It’s been quite a while since I have gone off on a rant about one of the million things that bother me with this world we live in. I am not a whiney bitch; instead I keep to myself and converse with friends about things and relate to each other about the topic. Now this topic might as well be biggest unsolvable mystery of them all, and I think I have an answer.

Before you start thinking it’s a ‘black’ thing, seriously it’s not. I would have to say I see an equal to maybe even greater amount of white kids wearing the retail stickers on their hats long after purchase just as much as black kids. I can do a running tally of white-to-black kids with this problem to prove this point if it even needed proving to begin with. Glad we got the race thing out of the way early.

The issue is, Why do these people leave the retail stickers on their hat long after they purchase them? By retail stickers I mean, the size/dimensions of your head on a gold and black reflective sticker on the brim of your hat. A majority of these stickers are New Era MLB hats, just to clarify the exact instance I am talking about. Its enough they have even embellished upon these stickers with a sticker OVER the sticker to protect (?) the gold/black sticker underneath that just basically explains the new TECHNOLOGY used for the hat and that it is an Official “On the Field” Hat.

New TECHNOLOGY in a hat? The hat is made of a material, whether it be Wool (the older better models) or the newer Moisture Wicking Hats which seriously is worse because they do not conform to the shape of your head over time and DO NOT wick moisture out of the material. Bottom line for moisture in your hat regardless of the style is if you sweat in it, it’s going to smell like wet hobo’s underwear anyways. There is no way to protect your hat from the ‘hat smell’ that will accompany it with general wear. You can try to febreeze, Lysol or try to deodorize it any way you would like but it’s only going to add to the typical nasty stench that comes with wearing hats.

I digress; this whole post is about people who leave the stickers on the hats after they purchase them. The new sticker is simply adding insult to injury, if you want to know what new technologies are in the hat as the store clerk who is knowledgeable about the hats or simply look on the manufactures website. Now that I solved that problem of having to keep that sticker on your hat or at all in your possession you may now take that sticker off the hat.

Now that we are down to just two stickers, the gold/black hat size sticker and the Authenticity sticker are the only stickers left on the hat. Now why do you need to keep the gold/black hat size sticker on your new hat? The only answer I could possibly fathom from someone is, I want to remember what size hat I am for future hat purchases. The answer to that question is simple, look on the inside of the hat you idiot. On the base of the hat where no one can see unless you take it off is the size of the hat you’re wearing. Yes, they have included this ever since they started making fitted hats. I have NEVER seen a hat without this stitched into the inside label of the hat. The whole world shouldn’t have to see a big sticker on the brim of your hat telling everyone that you have a huge fucking head. I already know I have a big head I don’t need the guy next to me on the train looking at my hat size going “wow he wears a 7 3/8 hat that kids got a big fucking head” it’s just not needed at all. Now take that stupid gold/black sticker off the brim of your hat which now will reveal the hat you purchased in the glory it was intended.

That leaves us with one sticker left which is the small hologram sticker underneath the brim of the hat showing its authenticity. The only logical argument for having so many stickers on your hat is to prove to everyone that your hat is authentic. First of all if someone is going to make fun of you because your hat is not proven authentic they need to get punched in the face real quick, so do so when they bust your balls. If you want to prove to those select idiots (whom I have yet to meet ever) keep the hologram sticker on the bottom / underneath of the brim to show to them. That is the ONLY sticker you can get away with keeping on the hat in my book, and even then you still look like a tool for not pealing it off.

In conclusion, you look like an absolute moron if you have stickers on your new baseball hat and everyone knows it because you are displaying it for everyone to see. It is not a style, it is not a trend, it is pure stupidity and downright takes away from the presentation of your nice hat. Do everyone a favor and yourself and just take the stickers off. Now if you have a straight up ugly hat, with dollar sign patterns all over basically masking the hats team , well then I don’t have an answer for you. Do us all a favor though and jump in front of the next train that is coming and raise the IQ level of the rest of the world.

UPDATE: I went to the Movies last night to see Transformers 2 and saw 3 white kids in the same theater all in different groups sitting in different places all suffering from this problem of not removing the stickers from there hat. I just want to reach over rip it off and go “Oops, you left it on there. I fixed it for you.”

