Day 166 - Trio O Fun

Ok, today is a day to lighten up the topic just a bit. But allow me a quick follow up to yesterday's post on trusting & believing in yourself. Simply I truly do believe your own success rides solely on your ability to do just that; TRUST that you have what it takes to get healthy & BELIEVE that you will.

On to the fun, a trio of fun tidbits for you is what I have.

First…
Seems like a great day to have a go at another picture riddle. So there you see a picture of what? Not that I'm looking for what that 'yellow' item represents more so than what it is made of. Have fun! I'll get you the answer tomorrow, or maybe earlier.

Second…
A quick report out on a fun time I had yesterday evening. My son & I made a venture over to Lake Andrea for some cardio. It had been a couple of weeks since I had had a PR of any kind and this was the place I last did. And this place has become my latest location of challenge.

Recall two times ago here I started jogging the last 1/4 or 1/5 mile of this loop and my pants were falling down. Yeah, I still chuckle at that myself. The last time they didn't because I was wearing better fitting trousers to work that day, ok maybe a little slippage at the end of that effort. It is what I get for walking/jogging in my business casual attire.

Yesterday I finally got the hint. I changed into exercise shorts & t-shirt beforehand. What is the saying, Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me (President George W. Bush said it better, " fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 "). Anyhow, off we went and I wanted this loop to be a celebratory affair; I got the stitches out of my face today and all is healing great; that I believe is worthy of a celebratory effort; no?

Cut to the chase, we walked a bit, jogged for 100 or more steps, and repeated. All in all I jogged seven stints of 100-150 steps on a loop I previously just walked for the most part. For that bit of bravado I earned a new PR on the look, knocking 1:51 minutes from it to chalk up a 33:06 finish for this 2.25 mile loop. I think an Oh Yeah! is in order.

Third…
Twitter. I stayed away from that bit-o-technology (anyone else just get a craving for bit-o-honey?) forever. Until recently a blogger gave me the scoop on it has helped augment their weight-loss effort beyond blogging. Since I never expected blogging to do squat for my effort when I started last April (how blind was I?), I figured I just may be missing out. Boy oh boy (my Grandma Alma's favorite phrase for when the lights came on), was I ever missing out.

Twitter has allowed me to keep up with those of you doing the same during those times of day when I'm off and away with just my blackberry in hand. Perhaps that makes me a bit addictive to all of this, and if so, I am cool with that. As I firmly believe that my connecting with all of you has brought me buckets full of motivation, no barrels full, to stay focused sun up to sunset. Thanks for that!

So, if you tweet and you & I are not connected there, let's get connected. There is a badge on the left to follow on with my twitter conversation, please use it. If you are not on twitter, dare I ask why not?

Fourth…
Oh, I said a trio of fun tidbits didn't I. Fine, this post is long enough as it is.

                                                    Enjoy this day, get healthier and Have Fun!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 165 - Got Handbook?

Tuesday was an 'A' effort by myself. Exercise was had and my eating was akin to that straight out of a diet handbook. If only there were such a handbook that was perfectly tailored to me. And there were one perfectly tailored to you. If only...

Well, lets noodle that for a second or three. Mmm, noodles; um focus!  Over the years and my dozens of weight loss attempts I have probably purchased, borrowed or stolen (borrowed & never returned) a book on this diet plan or that diet fad for each attempt. Oh the money I've donated to this gaba-bazillion dollar industry.

In no way am I saying it was all good money thrown at bad information. Applying honesty to my thoughts, and I must, I did benefit from those past attempts. My brain has knowledge packed in its corners from what I've read, listened to, seen, etc. during each of those previous attempts.

Today, on this mission; my final mission that will take the rest of my life to enjoy. Today, I have come to believe that I finally have the ONLY handbook to follow. It doesn't come from a book store, or online store, or from a neighbors collection.

My handbook follows no one diet & exercise plan. Simply, I do not believe there is a handbook out there that is perfectly tailored to ALL of us. Although that said, most all in the end break down to a common thought; eat better and eat less than you burn and burn more by moving more than you move now. Huh, so what is the difference in all those books, plans, and the like for sale out there?

That is up to you to decide. For me, I've decided that the best approach for me is a slow and steady track towards a better me. Where did I come up with that. Just from experience, from my collective learnings, failures, and shaping how they can help me achieve what I current want to achieve. I do not want to fail & quit a mission ever again.

And fail I will not. Because I have found my handbook. It has been so close at hand for so long. It is in my head. I believe I know what will work for me because I have taken the time to give it thought, come up with an approach I believe in, and am doing it.

Trust yourself. Believe in yourself. You know you better than any book, anyone else. Take the knowledge you have assembled, seek more if you feel necessary, and then you determine how to do this. Follow a commercial plan, or not, your choice. Follow what you so fully believe in that you can put your complete trust behind it. Find that, come up with that, and I am betting you (and I) will never fail & quit a mission ever again.


What does all of that have to do with that photo up there? Not a thing. That is my daughter who worked the concession stand during my son's varsity soccer game yesterday. My exercise was to walk around the high school campus for an hour before the start of his game.

When done, I stopped by to razz her (my job) and get a drink to chug-a-lug during the game. Yeah, I know, it is a diet soda versus a bottle of water. My taste buds were wanting more than no taste. Look at all those wonderful treats beside her; amazing how there is not a healthy item to be found there. maybe the popcorn can be considered a healthy item. Simply, they know they'd sell far less, thus raise far less for the school, if the options were not those you see there. Sad, but true lesson in what is considered (right or wrong) to be really important I suppose.

What are you snacking on today while you ponder the handbook inside of your head?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 164 - Diggin Two Fit Chicks & a Microphone

Monday Eating, Check

Monday Exercise, Not Check

No excuse, just a busy day & I didn't work in time for a quality exercise. Oh I did purposely walk up & down the sidelines at my sons soccer game. Sure, better than nothing, but I'll stop short of calling it quality.

Shauna & Carla have just released their 18th podcast, check out Two Fit Chicks and a Microphone if you haven't already.

