Day 386 - 387: Sister, Mothers & Gas

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and especially their Mothers Day celebrations. My wife & I got away on Saturday to continue the celebration of her birthday and start the Mothers Day festivities. We took off to our backyard play ground, Wisconsin. The Wollersheim Winery was the destination (pictured above). There we picked up a case of wine as we do each trip. We also picked up the gifts for our mothers there, ceramic wine chillers. Of course we couldn't give the moms just wine chillers without a bottle of wine in each.

On the way up there we gassed up in Milwaukee, here is the price of gas (cheap stuff) there...

 Cheapest we've seen around home it in well over a month, so we gassed up there on the way up & back.

We stayed in Pweaukee (a burb of Milwaukee) Saturday night. There we dined at Thunder Bay Grille which has been a favorite of ours for a decade. All of us who are serious about making a better life for ourselves embrace change. Change is good, change is needed if we want to see a better result from our efforts. And a different result from the recent changes in menu and style is what I believe Thunder Bay Grille will see. And not for the better. Seriously, we were disappointed. This rustic northwoods centric restaurant went modern in a bad way. It used to stand apart from its competition, now it reflects at least a dozen other places in the Milwaukee area. Oh well, we had a good decade, best of luck to them.

After dinner we went out to Champps to watch the Nascar race and NBA playoff games while knocking back a couple of beers and just hanging out. Along the way we felt the need to fill in the corners left from our dinner experience. To do that we ordered a hot pretzel from the apps menu. I was expecting a pretzel like you'd get at the ball game, but to my surprise and horror this is what we got...

 Not healthy, not one bit. But it was good I must admit. And so was our time together eating this, drinking Leinenkugel's and Spotted Cow, excellent day with my wife!

Back home on Sunday we took in a soccer game for our sophomore, they lost 0-6; way to go winning one for Mom guys. And then off to meet our Mom's for dinner at Bonefish Grill which never disappoints; lets hope they don't embrace too much change.

Dinner was in Schaumburg, IL which is a Chicago suburb. On the way there I snapped this picture of the typical gas price there...

Ugly ugly ugly that gas marquee is. Way too ugly to just end this post on such a downer note. So let me move to a final bit of positive news to share.

This past Saturday my sister walked the stage at Olivet Nazarene University with her Masters of Arts in Teaching. How cool is that!

Congrats Kim & best of luck in that your search to secure a full time teaching position will be a short one.

OK, that is how I spent my weekend, how did you spend yours?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 368 - Three Something Wednesday

Not much response to the riddle, trivia yesterday. Perhaps a bad selection from the fun bag on my part. Lets give it another day and see if anyone takes a peek back to yesterday for a crack at any of these before I give out the answers. I know one member of my family who I believe peeks in here from time to time should recognize that castle. "Should", being the operative word there.

So what shall we do today?

Lets do something responsible for ourselves, something sincere for someone else, and something a few notches outside of our comfort zones.

Here are my three somethings...

For Myself:
Spend some time in reflection upon a commitment I've made? No More Fast Food.
A year ago yesterday I made that commitment. For the last 8 months of 2010 I bet I didn't eat a fast food meal more than 5 times in total. Here in 2011, I bet I've had a dozen. While not a all out fall of the wagon collapse of this commitment, I think it is safe to say I have a limb or two hanging over the wagons edge.

Today I am committing to getting those limbs safely back within the wagon but reaffirming to that commitment to change. Next week I expect to be released from the hold I've been placed on from lifting weights and strenuous exercise while I recover from last weeks surgery. I will be ready; man I can't wait to grip that bar and knock it around. Fast food will not benefit me in any way towards reaping maximum benefit from that exercise. Choosing to eat No More Fast Food will!

For Someone Else:
I am hoping others, YOU,  who read this will join me in this sincere act for someone else.
The someone else is Lynda over at Taking Less Space. In her post linked there from yesterday she stepped up bravely and owned up to having slipped up hard on the diet yo-yo. Please go read for yourself and help her any way you can.

