Before and After Pics 2.0

I posted some before and after pictures on September 13 of last year. That is the most popular blog post of all so I just wanted to update it a little bit.

Here is the original before picture (Beginning of February, about 1 month in; ~195-200 lbs.):

Here is the one from last September (about 8 months in; 167 lbs.):

Here is the most recent from my lowest weight yet, 155 lbs.:

Not a crazy amount of weight loss but I'm getting to the point where there is not much more to lose. I'm still following pretty much the original diet; using a lot of the recipes I have posted on here. I am still using mostly the same exercise plan that used leading up to my duathlon and half-marathon; that's seems to be what helped me break my plateau of weight-loss. When I was a freshman in high-school, I remember that my weight on my physical for soccer was 154 lbs. so I'm right where I was as a 14 year-old.

People keep asking me where I'm going to go from here and the answer is...I'm not really sure as far as weight loss goes. I'm not really pushing to lose any more weight but if I can shed a couple more pounds of body fat I would be cool with that. The truth is that I'm comfortable with my current diet and lifestyle and don't really feel like I'm sacrificing too much; and I really like how I look and feel right now. But where to go from here...I want to keep challenging myself; so marathon, triathlons, maybe half- or full-ironman eventually. I want to be in the kind of condition where I won't be too intimidated by anything, so I guess that's where I want to go from here. If you have any suggestions of how I can challenge myself, I'm open to any thoughts.

Recipe #10: Home-made Pinto Beans

In an earlier post I had a "recipe" for pintos. But this just involved using canned beans and adding stuff to them. For the last couple of months, I have been making pintos from scratch, two pounds of dry beans at a time. I developed the recipe using a method that my mom found online (no pre-soak required). My final mix of seasonings has been constantly evolving but this is my current blend; my favorite so far.

Ingredients: 2 lbs. dried pinto beans, 3-4 quarts of water, 3 minced jalapeno/serrano peppers,  4 tbsp. canola oil, 2 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tbsp. sugar (or sugar substitute),  1 tsp. red pepper flake, 1 tsp. Old Bay

1. Rinse dried beans well and place in a large pot.
2. Add the water to the pot of beans; make sure it covers the beans by at least a couple of inches.
3. Put the pot over high heat, covered and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for a couple of hours.
4. When the beans are the proper texture, it's time to add all of the other ingredients. Stir well and bring back to a boil, uncovered.
5. After about 10 minutes, check the consistency of the liquid and once it is as thick as you like, turn off the heat and let the beans cool.
6. Stir occasionally while the beans cool, otherwise they will develop a film on top.

 This will make 6-8 servings of beans and this, with some chow chow, is my lunch pretty much every day (along with a can of green beans).

Turning them into Refried beans: 
Turning normal pintos into refried beans is really simple. Over a skillet on medium-high heat, put in a tablespoon of oil and a teaspoo of minced garlic and let garlic become fragrant. Add some beans to the skillet, add a teaspoon of cumin and mash with a spoon while they cook. Once they are a heated and the right consistency,  they are ready.