I've downloaded all of their podcasts over the past month & just finished listening to them last weekend. This latest one I enjoyed for more than a couple of reasons but I'll share two for you...

First, their interview with Christie Inge was very insightful & informative on the topic of intuitive living. Not just eating, but the concept beyond its approach to eating which we hear allot of on the blogs. With this podcast Shauna & Carla completed a 2-Part series on Intuitive Eating that is more than worth a listen for anyone interested on the topic.

Second, they gave little ole me some shout out love on their blogger news segment. For that I sincerely thank them. And in appreciation I have also downloaded Peter, Paul and Mary's, "If I Had A Hammer". I shall think of Carla as I play it; you'll have to listen to the podcast to get the inside scoop on that thought.

Do you listen to Two Fit Chicks and a Microphone?

Do listen to any other podcasts you enjoy a great deal you'd like to share?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 163 - Harry & Eeyore

Hope all had a good weekend. I do believe I did. Ate very well and got in some walking to keep the calorie burning at least on medium. This coming Wednesday I go see the surgeon so he can remove the stitches from my cheek. Hopefully he will give me the green light then as well to resume weight lifting. Oh how I hope so.

For a good part of last week my wife and daughter we away kicking up in Orlando at Harry Potter World. It was a gift we gave her after she made the National Honor Society last year. She is seventeen and she is a huge HP fanatic.

They brought back lots of goodies including a bunch of chocolate stuff from HP World; frogs, wands, and they stuff seen in the movies. My wife on the other hand is a huge Walt Disney fan. So there was no way she was going to Orlando and not taking in some WDW too.

From there they brought me back the Eeyore you see in the picture there. As I was delirious from all the chocolate in the air I almost ate the poor guy. But at the last minute better senses prevailed and this Eeyore has joined the other 30+ in my collection.

Food porn, been a while since I've shared any, so here is last nights dinner...

Grilled Garlic-Lime Chicken Breast, Minnesota Wild Rice, Hot Love Sauce.

What do you collect as a hobby, if anything?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 162 - 46% Progress

A terrific Sunday is here, hope it is just that for all here...
 
It is weigh in day but first a few shout outs...
 
We've all seen before & after shots, and they are very telling of our efforts. Keelie shared some amazing before & after pictures this week.   

How I'm Losing It is a fairly new blogger who is off to a good start on her quest to regaining a healthier and more fit body and mind. We've all been here, off and running on our quests and in blogging; stop by and share a bit of yourselves with her.

Amelia write a letter to herself this week for when she needs a kick to get moving. It's short, well written and something worth checking out.

This morning there is a bit less of me putting this post together. 

Gone now are 45% of the pounds I've set out to shed myself of.

Gone now are 56 pounds shed over twenty-three weeks; 2 of them this past week.

(I lost count of the weeks somewhere, last week said it was 21, simple math is hard sometimes)

Today I weighed in at 264 pounds.

Just one thing to say about that; Oh Yeah...

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 161 - Sticking My Fruit

Good Morning everyone... and hope all have a great weekend!

Thanks for all of the comments yesterday.Very interesting how we approach the rules of dieting, getting healthy, differently. We all apply rules and most it seems break them in ways that fit themselves. A large debate could boil on whether rules should be bent or broken or not. Debate or not what we all must hope for is that we don't bend the rules all the way back to our former selves and lose momentum on our missions.

Fruit is Fantastically Fabulous Food. If I had to pick one change in my diet over the past 5+ months that has made the biggest bang in my mission it is likely the regular use of fruit. Now I did eat fruit before I started all of this, but not like I do now. Before I'd eat an apple alongside an Almond Joy. A banana surrounded by ice cream and smothered in hot fudge. A handful of grapes to munch on while I grilled the 20 ounce steal I was soon to inhale.

Today fruit is my staple snack. Fruit keeps my body fueled, my mind alert. On average I eat three pieces of it a day. Usually as between meal snacks as I've said and occasionally a fruit salad is made from fresh fruit (never canned fruit, ugh) to go with a meal instead of a veggie salad.

Up there in the picture you see a good old fashioned sheet of notebook paper. A trio of months ago I started peeling off those stickers that come on the fruit we buy and sticking them on that sheet. That sheet is kept at work where I eat most of those between meal snacks. Now that certainly isn't all of the fruit I've eaten in that time. Only 1 out of every 3 or 4 pieces of fruit I buy has such a sticker. So quick math, 81 stickers on the sheet times 4, yeah I've eaten over 300 pieces of fruit in roughly three months.

Why do I do this? Simply because I choose to play with my food I suppose. Honestly I don't really know why I started to do this, I just did. And now that I have a full sheet, I am sharing it with you, again I don't really know why.

Ok, I need to go get some walking in...

Do you like to play with your food?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 160 - Breaking Any Rules?

source

Most who are looking to lose weight follow some sort of  diet & exercise plan. Some follow their plan tighter than grandma's girdle after holiday dinner. Others choose to be as disciplined as a rope made of sand is loose.

Either extreme or in between, most if not all have at least some simple rules they follow. These rules are based on what others who have been there before us have shared. Whether from commercially published authors with actual programs for sale or from the opposite, folks like you & me who have an opinion and the gumption to share it.

What would some of the common or popular diet or exercise rules be which you yourself do not follow?

E.g. Only drink calorie free beverages, no red meat, do not eat after 7 p.m., never skip a meal, log everything, exercise only in the morning, etc. Dozens upon dozens of rules have been shared with us.

Rules, yeah... rules & I have a respect for each other but best friends we are not. With respect to diet & exercise and more specifically this mission I have had myself to play by the rules more that usual. Yet, some popular rules I just have to break...