I very rarely talk about companies that I will stick to because there so amazing all around that I’ll always bring my business to them. Rarely now a days it’s hard to find a great product, at a great price, and have amazing customer service. I don’t know if that is asking a lot but that is what I look for when you want my customer loyalty. After a while I lost hope looking out for companies that had that all around qualities. Until I had bought my first Softball Bat from Demarini.

This bat pictured is my second bat from Demarini which is the 2009 Demarini White Steel and will get to the story involving that purchase and history in a second. My first bat was purchased for $190 named the 2008 Demarini White Steel. It was the first year this bat was in production and I took a big gamble on buying a bat that wasn’t a proven monster. It looked really attractive and was mysterious in its looks and feel. It felt somewhat balanced in weight but end loaded, which is difficult to find in a two piece bat. Two piece meaning the barrel and the handle are manufactured separately then put together for the final product. Every time you hold it in your hands you feel so comfortable that it meets all your needs to put the ball where you need to put it and drive it with power.

The gamble paid off and since the purchase everyone who has hit with the bat and myself have become a believer in the Demarini White Steel and its all around versatility to all hitters of power AND contact. They say its not the bat .. its the hitter, but when your confident you have the best piece of equipment to get the job done in your hands it only builds your confidence in yourself to produce the needed outcome whether it be a home run or a single up the middle. I have won 3 championships and been in a total of 4 Championship series where all those teams utilized the bat as a majority. That is a lot of swings for one bat, in which most bats start to break down after about 500 hits thereafter. This bat has put up well over 500 hits and still hits pretty well. Only after 2 years of straight up knocking the stuffing out of the ball has it blurred the graphics on the bat, been re-gripped and has one VERY MINOR chip in the paint job. Most people will tell you that is un-heard of with a bat. This only solidifies my trust in Demarini for future bat purchases, in which in October 2008 I purchased the 2009 model of the White Steel.

The price for the 2009 White Steel was basically the same amount as 2008 model but with a different paint job to make the barrel look as if it was truly steel. Another minor change in detail was now the handle is white with a graphite look at certain parts. Automatically it started hitting like its predecessor, and the pure giddiness to step up to the plate and take some swings with it came out in everyone who handled it. I used the bat for a Fall league from October to early November. The weather never really dipped below 60 degrees during use but at the end of the season I noticed a small dent starting to form when I hand checked the barrel. You could not distinguish a dent visually but you could feel it somewhat in your hands. That is when I called Demarini’s customer service to notify them of my issue.

Upon calling them I explained my story and immediately they told me to send the bat in for a replacement. I was surprised that I didn’t have to jump through hoops to get my problem fixed. The customer service gave me a reference number and told me to ship the bat to there address with the receipt and all would be taken care of. The bat was shipped then received by them within about 3-4 days, when in turn they sent a replacement brand new bat to me same model and weight in a very timely manner. The bat arrived at my doorstep via UPS no more then two weeks after I had initially sent my bat to them. That is amazing turn around time to me for a company that resides in Oregon. Tonight we finally get to put the bat back to work again along side the 2007 model and I am confident it will live up to the companies name and quality they provide.

It sounds like this is a paid review from Demarini but I assure you there has been no money exchanged and no favors done other then living up to there end of there One Year replacement policy if anything goes wrong with the bat. This is stuff you don’t see from many companies of ANYTHING now a days. With how everything took place it warrented a write up on the site with backing and approval from the Dirty Dalerz softball team and all other teams I play on as well as myself. Demarini I thank you for your outstanding products and customer service. I recommend Demarini for your softball bat needs. You can find amazing prices at closeoutbats.com where I purchase all of my Demarini bats and products with quick shipping and service as well.

I’ll just jump right into the topic and finish the sentence ‘Something you never wish to see in softball is someone get hurt off a line drive or a ball that takes a bad hop’. Now I play on 4 different softball teams and I never step foot defensively on the infield, for good reason. I cannot deal with screaming line drives coming at my face or hard hit ground balls that take a bad hop and come up on you. That is a big reason for me not playing the infield. I pride myself in being a great outfielder who can cover a lot of ground and get the ball in real quick to make plays on runners. Put me in the infield and I promise you I will not be going after 50% of the balls hit at me due to not wanting my teeth knocked out. I have told my friends who play infield that I respect them so much because of the fact they are having LASERS fired at there heads constantly. I’ll dive, hustle, and risk getting hurt somewhat to get to a ball and make an out but to put myself in front of a line drive or bad hop is not really appealing to me.

