Day 290 - Anatomy Lessons Hurt

Strong, and Sore; Alert, and Anxious; this is how I am feeling coming into this new week. Nacho the cat you see there is not any of these things; he works out with me often and here you see him catching his breath between sets of leg-lifts.

Back to me; Strong in mind and body today, the exercise of late has had allot to do with this. I find success in exercise does more to boost confidence than success in eating. Do both successfully and we see both confidence and pride carry us to even greater success. 

Some soreness is with me from yesterday's workout. I focused allot on my back yesterday and I achieved that goal apparently as either my latissimus dorsi, infraspinatus, or both on both my sides are letting me know they had a 'great' time. Yes I had to look up the name of the infraspinatus muscle; getting an anatomy education as I get healthy here.

My alertness refers to my being very conscious at present that my expectations of myself are increasing. The last two months of 2010 I coasted to a very-very-very slow weight loss, almost could call it maintenance over some specific weeks. January 2011 ends today and it has been a good month. One where I picked up the pace a tick or tock but as I noted in yesterday's weigh in post while my pace of loss is slow and steady by design I am aware that it is slower than I'd like.

That is where the anxiousness comes in, I intend to kick it up a notch or skosh. To succeed I need to focus on more consistent eating, maintain my steam in exercise, and be certain to enjoy the ride. I know I can do just that, and I am anxious to see it through. A little anxiety is not a bad thing, it shows that the topic at hand has my attention.

Last week was a decent week and I believe in part due to my pre-planning last Monday. That helped me to set up myself for success. Now, in the end it was decent success, not great, because my execution was not as crisp as needed for greatness.

Building off that for this week we will again start with some pre-planning on this Monday. Here are my plans for the three balls I feel I must juggle weekly to have a great week...

Eat with passion! We have set up the menu for this weeks dinners. As well my breakfasts are ready to be had and lunches at the office cafeteria can & will be healthy. We've approached this weeks dinner menu with a passion for healthy foods that are also foods we love; a winning combo!

Are your meals for the week planned?

Exercise with purpose! This week will see me do as follows; WEIGHTS on Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday. CARDIO on Monday, Friday & Sunday. Each weight session will be full body in general but have a specific area of focus as well. My purpose here is to learn more about what I get out of what I put into the exercise; I don't just want to do the exercise, I want to get to know it!

What is your exercise plan for the week?

Have fun with all I do! I am not fretting what the weather will be this week, or what deadlines loom at work, or what teenage drama will crop us at home; whatever comes my way I know I can not only handle it but have fun getting through it all. I am so done with dreading the realities of life. In nearly every pitch thrown at us fun can be had, that is if we have the proper definition of what fun really is. A topic worthy of more thought another day. 

Got fun in mind for this week?

 ENJOY!

 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 289 - 57% Progress

Good morning, well almost afternoon.

It is weigh in day for me, first in three weeks. The number three is key it seems as over the past three weeks I have lost three pounds. Good, not great but certainly as I tell many others; any loss is worth celebrating.

Over the past three weeks I have picked up my exercise effort, this past week especially. I can feel it, I feel it in energy levels, in strength, in stamina. And I am enjoying the feeling.

Over the past three weeks I have had great days of eating, and good days, and a few so-so days. Calorically the great days I am around 1800 calories in, good around 2000, so-so around 2400+... So it is very easy for me to see why I lost just three pounds. Eating consistency, plain and simple.

I am eating in a manner that is allowing me to lose weight slow and steady. Slow and steady has been my approach from day one and will remain so through to the end. Now that said, it is a bit slower than I'd like; about 1/2 pound a week slower than desired.

The adjustment needed to get that extra 1/2 pound a week off is not in exercise, nope just keep doing what I have been doing the past couple of weeks. Food, being more vigilant in my food intake and keeping the days intake consistently under 2000 calories will see it happen.

That's it, keeping it simple here in my review of my own performance on this mission... Doing good, having fun, and I understand I am capable of more and how to produce it.

In a sentence, how would you review your own performance?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 288 - Saturday Scrapbook

Saturday is here, and this weekend I am NOT SICK, sweeeet! So looking forward to some fun this weekend, although I have nothing planned at all... what about you, any plans?

Today I have a bunch of photos for you. Ok, not a bunch, just a few. More than 1, less than 10 is what I am thinking; let's see how many I find. Here we go...

Up top there you see a shot of me from yesterday, just decided to pose & shoot in the mirror. That is not a pic to celebrate any milestone being achieved, nope; it is just a pic for the fun of it. Below here is another from the side striking a dopey smile...

I did not eat this apple-fritter for breakfast...

Instead I ate this Chobani with fruit concoction...