• Bacon, the concept of giving up bacon is akin to practicing evil in my mind. I love bacon, it has so many uses. And I will always have it in my diet. Today, I choose to eat less of it and enjoy it less often, but enjoy it still I do.
• Exercise at a certain time, seems morning is suggested as best most often. My schedule allows for exercise but the time is not consistent day to day. Even if it were, I'd get bored if I had such a frigid routine that I exercised at the same time daily. I exercise whenever I can,whenever that time is.
• Leave some food on your plate. Never! Even when I was eating to be obese I didn't put any food on my plate that I was intentionally planning to waste. I know this rule is tailored to restaurant eating. But even there, garnish aside, if I don't eat everything I am served the rest comes home. Wasting food is disrespectful in my book. Drawing strength from pushing away food staring you in the face; there has to be a better way.
• Eat slowly. Why I have no idea, but I eat fairly quickly most of the time. No, I don't inhale my food like a jet engine sucks in unlucky birds. Bite, chew, swallow, repeat. Chat between bites, sure. Upon reading rules that suggest putting down the fork between bites, or chewing each bite at least 30 times; I've just had to stand firm to who I am and rebel against this one.   

                                                        FRIDAY... have fun today folks!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 159 - My First VLog

Out of no where as I was wrapping up typing this post I got the notion to try a vlog. So, at the end of the post there you see a video of me rambling on for 8-9 minutes. Much of what I wrote here is in that video, and there are a few tidbits in the video not in the post. So if you have the time, give it a look, let me know what you think. Sound and picture quality Ok? Just used a basic digital camera, no fancy equipment. Hope you enjoy, it was fun to record, play back and stick in this post. Now on to the post itself...

Seems like this week I have been slowly catching up on news from last week which I didn't get around to bloggin about. So here is another tidbit from last Friday...

Finally we closed on the purchase of hunting land in west-central Wisconsin; that picture there is an aerial view of the the general area we bought. Doesn't look like much, but it is a haven for deer & turkey.

We've been working on this deal for about five months now. HERE I blogged about it way back on day 28 when we started exploring the purchase. Two & a half weeks from now we will be up there for the youth hunt, can't wait to get the kids set up and watch them fill the freezer. Us adults get our turn the following weekend and then there will be four more open seasons in November through early January.

Lots of good cardio opportunities await me in walking up and down the hills of that land. Climbing up and down tree stands. And hopefully hauling hundreds of pounds worth of deer away.

All went well yesterday with the surgeon and the removal of more tissue from my cheek. So just healing to be done now on that topic. Here is a pic of the sport new face bandage, just a mess of steri-strips. Twice as many of them as the first go-around. Probably twice as hard to keep it all from getting wet too...

Walking, walking, walking is what is in store for me for exercise this next week. With the changing seasons the weather is very comfortable so I have zero issues getting out there and burning some calories by foot.

The weekend is fast approaching folks, are you getting plans for fun and health together for it?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 158 - My Towel, Mine!

Look what I got! Yep, the yoga towel that Jody hooked me up with via her recent give-away arrived.

It took only a day to get here. The company that shipped it for Jody was nearby in Indiana.

There you see the towel, sort of, it is it's wrapper.

You also see a bonus, a Full Bar, hmmm. Never tried one until yesterday.

Not bad, sort of like Captain Crunch squished into a bar.

Also a hand written Stciky-Note on it from Cheryl of Bottled Fitness congratulating me and wishing my enjoyment with my towel.

Ok, enjoy it I shall...

Well, I am trying to enjoy it. Which end goes up?

It doesn't come with instructions. Ah, a label...

Figured it out.

Right after getting untangled I went downstairs and hit the home gym, with my towel.

Ah Ha - it wipes away sweat. No, it sucks it up, fast!

This photo cracks me up, I look like I am about to fall asleep in that towel.

Certainly it is soft enough to sleep on.

Very nice towel Jody, Thanks again!

Ok - Fill in the blank: Wednesday is a good day to __________ ! To what?

For me this is a good day to go have some more of my cheek removed. Yeah, wish I didn't need that but as I shared yesterday it is needed and I am not waiting. So a morning of work and an afternoon with the plastic surgeon. I'll be in and out in an hour and on my way so no big deal procedure wise. Just want it done, healed and well, done.

When I awoke it seemed a fine day to strength train so I got in a great session with my dumbbell routine. Five sets of push ups & sit ups too. As noted abouve yesterday after work I also got in a session with the home gym. These sessions were closer together than I would have usually spaced them but for good reason. Just as it was two weeks ago when they removed the skin lesion I it will be again today; I'll need to take a week off of the weights. So four of the past five days I have hit them as hard as my heart could. Kind of like a squirrel storing nuts for winter. Yeah, I am guessing strength training doesn't quite work like that.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 157 - Beast's Brief Return...

Tuesday morning is here. What is in store for you this fine day?

Ok, so the picture riddle from yesterday, it was a blood pressure cuff (pictured there). Dr Fit ToFat nailed it early in the guessing. I figured she, or anyone out there in a medical profession, might get this quick, and she did. As usual some cool guesses all around. An arrow, LOL. A pop-up canopy, hmmm. A waistband, yeah I could see that.

Those riddle pics were taken this past Friday while at the doctors office. Yesterday I shared the good news from that visit in being able to get off the BP pills. Got some more good news yesterday in that my annual physical blood sugar was normal. Each July I have all my blood numbers checked when I get my annual physical. For some reason this year they forgot to do the sugar. Not worried about it, even being the obese one I have been my sugar has been fine; thus all I needed to do was go in and get it checked at my leisure. LOL, going to the doctors office and leisure being in the same sentence, please. So I had it checked on Friday as well and all my blood numbers checked out good for 2010.

Ok, enough delay. I have hemmed & hawed over whether to share this or when. Well, I knew I would, so it was a matter of when. Needed to wait until I talked to my mother & sister before I felt it fine to share this outside the family.

The news is good news in the end but still it has been as tasteful as cat-box cuisine to chew on. The skin lesion which I had removed on my cheek, or mole as many have come to call it, was sent off as a matter of protocol to screen for cancer and sure enough it came back positive as Melanoma in Situ.

"What the &%#$ is that" was my first question to the doc when he called. Simply put, it is the absolute start of melanoma, stage zero. With the spot removed the follow up treatment for this is nothing heinous like chemo or radiation. However I do need to have them remove some more tissue along the sides of what they already removed to ensure they got it all. That and at my annual physicals I need to add a more extensive inspection for other mole looking ninja like spots.

