Jimmy's Blog

Worship

2011-04-11T12:29:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful time of worship at the Farmingdale Christian Church yesterday. But during the time of worship, a scripture came to mind. Romans 12:1-2, which says (NIV), "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." As I thought on this, while singing songs with words like, "I will worship..." and "I will bow down..." it really got me thinking.

"I" refers to the being that is me. All of me. In my entirety. And here I was singing, "I will worship." All of me? My whole self, as a living sacrifice, as Romans calls for?

What then came to mind is that my worship is far more than the words I sing in church on Sunday. It is as much, if not more, about the words I speak at home on Monday or at work on Tuesday. It is far more than raising my hands during service. It is about reaching out with those hands to touch the lives of those around me. It is more than bowing my knee for a song or two. It is about stooping down to help those around me who may need a hand up.

Please don't take what I am saying as if to say that our gathering as a Church in worship services around the world is unimportant, because that is not at all what I am saying. There is power to be found when God's people come together like that. What I am saying, though, is that our worship of our Lord Jesus needs to be so much more than a few hours on Sunday morning. It needs to be a whole surrender to Him, to be used for His good pleasure.

Great South Bay 5K

2010-10-02T12:50:00.000-04:00

Today, I ran a 5K. But really, that is not at all the story for today.

Today, while I was running the 5K, my beautiful wife and darling daughter both walked the same 5K as well. For each of them, it was the first "event" they have walked in, and I have to say, I am so very proud of them. They set a goal, when they agreed to do it, of completing the 5K in one hour or less.

The weather was absolutely spectacular, with not a cloud in the sky and a crisp 52 degrees. The race went off at exactly 8:30AM and I said good-bye to them and headed out running. My run was not bad, with a great first two miles and a struggle at the end, but I'm happy with my time, overall.

Once I got in, I rushed to the car to get the camera and get ready to catch their finish. They called me with 0.5 miles left and I knew they were setting a great pace.

Well, they both met their goal IN SPADES!. Faith trotted across the finish line in 52:43 and Christine came in just behind her in 53:20.

I just want to shout, as loud as I can,

I AM PROUD OF MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER!

To The End

2010-08-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

That God is a faithful God is a fact that many people, myself included, can attest to. It is often said that God is "faithful to the end." While this is, in my mind, doubtless true, I posit that there may be meaning behind such a statement that you may not see at first glance.

God is always faithful. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut 21:6,8). He is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Tim 2:13). The Bible also states that His love towards us is great and His faithfulness endures forever (Psalm 117:2). But is there more to that phrase than just God's enduring faithfulness? I believe there is. God is faithful to the end. His word declares that God has a plan for each of our lives (Jer. 29:11). And to that plan, or to that end, He will always remain faithful.

Imagine a blacksmith, making a sword. He has a plan, knowing exactly what kind of sword he is making. He begins by plunging a raw piece of metal into a furnace. It remains in there until the instant the smith knows it is ready. Then, out it comes and immediately, the smith begins pounding it with a hammer. Then, after the precise number of blows, into the water it goes, only to be returned to the fire yet again.

This does not sound comfortable from the point of view of the piece of metal. Yet the blacksmith knows exactly what he is making and will continue to do everything necessary until that raw piece of metal becomes a finely-honed sword. That blacksmith remains faithful to the end throughout the whole process, keeping the plan for the finished sword in mind the whole time.

In much the same way, God is taking these raw lumps of metal called "you and I" and He is forming something wonderful with us. He has a plan in mind; He knows what He is making us into. And He is willing to do what it takes to form us. Even if it means plunging us into the fires of adversity or striking us with the hammer of trials. He knows exactly what it needed, no more and no less, to form in us what He has purposed.

And I dare say that it is precisely because He is working in us to produce His plan for us that we can ultimately and entirely trust Him. Because we know that He is in control and that He will work all things together for our good (Rom 8:28), we can yield to His process. We can put our trust in Him, even through the trials and adversities we face, knowing that God is at work producing something beautiful in our lives and knowing that He will do exactly and ONLY what is needed to accomplish His purpose.