A peek into one of my desk drawers at work, Hot Sauce & Excedrin are essential tools of the trade;
also the name of a bad Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute garage-band...

Oh come on, BOIL ALREADY...

source

My truck dashboard is where Eeyore calls home...

Crime is up and as well so is the attitude of this victim...

source



Last but not least, my weights-workout board...

Always a work in progress...
with the addition of free weight equipment you can see I am still noodling routines.
I also have scribbled in a core-routine including planks inspired by Yum Yucky.
Ignore the shopping list there, I was pondering a new creation; the Adult Ho-Ho Smoothie.


HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 287 - I Imagine It Is Real

source

Just wanted to share something I saw yesterday, a t-shirt with this on it:

Believe that anything you can imagine, you can make real.

Not certain of the origin of the quote but I think it was a recent slogan for Sony. Regardless, I like it... And I am imagining the following....

I imagine myself being able to walk on the beach (or wherever) shirtless and feel good about myself, void of the self-consciousness that plagues me today.

I imagine breeding a fat-free pig with all the flavor of a fat-fat pig.

I imagine all of those physical activities I was able to do in my 20's I will again be able to do in my 40's and beyond (not at the same times/pace/levels, but be able to do them start to finish).

I imagine the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series (Ok, there is nothing I can do to make this happen; a boy can dream).

I imagine earning my Masters Degree.

I imagine documenting all the inflections of the word 'dude'; I hear there are more than 30

I imagine celebrating my 50th wedding anniversary in 2049.

I imagine never again doubting my ability to be healthy, or anything else I believe I can be.

What do you imagine?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 286 - Got Core-Values ?

Chicken Hash

New recipes, most health bloggers like to take on the challenge of a new recipe. I know I certainly do. This past Tuesday I came across a recipe for Chicken Hash. After my wife & I did our cardio we whipped it up for dinner; there you see it pictured.

The picture doesn't do it justice, and if you ask my kids it doesn't deserve any justice. Simply it was too healthy for them. Beans are like boogers to them, my wife too. The sauce was tomato paste based, too thick and tomato'y flavored for them, thus it appealed to them like snot.

Oh well, I liked it just fine. You win some you lose some; and whenever you try to inject a better health option into your day you win regardless. Winning, we all want to win this mission to get healthy we are on. Not a day goes by a blogger doesn't post on how hard it is day in day out to win at this.

How do we win? Oh entire books have been written on that topic, I don't have a book in me. But I do have thoughts on what I believe to be a major ingredient in the recipe for winning; core-values.

It is relatively easy to scribble a list of characteristics we feel we ought to live by. Certainly this is an exercise we ought to perform, list out what defines us; what are our core-values. Have you done so recently? Or have you ever? Take a moment to do so today, this week, or hey how about now?

Here are the core-values I aspire to exhibit in my effort to win my own mission...

HONOR, holding myself to the highest ethical & moral standards. Respecting the needs others and myself while acting responsibility in my endeavors to better the same.

COURAGE, embracing fear so as to overcome it. Bringing the combined strength of my mind, body & beliefs to bear on all challenges.

COMMITMENT, living with determination and dedication. Striving with vigilance for excellence in life.

Now note above I said I aspire to exhibit these core-values. I will not pretend I do so consistently. I am not a Saint, just ask my Mother; second thought please don't ask her.

What I do know is that when I put honor, courage and commitment to practice I am more CONFIDENT, I am WILLING to take on greater challenge, I have more FUN, I am more VALUABLE to myself and others who depend upon me, I PERFORM at a higher level; I WIN.

What core-values do you aspire towards?

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 285 - Oops, I Did It Again...

So sorry for any of you that came here looking for some Britney Spears love. If you want that go HERE.

Recall last week I brought you this peek into my workout.

So, I was on a roll this past Monday and had another such moment and shot this for you...


Now was that not the best 79 minutes of entertainment no money could buy or what?

Hit me up with any chuckles, comments on form, the music in the background that I didn't realize would come over so loud, or referrals to a basement remodeler.

Yesterday was cardio day, me and the elliptical got busy!

Today is a day of rest, whew.

Food this week has been good

A few have asked, my next weigh-in is this coming Sunday; first in 3-weeks hopeful for great numbers.

How is your week going?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 284 - BYO Shout Outs

Welcome to the fun that never ends, it is a day I an calling Bring Your Own Shout Out.

Simply I am in the mood to send out some Shout Outs. Please read up and connect with these fine bloggers and then share some shout outs of your own either here or back on your blog...



Emmie over at Skinny Emmie hit a fabulous milestone, her 100+ pound barrier has fallen! Emmie is one of the most positive beacons out there!