All that said, I was pissed off (still am) as the advice of three docs I've seen since last November summed up as, "Sure, get it removed, but it doesn't present as having any real cancer characteristics." Pissed or not, sometimes luck trumps the scientific eye I guess. That isn't easy for me to say as I don't put much stock in luck.

Bottom line, I did get lucky. I am not a vane guy. But a bit of vanity did factor into my decision to have this removed now. That, and the fact that I am a colon cancer survivor (2001), so I figured since the spot was slowly growing thus better to get it removed when still fairly small just to be safe.

Ok, this post has exhausted me. Luck or not, good news in the end or not; I don't like the taste.

So let me end on some positive fun news and right my off attitude. Negativity is not part of my mission to get healthy here so I must move on fast and with a smile. And what better way than to say THANK YOU to Jody. She had a give-away last week, and what do you know, she drew my name! Jody is a fantastic blogger & person, and she drew my name, and I am getting a cool yoga towel! No I do not do yoga, maybe someday; but I do sweat when I workout and shall make good use of it.

Thanks again Jody. And to the rest of you if you don't follow on with Jody, doubtful as she is quite popular, but if you don't give her a read; you will not be disappointed.

Enjoy the day folks. Enjoy it with all you have to give.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 156 - NSV's Then Guess

How was everyone's weekend? Good I hope. Mine was fantastic.

A busy weekend, a busy past few days really. I chose to leave my posts Saturday & Sunday focused on the award Lanie honored me with and then my weekly weigh on those days respectively. The weekend now over, the body relaxed & the mind less stressed and I am ready for the new week.

So lets look at some NSV's of the past few days...

Last Thursday I went to lunch with some work mates. We went to a favorite place of mine which I have mentioned before; Franks for the Memories. I went in hungry and left with an NSV. This place is small & what seating they do have is all booths. Ugh, booths, the bane of all obese people. Booths have ruined many a meal for me,how about you? This day however I was able to slide on in and felt rather comfortable. My gut wasn't resting up against the table edge or oozing out onto the table itself. SPACE, there was space between me & the table top... Oh Yeah!

Last Friday I went to the doctor for a couple of reasons, one of them was to see if I had lost enough weight, upped my circulatory health enough to get off of the blood pressure pills once & hopefully for all. I hadn't been taking them regular since my annual physical in July. At that time I brought it up to my doc and he wanted to exercise some caution. But he did say that if when I exercise I found myself getting light-headed that would be a signal that my BP was being lowered by the medicine lower than necessary, thus, also signalling that I was likely ready to get off of them. He asked that I keep up the pills unless the light-headedness was more than slight, and that we can check it again in two months. Well two months have passed and I have passed his cautious care and he gave me the thumbs up to kick them to the curb. That is not just an NSV it is a bucket list entry I get to cross off... Oh Yeah!

Ok, we end this post with a picture riddle; these are fun and seem to be popular. Up there is a picture of what? This one should be a harder than the last one (fire hydrant). But don't let difficulty keep you from playing, step up and take a guess. I'll reveal the answer tomorrow, or perhaps earlier if someone guesses correctly.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 155 - 45% Progress

Hello to all my furry friends. Or, furless friends if you are bald or, well....

 

Saturday's workout was on the home gym routine. My first strength training in over a week. Taking last week off from the weights per doctor's orders was not fun mentally because I wanted to go down there and lift. So you can imagine how happy I felt to be able to do so today. Huh, you can't imagine it? Ok, I was happier than a lonely tick on a fat sleepy dog.

 

A couple of shout outs before I get to my weekly weigh in...

• Chances are you already follow The Anti-Jared but if not go get a gander at Tony's blog which he just moved to a new service and is sporting a cool new look.
• Michelle of The Garlic Chronicles has moved her blog, or is starting a new one actually, as she embarks on a new journey; now she can be found at Meesh.
• A guy I call G96 set a goal to bike 500 miles about 3 months ago and yesterday he reported the good news at Going For 96 that he hit that goal and also has dropped over 25 pounds along the way. If you want to know what going for 96 means you'll have to go check out his 'about' page, one of the cooler reasons behind a blog name I have read.

As for myself, as of this morning I am saying sayonara to a bit more fat; Oh Yeah...

 

In all 45% of the weight I no longer want is gone.

That's 54 pounds lost over twenty-one weeks; 2 of them this past week.

Today I weighed in at 266 pounds.

Have yourselves a healthy, happy and humerous Sunday!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 154 - Cherry On Top Award

Lanie Painie has honored me with an award yesterday.



Thanks again Lanie! She definitely does have a beautiful blog, I mean, it has allot of orange on it. Orange is my favorite color! She has a bit of 'then some' too, she understands who she is,that she own her own choices including what she eats & how much she moves.





Ok, this award's rules for eligibility are:

1. Answer the question, "If you had one chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?
This is a really tough question. Certainly I'd change a number of things if I could roll the clock back say 30 years. Some people say they would change nothing in their lives. Seriously, I have doubts there isn't at least one thing all of us can find we'd change if given the chance. Ok, here is mine...

I would have completed my college degree in four years, not the nineteen it took me to do so. Now I know that is not a health related change. But if pressed for one I really have to choose between this and whether or not I should have kissed Tammy on the first date in 1982. A story for another day. Not completing my degree in my early twenties certainly reduced some of my career options early on. Now I did real well to succeed & climb the ladder despite not having a degree for many years, but I often wonder which doors weren't open to me for so long because I didn't have a proper ticket to the dance.

2. Pass on to six people and inform them of the award.
Hhmmm... Six who have beautiful blogs and then some. Ok, here we go:

1. Liz
2. Karla
3. Clyde
4. Jae
5. The Heavy Man
6. Christine

 Have a Great weekend!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 153 - Fuel For Life Award

Good Morning, Good morning! Um, is it morning where you are? If not Good Day to you then.

Today I have a pair of doctor appointments, yeah I hear you; yippee kay yay for me. Boring you with details I wont do today but I will say this is the day I will learn just what that blemish was I had removed, or mole as some have come to refer to it; factually it is a skin lesion. Shoot, failed; I went & bored you didn't I?