I play on two Sunday teams and saw two instances that made me back my decision a hundred times over to stick to the outfield. On one instance it was a day game at a very nice field located right by Nassau Coliseum, Mitchell Field where a kid on my team hit a ball so hard back at the pitcher he had no choice but TRY and I stress TRY to get out of the way of the rocket line drive back at him. He could not move out in time and got hit right in the mid-ab section towards the middle of his stomach. The batter reached first which then soon after time out was called to see if the pitcher was ok. He had gotten the wind knocked out of him and was down on his knees for a minute or so not before getting back up to try to walk it off. The batter who now is on first comes over and apologizes for hitting up the middle or in softball slang ’shooting the box’ in which the pitcher assured it was ok. After the inning the pitcher showed where he had been hit to his teammates when I got a glimpse of it I wasn’t surprised. There was an exact circle in a diameter of a softball that was red on the outside and black and blue on the inside, which was no longer then 5 minutes after it had happened. This is why I do not pitch at all, there are certain balls you can get a glove on and then there are balls that are hit that you pray to god he isn’t sending you to the hospital today.

I don’t know about most people but I can hit all over the field and sometimes for great power and accuracy. Sometimes I do shoot the box, not aiming for the pitcher of course but you do at times hit them. If a pitcher gets hit I will 99% of the time not try to get an extra base out of it but reach first and turn and ask for a timeout. Immediately I will apologize to the pitcher for shooting the box and check if he is ok. Of course, there are the times where the ball gets by the pitcher and goes into the outfield, now depending on what base I am on after time has been called I will again apologize to the pitcher just out of pure courtesy and so I don’t want his team shooting the box trying to kill my pitcher. That is just how softball is played, but then again it only takes one asshole to say “Good” or “I meant to do that” to where it becomes a brawl soon following. Moral of this one instance, Just be courteous and spit out the words “sorry pitcher” to prevent retaliation. No one wants to see anyone get hurt and no one REALLY wants to pitch due to the fact of your life flashing before your eyes a couple of times a season due to screaming line drives.

The second instance you never want to see on a softball field is a ball taking a bad hop/bounce and hurting a guy. Well like I said I saw two things in one Sunday I hope not to see for the rest of the season but is bound to happen. A ball was hit (I forget who was on base) hard to the first baseman where it took two maybe three short normal hops then took a EXTREMELY BAD hop up at the first baseman’s head. In this case the first baseman was well over 6′4″ and the ball hit him right where the cheek meets the nose. Instantly everyone screamed “OH NO/SHIT!!”, and once the batter reached first which had happened quickly after time out was called and everyone came to see if the first baseman was all right. IMMEDIATELY the eye was swollen shut with a black and blue and blood was gushing out of his nose. Play stopped and the teams tended to there benches while the player was helped. The hitter of course apologized but Its not really his fault but out of courtesy offered his apology. In which the first baseman replied “its all apart of the game, its ok man” which was very nice of the guy hence his face being smashed up. Another thing he said was “thank god it didnt’ hit me in the mouth” which ultimately would probably be worse. Regardless, he could not finish the game and his team now had to play with nine and receive an out every time he was supposed to bat. No one really wants to accept that cheap out from a guy who just put his body on the line for a ground ball, it’s cheap but its how the game goes. I hope the guy is ok, because a hospital trip was definitely in the cards for him that night.

Those are two reasons why I do not play the infield in softball. Call me a pussy but with my speed and skill set I’m a better outfielder anyways but I have to say one thing you have to have some balls to play the infield with those balls coming off the bat so fast and bad hops being a chance you have to take. I have had bad hops in the outfield but mostly they just lead to the ball getting by me and me hustling to not have it turn into a home run, rarely do I have to worry about injury other then diving or running into an object in the outfield (light pole and fence). I salute you pitchers and infielders you have more gusto then I do when it comes to taking the really hard hit balls and turning them into plays to help your team. I just hope that I don’t see anything close to these plays that happened on one Sunday happen again this whole season and seasons to come.

Let me start out by saying this is solely my opinion, but since I have a website and you don’t I get to put my opinion out into the public and you don’t (unless you comment or have your own site). I have been a New York Yankees fan my whole life and never wavered in my support for the Yanks. Even through birth I was supposed to be a Mets fan, since I was born only mere miles away from the stadium in Queens at Hillcrest General Hospital. My brothers and I have just always been die hard Yankees fans and never gave up. Of course we had the glory years 96′ to 00′ full of championships, but we were fans long before the Dynasty and still are today through the ups and downs either through there play or off the field activity.