Yes, God is always faithful. ALWAYS faithful to the end!

Are you "rechargeable" or "plug-in"?

2010-04-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

These days, almost everything that requires electricity, you can get in a "rechargeable" form. Vacuums, mixers, razors, circular saws, music players and telephones, just to name a few (obviously). You plug them in for just a little while, then they run for minutes/hours/days from that one charge. It's really an amazing convenience, no? I mean, the freedom you get without a power cord hanging from your cordless sweeper is just grand.

Too many of us, quite often myself included, are treating our relationship with God as if we "rechargeable" beings, though. Right about now, you're probably asking, "What is this guy talking about?" Allow me to expound a bit.

You see, we go to church on a Sunday morning and plug ourselves in for a while. We experience the joys of His presence in worship and praise. We get encouraged by the preaching of His word. In short, we get all charged up and ready to go to work. Then we unplug and go home. Too often, though, we expect to live off that "charge" for the rest of the week.

Jesus spoke these words in the book of John, chapter 15, verse 4:

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."

We need to continually abide in Him. Not just for a while on Sunday morning. Not even just for a few minutes at the start of each day. But hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute and breath-by-breath. He is our only source of power to live the life He has called us to. If we have any hope of bearing fruit in this life that will last, we need to stay plugged-in to Him all the time.

Merry Christma(s)

2009-12-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Savior

Luke 2:11

On this day, we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born for an entirely singular purpose. That was, to be the Savior of the world. Jesus did not come only to show us the way to God. Jesus came to BE the way to God. He is our Savior.

The very term 'savior' identifies Jesus as more than a mere instrument of God. God said, through the prophet Isaiah (43:11), 'I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.' To declare that Jesus is Savior is to, in no uncertain terms, declare that Jesus is God Himself. This should come as no surprise, given that Isaiah also prophesied that Jesus was to be known as 'Emmanuel' or 'God with us.'

The Creator of the universe was willing to humble Himself as but a creation in order to bring about the salvation of the world. But even more than that, the God of all became a man to give YOU the gift of salvation.

Merry Christm(a)s

2009-12-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

Announce

Luke 1, 2

When God was about to send His only begotten Son into the world, He used angels to announce it to the 'involved' parties (Zechariah, Mary, Joseph). These were, essentially, private meetings and/or dreams that were given to these people as a way to prepare them for what God was about to do through them.

When the Father saw the birth of His Son on that very first Christmas day, He was so overjoyed that He sent angels to announce it to some shepherds in a field. Heaven could apparently not hold the joy that flowed, and it spilled over into the earthly realms, as witnessed by these incredibly blessed shepherds.

God was overjoyed, not merely as a proud Father, but because He knew that the perfect plan of Salvation for the entire world was set in motion that very night. The prospect of the redemption of a people that God loved so very much filled all of heaven with such joy that it could not be contained. And that joy still flows over the new birth of but one of His children. Even YOU!

Merry Christ(m)as

2009-12-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

Manger

Luke 2:7

What does the word 'manger' bring to your mind at Christmas? A nice, quaint stable with a cozy bed of hay for a baby to sleep in? A warm picture of tranquility? Not quite what I would imagine would have been the real story.

The mention of the manger is what leads most to believe that Jesus was born in a stable. In those days, stables were often caves dug out of earth, with the feeding trough (or manger) dug into the rock wall. It would have been a dark and dirty setting for the Son of God to make His entrance into this world.

This, however, is somewhat fitting, considering the rest of Jesus' life. Where there was filth, dirt and darkness, Jesus came to bring holiness, purity and light.

When I first met Jesus, my heart may have rivaled the manger, as far as cleanliness goes, but Jesus came to me just the same, and brought His life.

Merry Chris(t)mas

2009-12-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

Tree

I know that the Christmas Tree is certainly not mentioned in scripture, and I know of the probable pagan beginnings of this Christmas tradition. Yet I also know that God can redeem and use anything for His glory, and I believe that He has done so for those who look at the Christmas Tree in the right way.

To me, the evergreen tree is a reminder of God's gift of everlasting life in His Son.

The lights on the tree remind me to always allow my light to shine before men.