Final doctor tidbit is that I'll get these surface stitches removed. If you looked at my progress pictures on Thursday then you saw in my 40% shots I have that bandage on my right cheek still. Looking forward to saying sayonara to those stitches & the bandage.

Misunderstood and Admired honored me with an award yesterday - Thanks again!

He sent some very kind & admirable words my way with his award presentation, you can read them on his blog via that link there. If you are not a follower of Misunderstood and Admired, you really ought to check him out.

With sincere appreciation I accept this award and at the same I must spread credit for it out amongst my fellow bloggers with who I am engaged regularly. Together we put blogging to use. Blogging is not a video game, it is not aimless surfing of the net to kill time. Yes, it is enjoyable but it is also beneficial & useful to our missions to getting healthy.

Lets see, I have been blogging for well 153 days now. On day one I expected blogging to be simply where I would organize my thoughts on how to go about losing weight. Maybe, probably not, but just maybe I'd gather some pointers along the way too. My expectations were low, but my curiosity was high. Thank goodness it was too as I've been rewarded a zillion-fold for my explorations. A few blog visits here a few more there, and wow; I was buried in a torrent of new knowledge I could put to immediate use thanks to bloggers such as all of you.

This award has some responsibilities to follow, so let me get down to business...
1. List three things that you are happy about at this very moment
a- I am happy about being able to rise above my own self-imposed perceived limitations and enjoy the immense surprise from my own results
b- I am happy about having family by my side & having all of you here in blogosphere join me too
c- I am happy about the Chicago Blackhawks possessing Lord Stanley's Cup

2. List three things that played a big part in your current focus on weight loss and inner growth
a- Shutting out negativity. We can fail, learn from failure, and even feed off of it. But negativity too often is the straw that breaks the back of many an effort to get healthy; I have chosen not to accept or even acknowledge any negativity on this mission - none
b- One at a time. Success happens one choice at a time. I have planned to lose 121 pounds, but I attack the plan one choice - one decision - at a time; just one & no more.
c- A new respect & a new approach to food. I haven't talked about this much, or perhaps not at all; but I shall in a post soon

3. Pass this award on to a blogger that you feel really deserves it
'A' blogger huh, just one... whew who oh who do I give this to?
Ok, I will stay within the same essence of the presentation in which I was given this award...
Someone I've had as a friend from the beginning (she was the first to ever post a comment on my blog in fact)
Someone whose energy I feed of off
Someone who has demonstrated they can put it all together into a rhythm and groove
Someone who has FUELED my tank

Thank You DAWN

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 152 - Cool Progress Pics

Dawn & Christine were minutes apart to be first in to make the correct guess of a fire hydrant for yesterday's picture riddle. I took that riddle shot looking straight down onto the top of the hydrant so what you saw was that large pentagon shaped bolt in the pics center. Many great guesses from all of you. Some I had to look back at the pic to wonder, huh; how is it that is what they see? Cervix, hmmm. The mole I just had removed, LOL. A dish on a plate, well... all good & cool fun!

Yesterday was a fine day on most accounts. Got in another walk. This time my son & I hit Lake Andrea. The last time we went you may recall we decided to jog the last 1/4 or 1/5 mile and I struggled then more with my pants falling down than with the jog itself. Well we did the same this time but I didn't have the pants falling to the ground problem since I had on a pair of 42-inch waist vs. the 46's I was still wearing then. The better fitting pants didn't make any difference in time I am sure, but something did, as yesterday we finished this 2.25 mile trip in 34:57 for a cool new PR around this lake.

This week I believe I've walked about 11 miles in making up for the fact I am not supposed to be lifting weights this week (thanks Doc), 11 miles - cool.

The first time we got close to doing Lake Andrea in 40 minutes; I thought I was faster than anyone possibly could be, outta my way because you can't touch this cool breeze. I'm not a ego fueled head case usually, we all have our moments, but I recall being really stoked over 40 minutes. Now we've knocked that down to under 35 and I have to wonder how much more time can we knock that down? Time will tell.

Progress Pictures... I have updated them. Recently I hit the 40% progress made towards my goal milestone. Yesterday I finally took the pictures of me at this new and cool weight. These pictures are now up HERE or under My Progress Pics link at the top of my blog. I also added a side by side piece for a better visual reference of where I was 152 days ago and where I am today. Needless to say I am quite pleased with these.

How about you, do you have any cool recent progress pictures, or before & after pictures, to share?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 151 - Three Way Hump

Happy Hump Day! What, you thought this post title implied something else?

Hmmm… well anyhow, a trio of thoughts is what I have for you on this Wednesday.

First…
Riddle time again I say, what better day to have some fun than hump day.
Have an idea what that is a picture of above? Don't be shy, take a guess. This one should be easy, I think.
I'll reveal the answer tomorrow, or perhaps earlier if someone guesses correctly.

Second…
I'd like to introduce you to a new blogger I've made friends with this week; meet Phil…

Reading his posts he appears to be in the midst of mental wrangling similar to what I endured that first month. He's off to a good start, and searching for that point where the first clumsy steps along the path to better health become discernable steps and then a comfortable stride.

In the past he has yo-yo'd in part due to the use of various diet plans out there. He has come up with some guidelines which are in a sense rules but not necessarily strict and binding; which for me rigidity has been an issue for me. And so on, Phil and I seem to sit in similar boats with similar missions.

This quote from one of his posts particularly drew my attention, and a chuckle, "…I'm not feeling hungry at all but I am ALWAYS in the mood for naughty things like cakes and chocolate!" I echo that on many days, anyone else?

If you have time today stop by, extend a virtual handshake, say Hi & welcome Phil to the community of responsibility juggernauts.

Third…
Last night I set out to map a longer Neighborhood loop; the Neighborhood III loop. This loop is 5.1 miles & I did it in 84:59 minutes. Math Alert - What is that, approximately 17 minutes per mile?

