Week 1

As my late 20's quickly roll by, I am preparing an overhaul to my health. I will be changing the food I eat, the type of exercises I do and tracking key statistics on this blog.

Week 1 (10/30/11)

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 202lbs
Waist: 35.5"
Body Fat: 15.3% (31lbs)

More to come...

gave in

back at this, dammit.

let the good times roll.

Keep it up Joey!

All good things must come to an end ... and alas, my run with discipline is OVER!

In doing this, I've definitely improved in numerous ways --- lost weight, body fat, gotten faster --- but most importantly, I've learned that I am capable of pushing myself in ways I never thought I could.

More importantly, Joey is still in this for the long haul. And his determination, discipline, and kickass-ness needs to be recognized. Eight months ago Joey and I were chit chatting at a potluck. Looking back, I didn't really know the guy all that well. I knew he was one of the most 'tenacious' basketball players I've ever seen (meaning that he played like a reckless crazy big dude out there...) and that he enjoyed breaking glass at all hours of the day (his rotation in packaging engineering where he would work 16 hour days). So when we were chatting about new year's resolutions and Joey mentioned how he was giving up a food group each month after reading a book about Christ....the first thing that came to my mind was 'man this crazy-basketball-playing-glass-breaking dude is a religious nutjob too'. The conversation progressed and being a proud sonofabitch, I wanted to show Joey I could give up food groups and exercise discipline as well. This blog was made that night and as an awkward sportscaster eloquently put it, "boom goes the dynamite."

I could have never done any of this without Joey. Sure it may have started as a rivalry (at least for me), it quickly turned into a team effort. Joey would push me to keep going and would definitely root for my success. When there were months that Joey's body fat would plummet while mine would decrease only by a small percentage, he'd give me some ideas towards how to get on the fat-burning trajectory he was on. Joey also championed the pre-discipline potluck as a ritual before giving something up, inviting friends to enjoy the foods we would no longer be eating. Throughout this time, Joey has ben subtly encouraging others to exercise discipline. And above all, what's impressed me the most is that Joey has been doing this for himself (and maybe for Jesus, but really I think it's for himself...for Jesus???). Bottom line is that he'd still be doing this if the blog didn't exist --- this blog is purely a vehicle to encourage others to get on board (and some already have).

My hat is off to you, Joey, for keeping this going. I'm impressed by how much progress you've made (more so than me!), how your basketball skills have gotten immensely better (keep dominating out there), and how determined you continue to be. Oh, and you're still a religious nutjob (oh I kid --- I've even been to Joey's church and everyone is quite nice and not nut-jobby in any way shape or form).

And let's not forget this was a competition --- and Joey is definitely the winner.

I'll join the masses now who read this blog (in awe? admiration? ha, that may describe...none of you out there). And because of it I'll think twice about eating that twinkie after dinner.

Signing off!

F

Oh, and this video was also inspiration during my discipline off days. I hope it inspires you too.

Your Turn & the SF Marathon

My sincerest apologies to the throngs of Discipline Off followers (all 2 of you) that have been aching for another post by me. Well here it is! And I'm sure you'll find it half-assed and disappointing (that's what she said?).

1. It's been over 6 months since the discipline off started....and it just keeps on going. What started out as a "gay narcissistic challenge" (not my words) has blossomed into a ***really awesome** gay narcissistic challenge. It's always been fun talking to people about the Discipline Off and I've often heard 'I should give it a try.'

Well, why dont you?

Joey and I would love to have some company in this Discipline Off! It doesn't have to be as ridiculous and borderline unhealthy as what we're attempting. Say you want to give up candy for a week, work out more, or stop frequenting rest stops late at night for that 'adventure club' of yours --- we say go for it!

Let us know what you're planning for August (it can be for any duration you like though) --- and we'll toss it up on the blog too. Hopefully these stories can really motivate others to take part in this discipline off phenomenon. We'll gladly take emails, pictures, youtube videos, or whatever media you would like to send us for the blog. We'll also be making a video of our own soon --- stay tuned!