For Lynda, this is what I have for her to ponder this day... Think, just stop and think quietly (after you read this post of course). Listen to the voices inside right now, who do you hear? I am willing to bet the $3.49 in my pocket that your Evil Inner Dialogue is back and louder than ever. Now listen harder to that evil, can you identify what its been feeding off of that has pumped up it's volume in your head? Find it, whatever it is, and focus on improving/eliminating that one loudest source of evil. For now, forget about all the other sources of angst, today they are not important. One day, today, you can choose to find & fix the primary root of your weight gain. This you can do, today, tomorrow and any day you choose.

Outside My Zone:
I'm going to have some fun with this one, I can't help myself; sorry (not). I have a personal purchase to make soon; not going to say what it is here to protect surprise factor from onlooking eyes. In most buying situations I do not haggle price much if at all. This item does have some room for price haggling. So I am going to haggle my face off.

The amount I may be able to haggle down is irrelevant as I have no intention of making the actual buy today, my need today is product comparison. The fun will come from observing the reactions of the store sales people as I drag them through a haggling that is really more of a hazing.

Do you have three somethings?

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 228 - MORE Go The Distance PLEASE

December is here and that means that challenge known as November Go The Distance is over and December Go The Distance is here. Use that link there to get involved with December's challenge if you have it in you to do so. These are the creation of and are hosted by the super-cool Fat Girl vs World. December's challenge has been expanded/improved to include personal pages for a variety of goal setting options which each individual participant can personalize. Best to check it out to see what I mean.

In wrapping up November Phil from Couch Potato to 10K has been honored with guest posting a summary of that months challenge; that good read awaits you HERE. For myself, I came up short on hitting my November goal; I walked/jogged 32 of the 35 mile goal I set so I completed 91% of my goal. No excuse for missing 100% other than I waned in planning my exercise as well as I had been. Oh I suppose I could say that I allowed other factors like hunting and holidays to occupy my mind and hinder my attention to exercise. They certainly did, but that is just an excuse, and not one I can accept.

Still, In October I did 25 miles. Thus November was an improvement month to month. December is here and my goal is 40 miles. I have no excuse not to hit it. I am off work the last two weeks of the year and if I don't hit it, well then I deserve to have my blogging license revoked.

These changes I am making are not as difficult as they are painful at times to adopt. They are for a lifetime and I need act like I understand that. One such way is planning my exercise into my days/weeks no matter what else is going on within my environment at the moment. Remember that word; environment. I'll be touching on it more this coming weekend when I weigh-in next.

So I wrap up November for myself with this lesson / reminder...

• Plan to succeed not matter what my/your environment may be
• Accept nothing less of myself/ourselves than giving my/our all to this plan
• Improve one battle at a time, one day at a time, with unwavering faith in myself/ourselves
• Necessary, recognize that this mission is necessary and embrace that it will never end even when I/we become great at that which I/we aspire to be

 

My mission here is to become great at being healthy. In 2010 I became better at it than I was in 2009. That fact is awesome, but it is not enough for me to be better at it; I feel I need to be great at it because it is, because I am, that important.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 216 - Attitude Change Charge

When I was a young adult I didn't have an appreciation for attitude and it's role in success. After a trio of decades I began to acknowledge how a positive and aggressive attitude could make the difference in the results in teams at work. Applying the right attitude injects ability into that which is worth doing.

For me, experience was needed for that realization to emerge. In my fourth decade I discovered the application of attitude also works at home. An attitude of respect and appreciation applied at home launches our contribution to each other and emboldens our courage to overcome the trials of marriage and family.

In my fifth decade I now understand, finally, that it is attitude more than anything which I can leverage to become better as a person. Finally, I get it. Attitude has been the key to every professional and relationship success I have enjoyed. Attitude is what will see me succeed in my personal mission. Attitude more so than the technique I apply my mission; more so than action plan I adopt, more so than the knowledge I summon to my cause; Attitude when embraced changes impossible into inevitable.

Embrace your Attitude.

Enable desired Change.

Enjoy being in Charge.

.

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 136 - Tagged I Am

Excellent day yesterday at the eating and at the exercise. Balance, portion and yum all accounted for well. The dumbbell routine thrashed my upper body quite well as did the push ups. Sit ups too, it was just over a week ago I re-discovered my ability to even do sit ups once again. Now five sets of them are part of my exercise routine. So good day yesterday on the getting healthy front. How about you, was yesterday a good health day for you?

Before I forget, the answer to yesterday's picture riddle; a Strawberry Smoothie!