The tinsel is reminiscent of the fact that we are only glorious when we reflect the true Glory of God.

And the star on top is a reminder of that wonderful night when God gave the true Light to this darkened world.

May the traditions you cherish at Christmas point you to Christ at every turn!

Merry Chri(s)tmas

2009-12-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

Sign

Luke 2:12

The Angels had just told the shepherds the best bit of news ever told. A Savior has been born in Bethlehem. But they didn't stop there.

They went on to give the shepherds a sign to look for. They prepared the shepherds to know what to look for when they went to Bethlehem to meet the Lord. Bethlehem was a big city and it was very busy and crowded at the time. Without that sign, the shepherds would not have known what they were looking for. There may have been dozens of babies born at the same time, yet only one was wrapped in strips of cloth and was lying in a manger. They knew exactly which baby was the one they heard about.

God made sure that those shepherds were prepared to see the Lord, and in the same way, He wants to prepare us, and even the world, to see His glory yet again!

Merry Chr(i)stmas

2009-12-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

Indescribable

2 Corinthians 9:15

Ever get that perfect Christmas gift that just left you speechless? Ever have that one special loved one give you something that was so right, so perfect, that there were just no words to describe it?

That is EXACTLY what God did almost 2000 years ago. He knew exactly what it was that we needed. He knew that we needed a savior. And He gave us that one perfect gift. He gave His one and only Son to the world, because He loved us that much.

Think back over your walk with Jesus. Can you describe, with words, what the gift of Jesus Christ has meant in your life? Can you really express all of what Jesus Christ has done for you?

I can think of only one word that captures it. INDESCRIBABLE!

Merry Ch(r)istmas

2009-12-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

Receive

Romans 5:11

We have all heard the phrase, 'It is better to give than to receive.' It is a good axiom to live by. A noble thought indeed. I do not dispute that one bit.

But think about this. God knew that we could not GIVE Him what He desired, which is a people with whom He could have fellowship. He knew that we could not GIVE Him that because we were with sin, and He was perfectly Holy.

God didn't leave it like that. He GAVE His own Son so that we could RECEIVE the gift of reconciliation and righteousness. It is His earnest desire that we RECEIVE this gift, because it is only through RECEIVING this gift that we are truly able to GIVE from our hearts.

This is one case where it truly better to RECEIVE than to GIVE, because the gift we RECEIVE we can never repay! RECEIVE God's gift today!

Merry C(h)ristmas

2009-12-18T05:00:00.001-05:00

Herod

Matthew 2

King Herod was an Isrealite. While he was not the rightful heir to the throne, he had taken power anyway. He was a ruthless, hard ruler who had personally benefited from the power of Rome in Isreal. But he was an Isrealite; one of God's 'chosen people.' He was seeking Jesus out of fear of losing his power.

The Magi were not Isrealites, but simply wise men and kings from far off lands who together somehow knew that God was doing something special in that time. They were seeking Jesus because they wanted to worship this child for whom they believed God had placed a new star in the night sky.

The Magi obeyed the revealed message of God in their hearts, revealed to them through a means they could relate to. Herod, on the other hand, was rebelling against God, although he had the written word of God at his disposal.

May we ever be like the Magi, seeking God merely to worship Him!

Merry (C)hristmas

2009-12-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

Christ

Luke 2:11

The word 'Christ' comes from the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word for 'Messiah', or 'Annointed One.' Looking back over the Old Testament, we can see many scriptures that speak of the Messiah, especially in the book of Isaiah, where the Messiah is depicted in duality as both Sovereign Lord and Suffering Servant. The Messiah, or the Christ, was to be a man unlike any other man before or since.

This depiction is not missing from the story of the birth of Christ. We see the suffering in the humble, lowly accommodations given to this newborn child. We also see the worship of the wise men that followed the star to Bethlehem. Even as early as His birth, Jesus Christ filled the description that Isaiah, indeed that the whole of the Old Testament, gave in prophesy for the Christ, who is the Savior of the World.