Now that you have a little background on my Yankees support, I will tell you why they are failing this year so far. Currently they are sitting on a 13-12 record in the AL East behind Toronto and then the Red Sox. The Yanks have yet to play Toronto but has played Red Sox 4 times thus far and have lost all 4, but have also lost 3 of those games by less then 3 runs or less. In one of those games Jason Bay homered in the 9th to extend it to extra innings and K.Youkilis homered in the 11th to eventually win the game. Ok, that is not horrible blown saves come rarely from Mariano Rivera but they seem to be coming more frequent with his old age but I love Mo so much he could blow 10 saves in a row and he’ll still be the best closer in my lifetime. Those were some tough loses to watch.

What the Yankees are becoming notorious for as of this season is leaving Runners In Scoring Position (RISP). They are 3rd to last in the AL with RISP, which a team with so much talent up and down the batting order should be leading the league in RBI’s but instead are 4th from last in that category as well. I might be a little hard on the Yankees by pointing this out so early in this season but they were only .006 higher at the end of last year in this category with RISP.

There pitching will come along but you need to be able to put up runs to make sure your pitcher feels confident his team will give him cushion so he doesn’t have to pitch a perfect game. Any pitcher is going to do better when he has a lead his teammates gave him to protect. Yankees pitching hasn’t been the GREATEST but there keeping most teams at bay with low scoring but the Yanks haven’t been producing much.

Regardless when A-Rod gets back into the lineup and gives more power in the middle of the batting order hopefully it will all turn around. When Cano is batting .349 and Melky right behind him at the top batting .317 leading the Yanks in batting average you know something is up. Hopefully they improve on this if they have any chance of coming out of the AL east for the playoffs this year. I know it’s early to even mention the P word but every game counts towards it when fighting for a spot in the best Division in the Majors.

DirtyDalerz Softball is Back in season! The 2008 campaign was quite an impressive one for the organization, capturing there first (definitely not last) Wesco Sports LTD. Softball Championship. We would like to thank all the fans and supporters who came out this year. Not only did they win but they absolutely steam rolled there competition in the playoffs just firing off on all cylinders.

However, with that seasons amazing ending there is however a sour note in the off season, and that note is the departure of Adam Kruger from the team. Adam decided he was going to hang up his cleats and retire his jersey. (His Terrell Owens, Philadelphia Eagles Jersey will be sent to the Softball Hall of Hero’s). Adam was a great player in our organization for many years, starting up from the minors at third and subbing in as a relief pitcher and then made the official move to pitcher last year as pops retired before the ’08 season. Adam led the team in K’s and was a major factor for our success last season with his great pitching exploits. Adam also led the DirtyDalerz in motorcycle crashes in his tenure with the team averaging about 2 bike crashes a year. Adam you will be missed.

Another big change to the team comes on the managerial side of the team were John Cinelli has decided to step down as General Manager due to fatherhood. However, John hands the reigns over to a longtime Daler Tommy Cinelli. John went on to say, “Tommy has a real connection with the players and the fans simply love the guy, in my opinion it was a no brain’er to endorse him to keep this team at its dominant level.” However, in a rare move Tommy Cinelli requested that John stay on as his Assistant Manager and Bench Coach and John agreed without hesitation. This move reminds other of all the years Don Zimmer managed until he decided to be bench coach next to Joe Torre. With all that over and done with lets get on to the player Bio’s for this upcoming 2009 season.

Dennis Treubig (2B)- Dennis is the motor that ignites this team on the defensive side. Dennis is electrifying with his uncanny range and never ending energy, he is the lead off batter for the team and is as close to a guarantee that there is to get on every time. Dennis has a pension for great base running and can be a one-man scoring machine at times. Dennis electrifies the crowd every game with his leaps and dives to stop the ball. Dennis also doubles as the team’s athletic trainer.

Tommy Cinelli (SS)- You know this guy will perform year in and year out. After battling through health issues (diabetes) this player has refined his body and tuned it to have his best season with the Dalerz. Tommy led the team in RBI’s last year and was an intricate part of the team’s success. Tommy also led the team in AVG. Tommy however is equally as impressive at the Shortstop position with his flashy back hand stabs and arm strength. Battling through arm issues will be a big step this year. We expect yet another magnificent season from the new GENERAL MANAGER.