Two Fit Chicks & A Microphone have just released their first podcast for 2011. I am big fan (but getting smaller) of Shauna's & Carla's blogs, works, and this podcast. Remember, you do not need an mp3 player to listen, just listen from your computer via the link there; ENJOY!


The Mission over at The Heavy Man also broke through his 100 pound barrier recently. Dude is looking good, flip through his daily pics holding up today's newspaper and you will see.


Josie over at Yum Yucky always has fun yet relevant stuff going on and right now she is doing a challenge called Plankmania. Check out those video of some brave challengers; I am going to give this a try later this week and see if I can produce an effort worthy of sending her. How about you, daring enough to get your plank on?


Renea over at Renea's Skinny Love hit me up with a food-pic yesterday I couldn't get out of my head. Thanks her, I will be trying Flatout Pizza in the near future.

Ok, there are some bloggers who have grabbed my attention lately, how about you...

Bring Your Own Shout Outs

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 283 - RIP Jack, and Here I Come!

source

Let's take a moment to say goodbye to a health & fitness pioneer, Jack LaLane.

Jack passed away yesterday at the age of 96.

NINETY-SIX, we should all be so lucky, and maybe we will if we make our own luck as Jack did.

Another week is here for us to take by the horns and break as we see fit... are you ready? If yes, cool - so am I! If not, Huh; why not?!

This picture below sucks because it shows my thinning head of hair (those of you who have come to know me understand that is jest as I could careless what my hair does; remember this photo).

But it was a cool action shot of me on the elliptical yesterday a split nano-second after I stumbled, my left iTouch ear bud fell out of my ear and I snared it with my teeth... yeah, I got skills!

Feeling good today, the cold that kept me tame for a few days has abated and I am amped for this week. This coming week is no different than any other before it, except that it is here. So, with that bit of obvious nonsense out of the way, what is the plan for this week?

Eat like a champion! Our menu is planned for this weeks dinners, I have what I need for breakfast and snacks, and I know what I need to do at the office cafeteria for lunches. Are your meals for the week planned?

Exercise like an veteran! Yep, I have been exercising now for what, 8'ish months?... I used my fingers so I think I counted that correctly. So I know what I need to do, but I also acknowledge I need to step it up and plan out when I will exercise, and I have; WEIGHTS on Monday, Thursday, Saturday. CARDIO on Tuesday, Friday, Sunday. What is your exercise plan for the week?

Have fun like a kindergartner! No, that does not mean I am going to make any macaroni-noodle art. But it does mean I am going to make meals fun by enjoying the company I keep, making meals together with my gorgeous wife, and I also already know the cool n'healthy meals I have planned. As well I am going to have fun exercising. My iTouch is ready to rock me through them, I am going to challenge myself on form and consistency start to finish, and I am going to try to exercise with my hot n'sexy wife too (read into that what you will). Perhaps a kindergartner wouldn't consider all of that fun, just think of me as a mature-kindergartner. Please tell me you have plans to have some fun this week; PLEASE!

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 282 - FINALLY, IT IS GAME DAY!!!

FINALLY, IT IS GAME DAY!!!

source

Feeling a bit better today. Going to give a bit of exercise a go this morning. Nothing too intense, but I feel the need to move and get the blood flowing before today's main event...

source

What is the main event you ask? Well the NFC Championship game this afternoon between the Chicago Bears and that team from Wisconsin, they dress in puke-green and a mule-urine yellow colors. I forget their name but whatever, they will be in Chicago today to challenge the Bears for the right to go to Super Bowl 45. My Prediction: BEARS 23, Packers 21

Game starts at 2pm this afternoon, so plenty of time this morning to get in some exercise; thinking elliptical. We'll see what moves me after breakfast.

There is another football game on this evening, the Jets at the Steelers. My voice may be shot by the time they kick off. My blood pressure may be at an all time high. But I'll do my best to settle back down to follow that game. My Prediction: Jets 29, Steelers 20

What about you, have any predictions?

Or, if not following the NFL just what are you doing today?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 281 - Saturday Is Supposed To Be FUN

Saturday is for fun, or so I hear. So what are we doing today?

My wife just did the bills and is working on our taxes, she is an accountant type person; still not even she finds that fun.

My one son is at a wrestling meet, it is late in the season and he so wants it to be over; so he is not having as much fun as he wants.

My other one son is sick with a cold, just woke up feeling it this morning; so not fun for him. I think I know who he got it from.

My other other one son is still asleep, slacker; perhaps he is having a fun dream.

My daughter went to a sleepover last night at a friends house, which means they probably went to bed at 5 a.m.; likely she had fun.

My cats, oh they are all asleep of course; soon I'll sprinkle catnip on the carpet for my own entertainment - meow.