Jo was the first to guess a smoothie, Lori followed her up with the exact flavor of strawberry. I was afraid that was going to be too easy yet when guesses like cheese, meats, tile and a baseball bat started rolling in I backed off of that fear. And LEGS, a bunch of guesses it was a leg, this I didn't expect and got a great chuckle from, fun! Ok, whose ready for a smoothie?

Let's keep the fun a rollin here; Rapunzel has tagged me which requires me to answer 8 questions about myself then make up 8 new questions to tag 8 of you with! Without further delay here are the 8 she gave to me...

1. What is the biggest change you've made that's helped you succeed in your weight loss efforts?
A: On my blog I have listed 8 changes which I have committed myself to, it is hard to say which is the biggest impacting change. If pressed to choose one, #4 Reward Myself For Success. For me I've come to embrace that being healthy has to be fun, you have to enjoy it if you expect to be healthy for a life time. Rewarding myself when I attain goals I've set, now that is FUN!

2. What's your toughest temptation?
A: BACON!!! I love it, I would wrap myself in it if I didn't think I'd be tossed in a straight-jacket. I still enjoy bacon, but a slice or two a week is all. Not 1/2 pound in a single sitting.

3. What program are you following? (WW, South Beach, etc)
A: None. Eating healthy & exercising, it is just that simple. I do try and keep bad carbs in check, but it would be wrong to say I am on a low carb diet. I've come to learn when you have a food addiction living healthy in spite of it is all about being mentally strong. The program, or non-program, you choose is irrelevant until you have set your mind straight that you are going to get healthy. Not just try & do it, nope, that you ARE going to DO IT. Once your mind is set, then figure how how you want to do it and it will happen.

4. Who has been your biggest fan and supporter?
A: My wife. She knows how important this is to me, to us. Even though she knows that my getting healthy means I will be around allot longer, she still wants me to do it :-)

5. Any naysayers who've attempted to sabotage your efforts?
A: Not really. I read that some bloggers get emails from other bloggers criticizing them for this or that. I have had none of that. I may be my biggest naysayer. Even though I am more confident & positive than I ever have been about being healthy, I still have a daily episode where I tempt myself to have just one trip through the drive thru or order the 20 ounce rib eye just this once. While one of anything may really be ok, luckily I have not listened to the argument because I fear one will turn to two, then three, and then I may as well forget it. Me, only I can sabotage this mission.

6. Do you have a favorite "legal" food that helps keep you on track?
A: Fruit. I have never eaten so much fruit. Fruit has replaced most of my snacks. And I believe you have to have between meal snacks; at least I do. So apples now replace potato chips. Peaches replace candy bars. Grapes & Cherries replace donuts & fritters (OMG I miss fritters). You get the picture - eat your fruit people!

7. How do you see your life changing once you reach goal?
A: See my bucket list on my blog under the page titled: "MYSELF". I will actually be able to do all of that. ALL of it. At 320 pounds (where I started this mission) it was a pipe-dream list. When I get to 199 or below it will be a list of stuff that will be done; whether that stuff wants me doing it or not - I am doing it!

8. What's your dream outfit once you get to goal? You know we all have one! :)
A: Come on Rapunzel, you can't gather this on your own, you have to ask? The swim suit worn in the movie Borat of course! Seriously, I have never ever ever, no way have I ever, never have I felt comfortable in a suit. My hope is that by being fit, I can get a new tailored suit and feel good in it. Not that I'd wear it often, but when I need to, knowing I can feel good in it would be oh so nice.

Ok, here are the 8 Bloggers I would like to TAG next...

1. Dee
2. toosexy4thisfat
3. Blue
4. Keelie
5. River
6. Kyle
7. Michael
8. Luke

Here are your 8 questions, enjoy & be sure to tag other...

1. You can have one super power, what would it be?
2. Which do you see as more important, diet or exercise?
3. If we're forced to become vegetarians by law could you do so or would you frequent the black market for meat?
4. Do you consider the word 'Obese' to be a proper word to define those extremely over-weight, or do you consider it to be improper if not a hateful word?
5. Do you believe that Elvis died on August 16, 1977 or was his death a conspiracy cover up?
6. How much water do you drink a day and do you agree that water intake of 8 glasses a day or more is critical to a healthy body?
7. Aliens have invaded earth and landed a mile from your house, do you run for the hills, do you grab a weapon & charge, or do you try and communicate with them?
8. Is your current approach to getting healthy an approach you consider to be fun and can you do it for the rest of your life? 