Kenny Kruger (OF)- Kenny came in last season fully healthy for the first time. Kenny managed to lead the team in HR’s. Kenny is a tremendous bat in the lineup and is as clutch as they come. His outfield play is solid and shores up any questions to that back line. The organization is really high on what this guy can do for them.

John Cinelli (1B)- John is the “powerhouse” on this potent lineup. John on any at bat can take the ball and tear the cover off of it. He has great contact ability as well and can drive runs in at reckless abandon. Johnny also has a very stout mitt at first and rarely lets a ball beat him down in the dirt. John is the emotional leader on this team.

Rob Frank (OF)- Crank had a very impressive Rookie season last year, and only get better and better as the season progressed. Rob at times showed extreme power to the gaps and has great home run potential. Rob emerged as one of the best outfielders on the DirtyDalerz roster and expectations are only getting bigger and bigger on this guy. The organization expects great things from him for years to come.

Brian Harris (3B)- B.Harris was very impressive last year at the hot corner and is so solid . You really don’t give him enough credit playing that position, the balls come at you so fast and he does a great job corralling in some pretty mean shots. Brian also gets it done on the offensive side with a smooth stroke to all fields.

Chris “Nacho” Caraballo (OF)- Nacho is a very consistent hitter in the lineup and seems to always keep the ball in play. His smooth strokes to the outfield and fast legs make for a very high OBP. Nacho is a good outfielder who should keep on being consistent all season long.

Glenn Cinelli (C/OF)- The youngest player on the roster but plays well beyond his age. Glenn has one of, if not the strongest arm on the team, An absolute HOSE. After putting his rookie season in the books and taking some lumps early on. The organization expects him to come into his own on the offensive side! Glenn is simply a pure athletic specimen and will be great this season.

Charlie Spahr (OF)- Charlie is so consistent with his hitting and is year in and year out one of the most consistent offensive threats for the DirtyDalerz. Charlie hits to all fields and gets on base. Flat out he is a producer. He primarily plays in the outfield and is solid but when Brian Harris shows up wasted to games Charlie steps in and doesn’t miss a beat at third base.

Chris Harris (P/OF)- C.Harris will be called upon to step in and take the hill for the DirtyDalerz. After showing some skill with the pill he will get the full time duties due to the departure of Adam. However, the club is fully endorsing Harris as the pitcher and Harris can get it done on the offensive side of the ball and is a great clutch hitter and drives in runs.

Brian “BC” Cinelli (OF)- BC is the most solid outfielder out of any on the roster. He has great range and a laser rocket arm. However, injuries seem to plague BC but Brian is an Iron Man and is always there for the team. BC gets it done offensively and gives a great option for a 2nd lead off hitter. With great speed Brian constantly leads the team in Runs. If Brian can put it together for a full season the stat line on him could be eye popping. Another emotional leader of the Dalerz we call him “General Custard,” because of his high intensity and will to win.

Rob Getch (3B/OF/Util.)- Robby is the new addition to this year’s roster . Rob is expected to come in and give another middle of the lineup threat on the offense. Robby will be used primarily in the outfield rotation but will be called upon as a utility player. Coming into his rookie season he is expected to bring some excitement to this team and the team is very happy to have him. The sky is the limit for this kid!

Overall, we as a team are very excited for this season and expect to repeat on the magic of last season. Please come down and support us if you can, and keep track of the player/team stats all year long in the softball section of DirtyDalerz.com

I think this is at least the third or fourth time I have talked about my hate for the new york media here on dirtydalerz.com. It never stops when it comes to the New York Media (mostly newspapers and news organizations), and how they go for blood when reporting stories. As you all know Joba Chamberlain got a DUI a couple of months ago and pleaded “Guilty”. Here is an excerpt from Joba Chamberlain’s wikipedia profile on the DUI incident.

On October 18, 2008 at 1:00 a.m., Chamberlain was arrested in Nebraska for suspicion of driving under the influence, speeding and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. A Nebraska State Patrol spokesperson said Chamberlain was stopped for speeding on U.S. 77 near his hometown of Lincoln. His arraignment was postponed four times: in December 2008, January 2009, and twice in March 2009, all by Chamberlain’s request. He pleaded guilty to drunken driving and was sentenced to probation on April 1, 2009.