Myself, SICK! It's been creeping in over the past two days and settled in last night. So blahs'ville for me today. In the picture up top there is Me, hello; settling in to munch some steel-cut oatmeal w/ strawberries & honey before busting out this post.

Yeah, not happy about the fun-o-meter dipping south at the moment, it happens. Even so, I am game for a laugh. I saw this recently, I think on Facebook; I forget who I lifted it from so not sure who to credit, heck it may have been one of you. I got a giggle out of it, and as I currently feel like one of these glasses; seems like a good time to share it. Hope you enjoy too...

HAVE A GREAT & FUN WEEKEND!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 280 - You Can Quote Me, It Is COLD

Yep, I am sure it is cold where you are too. Well, a few of you live in Florida or Hawaii or in the Southern Hemi I know; but a majority of us have awaken to a cold frigid friggin morning. As you can see from the pic of my vehicles temp, -9F is what I was greeted to when I left the house at 6 a.m. today.

Ok, so it is cold. We have to work with what we got so lets enjoy some famous, or infamous, tidbits about COLD...

“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.” -Bill Watterson (author of Calvin and Hobbes)
My take; the stack of Calvin and Hobbes books in my son's room is a certain give way of his love of that comic strip. As far as bad moods, I see no use in them and try to avoid them as much as possible. Thus, I am forgivable to a fault.

“It doesn't matter if the water is cold or warm if you're going to have to wade through it anyway” -Teilhard de Chardin (a French philosopher)
My take; sure much like a mission to get healthy no matter what your attitude is about the work that lay ahead, cold or warm, you have got to wade into it if it is going to get done.

“I will have naught to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath” -Aesop (Ancient Greek story-teller)
My take; Whatever

“He receives comfort like cold porridge.” -William Shakespeare
My take; Huh, what do you know, Shakespeare knew my father.

“Three feet of ice does not result from one day of cold weather.” -Chinese Proverb
My take; Yep, three layers of blubber did not form on my carcass from one day of bad eating.

Alright, I think that is enough. So it is cold. Not going to let it get me down. It is warm in the office and yes I am grateful I do not work outside for a living, I will eat hot food and skip the salad bar this day, I will be healthy indoors as it really isn't hard, and I can't wait for the Bears game on Sunday; GO BEARS!

That is me this a.m. at work, we were granted the OK to wear the jersey of the team we support today; otherwise it is business casual everyday here. Being so close to the IL/WI border there will be a fair amount of folks wearing Green Bay Packer jerseys today; punks! Also a few Steeler jerseys as for some odd reason there is a number of exiled Steeler fans in this community, even a bar not far from here that is all things Steelers. I'll be shocked if I see a Jets jersey (sorry Kelly)... as I said GO BEARS!

So how cold is it where you are today and are you letting it get you down?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 279 - Give Me Teased & Taunted Over Self-Pity & Guilty

Is anyone else here an admitted yo-yo dieter? I am raising my hand here, which is hard leaving me to type with one hand.

Even after 278 days into this latest mission, the longest I have ever been on to seriously drop allot of weight; even now I still feel I am still struggling to stay focused on doing what I ought to do day in and day out. Even when I try hard and use my happy-focused face (see picture), it isn't always easy.

It is the mind-game of it all that really is the struggle though. By now I would hope this would be so 2nd-nature and that my mind would have stopped entertaining desires for vats of ice cream wrapped in bacon smothered in cheese sauce with a side of buffalo wings. But my mind still does taunt me so. Perhaps it always will.

I suppose there is an alternative; I could just give in. Oh how easy that would be. My mind would be at ease. Or would it? Wouldn't it just begin to taunt me in reverse, heaping scoops and ladles full of guilt upon me for diving into that which will keep me obese until my unfortunate death at a young age? Oh I know my mind would do just a thing.

So, I guess it is a choice of which mind-game I want to play. The game of being teased & taunted to eat what I know I shouldn't. Or the game of being self-pity & guilty for eating what I know I shouldn't.

I am choosing to accept the fact that I will be teased & taunted, perhaps forever, while hoping with all my super-hero powers that they will abate over time. And if not, I know I am strong enough to survive their assault upon my mind. I have to be - it is that simple; I have to be stronger than my temptations.

Which choice have, or will, you make?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 278 - Splat, Thwack, Plop

source

Over the past day I consciously scribbled down where my mind wandered to see if it was worthy of sharing with anyone. While I don't know if it is worthy, I am sharing it anyways with you. Feel honored, or horrified, or just feel something please. Without further nonsense, my wandering mind...

Why are there not more blue foods? Blueberries is about it, right?

Stop signs shouldn't be octagons, they should be random shapes. Cool would be a tangential quadrilateral taunting you to stop.

Nope, I do not know anyone that owns a Volvo. Never have. Will I ever?

