Day 263 - We Should Earn This

Losing weight is not easy, is it? Oh the behaviors required to lose weight and be healthy are easy to conceptualize and understand, but executing them often are anything but easy for us mentally.

If you agree with that, or even if you do not I suppose, the question I'd like you to consider is this; If you believe that being/staying healthy is really important, do you also believe being/staying healthy is worth earning?

Oh I certainly do believe it must be earned. Healthy is not anything we are given, gifted, or get unless we earn it. Many if not most things in life are this way too; e.g. money, property, trust, love, etc... and let us be honest, we put a good deal of effort into earning and maintaining many of those things don't we? I know I do!

Hmmm, before you can answer the earlier question above perhaps it would help if you first pondered this one; Why? Why is being healthy important & worthy of being earned?

Well, I could go into a long list of reasons why and validate each point with why being healthy is needed; but let me keep this to a simple-straight-forward answer, "I WANT IT"

Come on now... think again to our examples of money, property, trust, love... why do we endeavor so in attaining these? Because we WANT them. Money, I want it so I have positioned myself to be able to earn a good living so I go after it hard... Property, e.g. toys, gadgets, stuff of all sorts are what I want around me so I go after them when the want for them strikes... Trust & Love, big time wants of mine as when these have been absent in my life I have felt miserable, utterly miserable!

Being healthy, yes; I want it. But I won't come to attain it if I do not get busy earning it. But, BUT, coming to realize that getting healthy has to be earned is not the main point I waish to make here. Rather it is this, I feel GREAT when I have something I know that I have earned.

I treasure that which I have accomplished via earning it. The things I am most proud of in life are those I have earned; e.g. when I earned my bachelors in 2007 (see pic above). That which I have earned I put the greatest continuing effort into in order to preserve and keep.

We Should Earn being/staying healthy because we WANT all the GREATNESS that comes from doing so!

That is my opinion, what is yours?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 227 - F-18 Flyover Accomplished

Monday was owned. Food near perfect, Exercise nailed!

Queue the anthem and the F-18 flyover... Ok, maybe the fly-over would be a bit much. But that feeling of accomplishment where your are brimming with pride for a job well done, that is how my Monday came off for me. Of course you really can't get the full effect of that feeling until you wake up the next day when there is no longer any opportunity to ruin yesterday.

One key to yesterday's feel-good, how I balanced the days food. The picture there is of my lunch for Monday. Where Monday was spot-on for me is that the calories on my lunch plate exceeded those of my dinner plate. Why is that a big deal?

For so very very long (yes 2 very's) that has not been the case. Even while on this mission which has been largely successful I have struggled to avoid eating 40-50% of my days calories at dinner.

What you see there is garden salad with egg splashed with a bit of sesame oil & ranch accompanied with a bowl of veggie chili; this meal rang in at about 625 calories. My dinner (not pictured) of turkey breast (yes leftovers from Thursday) & fruit salad rang in at about 350 calories.

Over the past several months I have come to know my body fairly well. And I know it feels better, performs better, and maybe even looks better (underscore maybe) when I eat in better balance and when my mid-day meal is larger of the three meals. This I need to remember and strive for daily for what I hope are obvious reasons.

Now I am writing this post read as if such feelings of accomplishment are rare for me. Not the case, they are far more a regular part of my days these past 7+ months than ever. Such feelings of accomplishment can motivate greatly and ought to be recognized and sought after; my opinion.

Hit me with what gave you your last F-18 flyover feeling of accomplishment.

Oh, and for those who may not know what I mean by F-18 flyover, then for crying out loud get yourself to a big time football game, or better yet to a Nascar race; stand, salute, cheer & hang on... Until then just watch THIS.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 206 - Full Swing Pride

Fruit Count: 221 - And we have reached 199 and beyond in 6 days. Thanks to everyone who helped in celebrating my 199 days of blogging. Special shout out to Lanie for the idea of a fruit challenge and as well to Mandy for being the lead fruit warrior here. Mandy ate "nine" pieces on Monday to help put this over the top. If I were to give out a trophy for the challenge it would look like that. Then again, after eating as much fruit as she has, Mandy may prefer to not receive such a trophy. This was fun, good stuff.