Everyone more then likely knows someone who has been convicted of a DUI or DWI, got locked up for the night, and suffered the consequences. Your wrong for driving if you have been drinking alcohol, everyone knows that. That is life though you live and you learn from your mistakes. I’m almost positive he is embarrassed by what happened and since has released an apology and disappointment in his actions. Right then and there it should be a thing of the past unless he breaks probation or gets another DUI. I don’t judge him, he is a 23 year old male who makes the same mistakes as any of us but it gets blown out of proportion and gets thrown under the microscope.

This news paper cover from the ‘New York Post’ almost half a year later is seriously overkill and a downright nasty jab at Joba. It is so uncalled for, like I mentioned earlier he is a young man who made a really common mistake that could of been deadly but it wasn’t but he is paying the consequences like the rest of us. I’m almost positive he wants to just put all this behind him but him being a Yankee which means living under a microscope is kind of unfair. With success comes the pressure of the media and of course the bullish New York Media. There are more important things going on in this world like the economy and people losing there jobs then reporting on Joba Chamberlins DUI six months after the incident.

They also bring up comments made by Joba about people who are not courteous in New York. The media in twisted and turned his words into him making a jab at all New Yorkers. Quite honestly most New Yorkers aren’t courteous. I am constantly seeing fights over courtesy on train rides and people accidentally walking into one another on crowded streets and platforms and not even apologizing. Its not far fetched from what he said when he encountered the police officer who courteously opened the door for Joba to the police station and said ‘he doesn’t really get that in New York’. To turn it into a media friendly as if Joba is anti-New York just to sell some newspapers is downright ridiculous.

This is why I stopped buying newspapers except for Sunday Editions because of the bullshit they sling at you through there paper and ink. Just because you have a public platform it doesn’t give you the right to blast him and think your right. Its just very upsetting to see this happen nowadays. Thats my gripe, take it or leave it.

Instead of talking about food for once now we are going to talk about obtaining visual results in a hurry. We all at times retain more water then we would like, either by eating foods high in sodium or just plain drinking tons of water. For most people and myself, I retain a lot of my water weight in my mid-section (waist) and hate it when jeans or pants are fitting so tight you question whether you are going to wear sweatpants to a wedding instead of fitting into your suit.

I recently had a wedding and had to buy a new suit. I’m happy to say I hover around the waist size of 33/34 which is a long cry from what I used to be at a size 40. When I set out to buy my suit I didn’t realize I was in the middle of a cardio heavy week where I busted my ass really hard to get my legs caught up because I was behind in working them out specifically. Definitely not a good idea to get sized up for a suit that you only wear sporadically when all your water weight is basically drained. The suit fit like any suit would fit, snug and comfortable, not baggy and loose. Stashed the suit away for about a week and didn’t think one bit about it. Dressing up is definitely the last thing I would like to be doing, I rather a enema over dressing in a suit for an event.

To not make this a long drawn out story, I started taking Muscle Tech’s IntraVOL which is a pre/during workout supplement that contains a little bit of creatine and such that makes you definitely hold onto your water weight a little more to assist more powerful workouts. I loved how the IntraVOL was working but i noticed a little bloating in myself, not that it would be noticeable to anyone but myself. Again fast forward to about 2 days before the wedding, I try on my suit just to make sure I have the whole setup looking good. I put on the pants and there is a slight problem, without even tucking in an undershirt and button down shirt the pants were VERY TIGHT. Too tight to be able to go through a whole wedding trying to be comfortable and not hyperventilating. I needed a quick solution to drop the water weight the supplement made me gain before the wedding.

Introducing the saving grace to my problem, the solar belt. Now for this to work I needed to stop taking my supplement while hitting the gym for the two days before the wedding. I still carried on with my normal lifting routine and such but now I was doing all of it with my solar belt on. Talk about really simple to use, you basically just place it around your waist and make sure you can breath comfortably but without it being too loose to come off then work out. Between the two days I did about 140 minutes of cardio and burned well over 1000+ calories, not including what I burned while lifting. I would take off the solar belt it would be drenched in sweat, give it a quick rinse and hang it up to dry and just use it the next day. It worked like a charm I was fitting into my suit pants with no problem and room to spare on top of an undershirt and button down.