Have Fun!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 121 - Three For Victory

Source

A call to arms has gone out within my head. Having given thought to what I need to do here to get back on track with losing at least 1.5 pounds a week here is the trio of actions I have decided on...

First, I have reviewed MY CHANGES, a list of eight changes in behavior that has I evolved as I got into this mission. Holding firm in my commitment to these changes is the first thing I need to do.

Second, I need to socialize my food & exercise log this week. Many times I have said it that I do not count calories. But I do log what I eat, and do for exercise, in a small note book, I have talked about my log and how I log on DAY 16. To this day I have been consistent in that approach. This week I shall share that log with my posts with my food consumed the previous day. Yesterday log looked like this...

• 7a - Tomato Juice
• 730a - Exercise: Shining Hills Forest Preserve, 3 miles in 58:14
• 1030a - Tomato & Mozzarella Salad w/ Olive Oil & Celery Seed Dressing
• 1p - Cheese Stick
• 3p - Burger w/ Salsa & Grilled Onions. Lettuce Wedge w/ Salsa & drizzle of Blue Cheese Dressing
• 7p - Grilled Chicken Breast, Grapes, Cherries

The reason I keep this log is to have a reference to look back upon in situations just like this one I am in now. In the pages of the past two weeks I have way too many red entries than are acceptable, and too many blur. Driving for a return to green entries!

Third, Mix it up, exercise that is. I am going to give exercising in the morning before work a try this week at least once. My thinking here is with the kids going back to school, the day light hours decreasing, I am bound to find it easy to succumb to excuses in the evening to not get in the exercise I need. Hedging that with morning exercise may do the trick. We'll see.

That should do it. I am open to suggestions, always have been - so share them if you got them; please!!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 117 - Back To Why

Source

Change is on the doorstep. Actually it is challenge that is here. Likely these or similar are appearing on your doorstep too...

• School starts next week for the kids; the one year all four will be in high school. The kids sports schedules are already picking up with try outs & practices and soon enough games.
• As noted yesterday the daylight hours are shortening noticeably now too.
• My plate at work has never been fuller; many new and more complex systems to usher from ideas to reality than ever.
• And there are other challenges dawning here as the summer inches closer to autumn.

In past years, these would be the paramount excuses I'd lean on for continuing onward with an obese lifestyle. They are the things that take time, drain the mental tanks, and zap the will make time to attend to yourself.

This however, is 2010. And there are other changes, challenges, I've introduced on my own...

• Exercise
• Blog
• Eat healthy
• Blog
• Plan ahead
• Blog
• Reward myself
• And I Blog 

These are the reasons I will not return to accepting being obese no matter what challenges appear.

When I started this blog I took to though and scribbled out a short list of reasons for accepting this mission. I documented them here, take a peak if you like...
What I Dislike and Don't Want…

Today, in realizing that challenges are appearing, I believe it wise to revisit that list and perhaps even add to it. In doing so, it is my hope that I am shining up the armour I wear that will protect me from the assault upon my will that these challenges will bring. And as well sharpen the paring knife I use to slice my fruit because i really like my fruit sliced neat & clean.

I wont re-write those I wrote before, hence the link back, but let me add a few new ones.
I don't want have to just walk for exercise, I want to be able to jog, skip, run, sprint, etc.
I dislike sweating in air conditioned rooms
I don't want to ever have to use a Gopher Pickup Tool for anything
I dislike waking up, getting up, and feeling ready for a nap 5 minutes later

So, what are some of the reasons you chose to start your mission way back when?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 40 - Progress Picture Day

My 10% Progress pictures are up finally, they are HERE or above via the link for MY PROGRESS PICS. I had the day off of work for the most part, hence the casual attire for a Wednesday. Hmmm, I don't see much difference, but it is only 10%.

Yesterday I stopped and filled up my gas tank. Now that's not too exciting or worthy of blog space is it? Nope, I agree, silly me. Kind of like posting on Facebook that you are 'Getting gas' when doing so; like anyone cares.

Well here is why that is important, at least to me. Across the parking lot from the gas station is a Culver's. Mmmm, familiar with this semi-fast food chain? Home of the 'butter-burger', which really isn't worth it's hype. They also are known for their frozen custard which deserves more hype.

