Moden science is giving us bigger cans

I have been meaning to rename the blog from "Our Daily Blab" to "Our Bi-Monthly Rambling About Diet And Exercise". Soon.

But I guess we tend to talk or write about whatever in life is currently holding our interest. Some people collect thousands of stamps or comics. Or maybe just dozens of cats or failed relationships. I just happen to presently be having fun trying to get healthier and I'm feeling a lot better doing it.

This Day 1 of Week 3 of my 2nd time through P90X. I am making a lot more progress than the first time, partly because I am in better shape this time. I make it through the hour and 20 minute workout with energy to spare now, versus being half unconscious by minute 57.

I had to buy a new set of dumbbells today, which was a mixed blessing. The good news is I could do 45s with each arm on 4 of my sets instead of 35s (since these new ones go from 5 to 65 lbs) and the bad news in I had to tell Amy how much they cost.

You know that thing where people close their eyes and rub their forehead with both hands, then pinch the bridge of their nose next to their eyes and let out a really long sigh and you know it is just so they'll barely keep in a scream? Yeah.

But the workouts have only been the smaller part of my progress as the change in diet has had a much bigger impact.

In the last 3 weeks I have lost another 4 pounds and another 2 percent body fat. Measuring inches and body fat loss is a much better gauge than just pounds, because poor diet and overexercising can actually make you lose lean muscle, which is counterproductive.

Decades ago, back when I was young and indestructible (stupid), I used to treat my body more like a garbage can than a temple and I could easily empty an entire can of squeeze cheeze in a night.

Let me let you in on a little secret. We eradicated polio and were able to put a man on the moon, but our greatest scientists have not yet invented a way to put real cheese in a spray can.

But they got the FDA to let them legally call it "cheeze" with a "Z", since they weren't selling many of them labeled, "cheese flavored margarine-N-caulking".

I have been eating a lot of things for either the first time or for the first time in a long time. Lots of fat free cottage cheese, fresh vegetables, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, plain oatmeal with no sugar, turkey, chicken breast, etc.

The above might sound bland to some, but since I'm not blasting my taste buds with chemical flavored cheeze squeezins, I have gotten a lot more ability to appreciate subtlety in flavors again.

Sure, after a while the protein shakes are starting to remind me of the unshakeable odor of spit up baby formula, which I thought I was free of 18 years ago.

But this week I also thought cauliflower dipped in hummus was one of the best things I ever tasted.

Now if we could just take that flavor and cram it into an aerosol can.