The belt works in a way of making your body sweat more at where its applied to basically drain the water weight by raising the temperature of that area naturally. Its basically a rubber belt that is 3/4 feet in length by 1 foot width by 2/16th of an inch with Velcro on one end of it. Its probably the simplest design out there. There are a handful of companies that make it and they all are reasonably priced at $10 a belt. They last very long and are great wear when wanting to get that extra burn around your mid-section. You can wear it under your shirt or sweatshirt without it showing much and being embarrassed.

That is one of my best tips I can give when you need a quick fix to slim down the waist in a hurry. You don’t need no equipment and the cost is very low so for the person on a budget this is a great alternative just put it on and go for a run.

Going with the weekly theme of ‘Workout Wednesdays’ (WW) I once again will bring you something to benifit you in your daily life. Whether it be working out, dieting or todays topic SNACKS! I know in the post last week I said I was going to discuss ‘Lunch Time’ but before we get to that we need to fill in the gaps.

It is very important snack in between the 3 main meals to make sure you are keeping your bodies metabolism going. My mantra will be ‘your body is a fat burning wood fire, you must feed it to keep it burning’. By snacking I mean consuming healthy snacks help your cause of fat burning.

I have a TON of healthy snack ideas so I never grow bored with my choices and always have something to choose regardless of availibility. One of my most common snacks to endulge in is popcorn. Before you start going to the movie theater ordering buckets of popcorn with a 30-second count of butter, hold up. Popcorn naturally is a healthy food for you, its the shit they put in the bag with it that makes regular buttery microwave popcorn bad for you. The key is to buy the Orville Redenbacher’s 100 calorie packs or buy the Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop Popcorn. It’s great how its 94% fat-free, is made with whole grains and still tastes pretty damn good. Now a bag of either the 100 calorie or the SmartPop will not run you into the high calorie range at all. With a 24g of carbohydrates (SmartPop Regular Bag) and 4g of protein this is a snack that will surpress any hunger to the next big meal.

Another great snack fresh fruits and raw nuts. Does not sound enticing right? Well this is where you change it up a little bit. Get fruits you never tried before like papaya or mango’s so you don’t find your snack to be mundane. I personally got into cherries and apples over the summer, where I was a regular at the fruit cart on broadway. Nuts are a great source of protein and are great for you in the fact of they keep the food cravings monster away. There are some nuts out there you should stay away from like peanuts are bad in excess but small amounts are perfectly fine. My favorite nut to snack on is the Almond. I love almonds. Anyway you make them, I will eat every single last one of them. Two favorites are just raw and DRY ROASTED which are not bad for you. When you decide that nuts are going to be your snack don’t over indulge on them which is easy to do, but about a 1/4 of a pound (most stores minimum) and snack on a handful. If you get full stash them away for another time or to have with your next big meal.

Remember your snack isn’t supposed to be a huge helping of food. It’s basically a meal where you eat little smart foods to help surpress hunger so you don’t reach your next big meal and BINGE because you ‘have not eaten in a while‘. Earlier in the first WW post I shared another secret to surpressing food cravings which was the ABB Protein Shake, which is packed with Protein 35g for the 12oz can, which can be used as well.

My last snack is Glenny’s Soy Crisps which I get in my favorite flavor of BBQ. I know what your thinking “Soy tastes like shit!”, oh no THIS soy does not. Here are the nutrition facts before I back up how amazing these little crisps are: 70 calories, 1.5g fat, 4.5g protein, and 1.5g of fiber. With nutritional info like that you must think its too good to be true and these things are horrific to stomach. I am going to say I WOULD PERFER THESE OVER ANY CHIPS YOU COULD GIVE ME BAKED, REGULAR OR OTHERWISE. Pretty bold statement to say no? I found these little jems at a local bodega in NYC and thought I would never find them anywhere else to snack on, I was soon proven wrong. Duane Reade carries them, Wallgreens and I’m almost postive I saw them at Waldbaums last time I was there. The small amount of fiber and protein are just enough to hold over even the worse hunger pains. The other flavors aren’t the best but stomachable but if you try the BBQ flavor you will have a new love in life which are Glenny’s BBQ Soy Crisps.

Well thats it for this weeks WW, just remember snacks are important and its even more important to snack healthy. Keep your bodys fire burning and you’ll be seeing results in no time.

I don’t know what to say .. this seriously creeps me out and makes me piss myself laughing. Is this guy serious or am I just fucking missing the whole point. Regardless I can see this playing in most Guido’s minds at the gym when there looking at themselves for minutes on end in the mirror. lol.