weight loss – All That Chazz: Your Brain Tickle Destination

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015

The Pain and My New Commitments to You

In this post, I’m going to cover a couple of cool things you may want to be involved in. It’s about a new show, a new book and a new life for both of us.

What you might now know about me is, in addition to writing crime novels and dark fantasy, I’m a Registered Massage Therapist with over 20 years experience in injury rehabilitation and the treatment of disease conditions. (See?)

I work at being an RMT part-time to cobble together an income that finances my writing. At the moment, I’m working very little and things are looking pretty bad. It turns out, I have to work on myself to save myself from myself. I’m going to help you save yourself, too. Here’s what happened:

The Twist

A couple of weeks ago I was home alone. Naturally, since no one could see me, I cranked up some tunes and worked on getting some exercise. Writing is incredibly sedentary so I have to work out when I can. Two minutes later, I twisted my knee by dancing too hard.

Ow. How ridiculous. And OW!

So…shit. Now what? I suspect it’s a medial meniscus tear. Basically, that’s the cushion in the knee and my cushion isn’t working right. The pain has been so bad sometimes that I sweat. Sleep is elusive. When the pain gets intolerable, I use a cane.

Next on the menu: painkillers, ice, chiropractic, exercise, alignment techniques, manual therapy, bracing, cupping, heat and kinesiotape. Turmeric supplements (and lots of the natural spice) helps with joint inflammation. Analgesic creams aren’t touching the pain at all. I can normally squat the whole rack at the gym but I don’t dare do that right now. In fact, the stairs up to the weight room are intimidating and I have to be very careful.

I saw the doc today.

An X-ray and MRI is scheduled. It’s up to me to rehab my way out of trouble before a surgeon decides to get in there with flamethrowers, holy water and hot pokers. There’s ultrasound at my clinic and my friend the chiropractor is excellent, too. Arthroscopy isn’t as popular a solution as it once was, but I’m hoping the answer to my pain will be nothing more than rehabilitative exercise. Fortunately, I’m an expert in that.

Working my way out of pain is one of my part-time jobs now.

It doesn’t pay, but it’s going to feel great to be healthy again. In fact, I’m aiming for more than just going back to normal. I want to be super again. Doesn’t everybody want to feel super? My goals include weight loss (also great for knees and osteoarthritis) and a healthier, more active lifestyle. That can be hard for a writer who often sits still for hours at a time. However, I’ve got a plan for that and it’s already in action. No whining necessary!

I’ve still got writing projects going and collaborators and readers depending on me. My collaborators are patient, but I’m not.

A couple of part-time gigs are in the works to try to make ends meet. Standing at a massage table all day is too much pain at the moment, so I’m off that work for now. I’m dedicating a huge chunk of each day to try to fix my damn knee quickly. However, my plans are bigger than one knee. I’m thinking about your knees, too.

THE PROJECTS

Book sales have tapered off lately so I have to get the next book in the Ghosts & Demons Series revised, edited and beta read etc. and out there! I’m pretty close to finished with the book. Number two in the series is called The End of the World As I Know It and I’m really happy with it. It’s got jokes, action and swordplay galore. Very Buffy.

I am asking for help, but I also plan to give more help. (More on that below.)

If you can spot a typo at arm’s length or shoot an arrow through a plot hole at twenty paces, please join my Steel Falcon Beta Read Team. You’ll get a first look at what happens to Tamara Smythe in the demon apocalypse and laugh your ass off, too. If you want to join the Choir Invisible, just email me at expartepress [AT] gmail [DOT] com with the subject line: STEEL FALCON.

Please note: If you haven’t read The Haunting Lessons (the first book in the series) yet, that’s okay. Your help as a beta reader is appreciated immensely and you’ll get acknowledgement in the book, too.

Now, about that love and joy I’m going to spread around:

Very soon, I’ll launch a health program with daily updates for anyone who cares to follow. I’m hammering out details now, but this is about exercise, eating right and accountability. It’ll involve reports on my progress, exercise tips and tricks to get healthier. This is for me because I need to get on track, but it’s also for readers, viewers and a lot of people I don’t know. Everyone needs to eat and act healthy. I’ll lead by example and report the truth of my successes and failures. I’ll measure every mile of the journey. The reports will keep me on track and I hope they inspire you.

Soon you’ll see posts from me on Vine, Instagram and here, at AllThatChazz.com. Subscribe if’n you ain’t already!