2. In another test of discipline, I'm running the San Francisco Marathon tomorrow. What's been a focus of mine in each race has been trying to get faster (and I've made significant improvement over the last 6 months) --- and oddly enough, I do not want to PR this race! I won a free entry through my running club, PacWest Athletics , and am using the race as a long training run. With my goal race being Chicago in October, the goal is to not get sore after the race (usually I'm out 1 week after a marathon). To do this, it will take a bit of discipline to actually hold myself back. To make myself accountable for this, I resort to this blog (nothing like "public" accountability as a motivator). So here's the gameplan:

1) Run the race at ~3:35. I've been doing my 20's at ~7:15-30 / mi, so this pace (~8:00/mi) will hopefully carry me through feeling fresh as a daisy (that's the goal)

2) Reverse split each third of the race. This means start out really slow, pick it up mid way, and be that guy blasting it at the end.

3) Eat a twinkie after. Post marathon tradition, and no, it's not a break day (but I'm making an exception for this).

Happy Discipline-Off-ing!

F

PR, The 2 Hour Lifestyle

My mother made me run a 10k on sunday. It was fun...although highly unplanned (usually I like to target a race, build up to it, and then make it a goal to 'put the hurt on myself' during the run). Instead, I ran 13 miles and didn't eat the best of foods the day prior (damn you, Stacey's Multigrain Pita Chips). However, the Packard Summer Scamper 10k (inaugural race over at Stanford, benefiting the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital where my mom works) went quite well. I made a point to take it easy and to also reverse split --- both goals accomplished. I also set a 10k PR at 39:32, a 26 second improvement over my previous best. Discipline strikes again! I'm pretty sure that I can run a ~37-38 minute 10k given the right preparation --- hopefully there's a good one coming up soon (suggestions would be appreciated!).

On another note, I'm trying a new approach to discipline (well, I guess my entire life), which is to live it in 2 hour increments. Weird, huh? Well hear me out. I'm a very goal oriented person...and I'm also very impatient (served me well in some areas tho). Ideally, I'd be accomplishing something every second (this makes me feel good and serves as positive reinforcement to keep doing something). With something like this discipline off...results are slow. It's not glamorous and there are few events (monthly weight / body fat checks, races, etc) that show progress.

So I'm cutting my life into 2 hour chunks --- and this provides the continual push (and almost the necessary immediacy that I need to do anything). This is kind of related to a discussion in the book "The 4 Hour Workweek", which I highly recommend to anyone. Most of us are procrastinators and given no immediacy to do anything, we'll simply wait until it becomes important enough to do. By putting in artificial deadlines and short term goals, this spurs one into action (usually getting started is by far the hardest thing to do).

Here's an example of my 2 hour chunk today (from 8 AM to 10AM):

1) Drink a glass of water

2) Eat well (ate half a banana)

3) Pack my lunch for the first time ever (totally did it, so proud of myself)

4) Finish all work emails (done)

5) Blog (almost there)

And wham, I feel great that I accomplished my goals and want to keep the ball rolling for the next 2 hour's goals:

1) Drink a glass of water

2) Finish up a little work assignment (should take 30 mins)

3) Run 4 miles before lunch

4) Eat my awesomely packed lunch

And finally, the picture above has nothing to do with this post. Just found it funny.

San Diego Marathon & Church

Joey's lame-o eating posts have been real snoozers so I'll spice things up with pics of me in short shorts and pink socks (nothing screams discipline more than pink socks). You are very welcome.