So I repeated an NSV I listed on the left side of my blog some time ago, "Discovering new, awesome, places to walk ". Actually it was the first NSV I ever shared, nice to see that NSV's are like boomerangs and come back. Perhaps I have shared this about myself before, and I guess I touched on it above; I get bored easy. That may well be why I have never succeeded in using any of the commercially marketed diet/weight-loss plans; Their structure bores on me after a couple weeks or so. This is also why I have sought out & mapped out about a dozen different walking courses; it would drive me to yawn myself inside-out if I had to walk the same course each time.

Do you get bored easy & need frequent variety in your diet & exercise? Or are you one that thrives best in structure & repetition?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 150 - Night Time Mov'in

Monday was a decent day. Ate well all day. It was taco night at our house, it is on average 2x a month. For myself I through some chopped bell pepper and firm tofu in a skillet, seasoned it and got it hot. When that red bell pepper turned a brilliant red in the pan I hit it all with a heaping tablespoon of homemade salsa (recipe is HERE, mine was hot of course). A few ticks of the  clock later and it was ready to come to rest on a bed of grilled onions in a whole grain tortilla; MY taco!

Yeah, there was no danger of anyone else wanting it let me assure you. Tofu is like kryptonite in our house, only I am not weakened to my core at the site of it. Same could be said for bell peppers too, just not a household of veggie appreciators. Working on that.

Planned to get up early and work out but, that didn't happen. The bed needed to be kept warm just a bit longer, yeah that was it. But fear not, I exercised. After dinner I got in a trip on my 3.6 mile Neighborhood-II Loop.

Dark, it gets dark after dinner now. It is only September. I imagine in late December all my exercise will be in the dark. Fine, I am prepared. I am a hunter so I have plenty of warm weather clothing. And, I am luminous. yep, check out that picture, that's me glowing as I walk last night. Pic is a bit fuzzy, I was moving and didn't want to lose pace to shoot the pic so I gave up quality for pace.

Whenever I am out & about I usually wear that fedora, including when I exercise. Realizing the darkness was creeping in on our day I purchased a pair of reflective arm/leg straps recently. When worn on my arms they feel restrictive. On my legs they feel kinky, just go with it. So, I connected them together and what do you know, the perfect reflective hat band. I'd patent it, but come on, the market for folks that exercise in a fedora has to be teeny-tiny.

The walk felt great. For one because I was getting in a good walk for the first time in a week. And two because I know I needed it and was stoked to be putting the previous sedentary week behind me.

How great did it feel? It felt 58:50 minutes great; a new PR but almost 2 full minutes. Seven seconds short of two minutes to be factual. In previous walks on this loop I have chipped away at that PR, not sure why I smashed that one so convincingly this time. Maybe it is the cooler temperatures. Maybe I was just on a bigger high than I realized. Maybe it was the salsa. Whatever it was; Oh Yeah!

Are you prepared for adapting your exercise to the change in seasons?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 149 - Dream Through It

Yesterday I was very focused on eating after my weigh in. Even though I did get in a walk yesterday morning it wasn't an extreme workout by any stretch. Steel cut oats, tomatoes, fish & green beans; were just some of the good foods I worked into my eating. With my gout all but gone I am ready to get the exercise engine kicked back into higher gear. You can bet that exercise is on the agenda for this day.

The t-shirt you see in the picture there was being worn by a student at my sons soccer game last week. I am not sure what sport this girl participates in but I have to say I like the t-shirts they have. I blurred out her last name on the back to protect the innocent; hmm, anyone else have a sudden desire to hang out & watch "Dragnet"?

When I saw this shirt I immediately thought of THIS post by Jody, if you haven't read it then give it a read; you won't be disappointed (um, is that a pun?). The subjects are similar, although not identical.

All of us have experienced disappointment in our lives. And we've let that disappointment impact us further than it needed to. We wallow in the pain of what could have been but wasn't. We stop believing we can have or be that which have been trying to get but not been able to. It could be a professional aspiration, it could be someones heart, it could be a health goal.

But what this t-shirt is calling on us not to do? It is telling us to keep our focus on our dreams. Or, it is telling us to not dwell so heavily on the yesterday's disappointments we've had that our focus today is misplaced.

Have you ever done this; been so caught up in a disappointing experience that you just stopped trying to live better & accepted just living for a period of time?

Yes, I have, I have done so in previous attempts to get healthy. I've been so disappointed I have stopped caring enough to improve my health for years at a time. I've had projects at work end in failure and have spent months afterwards doing just the minimum to get through the day. I've tried to get the girl of my hearts desire at the time to take notice to no avail and given up on the pursuit of romance for long stretches of time.

So, guess that means we ought to avoid disappointment, right? No, hardly. We need disappointment to become better. Today's failure is the foundation for tomorrow's success. Disappointment ought to be given due focus, learned from, and then focus returned to the dream.

Sounds simple, and it is not that simple. But simple or not, no matter our disappointments; we owe it to ourselves to keep our focus on our dreams.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 148 - 43% Progress

Good morning fellow bloggers, hope your weekend is going great thus far.

This weeks weigh in is not one I am jumping up and down about. Although in keeping perspective I should be just fine with it. Giving it further thought I suppose I am just hungry for more.

Exercise wise I have had an off week. Not so much due to the docs orders I received Friday to limit exercise to walking for a week. Rather a flare up of gout mid-week has had me way to sedate. Gout is something I have issues with 2-3 times a year. I don't like moaning about injury or illness so I didn't mention it earlier in the week.

If you don't know what gout is, that is good. It means you don't have issues with it & I sincerely hope you never do. Long gout story short it has taken me until this morning to flush the gout out and get back to walking. My wife & I arose this morning and went for a good walk before doing some errands. Felt so good too.

After you've been exercising regular for nearly five months when you take a break you feel it when you aren't getting the exercise in. You miss it, and get frustrated especially when you can't. Which, is actually a positive change. Six months ago if someone told me I can't go exercise today I would have shrugged it off and probably would have smiled too. What difference five months and 50+ pounds can make in ones attitude.

Today I am holding at 43% of the weight lost I have set out to lose.

That's 52 pounds lost over TWENTY weeks; 0.5 of them this past week.

Today I weighed in at 268 pounds.