If you’re on the Fitbit, go to Fitbit.com, find Chazz (me!) and be my friend there to kick things off.

This commitment will bleed over to the All That Chazz podcast, as well. This post is already too long, so I’ll talk about that in the next podcast.

How about it?

Join the fight to live healthier every day. Join me. I’ll share my struggle and encourage you in yours. Soon, I’ll get my health, my job and life back. This isn’t the end. It’s the speed bump before a new beginning. I believe in beginning again. Do you?

~ Steel Falconers: email me at expartepress [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

The rest of you, get a good pair of sneakers out and get a fitbit. First goal: Get at least 10,000 steps every day. I’ll catch up to you soon, and I won’t be hobbling around on a cane!

January 1, 2014December 31, 2013

2014 resolutions: How winning is done

Fresh year. Clean slate. New attitudes. New you. How about it?

I’ve been away a while. Had some health problems. Had some issues. However, I didn’t (couldn’t) wait until the New Year to start making major changes. It turns out, the key to change was deciding to.

When that failed, I decided to again. That choice isn’t made once each New Year’s Eve. It has to be made each morning, each hour and each minute.

Come with me if you want to live.

January 6, 2013

Part II: Losing to win

See Part I: The best life advice I ever heard at ChazzWrites.com.

I’ve spoken to several friends lately who have hit roadblocks in their businesses and in their lives. Like you, I’m one of those people working on achieving dreams. I’m not where I need to be yet. However, the solutions to breaking through those roadblocks to success are waiting for us to see them and act, whether it’s turning a hobby into a career or taking charge of aspects of our lives we’ve let slide.

We can climb out of this ditch we’re in and get back on the right road. Here’s my real life example of how I’m doing it, because I’m a loser, baby!

1. Despite excellent reviews, my book sales are in the septic tank. The problem of book sales permeates the industry at the moment, but I can’t control the industry. I can only control how I respond to the market. I only work on what I can control. Everything else is pointless worry. (Plots and plans for world domination await below.)

2. Financially, things are not peachy. (Even less peachy than I thought, in fact.) My tin cup has no coin rattle when I shake it. Business-wise, I need to expand my sphere of influence. Every few minutes, someone retweets a post from ChazzWrites.com, so you’d think I’d be better off than I am. However, I have to make more people aware that Ex Parte Press is a party they want to join. That means more podcast listeners, more hits on my author site. Hey, I’m a player!

3. Physically, I have wrist pain and I have a lot of weight to lose. (More tonnage than I thought.) I can rehab the wrist pain and take preventive measures. I have a lot of experience fixing injuries. I’ve also done extensive research on weight loss and I have a plan I am executing.

4. Mentally? I’m detoxing (as addicts of all stripes must). I feel lighter. I have clarity and I now know exactly how bad things are. You have to have that assessment before things can get better. Soon, they will.

5. Spiritually, I’m okay because God helps them what helps themselves and I have a plan. I am, despite everything, optimistic. I’ve been a skeptic and I’ve been a cynic. The old me would argue for failure and win. That’s what a loser does.

So let’s get to the plan:

A. I’m taking better care of myself physically. How can anyone hope to grow their business if they can’t grow as people? I’m stepping outside my comfort zone. That’s where the movement up is waiting.

B. I’m writing more books and have committed to 10,000 words a week. I’ll let you know when I make that word count and when I don’t. With the camera on and our grand intentions declared publicly, we work harder on follow-through.

C. Aside from continuing to podcast, I’m doing more with my author site and blogging about weight loss and my journey back to sexy. Readership over at AllThatChazz.com is already growing since there might be a few people who share my concerns about health and happiness. Maybe. (You caught the sarcasm, right?)

D. Strangers worldwide find The Magic That is Me through the All That Chazz podcast. It’s beginning to morph into something else, with more attitude and, I think, a wider appeal.

E. Measurement. As I’ve often pushed here, that which is not measured cannot be improved, whether it’s tonnage or book sales or hits or new listeners. But measurement is only powerful if paired with:

F. Accountability. I’m really putting myself out there by declaring my intentions for 2013. I’m accountable to readers and listeners as I lose the weight, make the weekly word counts and put out the books. I’ve done several weight loss programs and they all work for a while. No matter the approach, the single common component is that you report to someone, once a week or more, to gauge progress or lack thereof. It’s a strong corrective mechanism to learn from your mistakes. It’s a powerful preventative strategy when you see something sugary in the grocery store but think, I have to account for that.

