28 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA REPORTEDLY FOUND DURING A 1-94 TRAFFIC STOP

 

Green Eggs And Ham!

WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY

Today is a deeply sad day - not because it is Weigh-in Wednesday, but because I have come to the end of all 13 remarkable, extraordinary and wonderful episodes of HOUSE OF CARDS the Netflix 2nd Series with Kevin Spacey. This became available on the 14th of February and I have virtually watched all the episodes back to back. Not since BREAKING BAD have I been totally hooked on a TV Drama so compelling and beautifully scripted and acting. If you haven't seen it,  I urge you to watch Series One first - you won't regret it!

HOUSE OF CARDS: SECOND SERIES

Now showing on Netflix

Now for WEIGH-IN WEDNESDAY News - Well, I'm pleased to say that this week I've lost 3 lbs!
Which brings my TOTAL loss since the 8th of January to 27 lbs - just shy of 2 Stone, hopefully next week I will reach that "Mile Stone" - here's hoping. Yet again thanks to all of you that posted messages last Wednesday - it really is a great treat to read them (just remember to click on Anonymous from the drop down menu to leave your message)

1. 

Ham and Eggs:  a day's work for a hen; a lifetime commitment for a pig!

NOT Green Eggs and Ham, but Smocked Haddock With Spinach And Poached Egg!  This is becoming my favourite meal on my fast days!  With the 5:2 Diet or Fast Diet, I can only have 600 calories twice a week and then eat regularly the remaining five days.  However, I am now cutting my regular days down to 1500 calories. This  includes: NO MORE BREAD or POTATOES - Ahhhhhgggg - My Favourites.

This recipe is taken from "The Fast Diet Recipe Book".  The calorie count is 211 and it leaves me with a healthy 1289 calories for the rest of my day!

100 g baby spinach leaves

salt and pepper

75g skinless smoked haddock fillet

240 ml semi-skimmed milk

(1) egg

(1) tbsp half-fat creme fraiche

1/2 spring onion, finely chopped

squeeze of lemon (if you want)

These are two of my new recipe books!

Interestingly I worked with Dave Myers (Hairy Dieter) when he was a Make-up

Artist. In those days he had no hair at all including eye-brows

and then one day he woke up and his hair started to grow back

and look at him now - amazing!

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh, My.....Burgers, and Shakes, and Fries Oh, My!!!!

WEIGH IN WEDNESDAY

Yes! The time is here to stand up & be counted, or rather "Stand-on, Stand-off,

and Count the Pounds" This week it's another 2 lbs OFF  with which I am

pleased,  as I really did think I had put weight on this week as I had been

experimenting with a couple of Hairy Bikers Diet Recipes, which I have to

say were delicious, but didn't seem all that "Diet Friendly!" I've just looked

at the time and it's 5:30am - you see how keen I am to get on those scales,

time to go back to bed for a bit more shut-eye. To all of you,  that have left

comments so far - THANK YOU VERY MUCH - IT MEANS A LOT.

To all you Bastards that haven't left comments, you know who you are,

get cracking & leave a little token of abuse!! 

Cheeseburger in Paradise!

So, lately I seem to be day dreaming!  Night dreaming!  Dreaming about cheeseburgers!  Cindy bested me last night---salivating at my computer while I was researching places to go in my future and staring at photographs of cheeseburgers!  Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce.......I don't think so, don't hold anything!

Well, this got me thinking about all the amazing burgers I've had to eat!  Here are a few of my favourite fast food restaurants over the year!  Coming in at #1 is In-N-Out Burger!  love, Love, LOVE it!  I enjoyed the drive-thru in LA over the years!  And, you can order the Protein Burger which is wrapped in lettuce instead of the bun, which saves you quite a few calories!  I've also enjoyed a few Whataburgers in my time while working in Texas on "Ace Ventura".  And everyone needs to sample a slider from The White Castle if they are in New York!

And hey, if you are in NYC, then you should definitely stop by P.J. Clarke's for a really late night cheeseburger, beer, and if you're lucky, there might be an old sax player who will play "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" for your girl!

I have to say that recently, I found myself in Boston promoting the 6th series of "Doc Martin".  I, of course was trying to find the best cheeseburger in Beantown and...........I found it!  It was called "Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers and was a little dive in Harvard Square, just around the corner from Harvard, Cambridge, and MIT.  Check out the menu!  And my after shot featuring me in a food coma!

In closing, I thought I would attach this clip from Saturday Night Live (the early years)!

Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Pepsi, Pepsi!

And if you have a little more time..............

"Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffett

Cheeseburger in Paradise!

Weigh In Wednesday!

Weigh In Wednesday!  Or Hump Day if you are in the job force!  For some reason I started the diet on a Wednesday, so this is the day I weigh in.  I have one of my diet days on Tuesday and I also make sure I head to the scales first thing in the morning before my cuppa


Well having had an outstanding weight loss last week (8lbs) it's back to reality this week with
a meagre 2lbs loss - well the positive outlook is that it was OFF instead of ON - which it could
have been! So here's to a better result next week!

Check out the Videos below - I used to watch this guy - Richard Simmons - when he went
on the David Letterman Show in the States - he's hysterical - Enjoy!

Workout Wednesday!

Sweatin' To The Oldies!

Ian Pierre White!

What can I say about "MasterChef Australia:  The Professionals"?  It's my favourite show and the only thing (besides "EastEnders", "The Following", and re-runs of "Breaking Bad" that gets me through the week while dieting!  Marco Pierre White is my hero and Cins is madly in love with him! PHWOAR!  It's "must see" TV for me!  

As you can tell from the above photographs, we are incredibly alike physically and it drives Cindy WILD when she has to answer my demands in the kitchen with "YES CHEF!!" And, I'm forever sending things back as both Marco & I are utter perfectionists. Check out the show on WATCH TV Channel 109 Mon-Fri 7:00-8:00pm - you won't be disappointed!