Merr(y) Christmas

2009-12-16T05:00:00.002-05:00

Yeshua

Luke 1:31

When we read that the Angel told Mary that her child was to be named 'Jesus,' we actually see a Greek word that has Hebrew origins. The Greek word is 'Iesous' which comes from the Hebrew word 'Yhowshuwa' from which we get the anglicized words 'Yeshua' and 'Joshua.' This was the name of Jesus.

The meaning of this Hebrew name is 'Jehovah is salvation.' I had always considered that Jesus 'brought' salvation to the world. But His name suggests a stronger correlation between Himself and our Salvation. He IS salvation. He did not merely bring salvation to us. He became salvation for us, in the incarnation and in His perfect sacrifice for sin.

This Yeshua, Jesus, still is salvation. He still is God's perfect plan to redeem a world destined for eternal separation from Him. He still is God's best gift ever to this world.

Mer(r)y Christmas

2009-12-15T08:11:00.000-05:00

Room

Luke 2:7

There was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn. The entire city was overcrowded, to the point that the only accommodations that could be found for them was in a stable. So often we have criticized the people of that time for not having room for Jesus in their city. But you can be sure that there were other pregnant women and other people in just as much need as Mary and Joseph at the time. And you can also be sure that they were not aware of who it was they were turning away or sending to a dirty stable. All things considered, they actually had a pretty good excuse.

Most of us have no such excuse. When we refuse to make space in our lives for Jesus every day, we know exactly who it is that we are shunning. When we relegate Him to a few short moments each day, we know exactly who it is that we are sending away.

At this time of year, and all year round, make sure you have room for Jesus in your life.

Me(r)ry Christmas

2009-12-14T08:08:00.000-05:00

Rejoice

Luke 2:8-12, 20

The angels came to the shepherds bearing 'good news of great joy.' But those shepherds, after hearing the news, were probably somewhat confused, and perhaps still a bit scared and shaken by what they had seen and heard. Even still, they decided that they had better go see if what the angels said was true, so they headed for Bethlehem.

When they got there, they saw everything exactly as the angels had said it would be, with the baby Jesus lying in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

These shepherds apparently went away from that place different than when they arrived. They came in perhaps confused, but the left rejoicing in the things they had seen and heard. They allowed the gospel of God to produce joy in their hearts and they allowed that joy to overflow into praise and worship for God. What does the Good News of Jesus Christ do in your own heart?

M(e)rry Christmas

2009-12-13T08:07:00.000-05:00

Emmanuel

Matthew 1:23

'God with us.' That is what 'Emmanuel' means. God with us. Just think about that. A holy, just and righteous God dwelling among a sinful and rebellious people. Looking back through the Old Testament, that is exactly what God had always wanted. In Genesis, we read that God used to walk in the Garden and would apparently fellowship with Adam and Eve somewhat regularly. But sin separated man and God.

To bridge the gap, God Himself had to come to earth as a man, in the form of Jesus Christ. During this time of year, and all year round, for that matter, we must realize what love is demonstrated in the fact that God cared enough about man that He would leave Heaven and come down and dwell among us, even become one of us, to make a way that we could dwell with Him for eternity.

(M)erry Christmas

2009-12-12T07:56:00.004-05:00

Mary

Luke 1:26-35

In a time that God had been silent to His people for over 400 years, God sent the angel Gabriel to a young woman in Nazareth to deliver what could be considered the most unbelievable message in all of recorded history. This young virgin was told that she would bear the Son of God. Did she scoff at the news? Did she send this heavenly messenger away in disbelief? No. She put her trust in the God who said that she was the one He wanted to use to bring His Son into the world. She didn't understand it all, but she didn't have to. She merely understood that God wanted to use her to bring salvation to the world, and she was willing to be God's servant.

Are we willing to be servants of the Most High God and to bring the good news of God's Salvation through Jesus Christ to the world? If we are, the same God who kept His promise to bring life through Mary will also bring life to the world through us.

Merry Christmas Acrostic

2009-12-11T04:50:00.004-05:00

Anyone who has known me for some time may already have seen this, but over the next 12 days, I will be posting a "daily devotional" thought in the format of an acrostic of the phrase "Merry Christmas." It is something that I originally did in 2001 and it can still be seen on my Bible Nuggets website, but I will be posting the entries one day at a time, starting tomorrow.