I’m accountable to you.

And, as of Jan 6, I’m reporting to you that I weigh 265 pounds and I’m 5’8.5″.

I won’t get taller, so I have 100 pounds to lose.

It’s okay. This is the part of the movie where the guy is a broke loser. I’m writing my story and this story arc is going to be very impressive.

Just watch me.

~ Robert Chazz Chute is a suspense writer and author of crime novels. A dude in university once told Chazz he suffered “DOGS”— delusions of grandeur. F&*$! that dude! Listen to the latest All That Chazz podcast here. Check out Chazz’s books here.

January 6, 2013

What will you eat to lose weight in 2013?

Is this turning into a weight loss blog? No, not exactly, but it’s all me, me, me. In that sense, it’s like all author sites. I’m opening up more so you can always expect podcasts and fiction here, along with links to my books. And yes, we’re tracking my climb back to sexy.

Here’s a bit of the overview from The Bulletproof Executive. Click the image for more.

I’m drinking my version of the coffee (can’t afford the real thing) and juicing fruits and vegetables (a la Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.) Feeling more energy and all’s well. What are you doing to be healthier in 2013?

January 4, 2013

Whatever your challenge, there’s a way

Maybe you need to keep your office clean and organized or quit gambling or derail that addiction to bad relationships, sugar coco bombs or playing with your belly button lint. Whatever it is, you can get out of that ditch. You’ll see lots of information about how your new year’s resolutions will fail. Be the exception. You know how I know we can do this? Because other people already have. What one can do, another can do. No more excuses. We all have 24 hours in a day. Use them better.

I just found out I weighed more than I thought I did.

Oh. Shit.

Okay. Breathe and…let’s go.

January 3, 2013June 10, 2014

Step 1 on the Weight Loss Journey: Welcome Poop Freaks!

I’m going through detox and I’ve learned a few things:

1. Put the chia seeds in last. If you put them into the blender first, your smoothie will have chia gunk in the bottom.

2. Kale goes into the blender first or it won’t blend. It won’t matter how Hulk-angry you get.

3. Don’t leave your son alone with the juicer. He’ll try to juice a banana. Bananas can be blended, but not juiced. Try it and the banana mush gums up your juicer’s filter. It takes a lot of energy to get that filter clean…though there’s no listing for that activity at Fitbit. How many calories is Frustration?

4. At 4:30 pm, just when you’re feeling virtuous, you’ll get a craving for bloody steak you can feel in your eye teeth. You won’t act on this craving, but you’ll understand vampires better as you consider the meaty necks of strangers.

5. When you make a joke about being on a new food regimen, weighing your poop and comparing it with friends, some people will unfollow you on Twitter. (But many more people will follow you. Given a choice between the humour-impaired and poop freaks…welcome, poop freaks!)

6. I’m overstimulated and need to go to bed early. I can feel it. It’s what my body needs. I can feel it like I’m wearing a shawl made of lead.

7. Vegetarian and vegan don’t necessarily equal “healthy.” Must have longer talk about these issues with #1 Son. He wants to try eating vegetarian meals, but loading up on bad carbs, though technically vegetarian, isn’t healthy. However, he loves vegetables and fruits if disguised in a cold smoothie.

8. It takes a lot of fruit to make a glass of juice (though I’m looking forward to making carrot soup from the pulp.) Found a place to get fruit and vegetables cheap. It’s always cheaper to take care of yourself: Cheaper than diabetes, potato chips and a heart attack, for sure.

9. When I eat healthier, #1 Son eats healthier. I should have gotten to this faster.

10. What was #6 again? Oh, yeah. I’m actually going to go to bed at a reasonable time.

~ Robert Chazz Chute is a suspense writer and crime novelist. The weight loss stuff runs earnest to funny. Everything else is about Bad Versus Evil.

January 3, 2013January 3, 2013

New weapons in the war on what I was

UPDATE: Juiced 1 persimmon, 1 avocado, 1 banana, 1 apple. Delicious.

New update: Salad, a few nuts, seeds, almond milk. Can’t wait to weigh my poop and compare it with friends!

The little blender is for fruits and vegetables that contain little liquid, like avocados and bananas. I also use it to mix coffee with ghee. A spoon won’t mix the coffee right with the butter. To make it palatable, it must be blended. I also add Xylitol, a good sugar alternative that’s also great for your teeth.