I wonder why Jack and Jill really went up the hill? And did Jack fall down because he wasn't healthy enough for hill climbing??

When I was going out all night all was cool, then someone said all the freaks come out at night; they couldn't have been talking about me!

Someone told me today that creative people are more healthy. Hmmm, one word; Van Gogh. Make that two.

Boring meetings would be so much more interesting if only I could draw, should have paid attention in art class!

I know it never really rains cats and dogs because it never smells like wet fur?

Sham-Wow, what a waste of money that was!

I would kill for some watermelon. Ok, kill is a bit strong, unless the Sham-Wow guy was between me and some watermelon.

Guess what... Chicken Butt! 

Green Bay SUCKS!
 
Ice tea or Hot Tea? Ah, Pepsi Max it is :-)
 
Would it be wrong to just eat honey right out of the jar?

Colonel Mustard in the Study with the Wrench, for the WIN!


說可是那對 男姓王 唷

12-21, 2012, Bring it On!

Cats go meow. Dogs go ruff. Now that we got that straight...

On that note, Have a Great Day!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 277 - Who Knows Why I Did...

First, many know Dawn, some may not. Dawn has just underwent surgery to lift / re-do herself after losing 200 pounds in recent years. Her long anticipated journey to this day has arrived and last word received is she is back in her room and presumably fine. Hit her up with a kind word in your travels through the blogs today.

In search for an old photo of me I randomly went to a year in out digital library, chose 2004. I found this beauty of me receiving an early Christmas gift. Wow, that is one big dude there. Somewhere in the 320's I am guessing. Ugh, Double Ugh!

Yesterday I came home a tad early to beat winter traffic during a sleet & snow downfall. Not a storm, just a steady all day drone of the stuff; enough to double my usual 40 minute commute.

So being home early what do I do? Well I workout of course. Did cardio the past two days, thus today is weight training day. So I changed from my business casual garb & jumped into a mix-match of sweat pants & a tshirt and head into the basement.

A good 15 minutes of stretching and then a round of core specific exercises I do from time to time; meaning I am not as consistent with core exercises as I ought to be. From there on to the upper body workout. Not 10 minutes goes by and I get bored. Oh the workout was going fine, I just had a wandering mind. Probably because I was alone in the basement minus a cat chasing who knows what over yonder.

My anti-boredom solution? Who knows why I did this but I grabbed my iTouch & made a video...

Ok if you watched that perhaps you have validation as to my boredom. When the idea to do this hit me I had ideas of making a few more. But after viewing this take I figured not a good idea; how exciting is watching someone bench press? Instead of deleting it as my intuition suggested, I am not one to keep a chuckle to myself, hope you enjoyed.

Couple of clarifications from the video...

• In it I said I had 45 plates on to get started, I did have 45s on but it wasn't my first set; this was my 3rd. I meant get 'started' on the video.
• The bright light, it is what it is; a light bulb. Hope it wasn't too annoying.
• This was actually the 2nd take of this video, the first was about 11 seconds long. That's when I remembered the shirt I was wearing. I turned it inside out for take-two; it is a very politically-sharp shirt and I really don't like to mix my politics in with this blog.
• I pointed out the "Fitness Warrior" towel I have hastily hung on the background for motivation; if you aren't familiar with Bobbie's goods check her out.
• Finally, I really chose not to make another video because messing around with setting if up was interrupting my workout too much. Oh I'll fiddle with it again someday just for fun, maybe you can watch me do sit ups soon!

 What do you do when in the middle of a workout and boredom hits?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 275-276 Weekend Man Mode

Good Morning Bloggers, Happy MLK Day & welcome to a new week of whatever it is you want life to be. Hopefully a great weekend was had by all.

This weekend I was very much in man-mode. The NFL playoffs had allot of my attention especially since my team, the Chicago Bears, were playing. Of the four games I was very pleased with the results in three of them; only the win by Green Bay wrinkled an otherwise perfect weekend.

Yesterday twitter was alive and a few of us regular blogger types mixed it up for a bit; Francis @hipcop, Simon @Cyclingsi, the uber Jet fan of Jet fans Kelly @kellyespitia, and a few others. Good time, especially since the Bears won! Then when the games were over and the tweets turned to whatever awards show was on, I faded into the back ground and bed was my destiny.

The picture up top there is from our cafeteria at work last week. Yes those are cupcakes decorated with Chicago Bears helmets. There were also cookies shaped like helmets & footballs tempting the fans. I abstained and instead chose cottage cheese to quell my hunger that morning...

This weekend I found time to tackle the elliptical each day before the football games grabbed my attention, see...

And I ate fairly well too. I say fairly as i did eat too much of good things at times. Here is a great Grilled Chicken Salad my wife whipped up just in time for the Bears game...