My hope is that it will be one more reminder to us that Jesus is the reason for the Season and that it will be a blessing to you.

Christmas Decorations 2009

2009-12-02T19:46:00.005-05:00

We're not done yet, but here are some photos and a video of our Christmas 2009 decorations so far. I've done some of the outside decorations and we did our tree. The tree is a bit different this year - we took Faith's collection of over 75 Webkinz and nestled them each on a branch in the tree. It's quite cute, actually, and it took about 1/4 of the time that decorating our tree normally takes. Sometimes my wife has the BEST ideas! (BTW...the video is available in HD when viewed from youtube.)

Here is a photo of the outside decorations so far.

I have finished the race!

2009-10-05T12:25:00.006-04:00

Yes, that is a Biblical reference. More on that later...

I had the opportunity to run in a half-marathon race on Saturday, which was my 2nd ever organized race of that distance. I did quite well for myself the first time, in 2007, and expected to do quite well again, especially given my recent training results. I even had a glimmer of hope to beat my previous time of 1:49:33, though I knew that would be a long-shot.

Much to my surprise, however, this Saturday would not go quite as planned. The weather was not great, with a strong rain/thunder shower lasting literally right up until the very start of the race. The temperature was a bit warmer than I had hoped, in the mid-60's. The air was humid and the course was strewn with puddles, both large and small.

At the start of the race, I felt good and my pace was pretty normal, compared to recent runs. But after only about 4 miles of the 13.1 mile course, I began to feel fatigue setting in, which was far too early and gave me cause for concern.

By about the 7 mile point, I was badly out of breath and I had to break stride and walk for a few minutes. From that point on, it was a series of run-walk-run-walk spurts, extremely unusual for me. I can count on one hand the number of times, in training, that I had to walk-out or cut short a planned training run, so this was very a-typical.

What this did was to present me with a very new challenge. The question of whether or not I could finish the race had not even entered my mind before the start, but by the 10th mile marker, I had serious doubts that I could actually complete the remaining 3.1 miles, walking or otherwise. But something rose up within me each time the doubt appeared and I was able to silence it by saying, even out loud several times, "I will finish what I started."

And I persevered. 11 Miles. Then 12. Then past where we started, with the finish line still nowhere in sight. Yes, still doing some walking and some running, but all the while continuing to my goal. Finally, the finish line came into view and somehow, I found that last little reserve to finish under somewhat of a sprint, though I am sure I wasn't moving that fast.

I had done it. What, at the outset, was supposed to be a test of speed and pace turned out, in the end, to be a test of endurance, perseverance and determination. My final time, officially, was 2:25:15.

Back to that Biblical Reference. 2 Timothy 4:7 records Paul's words, saying, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I gained a bit of a new understanding of those words this past weekend.

You see, for the past 25+ years as a Christian, hearing those words, I always thought of those words as "I have WON the race." But that's not what Paul said. He said, I have FINISHED the race. You see, the race God sets out for each of us to run is a personal race. It is not a competition. We are not trying to beat someone else to the finish line. God merely asks us to endure all the way. Endure the heat of trials. Persevere through the storms of tribulation. Navigate the obstacles along the way. Be determined to finish strong.

And while Paul was speaking about the totality of his life-long race, I believe there is a bit of truth to be found for the race set before each of us daily. Some days, the race will seem effortless and the finish line will come quickly. Other days it will seem as if you're about to drop along the way. But God asks us to persevere. To FINISH the race. And in finishing the race He sets out for us, we will find the ultimate victory!

Back in Onederland

2009-09-03T18:32:00.003-04:00

Nope. I didn't misspell that. I did mean ONEderland. What in the world is onederland, you ask? Onederland is something that is very important to someone who has ever been significantly overweight, enough to be over 200 lbs and then been blessed enough to lose enough of that weight to weigh less than 200. One-derland, as in, my weight begins with a ONE. Again!