Many many many times, I mean many, I have hit this particular Culvers drive-thru and grabbed a frozen custard for the rest of the drive home. And none of those times, I mean none, did I intend that frozen custard to be a meal replacement. Hmmm, the frozen custard diet, has a nice ring to it. No?

Those visits were purely impulse, just a feeding frenzy as if I were a shark in a pool of bloody custard flavored fish. Yeah, I put no thought into that analogy. Drawn to the place like a magnet, especially when I first stopped for gas next door & had a few torturous moments to stare at the place while gassing up.

Back to yesterday as I'm gassing up & yes I was staring at Culvers. I look at the marquee for the custard flavor of the day; OMG it is Chocolate Carmel Twist, that's a good one! And then it happened; I looked away before the gas tank was full. My mind went on to other things, the Blackhawks I think. Ok, so I looked away, not worthy of blog space. Well then how about this... Without conscious effort my mind, body and spirit stepped up as never before; I left the gas station, drove passed Culvers, past temptation, and didn't look back. Huh, who am I?

I am Patrick, nice to meet you by the way, who on Day 2 of this mission committed to NO MORE FAST FOOD, that's who. What else was I supposed to do?

I'm thinking NSV.

Who is in control of you today?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!

Day 25 - Mad Cat

My wife & I have 4 kids, all teenagers. Yeah I know, what were we thinking? We also have 4 cats. Yeah I know, just how hard did we hit our heads?



One of our cats, Crush (pictured), has a lot of dog in him. His primary canine trait is that he begs for food while we eat dinner. And because we apparently hit our heads rather hard we will indulge him with a small bite or two at most meals. Meat, just about any meat, he works those big eyes hard for a taste.



As of late Crush has not been so happy. For 25 days now he hasn't been getting the goodies as he used to. Simply our meals have been healthier; more veggies, fruits, better grains and a bit less meat. Just a bit less. Getting healthy or not, I am a carnivore; always will be. However since I've been eating portion-wise I have been less generous in giving into his pandering. Poor Crush; he can get healthy too.

Tuesday was a good day. Ate good, didn't exercise though. After four days in a row getting the exercise in I decided to take a day off. My lazy-boy needed me you could say.

Stairs, a quick stair thought. Recall my change #2 was to take the stairs at work. And I have been doing so, two or three times a day. Yesterday I ascended the four times; my first four-peat! May not sound like much but I got a small 'Oh Yeah' out of it.

Busy day today; work, lunch with a colleague, dinner with one of my sons, then a school event with another son. I'm ready for it and I'll have it my way, healthy!

Its hump day, what are going to do with it?

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

Day 23 - Change #4

Hope everyone had a good weekend and a successful week last week. A new week is here, welcome to another Monday.


Monday's are change days for me in my mission. These have been the hardest posts I make each week. You would think it may be easy since I am in no doubt making many changes from the old-unhealthy me to the new-healthier me. When it comes to this post it is not just about changes, but about a sincere commitment to that change. As well they are meant to be beyond the obvious, e.g. eating better, getting in some exercise, etc. This is only my 4th change and identifying impacting changes that really define a new me are not no-brainer's, I take them seriously.

This week's change may not seem like a real change to some at first but instead a want or a goal, however it definitely is a change for me.

Change 4...

• REWARD MYSELF FOR SUCCESS

Huh... Reward myself? Yep, rewarding myself is not a behavior, or better yet not a discipline, which I have ever practiced genuinely when it comes to my health. In the past if I wanted something, I went and got it. Not much thought to whether I deserved or needed it. If I didn't want something then I avoided it. Not much thought to whether I might be better off for having it. Sound familiar at all? It sounds like my old eating / exercise habits to me.

What I've been missing is a discipline to identify that bridge between my health behaviors (good and bad) and which are in my best interest and that of my family both today and in the future. Rewards may be part if that bridge, that discipline, I'll need to sustain momentum and motivation through to the end of this mission and then maintain a healthy lifestyle forever onward.