Ready or not it is Monday, have a great day, great week!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 274 - I am Irresistibly Sweet

Saturday is here, sweet!

No real big plans this weekend. My wife has been fighting a naggy cold all week so depending on how she feels when she wakes up that will go a ways to determining whether it is a quiet weekend at home or if we venture out a ways.

Exercise is in my plans for this weekend. I did not get in as much during the week as I wanted. Now I know I cannot make up for lost exercise and I don't plan to try. But I want this weekend to include a couple of excellent work outs because I need them and I get a great rush at the end of a work out which was challenging, executed well and leaves me sweating.

Yesterday I received a very sweet surprise in the form of  The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award which Stephanie of She's In There Somewhere honored me with. I must say that is one delicious award.

With this award I need to list five guilty pleasures and then pass this on to three fabulous (& sweet) bloggers that I know and love; so here we go...

Let me do this backwards and hit up the trio of sweet bloggers to honor:
Karen @ Sunshine's Heart
MandaPanda @ Candyland To Bandland
Patsy @ Musings on a 100+ Weight Loss Journey

So, five guilty pleasures, hhmmm...


source

Bacon!
Bacon is romantic
Bacon is sexy
Bacon is intoxicating
Bacon is the secret to world peace
Bacon is the perfect vegetable
I LOVE Bacon

source

Buffalo Wings
We served wings at our wedding.
Wings are part of just about every party we host.
Even on my weight losing ways I enjoy wings once a week.








source

Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby
OMG, the best ice cream this side of Neptune.
Pretzels in Ice Cream - BRILLIANT!












source

White Almond Bark.
My Grandma would make this for me every year at the holidays.
That was the only time of year I got this treat.
These days my wife & daughter make it for me at the holidays.
They come real close to Grandma's work, close.








source


Labatt Blue, my favorite beer on the planet.
Yep, I am as patriotic an American as there is, but Americans just can't brew great beer.
Oh we brew some good ones, but great ones, not.












Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 273 - Oh You Have Time

source

I can count on more hands than can be found holding beer cans at a Nascar race the number of excuses I have used for not working out. One of my favorites, "If I exercise today I won't have the energy I want for that really hard workout I have planned tomorrow!"

But I don't want to go on here about excuses for not exercising. Oh no, I want to get into the remedy, the things you can do to make time to exercise. Now I have to say, I am writing this because I admit that I need to find more time to do so. So, here is what I am thinking; just maybe you need to think about this too...

Tele-commute more often. I do have the option to work from home when desired. I choose not to unless I really need to because I crave the face time with the people I work with, even the people I find as friendly as vultures in a desert. But on days I do work from home I can easily convert that 60-80 minutes of drive time into exercise time.

Sleep less, or sleep faster which ever feels more comfortable. I am going to try the sleep faster technique and if it doesn't work I will wake up 30 minutes earlier and get in a focused mini-work out before getting lost in the tasks of the day.

Give up stuff that wastes my time. Some quick possibilities... watching television - such a suck-hole of life; shopping - I hate shopping of all types with a passion, some forms I can pay others to do for me I bet; doing other peoples work for them - this applies at work, home and places in between.

Read less. Oh I don't mean stop reading but there are book shelves of under-appreciated short-stories out there. Put down the 3-400 page best selling novel and pick up some compilations written by authors that can get to the point in 30 pages of less. When the story is done, the sweating starts!

And if those don't work, just  make time. Seriously, have you ever looked at a clock and noticed how much wasted spaces is between the numbers? Reduce by 1/12th the space between those numbers and add a 25th & 26th hour to the day. Eureka, now I have a new two hour window to work out every day!

Yep, I took some creative liberties in my thoughts.

Creative or otherwise, hit me up with some additions to this list please.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 272 - Food Speak, Sort Of

source

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons." -Alfred E. Newman
My 2-cents; Lemonade is like lays potato chips, you can't eat/drink just one.

source

“What is man, when you come to think upon him, but a minutely set, ingenious machine for turning with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine?" -Isak Dineson, Danish author
My 2-cents; I hate wine!

source

“Salsa has now passed ketchup as America's favorite condiment. Isn't that amazing? You know it's bad when even our vegetables are starting to lose their jobs to Mexico.” -Jay Leno, on the Tonight Show
My 2-cents; Salsa is awesome & I make a killer salsa, recipe here for your enjoyment.


source

“An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." -H.L. Mencken
My 2-cents; Cabbage scent in the kitchen is a welcome scent in my book. Boiled, fried, raw, my cabbage!

Yep, that is all I have today.

In a mellow mood and a bit shallow on thoughts.