I started my weight-loss journey at a whopping 295.6 lbs in September of 2005 (likely NOT my all-time highest weight, but big enough, to be sure). I reached my goal weight, safely in onederland, of 180 lbs a year later and firmly believed that I would never again have a weight that started with a TWO.

I maintained that weight loss for almost exactly one year, which is an accomplishment in itself. But then, I got sloppy, bad habits crept back in and by the start of 2009, I was firmly in the low 200's. About 1 month ago, I weighed in at my post-WW highest weight of 212.4 lbs. I was mortified by that weight.

Around the same time, I was considering to begin training for what would be my 2nd 1/2 marathon at the beginning of October and I knew that there was no way that I would be able to carry an extra 32 lbs for 13.1 miles, so something had to give.

Well, I buckled down on the WW program. I decided that what worked before would work again. I set a firm goal in front of me that was only indirectly related to my weight...I was going to run that race and I needed to lose significant weight before I did.

4 weeks later, I weighed in today at 199.2. 13.2 lbs gone, and I'd love to drop another 8-10 before race day (10/3). I have been training well and my pace is returning to what it was back then, though the 8:22 pace I set in 2007 will be difficult to match, let alone beat. But that doesn't mean that I won't try!

So, where does that leave me? Pleased. Happy, but definitely not satisfied. I will return to my goal weight.

Happy 40th Birthday To Me!

2009-04-20T04:18:00.005-04:00

What a day that was! My wife sure knows how to celebrate!

Yesterday was my 40th birthday. My wife and daughter, for 2 years, had been planning something for my birthday and they surprised me with it. But I'm getting ahead of myself a bit, so let me back up.

I woke up early and went for a run first. What a blessing to be able to say that, as a formerly-300lb person! It certainly underscores the fact that, while I've regained SOME of the weight I lost, I'm not who I once was. It was a beautiful morning and I had a great run.

I came home and showered while Christine and Faith were waking up. Then I came downstairs and they gave me my gifts - (2) leather jackets (brown and black - long story; great shopping deal) and a "money tree" filled with 40 "Happy Birthday" instant lottery tickets. Then they sprang their surprise on me...

With video running, they told me that I would be jumping out of an airplane at 11:00AM! I could not believe it! I mean, I had always expressed a desire to do it, but my wife being somewhat of a worrying person, I had written that one off. And here, SHE signed me up for a tandem sky dive!

So, we went out for breakfast (sorry, Weight Watchers...this was not a good day for eating) and then headed for the airfield. Sky Dive Long Island is where we went. I was not scared in the least bit, even after the video explaining all the risks and such. I was most definitely excited.

I met my instructor, Ben, and got suited up. I waved goodbye and boarded the small plane. The ride up was about 20 minutes and was absolutely beautiful with a shore-to-shore view of eastern Long Island. Then we reached 13,700 feet (that's a bit more than 2.5 miles!) and the door opened. I was the first out from the plane, so I didn't have time to be scared at all. We just started falling! About 1 minute of free fall that was absolutely exhilarating! We did some flat spins and just kept falling. I believe that we fell about 9000 feet before Ben pulled the chute open.

After that, it was an amazing 4+ minute gentle ride home, with some controlled turns and dives mixed in. Roller coasters simply may not cut it for me any more! The views again were just amazing. And with Ben's skill, we landed about 30 feet from where we took off - literally! Wow! What a rush!

We came home and relaxed a bit, with Christine preparing dinner. My parents were stopping by for dinner and dessert. I surprised them by showing them the video of what I did that day and my Mom said, "Thank God I did not know about this before you went!" They were shocked.

Dinner was incredible - BBQ ribs, baked potato, corn on the cob, biscuits. Unfortunately, I ate a bit too much, but hey...it's my birthday! I had made my own cake, something I love to do. It was a 4-layer chocolate cake with crunchy peanut butter, raspberry jelly and creamy peanut butter filling and chocolate icing. Oh, my gosh, was that good!

Then, while recovering from my overindulgence, I decided to start scratching my instant tickets. They were NY State "Lucky Birthday" $1 games. The 2nd one I scratched, I won the maximum prize of $500! Would you believe it!?!? (BTW...for those who know me, they know that this is the 2nd largest prize I've won from a scratch-off...the $100,000 from Christmas of 2003 was the biggest, but that's a whole other story!). All tolled, I won $534 from the 40 tickets! Amazing way to cap off the day!