This weekend I ran the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in 3:18:12. It was not a PR (3:15:07 in Napa in March), but I was very happy with my time. I cramped up at mile 18 and had to slug it in at ~9 minutes a mile, so given that, it was actually pretty solid (my brother ran these tough miles w/me). I was probably in the best running shape I've been in coming into the race (attributed to the discipline off and the run less run faster book), yet I didn't PR. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Something that I'm realizing (and I think Joey is too) is that we really need to calibrate how we measure progress and also understand there will always be natural variability. We've been using metrics such as weight and body fat to track fitness, and I have also been using my race times to show how I'm progressing. Time of day and a current day's eating can alter body fat and weight measurement (plus I think the body fat measuring device is a POS), and to compare races across the board isn't fair either (I'd argue Napa was easier than San Diego due to temperature and elevation). Of course, in the long run (let's define this over a yearly basis), weight, time, and body fat should be trending downward. But on a month-to-month (and race to race) basis, it may not.

I had an epic break day after the race. It included:

3 Twinkies (post race tradition)

3 Whoopie Pies (each was probably 800 calories)

5 Monster Beef ribs, fries, onion rings, and a side salad from Phils

Lots of Ginger Ale

PB&J Sandwich

A burrito from Lucha Libre Taco Shop + Champions Fries

I'm pretty sure I gained weight after running a marathon.

I'm also paying off my bet and going to Church with Joey starting this sunday. I hope it's something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD29mDlC3kg

A final note! I've been really inspired by Steve Job's Stanford Commencement Speech where he says "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" A lot of folks have asked me what keeps me motivated, and lately I've been using the idea that I want today (which could be my last) to be a display of me trying to better myself as opposed to an act of submission (and this applies to things outside of this discipline off). Deep? Meh, not really.

Mustaches and Marathons

I've grown a thin, molester-like mustache. It's pretty solid. The motivation? A combination of Prince and John Oates (from Hall and Oates). Was listening to some classic tunes ('I wanna be your Lover' by Prince and 'Rich Girl' by Hall and Oates) and saw these two pictures:

UPDATE: By semi-popular demand, there is now a pic of me with my mustache. Many thanks to Adrienne for giving me gnarly chest hair. I also removed the John Oates Pic for layout reasons. My sincerest apologies, Mr. Oates.

Enough said.

Keeping my mustache has also been a test of discipline. I told myself I'd shave it in a month (it's been two weeks), and there have been temptations to blade it. But nay, I've been holding the course. The desire to keep it for a month was purely experimental (I only grew a stache for about a week about 2 year ago and bladed it after a girl pleaded me to lose it). And so it will stay for (a least) 2 more weeks.

On other fronts, it has been business as usual when it comes to the Discipline Off. Eliminating dates (the fruit) hasn't been all that dramatic. I've incorporated other snack foods in its place (popcorn, grapefruit juice, cottage cheese --- this has massive amounts of protein per serving and is very filling). I get cravings every now and then for something sweeter, but I keep telling myself that there's going to be a great reward day next month after running the San Diego Marathon (more on this in a bit). I've been training for this race for about 3 months (since my last marathon in Napa in March) with the hopes of maybe qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Training has been going well (although I've had some bad runs the past week as I've been sick), and I've had more time under the discipline off so I think I'm in better condition. Hopefully this will translate to a faster marathon time (hopefully it will be a nice June-Gloom-ey race day...last year it was *hot*).

So I have my break day all planned out. Post marathon, I plan on doing what I usually do in San Diego and head to Phils BBQ. Best BBQ outside of Texas, hands down. I'm a big fan of Beef Ribs and plan on slamming a few of those back. I'll also probably have a whoopie pie after too. My brother is also going to take me to a good taco place in Pacific Beach (the name escapes me). And if there's room, I'll probably have a slice of carrot cake.

On a final note, the Bulls are down 2-1 to the Heat. I'm scared that I'll have to go to Church with Joey for a month per our bet. Dear lord, please help me and give the Bulls the strength to beat the Heat.

Wait, you guys are still giving up more $h#t?