Some days less is more, right?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 271 - Stylish Blogger Award

Good Morning one and all! Hope all are enjoying the whether it has been filled with snow and hot chocolate, or, sun and chocolate milk.

We received about six inches over a days time here in the Chicago area. Which is akin to a fly buzzing about for a few seconds; easy stuff for the hearty folks here. Nothing was shut down, the roads moved with minimal slow down due to conditions; it was a tame dose of fluffy light harmless snow. Those of you that endured the not so nice dose of sloppy heavy nasty snow, bummer;it'll melt soon enough.

Yesterday I was graced with the honor of receiving a blog award. Thank you to Michele and Josh @ Healthy Cultivations for honoring me with this Stylish Blogger Award. Check them out if you have not yet done so; great site for awesome food pics and thoughts on being mindful in eating and life.

Ok, some business for me in accepting this award:

1. Post and link back to the person who awarded you this award;
2. Share 7 things about yourself;
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers (or as many as you can); and
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

I can do that, here we go...1. Did that above.

2. Seven Things, whew, see if I can come up with some winners
--1-- I do not have a myspace account, perhaps I should apologize to the 500 people that they just laid off.
--2-- Rye bread is my favorite, if it is not rye bread it really is just a sponge made out of food
--3-- I do NOT get what folks get all excited for Shark Week on television; that is cool why?
--4-- I have used the snow blower only once this winter; I now shovel by choice!
--5-- Watching the news on TV to be so 1992 and thus rarely do; by the time the news comes on TV I already know it all thanks to my blackberry or laptop.
--6-- I truly believe that Rachael Ray wants me; don't tell my wife please.
--7-- I'd run for President but I have a moral issue with being paid for doing nothing; but if I change my mind and win you better believe I am serving venison at the inauguration luncheon.

3. Hmmm, 15 recently discovered great bloggers, not all are recent but let me recognize...
Zineb @ Losing My Baby Weight
Carrie @ Family Fitness Food
Rinn @ Ring Around Rinn
Chubby McGee @ A Mom On A Journey To get Fit Forever!
Suzanne @ Scared Of Wearing A Bathing Suit
Darla @ My Winning Year 2011
Stephanie @ She's In There Somewhere
John @ Prior Fat Guy
C. @ The Evolution of Me
Mrs. D @ In Pursuit
Kelly @ KellyisLosingWeight - I am a Future Thin Girl!
Michele @ Ruminations and Uncovering: Toward a New ME!
Anne @ How I am Losing It
Cinner @ ME, MY FOUR CHINS AND I
andi @ My Quest for a Yummy Life!

4. Done

Have a Great Day!


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 270 - The ABC's of My Fridge, Come Inside

First, allow me to say WOW - Very inspiring the comments received yesterday. My post spoke of having a daily talk with yourself to maintain momentum and several spoke of a more frequent self talk. Bravo to all I say!

So today I thought I'd give you a peak inside our refrigerator/freezer. I must warn you, its contents really do not look like what you might expect to find in the home of someone trying to lose weight. Keep in mind, I have four teenagers whose idea of eating healthy is having grilled onions on their bacon double cheese burger.

Up top there you see the it in it's most innocent view. It's outside shiny & peaceful, or maybe just shiny. A mess of stuff hangs off of it...
A- Grocery lists, TWO. The one on the left is for Costco on a Happy Bunny note pad; the right for Target or Dominicks on a Curious George note pad. In case you are wondering, the Curious George note pad is MINE!
B- A bunch of refrigerator magnets. The one being pointed out there is Garfield; no doubt trying to get inside in search of lasagna.
C- Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup Championship towel, just in case you needed a reminder before your snack.

Ok, let us see what is inside...

Lots of yummy stuff in here. We'll look inside the deli/veg compartments later, inside the main area we find...
A- Greek Yogurt. Nobody eats this but me. This week it is Fage, next week maybe Chobani; whatever is on sale.
B- B is for Beverages. A Brita Water Dispenser keeps me hydrated. When water won't cut it, plenty of adult beverages; left to right Jack Daniels malt something-or-other for my wife, Chili Pepper flavored beer which I received as a gift, and Miller Lite in case John Madden stops by.
C- Leftovers galore! There you see a couple of baked potatoes still in foil, a container with pork chops, another with pasta in sauce, and the little one has pineapple chunks. Wednesday is usually leftover night.

So, what is to be found stored in the doors?

The left door, has less storage space as the ice maker is behind it. But still, some cool goods to be had here...

A- V8 Tomato Juice, I have a 5.5 oz can every day. Good Stuff!

B- Kids eat here, or I mean, kids sauce their food from here. Nasty commercial asian themed sauces which all have enough sugar to send anyone into a coma.