As I said, what a day that was!

The Big Four-Oh!

2009-04-16T22:25:00.002-04:00

So, this weekend I will begin my 41st year on earth. In other words, I will turn 40 on Sunday! It's a big number, but I've never been one to really care about how old I really am. And really, at this point in my life, I am healthier and feel younger than I did at 35, when I was about 90 lbs heavier than I am right now.

Sure, I'm not exactly where I want to be with my weight. I've been struggling, but then, that's just it. I have not given up. I HAVE been struggling at the very least, which is a good thing. I am quite determined to get back to my goal weight and quite certain that I will do it in this calendar year. There...I've put it out there for the world to see it - now I've got to make it happen.

I am going to a Met's game this weekend - my first at the Met's new Citi Field ballpark. And then, on Sunday, my wonderful wife and darling daughter have something unknown planned for me. I really have no idea what it is - they are good at keeping secrets - and I have not really tried much to guess, though I do have a few wild guesses that are probably way off base. But I'd rather be surprised and enjoy it all the way, I guess.

Turning 40. Well, for right now, I'm not afraid of it. I'll let you know once I am there, though.

;-)

Winter Vacation 2009

2009-02-21T11:36:00.004-05:00

For the first time, I believe, since we are married, and definitely, since Faith was born, my family and I decided to take a winter vacation. We headed north, at first to Lake George to spend some time at Christine's brother's house. We did some sledding there, which was a lot of fun. We also skied on West Mountain. Not the biggest of mountains in NY, to be sure, but I had not skied since 1987 and Faith had never been on skis in her life, so it was just about right for us.

At first, Faith did quite well on skis, but a scary trip down the highest part of the bunny hill, ending in a fairly spectacular wipe-out, did her in. She couldn't quite get the hang of controlling her speed with the "pizza" (when I learned, it was called the "wedge"). I think she might try it again with some coaxing. Hopefully next year.

As for me, it was just like riding a bicycle. Not that I was ever an expert at it, but the basics came back to me quickly. After about 5-6 runs on the bunny hill, I headed off to the rest of the mountain for some fun with my niece, Jessica, who, as it turns out, is far and away the best skier I have ever skied with. We did quite a few runs down the more challenging parts of the mountain and I only fell 3 times, one of which was in the last 50 yards of our last run of the night. Overall, I think I did well and I KNOW I had a lot of fun. Sorry...no pictures on skis - I had the digital camera in my own pocket. :(

It was then off further north to Lake Placid. What a beautiful area. We saw all the "Olympic" stuff: the torch, the ski jumps, the outdoor skating oval, the hockey area(s), the bob sled track and Whiteface mountain.

Christine even went on a gondola ride to the top of Whiteface (well, the smaller peak), which, if you know Christine, you would respect what kind of feat that is for her! Faith loved skating on the oval, and so did I. We rode a dogsled around the frozen Mirror Lake and tobogganed down a chute onto the lake as well.

We really had a great time.

As for eating, I have to say that I surprised myself. I was able to make some great choices while still enjoying myself. I ate at the breakfast buffet 3 times, one of which allowing myself to use my 35 weekly points. I ate at McDonalds as well as Quiznos and did not have to "go over" on any day. And according to my unofficial scale at home, I lost almost 3 pounds while on vacation! I am quite proud of that.

Contract, Week 2

2009-01-22T22:15:00.005-05:00

Week two of my contract for weight-loss has come and gone. Weigh-in was tonight at my local Weight Watchers center. But before I get to the weigh-in results, let me describe the progress made.

Eating was spot-on. Made good choices, didn't feel deprived due to some small, judicious treats. Stayed within my points and avoided late-night eating altogether. Also avoided at-work eating except for what I brought each day.

The weigh-in results? 2.2 lb loss. I am yet again nearing ONE-derland (for those not in the know, that would mean that my weight begins with a ONE). I am currently at 203.8. 199.8 is within reach, though a stretch, for this week, but certainly the following week, assuming I remain consistent.

