License to Dance

After battling with several states to clear up my license issues, today I was finally able to sit down and take the picture that everyone dreads. :-) In celebration, I played some ITG after class and it was fun.

Setbacks and Success

So, this past week has been a bit difficult for me. Between waiting at the DMV for days on end (I wish I was exaggerating) and attending my classes, I haven't made the effort to play dancing games lately. Hopefully once I get my license and am able to drive myself to the arcade, I'll get more game time in. That being said, I have lost almost 5 lbs. so far. Not as much as I'd hoped to lose, but a success nonetheless. :-)

Finally, A Post!

A actual post from Antonio? You bet your life.

You're more then likely wondering why exactly I haven't been posting stuff on here since the beginning of the blog. Well, the problem with running a gaming website and working for a gaming store is sometimes, work seems to overtake any and all personal time that you have. Seeing how last week was the Super Bowl of Gaming, a ton of stuff seemed to get into my way and stopped me from actively being successful into starting my 4 panel workout. Another huge problem is as of recently, the local machine (ITG2) has now started "lagging" out songs to the point of unplayable and the closest machine now to me, is about 45 minutes to an hour away. No bueno, captain. BUT! The ITG machine managed to work with me a bit, and I was able to get a small set in.

First song in, had to warm up with Mouth - Rochelle.

This favorite of mine never really gets difficult. It has a tricky part towards the end, but it's totally manageable. I love to get a 98 eventually on it. Woo!

Up next was the crazy Disconnected Disco - Kid Whatever.

 

I was actually playing pretty well until about 20 seconds into the song, where the main rhythm of the song goes complete haywire. I was starting to remember exactly how to play this game, but my body wasn't really liking me for it. I couldn't stop missing stuff on the offbeat parts but not a bad score for a fat guy. :D

Last but not least, I wanted to try something kinda difficult, so I bumped up from disco to Disconnected Mobius - Inspector K.

 You'll notice that I was doing pretty well until the extreme end of the song. Well, that's where the machine starts to lag. Lag + Minefield = No good.  It was ok. I got a decent set in, and that was better then nothing. 

Overall, I'm kinda happy with this....but not too terribly happy. I feel like I want to get back to my former self and not sucking too terribly much. The weight is a problem and I feel like fixing it if I want to start starring songs. So, my goal is to improve on these scores by at least one percent. Hopefully the machine can get fixed soon enough for me to start going regularly. 

Weekly Reports

The one complaint I have so far about the app I'm using to track my calories and exercise is that I can't customize the weekly reporting to begin on any day other than Monday. Slightly sucks. So my new weigh in/weekly reporting day will be Monday. Good news is that I've appeared to lose almost 3 lbs. so far. Despite my slacking. ;-)

Day 6

Due to circumstances a bit out of my control, I was attached to the computer most of the day trying to find a substitute for my cancelled class. It was quite frustrating...and once I got home from my Monday class I just did not feel like trekking out the arcade. I know! I'm a terrible slacker! That's why I need encouragement and comments people! ;-)

Daily Log
Breakfast		360
Drink, Nutritional, Chocolate, Boost Plus	8 Fluid ounces	360
Lunch		616
Hamburger, McDouble, McDonald's	1 Each	390
French Fries, Small, McDonald's	1 Each	226
Soda, Coke, Diet	32 Fluid ounces	0
Dinner		390
Hamburger, McDouble, McDonald's	1 Each	390
Snacks		302
Chocolate Soft-Serve Frozen Yogurt, TCBY	2 ¾ Servings	302

Nutrients
Fat	68g	36%
Saturated Fat	23g
Cholesterol	154mg
Sodium	2502mg
Carbohydrates	201g	47%
Fiber	15g
Sugars	86g
Protein	72g	17%

Summary
Food Calories	1,669
Exercise Calories	-
Net Calories	1,669
+/- Calories	235
Weight	-

Day 5

Today was a little less lazy. My husband and I ran a few errands and later my friend and I went out to play some DDR/ITG. I played 2 sets on heavy/hard and several easy/medium battle/marathon modes. The goal was more to make my friend have a good time playing than to burn off a ton of calories. Although I had to beg her to play, she reluctantly admitted she had fun...and so did I. Sometimes it's good to get back to the roots of listening to the music and moving the rest of your body while you dance to the beat rather than trying to get a perfect score. Overall, I'd say it was a rather productive day.

Daily Log
Breakfast		360
Drink, Nutritional, Chocolate, Boost Plus	8 Fluid ounces	360
Lunch		286
Sushi, Tempura Roll	2 Each	133
Sushi, Spicy Roll, Salmon	2 Each	121
Sauce, Soy, Sushi, Pkt	2 Ind Packages	32
Soda, Coke, Diet	12 Fluid ounces	0
Dinner		460
Cheese, Colby-jack, Sargento	2 Slices	140
No nutrient data for: Fiber, Sugars
Beef Bologna, Oscar Mayer	2 Slices	180
Bread, White, Soft, Slice, Wondet	2 Slices	140
Soda, Coke, Diet	12 Fluid ounces	0
Exercise		360
Dance Dance Revolution	60 min	360

Nutrients
Fat	50g	41%
Saturated Fat	17g
Cholesterol	118mg
Sodium	2868mg
Carbohydrates	114g	41%
Fiber	2g
Sugars	30g
Protein	48g	18%

Summary
Food Calories	1,106
Exercise Calories	360
Net Calories	746
+/- Calories	-688
Weight	-

Day 4 (A Lot Late)

Okay, so...I'm only "technically" two days behind on this post... >.>

Saturday was another lazy day. Very lazy. Like, I'm-pretty-sure-I-did-not-put-on-pants-all-day lazy. I can't say I'm entirely proud of these days, but they happen. The good news is that I felt bad about it and was inspired to play some ITG on Sunday.