Reflecting on this past week I have come to this conclusion. I simply did not adjust the eating enough to account for my inactivity. No matter how many calories I eat, I need to strive to keep the intake 500 or more calories less than what I burn whether I am just burning calories sitting and working,or,whether I am getting in exercise.

I'm looking forward to a better week; how about you?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 147 - Names, Never Forget!

Flashbulb memory is something that has fascinated me most of my life. Flashbulb memories are usually of unfortunate events whose details are flash burned into our memories. I assume all know the term, but if not flashbulb memory is the recording of vivid 'snapshots' of extraordinarily emotional events connections.

My Grandma used to tell me of her memories of December 7th, 1941. Perhaps I will share her story here in December. My father used to share his story of November 22, 1963 (Assassination of John F. Kennedy).

Myself I have detailed flashbulb memories of December 8, 1980 (Murder of John Lennon)... January 28, 1986 (Space Shuttle Challenger disaster)... April 19, 1995 (Oklahoma City bombing)... and September 11, 2001.

On September 11, 2001 I recall the details burned into my memory; Where I was, What I was doing, Who I first heard the news from, How it affected me.

Where... In the cafeteria at our facility in Northbrook, Illinois.

What... Ordering an omelet for breakfast. With cheese and onions of course.

Who... Her name I did not know even though I had encountered her a hundred times before. Most did not care for her much as she had one of those annoying personalities. She was just the 'cafeteria lady' to many us. She came out from the backroom to the griddle and I was ready to blurt out my order so as to squash any attempt at small talk she might offer. But as she so often did she spoke over me. However instead of asking me how my weekend was, or suggesting I try the special, she asked me if I had heard about the airplane.

No, I told her No I had not, and honestly I didn't want her to tell me about airplanes or anything. But since she was in control of my food, I had to stand there & wait. She went on to tell me that a plane had flown into a building in New York. She didn't know anything more than that so she filled the time while my omelet cooked by asking me questions like, 'isn't that scary?', and, 'what kind of plane do you think it was?'... Getting an idea why she was considered annoying?

Food in hand I walked back to my cubical. Halfway through the walk something felt odd. Nobody was talking, nobody was huddled for the usual morning chats over coffee. It was dead silent. My cubical neighbors were glued to their pc monitors when I got back. Tom was trying to dial in his clock radio to a station, we never listened to it; it was there for time telling only.

Naturally I asked Tom & Dan what was up and they told me that a plane had flown into the world trade center. I joined them in trying to get the internet to give us details, but most news sites were pitifully slow do to the massive surge in traffic. Shortly we recalled that one of the conference rooms had a television and away we went. The rest of our work day was spent in there watching the tragedy unfold.

By around 3 p.m. I had enough. Time to go home and figure out how to explain this day to the kids.

How... I was pissed off, that is how I was affected. I was also frustrated, confused, anxious, embarrassed, hostile, worried, proud, to name a few other emotions I wrestled with. Like most Americans I was a twisted wreck of emotions for sometime after the attacks.

If I had to note just one change in me which I can attribute to 9/11 it would be a respect for names. In the weeks following the attacks we sat anxiously as the death toll was tabulated, victims were identified, heroes arose from the horror; they all had names. I found myself very interested in hearing their names, reading their names; not just lumping them all together in numbers, or counts. Respect, they deserved the respect of being remembered by name. A list of names of the victims from Sept. 11, 2001 can be found here.

Pre 9/11 if we were introduced I may not have committed your name to memory unless we were going to spend meaningful time together. If we were just casual acquaintances and we passed each other in the office complex hallways not only was it likely I had forgotten your name but I wouldn't have offered a courteous hello, or good morning, as we passed. I didn't have enough respect for your name to do so.

A couple of months after 9/11 it dawned on me that that respect, the respect of a persons name, should be given to everyone I meet. I work in an office complex where 1,700 people spend their days earning their keep. Hundreds others visit us daily in the form of vendors, consultants, etc.. Today when I am introduced to anyone, I commit their name to memory, I shake their hand even if I have to walk all the way around to the opposite end of one of our ridiculous 50 foot-long conference tables (exercise opportunity, right), and I respectfully say their name in my greeting to them, e.g. Good Morning Craig, Nice to meet you Jennifer, etc.

Post 9/11 if we pass each other no matter how casually were are acquainted, I acknowledge you and I do it by name. That may sound corny, or less than noteworthy. But a respect for names is what 9/11 changed profoundly in me.

Oh before I close here, the cafeteria ladies name is LENA LEVINSON.

Never Forget, Never!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Spot No More

The Good - It took all of 20 minutes, the spot is gone.

The Bad - I can't get this dressing area wet for a week; that'll make showering & shaving a trick.

The Ugly - I am not supposed to work out, except for walking, for a week - a WEEK! Because when we work out we strain & tend to stress and strain our facial muscles.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 146 - See Spot Go

Cool comments from all regarding my belt yesterday. I hear you loudn & clear; I shall save up for a new belt; soon. This belt I will not get rid of, ever, but I do need a new one for work. But I can never get rid of this reminder of where I was & how far I have come.

It would be nice if I had a children's story to tell. Remember those books we learned, or we used to teach our kids to read; See Spot Run, See Spot Sit. Or in my case See Spot Eat Allot! Some of you may be using these with your kids or grand kids these days.

No, the spot I want to see go way is the one you see there on my face. It has been there about 3-4 years now. It started small, just seemed to be a freckle, and I have many freckles so I thought nothing of it. But the past year or so it has slowly grown.

Remember Karl Malden from The Streets of San Francisco? Most think of him for that bulbous nose, it defined his look on screen. But he also had a bunch of skin spots such as this on his face, especially in his later years. He lived into his late 90's passing away a bit more than a year ago.

Forget about Karl now, my point is I really don't wish to age and be one of those men with a face full of these. My father didn't have them, nor his dad, so if heredity plays a role in them I should be safe. But then again I have this one. More importantly I am very aware of that which is a cancer risk. And while I am told that this lesion is not cancerous, it someday could be; just no telling.

So, See Spot Go, I say.

