Chelsea and I had another stepping stone this weekend together as a team.  Every tournament we place higher and higher finishing with a 5th today in a pretty stacked tournament.  Needless to say we are obviously happy with how the weekend went but are biting at the chance to get back to practicing and improving some of the things we need to work on as a team.

To celebrate we decided to indulge in some relaxation time via BBQ and jacuzzi.  

We grilled up some amazing chicken which we marinated in oil and balsamic vinegar with a little paprika, orange and yellow peppers, zucchini drizzled with some balsamic vinegar, asparagus and topped it all off with some lemon and avocado.  Chels washed it all down with a couple glasses of wine and I, with a sleeve of peanut butter sandwich cookies.  

What a day!

So by Tuesday, I actually meant Thursday.

When it comes to my diet, my issue is not the moving and the shaking part.  I move plenty.  It's my eating.  Plus, it's a proven study that you will have a greater results by changing the way you eat vs. increasing your physical activity.  Obviously a combination of the two is ideal.

So here is my game plan...

It consists of many of my least favorite things....

rules.

1, water, water, water

It turns outs a lot of the time I think I am really hungry, I am actually thirsty.   And even if i'm not thirsty then pushing fluids will not only curb my hunger but will also provide other great benefits such as great skin!

2. Only eat when I'm hungry

This is going to be the hardest thing for me to do.  I would consider eating a hobby at this point.  I guess I am going to have to find things to do to keep me occupied now.

3. Eat only foods that come from the earth.

This means no more fake stuff with chemicals. I.E. fake sugar, diet products, none of it.  Increasing the intake of plant like foods.

4.  Taper my intake of calories over the course of the day.

This means eat a big breakfast, smaller lunch, and even smaller dinner.

5. Rules are made to be broken!

Enjoy a Fat Friday and treat myself to foods I try to avoid from the rest of the week.  It will be the only way to keep my sanity.

Yesterday Chelsea and I made our way up to our 3rd tournament in Santa Barbara.  

Since we are both a bit crazy, we decided it would be a brilliant idea to wake up at 4 am and grab some breakfast at the Kettle before we departed northbound on the 405.

Don't ask me why....at the time it seemed like an amazing idea.

After breakfast, with my nose running and burning (kind of like when you throw up and it comes out of your nose and it burns for hours) from the secret ingredient to my omelet being horseradish (which I didn't know nor did it state this minor detail on the menu) and Chelsea's stomach turning from a soggy batch of eggs benny, we shot over to Starbucks to look for something familiar for our stomachs.  Lucky for us, we came across a man passed out in his car with a pile of vomit outside his door.

At least we knew he sympathized with our sudden onset of nausea, first: from our breakfast and second: from him.

With an awesome start to our morning, we began the trek up to Santa Barbara.  Arriving an hour and a half early, we got to sit and chat over a red-eye coffee and relax in the early morning sun.  The day was gorgeous.  We couldn't have asked for better playing conditions.

The sun was out, the air was cool, the wind was still.

B.E.A.utiful

It made the day so enjoyable.

On top of the surroundings, Chelsea and I started to click more and more as we continued to play.  We have taken giant leaps of improvement over the past three weeks and have continued to work hard to make this dream a reality, so it was fun to show our skills and prove that we belong among the best of this sport.  Fans and followers also started to come out of the woodwork and acknowledge our dedication which was a huge source of support for us.

I have to admit, I know we can and will do much better than we have, but it has been such an amazing ride thus far.  We continue to improve and finish better and better each time we play.

I'm really excited for what more this journey has in store for us.

Dieting is never easy.  It actually really sucks.

And sometimes you look at yourself in the mirror and go "Oh, I look fine" and become totally content with where you are at until you see a picture of yourself on the beach in a bikini and want to go throw up everything you ate the past week.

Then you start to diet and you pick healthy options like a salad until you read all of the ingredients in that tasty dressing which in total makes eating a Big Mac from McDonalds better for you than this leafy meal.  Then these companies start to trick you with zero calorie sweeteners.  Not only do they taste better than the regular stuff but the package says it's better for you too!

Score!

Guess again suckers, not only does this fake sugar have deadly chemicals in them but they also cause your body to retain fat.

Double Whammy.

Well shit, where do I go from here?

Starving myself has proven to be a poor choice considering my profession.  Eating diet foods has only made me fatter.  I'm stumped.

Back to ground zero.

I'll have a game plan for you on Tuesday.

Just A Few More Pics From NYC