Daily Log
Breakfast		422
Cereal, Honey Bunches Of Oats, Cinnamon Bunches	2 Cups	320
Milk, 1%, w/ Add Vit A & D	1 Cup	102
Lunch		660
Buns, Hot Dog, Classic White, Wonder	2 Each	220
Sausage, Cheddar Wurst, Smkd, Hillshire Farm	2 Each	440
Soda, Coke, Diet	12 Fluid ounces	0
Dinner		460
Cheese, Colby-jack, Sargento	2 Slices	140
No nutrient data for: Fiber, Sugars
Beef Bologna, Oscar Mayer	2 Slices	180
Bread, White, Soft, Slice, Wondet	2 Slices	140
Snacks		80
Edy's Fruit Bars	1 Serving	80

Nutrients
Fat	81g	44%
Saturated Fat	33g
Cholesterol	182mg
Sodium	3227mg
Carbohydrates	178g	43%
Fiber	9g
Sugars	63g
Protein	58g	14%

Summary
Food Calories	1,622
Exercise Calories	-
Net Calories	1,622
+/- Calories	189
Weight	-

Day 3 (A Little Late)

So, yesterday was my lazy day. I intended to work out via Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD instead of heading to the arcade on a Friday night but, what can I say? I just didn't have it in me. Today, I doubt I'll head to the arcade either...honestly, Friday and Saturday are my absolute least favorite days to go out. I'd just rather not fight traffic and the hoards of pre-teens and young adults eager to show off their stupidity. Somehow, that makes me feel old. Like "Get off my lawn you noisy whipper snappers!" old. But anyway, here are my stats from yesterday.

Daily Log
Breakfast		422
Cereal, Honey Bunches Of Oats, Cinnamon Bunches	2 Cups	320
Milk, 1%, w/ Add Vit A & D	1 Cup	102
Lunch		360
Drink, Nutritional, Chocolate, Boost Plus	8 Fluid ounces	360
Dinner		720
Chicken, Chipotle	1 Each	190
Guacamole, Chipotle	1 Each	150
Lettuce, Romaine, Salad, Chipotle	1 Each	10
Cheese, Chipotle	1 Each	100
Rice, Cilantro-Lime, Chipotle	1 Each	130
Salsa, Tomato, Chipotle	1 Each	20
Sour Cream, Chipotle	1 Each	120
Soda, Coke, Diet	12 Fluid ounces	0
Snacks		302
Chocolate Soft-Serve Frozen Yogurt, TCBY	2 ¾ Servings	302

Nutrients
Fat	65g	32%
Saturated Fat	22g
Cholesterol	221mg
Sodium	2360mg
Carbohydrates	227g	49%
Fiber	21g
Sugars	108g
Protein	87g	19%

Summary
Food Calories	1,805
Exercise Calories	-
Net Calories	1,805
+/- Calories	371
Weight	-

Day 2

Today I started my college classes again, but they let me out early, so...I had time for some ITG2!!! I played from 9:30 -11:00 p.m. pretty much all by myself and played the last half hour with one of the employees. I was probably being a bit generous giving myself an hour and 45 minutes of workout time but I did some doubles (easy/normal), a few normal marathons, and no singles under a 7.
It was fun, but  it made me remember how much I miss my ITG machine. The truth is though, knowing what I know now, I would have gladly left my Dedicab behind in a heartbeat to have the family and life I have now. <3 There's my vomit inducing love rant for the day...and if that isn't enough sickly sweet love stuff for you, here's an adorable picture of me playing with my little girl. :-)

Possibly the youngest DDR player ever...and certainly the most adorable.

Daily Log
Breakfast		422
Cereal, Honey Bunches Of Oats, Cinnamon Bunches	2 Cups	320
Milk, 1%, w/ Add Vit A & D	1 Cup	102
Lunch		840
Fries, Curly, Sml, Arby's	1 Each	410
Sandwich, Beef 'n Cheddar, Reg, Arby's	1 Each	430
Tea, Iced, Peach, Diet, Snapple	8 Ounces	0
Dinner		670
Sandwich, Roast Beef, Reg, Arby's	1 Each	350
potato chips, Lay's	30 Pieces	320
No nutrient data for: Chol.
Snacks		466
Cookies, Chocolate Chip, Soft	2 Each	136
Sausage, Cheddar Wurst, Smkd, Hillshire Farm	1 Each	220
Buns, Hot Dog, Classic White, Wonder	1 Each	110
Exercise		630
Dance Dance Revolution	105 min	630

