Damn you Fat War...I say DAMN YOU!

Ever since I decided to join Blue Ryder and our other friends in her Fat War, i've been encouraged to change my diet a little for the better. I haven't done any drastic changes, mind you, but small [IMHO] important ones. Changes that, through my many years of cyclical weight for competitive Eskrima (Filipino Martial Arts), have proven to me to make the most difference for "weight loss" and athletic performance purposes. What kinds of changes you may ask? Well, during the week, i've basically trimmed down my portion size and cut down my carb intake. I still eat foods that I like to eat, stuff that inspires me...I just try to have some self control and don't eat as much of it as I usually do (and those of you that know me, know I like to EAT). I do however save the weekends for more liberated eating...

I'm a strong believer in positive reinforcement through reward...especially when it comes to personal health and weight, etc. and especially for a foodie like myself. So, on the weekends I eat more liberally as a "reward" for a week well done. It gives my body (and that insatiable inner foodie) the motivation to trudge forward. It feeds my soul, keeps me going, and keeps me sane. Now, I don't usually go overboard on the weekends either. While I eat more liberally than I do during the week, I still try to maintain some modicum of self control. Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for my "competition"), that didn't apply this weekend. For reasons unbeknownst to me, on friday after I came home from work I had a moment of weakness (well, honestly it was more than just a moment). I just felt like being bad and having a "good" hearty meal. So, P and I trekked over to Gardena to Bruddah's.

Bruddah's is a Hawaiian Plate Lunch place that is reminiscent of the authentic plate lunch joints on Oahu. It's small, simple, and usually filled with "local people"...Hawaiians now residing in LA. And the food is GOOD. So good that Bruddah's has been touted by many as the Best Hawaiian Food in LA. I haven't eaten at all of the Plate Lunch places here in LA (Yet!) but I don't doubt it. I'd say it's just about as good as many of the joints i've eaten at over in Da Islands.

Of course, I ordered the Loco Moco. 2 hamburger patties over white rice slathered with brown mushroom gravy topped with 2 over easy eggs. Add some Tabasco sauce and Aloha Shoyu and it's Plate Lunch Perfection!. Oh, and these are no run-of-the-mill, bought in the frozen food section of the local supermarket, burger patties either. They look and taste like home made burger patties. Mmmm. Of course, in my "moment" of weakness I ate the whole damn plate...rice and all. So much for cutting down on carbs.

P ordered the Braised Short Ribs which is a special only offered on Tuesdays and Fridays. This damn dish is the devil. It's worth it to plan specific trips to Bruddah's on Tuesday's and Friday's just so you can have this dish. The meat is so tender that it's easily separated from the bone with a fork (in my case a ford & spoon) and the sauce/gravy is savory and full of tasty beef flavor. Of course, not only did I finish my Loco Moco, I also had several bites of P's Braised Short Ribs. Not to mention that I ate her leftovers later on that night. Yeah, it was a BAD eating night.

And it didn't stop there. Today, we attended a co-ed baby shower in Glendale with The Sherpa, The Mench, and Mini-Mench. I had a plate of Fried Rice, Lo Mein, and Pad Thai with a side of Tofu and Chicken Penang. I also finished what was left on the plate that P and The Sherp shared. Another carb-heavy meal. Damn. Afterwards, since we were already in Glendale we all decided to take a stop at this amazing and well-known Cuban Cafe up the street named Porto's Cafe. There, we gorged ourselves on some Sandwich Cubanos, Steak Sandwiches, Meat Pies, and a tray full of desserts...all of which were loaded with carbs and were Oh-So-Good! Good for the soul...not so good for my current standing in the Fat War.

And here's the worst part of this whole Fat War business...In my 30+ years of stuffing my face meal after meal, I have NEVER in my life felt guilty after eating. I've even eaten some of the "worst for you" meals known to mankind and have never even felt a glimmer of remorse or guilt for those said meals. Yes, i've regretted eating the food equivalent of a small child, aka the Champion Burrito, during a Las Vegas Tryst one year for Blue Ryder's Birthday but that was only due to the extreme un-comfort I felt from the sheer volume of food eaten. Not from guilt for eating "badly". Today was different. Today, on our drive back to Hermosa Beach from Glendale, I actually felt kinda guilty for my weekend extravagance. And I HATE feeling guilty for doing something I really enjoy. Damn this Fat War.

So what did this extravagance cost me? Well, the last time I weighed myself was on friday morning after a brutal 3-hour Eskrima sparring session on Thursday night. I was beat up and tired and weighed in at 183lbs...a 12lb loss from my starting weight of 195lbs before all this Fat War nonsense. When we got home tonight, I weighed myself and had to double and triple check it to make sure I wasn't seeing things. I'm back up to 191.5lbs! WTF?! I gained 8.5lbs in a sigle weekend of bad eating?! Guess I gotta eat well tomorrow and work my ass of this week if I even wanna have a shot at giving The Seed a run for his money. Gonna go to the beach tomorrow with the Menches and will definitely spend a few hours in the water Bodyboarding so that should be good for a few lbs...Damn setbacks. Damn you Fat War for making me feel guilty...I say, "DAMN YOU!!!!" =)