The answer to this question, eloquently posed by my buddy Chris (you sir, are a poet), is YES. With May coming up, Joey and I are giving up yet another food group. But there's a twist: we are giving up different things! The discipline off has been quite stringent of late, but we've found a few loopholes that we actually want to close. For example, cheese is still fair game, which Joey has apparently been abusing. A quote from him today at lunch:

"I love cheese so much. I put a half a pound of it in my grilled cheese sandwiches. I add a half inch layer of it on top of my soups. And yes, I rub it all over my body sometimes. If that's a crime, I'm guilty as charged."

Hence, Joey aims to give up dairy in May. I on the other hand have been eating a fair amount of fresh dates. Fruits have not been eliminated, and while dates fit in this category, I've got to bid them adieu. They are quite high in sugar and taste like caramel, and I feel guilty throwing too many of these back.

A question or two that has probably popped up in your mind:

1) WHAT THE HELL WILL YOU EAT THEN?

2) YOU ARE DEPRIVING YOURSELF OF PLEASURE FROM FOOD.

3) WHY ELIMINATE A FOOD GROUP? HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF MODERATION?

Well my friend, let me address these points!

1) We'll continue to eat lots of whole, real foods. I've been eating a lot of salad, chicken, fish, and brown rice. Delicious.

2) The second statement wasn't a question at all. However, it's a valid point. While I can't speak for Joey, it's probably safe to say we both really enjoy food. While we have a few restrictions on what we eat, I still really enjoy my meals and have appreciated never feeling awful after a heavy lunch or dealing with the crash after a sugar high. This discipline off has also taught me that I really enjoy the benefits of being disciplined. For the economist-minded folks out there, I get much more overall 'utility' from running faster, looking better, and feeling much better than I do from a eating Twinkie, a slice of pizza, or a steak. And let's not forget --- I can still enjoy these foods during single monthly break day (and I enjoy them that much more now that I can't have them all of the time).

3) Ah, moderation. It would be nice to have a small slice of carrot cake every other day, or a nice bowl of white rice with some Trader Joe's Orange Chicken (a fav of mine) once or twice a week. Moderation does indeed work. However, by being accustomed to this discipline off regimen, I feel like allowing myself to eat these foods on a semi-regular basis would almost be a step backward. I'm totally ingrained in my new eating habits and this is a good habit I don't want to give up. The continual elimination of a food group (although this cannot last, I agree), has been working for Joey and I and we'll simply stick to it.

Well, that ends this rousing post. Bye bye dates, and hopefully hello to another incremental improvement in health.

Discipline Plateau: Santa Cruz 1/2 Marathon

Since starting the Discipline Off in January I've set 2 personal records in my running (1/2 and Full marathon PR's) by a pretty wide margin. Coming into the Santa Cruz 1/2 Marathon on April 10th, I was hoping to run somewhere around 1:23 (2 minutes faster than my PR set in February at the Kaiser 1/2).

I did not PR and was totally humbled in the process.

I ran a good race --- 1:25:07, a single second shy of my PR. While I think the course was tougher than the Kaiser 1/2 (rolling hills, some trails, had to dodge slower 10k runners for the last 3 miles --- exemplified in the picture), I still think I needed to realize that I can't go out and PR every single race I run in. My legs feel a bit tired from the Napa Full (ran that a month ago), and I've also been eating a lot of almonds and dates (not great from a calories perspective). I could also do myself a favor and get more rest. I'll still stick to the running and eating plan --- I just need to keep in mind that gains won't be as easy as before.