Nutrients
Fat	109g	40%
Saturated Fat	29g
Cholesterol	152mg
Sodium	4869mg
Carbohydrates	280g	46%
Fiber	18g
Sugars	64g
Protein	83g	14%

Summary
Food Calories	2,399
Exercise Calories	630
Net Calories	1,769
+/- Calories	335
Weight	-

Day 1 (For Real This Time)

Today is the first day where I become my own tattletale. I will provide a daily update on my nutritional intake and exercise (or lack thereof) for the first week via a nifty little app on my iPhone called Lose It!. After the first week, I will be providing my weight weekly (every Wednesday) as a progress marker in addition to a summarized weekly nutrition log.  

Daily Log
Breakfast		422
Cereal, Honey Bunches Of Oats, Cinnamon Bunches	2 Cups	320
Milk, 1%, w/ Add Vit A & D	1 Cup	102
Lunch		0
Propel Water Berry	24 Ounces	0
No nutrient data for: Chol., Sat. Fat
Dinner		660
Sausage, Bratwurst, Beer, Hillshire Farm	2 Each	440
Buns, Hot Dog, Classic White, Wonder	2 Each	220
Soda, Coke, Diet	12 Fluid ounces	0
Snacks		812
Fritolay French Onion Dip	2 Tablespoons	60
Chips, Potato, Original, Wavy, Lay's	3 Ounces	450
Soda, Coke, Diet	12 Fluid ounces	0
Chocolate Soft-Serve Frozen Yogurt, TCBY	2 ¾ Servings	302
Exercise		270
Dance Dance Revolution	45 min	270

Nutrients
Fat	89g	41%
Saturated Fat	22g
Cholesterol	111mg
Sodium	3255mg
Carbohydrates	240g	49%
Fiber	19g
Sugars	87g
Protein	52g	10%

Summary
Food Calories	1,895
Exercise Calories	270
Net Calories	1,625
+/- Calories	191
Weight	190

Stepping the pounds away!

Hello there, Ladies and Gents!

I'm Antonio and this was a idea that myself and my wonderful friend Icurnezko drummed up . We both decided that we both could stand to lose a little bit and have taken to the internet to chronicle our weight loss through Dance Dance Revolution.

Weight loss and DDR are no strangers to me. When I discovered the game back in 2001, I wasn't necessarily a small kid. I can't remember what I weighted, but after a summer of playing the game at least 2 times a week for hours , I dropped down in weight dramatically. The fat kid was fat no longer. I proceeded to spend YEARS playing the game, meeting up with great friends, going to amazing tournaments and overall, just having a great time. Then, sadly, I became busier as the DDR scene died off. Now, as I look at myself in the mirror, I have now come to the conclusion that it is indeed time for a change. What better way then to achieve these goals by going back to the game that started the dance revolution?

Couple of bullet points for you:

~ The goal is to lose thirty pounds. I would ideally love to lose more then that. I, however, don't think that I'll ever be at the weight that I was when I was in the service (160, soaking wet) so we'll stick to losing thirty pounds.

~ This is in conjunction with keeping a steady diet.

~If I go play, expect pictures with stats. Maybe some videos from time to time, but mostly, pictures. Straight from the flash drive.

~On the off chances I cannot go play, I have also recently purchased EA Active 2 for the Playstation 3. If I don't play that week, I'll have updates from that.

~Washboard abs again  Just a smaller tummy. I'll be totally honest. The only thing that I'm disappointed in on my body is my stomach. That goes, Antonio becomes twenty times happier.

~I'm pretty sure that I can't pass 10's anymore. My stamina is pretty shot, my timing isn't what it used to be and songs/marathons that used to be warm up songs i'm pretty sure are going to kick my ass.

It's going to be a interesting couple of weeks. That I promise. Make sure that you keep on us as we stay on each other chronicling the journey to weight loss.

"If you really want to learn, I'm gonna show you how to BURN." - Burnin' The Floor

Day (Night) 1

In a brilliant piece of post-midnight wisdom, my friend Antonio and I have decided to create a dancing game weight loss blog. Although we are not physically close enough to play sets together, we are virtually holding each other accountable to making changes in our physical appearances and our general well-being via dancing games. Instead of placing emphasis on scores or PA, the emphasis is on ourselves...a much needed diversion from most players on our difficulty levels. That is not to say that scores won't be shared though. ;-)
Before today, I had not played any dancing games for over a year...but after discovering an ITG2 machine in a local arcade -- and two very exhausting sets later -- I decided I was finally ready to get back in shape. I only have less than 3 months before I hope to cosplay as the beautiful and physically fit Nina Williams at this year's Dragon*Con. With support and encouragement from Antonio and the online community, I know that this can become a reality. And so, our journey begins...

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Bust: 42"
Waist: 36"
Hips: 44"

Goals (by 08-28-12)
Weight: 165 lbs.
Bust: 40"
Waist: 32"
Hips: 42"

Wearing a tank top and shorts (think Biggest Loser wear)