Is self-reward really necessary? Can't I just get it done without a 'carrot' to chase? Perhaps, probably, or; maybe not. Let me try and add a hint of I am placing self-reward into perspective. Here I am talking about rewards for healthy behavior. What about my professional behavior? My career is filled with plenty of risk and thus plenty of consequence & reward is present. I've done well to attain much reward. Why? Because I've always known what my efforts can bring me if I work smart; the tangible financial gain and the intangible sense of being valued if not necessary. Knowing these rewards are there to be had, I've chased them. Same could be said for my behavior towards family and marriage. The tangible fulfillment of the want for love & companionship, and the intangible sense of pride from providing for the needs of those I love. Knowing these rewards are there to be had, I've worked smart at being a good husband and father.

So, what about being healthy? As all of us driven to lose weight have made the decision to learn what healthy behaviors are and finally acknowledged the tangible and intangible benefits of being healthy are there to be had if we want them. But, for whatever reason, as clear and righteous as those benefits are now becoming apart of us; we've really known them for years but ignored them until recently. For some of us decades of ignorance is in our wake. Together we could fill hundreds of blog pages listing these benefits. But listing them is not my intent here. My intent with committing to a new change weekly is to forge behaviors that will increase my chance of succeeding in my health mission so that my health becomes as great as the successes I have achieved in career and marriage.

I chose to see myself as victorious!

I acknowledge my accomplishments by celebrating my successes small & large in ways that motivate me to go on and achieve my ultimate goal.

I control who I am, I've acknowledged that several times in this blog. Part of that acknowledgement means realizing I control what makes me feel good and keeps me going for more.

There you have it, my change for week four; I will reward myself for success.

What about the actual rewards. Oh worry not, my mind is in hyper-drive working through that detail believe me. Those thoughts aren't ready to put on paper and share yet, but they will be very soon; later this week soon. I've all but decided to set up rewards as I achieve each 10% mark in my mission; for me 10% = 12 pounds. As I am close to that first mark now, I have to get this nailed this week. Stay tuned...

How about you, do you reward your successes and if so how?

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

Day 16 - Change #3

Before I get into this weeks commitment to change, Change #3, I must say I dodged the Sunday bullet just as well as I did the Saturday shot. Caesar Salad was what I placed in my plates center and in a larger portion than I'd usually take so that there would be less room on the plate for other tempting stuff. The rest of what I placed on my plate were small portions of veggies or seafood. My one treat, a thin slice of roast beef. Man the food was good too; I would've had four or five plates of all the deliciousness three weeks ago, but instead today I had one and a half plates both of which had caesar salad blocking and tackling for me. Took the water bottle along again too... thanks again for those tips, they sure helped!

Change #3, hmmm, what is it going to be this week? This may seem like an easy one but I list it because I've learned that it is extremely important. Just last week I had a re-affirmation of just how important it is. Last week I had one 'red' meal. Going into last week I committed to have less red entries and exercise more than week once; both accomplished. Reminder, a red meal refers to when I log that meal in my food log in red ink which indicates I've missed the mark entirely in terms of healthy balance & portion. Meals well balanced and portioned; green ink. Meals just OK; blue ink.

In week two the one red meal I had was at dinner where I ate more steak than I should have. The steaks were small at about 4 ounces each; I had two. Three weeks ago a small steak in my eyes was 12 ounces. Oh how fast change can happen. Back to the 'red' day, yep you guessed it, I skipped breakfast. Actually I got it in late and what I ate was barely a mid-morning snack really. The rest of that day I struggled more with hunger pains than most days of late. Since starting this mission I've been good about eating breakfast and have definitely felt the difference in the days energy level and ability to dismiss hunger pains. So this is an easy one...

Change 3...

• Do Not Skip Breakfast

Goals for the coming week will be to exercise at least 4 times, two of each cardio and weights.

Did you get in your breakfast today?

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

Day 9 - Change #2

Yesterday I was doing some reading on exercise and eventually had to stop as information overload was inciting a headache. But one oddity I read stuck with me for humor sake more so that sensibility sake. The tip suggested that if you work at a desk, and I do, then you need to take up the 'art' of fidgeting. Yes, it referred to fidgeting as an art. Apparently fidgeting can help you burn up to 350 more calories a day than not doing so. Great to know but I may be hosed on this one as I am not much of a fidgeter.

This article is on my mind this morning as I am about to decide on another change to commit to help me succeed in my mission. Worry not, I am not going to commit to fidgeting more. However, since they would have us believe that fidgeting is a form of exercise (trying not to laugh as I type here...) I am chalking up an exercise related change today.