And now that I've talked about the self-indulgent 'state of Farooq's running', let's talk about my indulgent break day which immediately followed the 1/2. I totally wrecked my body by eating:

1 Muscle Milk post race

Salmon Fish and Chips from Seabright Brewery (this place is kickass, recommend it if you visit SC)

3 twinkies (a typical post race tradition of mine)

6 Kara's cupcakes

1 Double double from In'n'Out

1/2 a Cheeseburger from In'n'Out

1 Order of Animal Fries from In'n'Out

1/2 of a single-layer carrot cake (sadly the double layer was sold out, which was devastating)

1/2 bottle of pepto bismol <---- desperately needed this

Yes, it was disgusting. And it was awesome. Even the pepto tasted kinda good. I paid the price for the next 2 days (My gastrointestinal tract didn't appreciate it), but hey, I'll do it again next month. Until then, I'll just have to stand close to people who are eating sugary foods, stare at them, and breathe heavily while they eat something I can't have. Perfectly normal behaviour.

Food Porn

Church vs Trannies

Joey hails from a small Miami suburb quaintly named Davie. Davie, known for its excellent public schools and racism, is also the home of notables such as Vanilla Ice and Chad Ocho Cinco. Thanks, Davie!

I come from a more significant town, Chicago, whose list of famous figures likely matches that of the current population of Davie

Joey and I are also both basketball fans. I grew up watching the Chicago Bulls win 6 NBA Championships. Joey grew up watching the Miami Heat consistently miss the playoffs.

This season, the Bulls and the Heat are both serious contenders for the NBA title, and being proud and petty people, we've decided to place a friendly wager based on whose team goes further in the playoffs. If Joey wins, I have to attend church for an entire month with him (dear lord please help me avoid this). If I win, Joey and I will dine at AsiaSF, an establishment known for its excellent soba noodle dishes served up with a side of Tranny.

You're probably wondering 'what the hell does this have to do with the Discipline Off'?'. Well, it really doesn't. But, if you read one of the earlier posts on the implications (or lack thereof) of religion on discipline, perhaps you'll be able to see a connection.

I can't wait to win those soba noodles.

AsiaSF is known for its Soba Noodles

RED MEAT POTLUCK

In standard discipline off fashion, we are holding a potluck to celebrate the loss of yet another food group: MAMMALIAN FLESH (aka RED MEAT --- sounds much better, no?)

While red meat is the most manly of food groups, it's tastiness does come at a price. Here's wikipedia summing it up:

The American Institute for Cancer Research and World Cancer Research Fund stated in their report "Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective" that there is "convincing" evidence that red meat intake increases the risk for colorectal cancer, and that there is "suggestive" evidence that it increases the risk of oesophageal, lung, pancreatic and endometrial cancer.^[9] As a result, they recommend limiting intake of red meat to less than 500g cooked weight per week.^[10]

Some studies have linked consumption of large amounts of red meat with breast cancer,^[11][12] stomach cancer,^[13] lymphoma,^[14] bladder cancer,^[15] lung cancer^[16]and prostate cancer^{[15][17][18].}

While I love red meat, I also love my colon.

So, here are the details:

WHAT: RED MEAT POTLUCK

WHERE: JOEY'S HOUSE IN SSF

WHEN: 1-8 PM ON SATURDAY, 3/26

WHAT TO BRING:

1) A DISH (DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE MAMMALIAN MEAT BUT IT IS THE THEME ... OR... 2) $10 TO CHIP IN ... OR 3) A BEVERAGE TO SHARE

Hope you can join!

Discipline Strikes Again - Napa Valley Marathon

Discipline pays off. I ran the Napa Valley Marathon on March 6th at a clip of 3:15:06, beating my previous PR time of 3:32:16 by 17 minutes and 8 seconds set in October of last year at Niagara falls. That was only 6 months ago, and this is definitely a dramatic improvement. Typically a 10 second per mile improvement is pretty solid. I improved my average time by 43 seconds per mile! I again attribute this to a combination of my change in running program as well as my highly improved diet.

The race was tough at stretches --- it did rain the first 8 or so miles, and there was a substantial headwind the entire way. I was very demoralized after 7 or so miles - my shoes were drenched, my face hurt, and I felt like I was fading. However, a lesson that I've learned throughout this discipline off is that the initial 'crappy feeling' of doing something tough often goes away and you would be surprised how far you can keep going once you get over the first major hump. That's what happened here --- I actually recovered, picked up the pace midway, and was passing people over the last (and toughest) miles.