You were all too kind for not busting on me more for yesterday's fruit picture. When I took it, posted it and went on with my day I truly had no idea what I had done. But some of you were quick to notice my odd 'arrangement' of that fruit, including my wife who texted me asking what I was doing. Oh the jokes that could have come from that.

I have been tagged again, this time from How I Am Losing It. She asked some profound questions, needed to give these some thought. That now done, here are my answers to her questions:

1. What is/was your proudest moment?
The usual answers here are the birth of a child, or a wedding, etc... and those certainly are proud moments. But I shall answer with one that is more specific to a real turning point in my life.

Whats-his-name was on 2nd base, I forget his name yet I do remember not liking him very much. Even though he had run out a single into a double he name may as well have been Mud. Up to bat was yours truly, and I had to go to the bathroom; bad! On deck was the big kid who was hitting like .875, surely he would knock in Mud. Swinging at the first pitch, running to 1st and then to the bathroom was the plan.

That first pitch came inside right at my chest dropping hard to the dirt. Missed me by a whisker of which I had none. A quick check of my crotch, whew; I amazingly didn't wet myself. Looking back at the pitcher as I got up with a "WTH" stare, he waved in apology, fine; he was off the hook.

What wasn't fine was the schmuck whose name I forget on 2d base, he was laughing at me in a way that could not be ignored. Change of plans. Next pitch, it was getting knocked as close to him as I could get it. The next pitch was right down the middle, the pitcher being cautious not to dust me again.

I had to go to the bathroom so bad I couldn't swing at full speed and keep from wettin myself. Thus the bat vibrated worse that usual upon impact. Wow, the ball flew right at the Mud, sailing over his head by about a foot. It kept on sailing too, finally stopping when it smacked into the left-centerfield fence.

I stopped at 2d base folded over in pain, I had never had to go so bad in all of my 12 years. As I gingerly stood up I first saw the other teams pitcher walking off the field and then saw my entire team rushing out towards me. It was the bottom of the 7th (and final) inning. The game had been tied. The loser was done for the season. The winner moved on to a one-game playoff. We had just won the game. All I could do was stand there, get mobbed by my team, and pee my pants.

2. If you could pick any profession whatsoever, what would you be?
Race car driver. What can I say, I am a guy.

3. What's the best advice you never took?
Never take time off from school once you start. It took me 19 years to complete my bachelors.

4. If you could have one do-over in life, what would it be?
I'd have taken a full swing and knocked that picth it over the fence. Never leave anything on the table no matter how bad you have to go to the bathroom.


I will come up with 4 names and questions to tag back tomorrow.

Gotta run - have a great day!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 197 - 52% Progress

Hope everyone's weekend has gone as desired so far. Today I have a pair of shout outs to share...

Big Girl Bombshell had her one-year blog anniversary this past week. Making it a year on the blogs is no small feat as I see it. Think of all the bloggers we have seen come and disappear back into a vat of ice cream inside of a month or two. Not Jules, she has had a great year. As I commented to her, If a person can replace embarassment with pride in a year; that is a GREAT year.

Ann over at Ann is Livin' Large also had an 'versary this week, her 100 day'versary. She didn't rest a moment putting together a winner of a 100 day post. Here she jotted 100 ways she has benefitted from eating healthier. Number 10 & 69 are my favorites, check them out.

This week's weigh in concludes a week of inconsistency. I struggled to eat balanced and portioned meals from dawn to dusk and say to day. There weren't any all out binges or collapses, just not the degree of consistency I now expect of myself. Same can be said for exercise. I did get it in this week, but just the minimum amount I look for. None of my workouts, except for one, left me with that accomplished feeling. I sense my mind is in a difficult-to-please mood at the moment, not sure why, so I may be cutting myself short a bit.  

As of this morning I have knocked out 52% pounds.

In total 63.5 pounds have been knocked out over twenty-eight weeks, 1.5 of that this week.

Today I weighed in at 256.5 pounds.

Oh Yeah, Have a Great Sunday.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!