And go it will later on this morning. It what will hopefully be the only reason I ever have to use a plastic surgeon, I am trusting one today to remove this spot and leave me looking as if it were never there. Well, that won't happen. There will be a barely noticeable scar, which is fine by me. You don't get to be 320 pounds and carry allot of vanity along with you. Scar or not, it is a fine trade off to remove that which bothers me and may be a cancer risk.

Now, please tell me you have more exciting, if not all out fun, plans for this day; what are they?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 145 - Tool Time, Again

It is that time again. I just can't go another day without taking up tools & making this right.

~

Three times before I have been here.

I've made One, Two, Three improvements on the work of a craftsman in China.

Surely he did not foresee this being needed.

~

Make the FOUR improvements!

~

Holy wardrobe what-the-€¥£$; all is not right in Illinois.
Perhaps not in Denmark either, I can't concern myself with the Danes today.
This wrong can be righted when I get to work where just the tool awaits (no not the guy who sits next to me).

~

Magic stuff the not so distant cousin of duct tape is.

~

All is right again, for now.

I shall keep my hammer, punch & double-sided tape close by for the next time.

There will be a next time!

How well does your belt fit today?

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 144 - Yes "I" exercise

Tuesday, No exercise . Soccer practice before work & a game after work. Exercise is on the agenda for today. Yesterday's eating was very good. Nothing note worthy eaten, just good decisions dawn to dusk.

Yesterday also saw me in an, oh what is the right word, oddly-cornered; in an oddly-cornered spot.

In my cubical chatting with my neighbor about kids sports after work. He mentions his daughter has practice at Stanton school. Hmm, 'Stanton school', why does that ring a bell?

Ah, I have a duh-moment, "That is where I get in exercise," I state. "I hike up & down the hill behind the school for cardio."

"YOU, you exercise there?" He replies instantly with a suppressed chuckle & emphasis on the word 'you'.

For a split of a split second I ready myself for battle, that is all the time I need to recall he is new, only been here a month and a half'ish. So he didn't know me just 4+ months ago when I was 51 pounds heftier. Plus he & I have hit it off great since he started, joke a great deal, so I gather he may be coming at me in jest rather than with critical judgement.

A second is all that passes before I reply, "Yeah, I don't look like I'd do something like that I guess, but I do."

His facial expression changes, "I, I wasn't suggesting that..."

I am too kind sometimes and I wasn't going to let this go wrong, no reason to. He is a Blackhawks fan after all. So I interrupt his stammering and change the subject back to the kids.

Why was this an 'oddly-cornered' experience? Because I've never talked about exercising as an obese person, if for no other reason than I rarely did exercise. Thus I've never had to defend myself for being one who does exercise.

The cool part of this oddity was that I didn't hesitate at all in blurting out I exercise. I my previous attempts at weight loss I tried to get exercise in but it seldom felt good & never was something I had confidence in discussing.

But yesterday, I just said it, "...I get in exercise!" I said it as if it was a normal part of who I am. Clearly because it has become part who I am.

Confidence to discuss exercise with those I previously wouldn't... I think that is an NSV.

Do you have any similar experiences where either you were questioned regarding your healthy habits, or, where you surprised yourself with a new found confidence?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 143 - BBQ'n & Drive'n

Hope all had a fine Labor Day yesterday. A good one was had by our clan. Since I took Sunday off from exercise I chose to exercise Monday holiday or not. My son & I got in a dumbbell routine and did five sets of push ups & sit ups. A good workout, and a needed one considering the food temptations to come.

Monday I was up before sunrise bringing the smoker up to temperature and getting five racks of baby back ribs on. See them in that picture there? Oh, no you can't, the lid is closed, silly me. Trust me they are in there. And in there they stayed for eight hours cooking slow on a low temp. When done they were proclaimed perfect.

BBQ'ing is a passion of mine and I am good at it. Mission to get healthy or not I will always get my BBQ'n on. The difference now is that I don't eat like the pigs I BBQ. Instead I exercise moderation with my passion.

Today I enjoyed just four ribs from the small end of the rack. That was probably two more than I should have eaten if I am honest with myself. The old me would have eaten an entire rack of ribs minimum. The old me was not responsible and could spell moderation even with spell-check. What, you like ribs too? Ok, here is a pic of the result for your eyes to feast upon...

Dry rub BBQ on the left and wet BBQ on the right. Two types of wet...

The bunch in front is sauced with Sweet Baby Rays and the bunch in the back is sauced with an Apple-Bacon blend.

As if the ribs weren't temptation enough I receive a call when driving home in the evening. This call comes with a request to bring home Dairy Queen for a couple of back home. It's Labor Day, sure why not some ice cream to end the holiday. Not for me, I told myself. A mile up the road I tell myself, well, I could have just a small blizzard, right? Two miles later, Nope, not going to do it; the ribs were enough indulgence today. DQ is now just a mile away, screw it, I am having Ice Cream! The DQ driveway in sight, NO! In the DQ drive thru which is six cars deep, Ok, treat yourself to a blizzard already and walk it off later. At the drive thru window I order a Peanut Buster parfait and a Oreo Blizzard, pay a ridiculous $8+ and drive of with ice cream for the sweet teeth at home. None for me; Commitment wins, Temptation loses.

And later that evening my wife and I went out for a brisk walk to end it on a healthy note. Again a fine Labor Day yesterday. How was yours?

Tuesday it is today, back to work. My day today started with a drive into work. It was an oddly congested and I'll say adventurous drive. One which I decided to try & find some fun in by capturing some of it's emotions...

#%$@&!, Cut off by a squishy little car; I hate squishy little cars!

Argh, the squishy little car has NO brake lights and is getting bigger in my windshield extremely fast!

Ha Ha!... Local radio'heads talking about Illinois politics; best comedy on the air.

Soooo, when was the last time I used my moon roof?

PLEASE... why do trains run during peak commute time?!

Um... is that cow doing a heimlich maneuver on that other cow?

Really? I left home with my own barn door wide open...

If I had three wishes, what would I do with them?

Uh Oh!

Oooo, somebody knows how to dress for traffic.

Green, the light is GREEN, Yippee!!

So, how was your commute today?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!