Post marathon, I took my second break day since the discipline off started (a reminder of the rules --- we get 1 break day per month as a reward). My first break day was poorly planned and I totally wasted it, eating 6 cookies...and that was it. This time I made a point to have some of my favorite foods:

- 1.5 sonic hot dogs (they had one of these in napa!!!)

- tater tots

- a york peppermint patty

- sesame chicken + white rice

- an entire whole foods carrot cake (yes, the whole thing, by myself. I think I became mildly aroused while eating it...uh...)

- 5 slices of a small pizza

- popcorn

- a bowl of soup + bread (immediately after the marathon --- the napa race was really awesome and gave out food + massages + offered hot shower facilities post race)

It was an epic break day to say the least. Not having these foods everyday certainly makes me appreciate them that much more.

Now I'm back on the horse following the plan and hope to qualify for the Boston Marathon in my next race (San Diego Marathon in June).

WHITE FLOUR POTLUCK

In march, we are giving up all white flour (well, it really means we are giving up all grains that are not whole wheat...we are also giving up cornmeal and rice in this mix) in addition to continuing to refrain from refined sugar and fried food. To 'celebrate', we are once again holding a potluck at Joey's house on Sunday. Want to come? Check out the evite:

http://new.evite.com/?utm_source=other_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=invite#view_invite:eid=011AAAQZXGK5ZYPHOEPAHZDIVAIE2Y&gid=011AAAQZXGK5ZYPHYEPAHZDJIIPHSI

I personally fear this upcoming challenge, but I do have a game-plan on what to eat / do:

1) lots of chicken, brown rice, and veggies

2) 100% cacao bars are surprisingly tasty once you get used to how bitter they are

3) dates as a treat, although these are so sweet and highly caloric that they should count as a refined sugar. I try to keep away from these, but they do keep me sane.

4) I could do what Joey suggested: "When i really want to eat something with white flour (which is pretty much everything known to mankind), I can always resort to recreational drugs."

There you have it. Adieu, white flour.

Reaping the Benefits of Discipline

I ran the Kaiser Permanente 1/2 Marathon this past Sunday at a time of 1:25.06. Not only was this a personal record, but it bested my previous time by 8 minutes and 26 seconds (a 9% difference!) which was set at the SF 1/2 in July 2010. For those who are not into running, that's a solid chunk of time.

While there are many variables that go into a good running performance, at a high level the equation is:

Quality Training + Quality Nutrition + Quality Rest = Quality Performance

I've been running consistently for the past year and a half or so, and never really saw any major decreases in my running times. While I did pile on the mileage and did set new Marathon and 1/2 Marathon PR's in 2010, none shaved off more than 3 minutes.

I was disappointed with my overall performance given how much I had been putting into my running (I used to run 6 days a week), so I decided to take a step back and reevaluate how I went about training.

My old approached involved piling on a lot of mileage. I never really ran 'quality' runs. I'd stick to a standard pace (around 7:15-7:45 per mile) and just get lots of runs in. I also did not really care about what I ate. For those who know me, I can out-eat folks twice my size, and I'd pile on whatever without any thought. I figured that my running justified this. While my weight was fine, my lack of regard for what I was putting in my body was definitely hampering my overall performance.

My new approach involves running only 3 days a week with 2 days of cross training, based on the program in the book "Run Less Run Faster". Every workout is very intense and purposeful. I won't go into the details --- I strongly suggest you buy the book (sadly I am not sponsored by the authors/publishers).

At the same time, I have not been eating any refined sugars nor fried foods for over a month now. I've lost about 3 lbs, and definitely look and feel leaner. I'm optimizing the variables in the equation above (I'm even learning how to rest), and it is working.