CHANGE 2...

• TAKE THE STAIRS AT WORK DAILY

The building I work in is three stories, I work on the third floor. Yet I almost always take the elevator up and down every time I must go up or down. Now I do take the stairs occasionally, usually when others I am walking with opt for the stairs. Two flights of stairs doesn't sound like much, certainly doesn't look like much, but boy oh boy when I get those two flights behind me I am winded and my lungs work for several minutes before my breathing returns to normal. Gasping for air sucks. Masking the fact that you are gasping from others sucks even more. Therefore I choose to work at reducing my gasping ways when it comes to these stairs. Tackling them head on is the only way I know to do that. Just climb them more and more until I gasp less and less. If someone knows a better way, please share.
Stairs here I come.

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

Day 7 - Exercise Discipline

That exercise promised yesterday didn't happen. Our plans changed for the evening and the time I set aside evaporated. Not that I am disappointed really since the change in plans was for a good time with the family. Another example that change is good. Yet change can also challenge discipline.

Exercise and what discipline I have for it was on my mind as I awoke this morning. The devil on my shoulder was telling myself I was supposed to feel bad I didn't find a way to squeeze in a work out before I hit the hay for the day. And the angel on the other shoulder was telling me to get over it and do something about it today. Then there was some other creature sitting atop my head telling me to just go back to sleep. When I was done listening to this trio argue I got up and the day going. After taking care of some necessary mumbo-jumbo I did get in a work out. Thirty minutes on the elliptical and three sets of sit ups on a stay-ball (I think that is what it is called; we bought a couple at the start of 2008 when we were to start that year getting healthy). That may not sound like much exercise but as this was my first work out since starting this mission 7 days ago it was enough to see me clawing about for air.

Having got that work out in I sit here typing away with a surge of confidence and 'atta-boy' inside. Now, the question is, when do I workout again? Tomorrow seems like the perfect opportunity as it is Sunday and we have nothing planned other than watching the Nascar race; Talledega time!

My challenge for today is to simply survive dinner without falling off this ship I am happily riding now. We have plans to have dinner with friends we haven't hooked up with in years. The reservation is at one of the better Italian/pasta places in the Chicagoland area; Maggianos. Great place and I love their family style service. But wow, if there ever was a place built to wreck a diet that is not also a buffet, this is it. Realizing that the plan is to enjoy myself and some of what Maggianos offers but behave myself as best I can. Better said, don't just eat eat eat until all plates are clean as I would have done had this dinner been eight days ago.

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!

Day 2 - Need for Change

Good morning. Change is on my mind this morning. This challenge will take many many weeks to accomplish. Perhaps more than a years worth. Well if I do it in a healthy manner it definitely should take anywhere between 1 & 2 years. Lets hope closer to 1 than to 2... CHANGE, back to change.

In realizing the journey will be a long haul I figure that I need to make changes to my lifestyle that I will commit to absolutely to help me along. The question is what change to make first? Another question, how many changes do I have to make to bring about the results I seek? Certainly there is more than 1 that I should make. Heck, if there was only 1 change I needed to make to pull this off then this would be a snap, wouldn't it? Truth is I don't know how many changes I need to make. But, I figure I need to make 1 change to get started. And if I commit to making 1 change per week then at some point they'll all start working together and making a difference. That is my hope anyhow.

So here it is, CHANGE 1...

• NO MORE FAST FOOD

Fast food is not the evil that some would have you believe. The notion of suing fast food chains because they made you fat, or taxing fast food because it increases the burden on society to care for the obese among us is just insanity. Fast food is a choice, a personal choice we make for reasons of our own volition plain & simple. I am obese because I chose to make bad decisions when it came time to decide what to eat, whether to exercise or not, etc... not because fast food restaurants are all over the place.

That said, I realize that fast food is definitely a contributing factor of my obesity (I called it a 'condition' in my day 1 post - truth is that condition is my obesity so I shall call it what it is going forward). I chose to allow fast food to be a factor to my obesity, and, now I chose that it will no longer be a factor. From this day forward I shall absolutley no longer trade dollars for unhealthy calories at fast food restaurants.

Responsibility 199... Gotta do it!!