C- I am a man of convenience, hence I buy egg whites in a carton even though separating them by hand is pretty easy.

On to the other door...

Right door, simply just condiments...

A- Cream Cheese in all shapes & sizes of containers. You saw bread & bagels in the main compartment, have to have sour cream for those I hear... neither the bagels or cream cheese is eaten by me; almost never!

B- Amongst the ketchup and mustard what is this rare find highlighted here? Why yes, it is Bacon Flavored Mayo! Heaven in a jar my friends; HEAVEN!

C- Hot Sauce & Buffalo Wing Sauce are more popular in our house than milk or soda pop.

As promised, the deli/veg compartments...

As expected meats & cheeses can be found here...

A- Well also here is some healthy stuff in this veggie compartment; a bag of salad, carrots and green onions. I put this compartment to good use.

B- CHEESE, so many to choose from! We are only 15 minutes from Wisconsin, have to support the neighbors to the north.

C- Left to right, Venison snack-stix and bacon; Ok now I am hungry!

Just one more and we're done...

The Freezer, ours is below the refrigerator. Here is the stuff we use either frequently or will soon. In the basement is a monster-sized upright freezer with a ton of meat inside, oh and frozen waffles too. But back to this freezer...

A- A package of green beans in case someone burns themselves and needs a cold compress.

B- Meat-a-palooza; Pork Shoulder, Pork Chops, Chicken Breasts, Beef Roast

C- Ground meat; beef and venison, have to have variety!

Ok, I am done, your turn; what is in your refrigerator?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 269 - Do Tell; How Do You Feel About...

Day TEN of the New Year. Yes, the year is already approximately 1/36th over. Boy, that went fast.

So tell me, tell all of us, or if you insist just tell yourself... but do tell; How do you feel about yourself so far in 2011?

If you are a Resolution setter, how have you done sticking to them through 10 days?

Not a Resolutionist, Ok; how are you doing period in your quest to get/stay healthy?

Oh, and I must apologize to you. As I said this is day TEN. I should have asked you these questions on day TWO. Yes, I am assuming we all succeeded in accomplishing our intent on day ONE.

Simply my point is this; each and every day we wake up we need to ask ourselves that question; how are we doing period in our quest to get/stay healthy?

I get the sense some of us only ask ourselves this, and truly give it due thought, once a week or so. This is not a question to ponder only when we weigh-in once a week. This is not a question to ponder only when we flip the calendar page to a new month.

Daily, daily daily; talk to yourself. Challenge your self to be honest about what you are doing to achieve that which you want. If it is not working out as desired, then keep talking to yourself. Don't worry who is looking on wondering why you are taking to yourself, ignore the peanut gallery & just keep talking. Ask yourself, what has to change to get the momentum and progress you need? Do not accept excuses, don't blow smoke up your own backside.

Just keep talking and then get busy doing what you & yourself have agreed to.

Have a nice chat and a great day!

Oh, the picture above, just a random pic of me using the treadmill over the holidays; OORAH!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 268 - 55% Progress

It's weigh-in day, weigh-in day, weigh-in day... that would be the day I weigh-in.

Feeling good about this weigh in too as I've dropped 2 pounds this past week. Cool, that is 2 pounds closer to my goal weight of 199! Since starting this mission last April I've dropped 55% of the weight I have set out to drop. Oh Yeah!

This past week I have been vigilant about tracking my calories & exercise. In part inspired by Bobbie over at Anonymous Fat Girl who gave us THIS amazing post last weekend. I've been using the Lose It! app on my iTouch and this week I calculated a calorie deficit of 6,809 calories. That calculates oh-so close to 7,000 which is the calories one needs to burn to lose 2 pounds. So Bobbie, thanks again for that post! Check it out folks if you missed it.
Big temptation challenge today; family birthday party. We'll be convening the families over at Bill's Pub to celebrate those who turn a year older this month. Bill's is known for it's pizza and also serves up an dang-good bacon-cheese-fry appetizer which I will have none of. I will have some pizza, but very little. I've been here a few times over the past year and have done well to restrain myself. I expect today to be another such day of restraint.

Let me close this post by giving another shout-out. This guy is a blogger who had allot to do with me getting off to a great start on my mission. I recall receiving great advice from him on topics such as how to restrain yourself when going to parties, brunches, etc.. 

Over the past few months he has become largely absent from the blogs and as is true with so very many who fade from the blogs, his progress with his own mission to be healthy has faded. He has allowed himself to justify poor habits and put back on a chunck of weight. But, he did grace us from his blog last Monday where he owned up to just that (how else would I have known his state) and he let us know WHY... I have no doubt Kyle has what it takes to rebound and hope to see him posting that he is doing just that soon. 

Have a Great Sunday everyone!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!