It's funny how this 'petty competition' can really alter behavior. While I've only done this for a short period of time, I don't desire to go back to my old eating habits. It feels good to run kinda fast.

A textbook demonstration of discipline:

The Fried Food Potluck

Since Joey and I are giving up fried foods in February, we decided to fry everything in sight at the end of the month. Items included:

1. Twinkies

2. Catfish

3. Bananas

4. Garlic Chicken Sausage

5. Sushi

6. Sweet Potato Fries

7. Samosas

8. Tofu

9. Bacon wrapped mac n' cheese

10. McDonald's Chicken Nuggets (my contribution! I did not realize there was a McDonalds in Haight-Ashbury)

Sadly, we could not get to the wings, french fries, and shrimp (people were getting full very quickly given the heaviness of the items).

I was unable to try the fried twinkies (I heard it was delicious) given that the Discipline Off has called for no refined sugars for the next few months. However, I did enjoy all of the other items and will be looking forward to no fried food for the next 5 months.

Many thanks to all of the folks who came over!!!

The Fried Foot Potluck

In February, the next vice to go is FRIED FOOD. And to celebrate our giving up of fried food, we will be hosting a fried food potluck at my apartment. All you have to do is show up with your food of choice. Signups for items are

-------------------------------------------->HERE<------------------------------------------

You are welcome to fry your items at home. However, we will have a fryer (using my turkey frying pot) with --- you can bring your uncooked items to the party and they will be fried up.

The potluck is on Saturday, January 29th at 730PM. I will be kicking people out at around 1030 to go out after --- you are more than welcome to join in (will likely head to Double Dutch, or per Joey's request, the Castro).

Final details (like my address and how to get into the apartment building) will be emailed out to folks who have signed up on the google doc. So please, SIGN UP if you want to come!

Figure 5: Deep fried twinkie

Farooq's Motivation

I will give credit where credit is due: Joey did form these resolutions, and I simply desired to follow. However, it was the (petty) competitor in me that decided to form this 'Discipline Off' and somehow turn an individuals drive for self-improvement into the epic battle that this is.

I admire Joey's piousness, and surely credit his faith in coming up with this idea in the first place. My contrasting non-piousness makes this Discipline Off that much more interesting. This is no longer simply a battle of wills between two schmoes, nay, it is a case study exhibiting the drives and disciplines of the religious vs not.

Joey is very confident that his religiosity will inevitably triumph against my earthliness. However, I intend to surprise Joey and demonstrate that will power and discipline need not only come from faith, but from within. Note, I am in no way trying to marginalize religion! If it can make Joey and others better themselves, I am all for it. I'm just claiming that this self-improvement set is not exclusive to the devoted followers of any faith.

Obviously, besides the fleeting satisfaction of 'beating' Joey, I'm doing this for the not-so-fleeting physical and emotional benefits.

I'm extremely confident that I'll be able to stick to eliminating the 6 vices Joey just listed. Thankfully, hitting on girls in gay clubs is not one of them.

The Discipline Off Overview & Month 1 Challenge: SUGAR

On Sunday, January 16th, Joseph Wood and Farooq Khan decided to engage in a battle of discipline (and pettiness). The Discipline Off was born.

The rules:

1. Each individual has to stick to a discipline, eliminating a 'vice' every month.
2. Monthly challenges are cumulative, hence the discipline off requires more discipline over time.
3. Although not required, using the phrase 'discipline off' in casual conversations is encouraged.
4. The winner will be decided at some arbitrary point in time in the future. Clearly this has not been thought through.

The competitors:

Figure 1: Farooq Khan, the overwhelming favourite, demonstrating discipline.



















Figure 2: Joseph Wood lacks discipline in the 'touching kids' arena.





Month 1 Challenge: SUGAR


The first discipline off challenge involves eliminating sugar from one's diet. Clearly, Joey needs to:

Figure 3: Fat Joey