Frank Tibolt is credited with saying,

"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."

To me, these are very true words. I cannot say that I was "inspired" to lose weight a few weeks ago. My actions at the time (inactivity, over-eating) proved that. But still, I had to make a choice. I took a bold step. That step that I took has resulted in an amazing level of inspiration and motivation in me and it has begun to snowball. I am as gung-ho right now as I was week 3 of my original weight-watchers start. Each day I view as another opportunity to make healthy choices, live right and drop some additional weight!

Here we go...WEEK 3! Let's ROCK IT!

NSV

2009-01-21T07:53:00.003-05:00

For those "not-in-the-know" and NSV is, in weight-loss terms, a Non-Scale Victory. I had one this morning. My belt is one belt-hole in further than it has been in recent weeks. I am finally moving in the right direction!

Weigh-in tomorrow - hoping for another good result.

Change has come

2009-01-20T14:00:00.002-05:00

So, we have a new President today. The first-ever african-american President. That's obviously not news to anyone in this country.

I did not vote for Barack Obama to be President. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which are the views he has with respect to the moral issues facing our nation such as abortion and marriage rights. I firmly believe that the direction that a nation takes morally will predict the direction that a nation will eventually take in every other aspect. As we emerge from under the covering of God's grace by walking away from the moral center of God's will, we endanger ourselves more and more. But that's not what this blog entry is about.

Barack Obama is my President. He is the leader of my country and as such, I am ready to get behind him and support him. I will support him in prayer, praying that God will lead and guide his every step. Praying that God will bring him wise counsel and strong courage to do what is right for this nation. Praying that he will bend his own knee in prayer as well, knowing the task that is set in front of him is far too large for the shoulders of one man.

I will support him by giving him a chance to enact the change he speaks of and giving that change a chance to work (although I cannot and will not support some of the moral aspects of his platform).

Yes, as Barack said, "Change has come." Let's hope that it is indeed a change in the right direction.

Contract - Week 1

2009-01-16T16:29:00.002-05:00

So, 1 week ago, I signed a contract to get back on track with my weight-loss efforts. Here are the results:

I kept to the contract ENTIRELY, holding to all of the aspects of it. I stayed within my points. I wrote down everything I ate. I exercised (6) days for a minimum of 30 minutes (mostly walking). I ate nothing that I did not bring with me to work, which included saying no to several offered bagels and a YUMMY-looking office birthday cake. I ate nothing after 8:30.

The results? I feel MUCH better. I feel like I'm in control of myself. I have more energy. And I lost 5 lbs!

So, today begins week #2. I'm hoping that at the end of these 4 weeks, I will have built enough new habits to avoid the need for further contracts, but if necessary, I will certainly renew that contract when it expires.

Looking forward to further results in the near future. I can do this!

Very loose change

2009-01-11T06:30:00.004-05:00

Do you ever get out of your car at the grocery store and see a penny or two on the ground? Have you ever seen a nickle next to the gas pump? Or a dime in the street? Well, we do; in spades!

A few years ago, my family decided that, for a full year, we would collect all of the coins/cash (yes, CASH, too!) that we find all over the place, just to see how much it would add up to. We figured perhaps $20. We were right, in 2006, having found $21. But, as it turns out, we were just amateurs at that time. 2007 brought $141! A few larger bills added to that total, but the vast majority was still quarters here, pennies there.

2008 was fun, since we had a "winner-takes-all" contest, keeping each person's money separate. I was in last place with $24. My daughter in second with $26. My wife won the pot with a whopping $48. Total was $98, down a bit from the prior year, but still not too shabby.

This year, we are still separate, but it's keep-your-own. Believe it or not, we have already found about $6 this year, and it's only 11 days old!

So, where do we find this money? All over the place, really, but a few places are typically more "fruitful" than others. Gas station vacuum machine areas are usually quite rich in pennies and such. Shopping store "coinstar" machines usually yield some "reject-pile" goodies, including a lot of foreign coins (not that we count them). Ride parks, especially WATER parks, are amazingly good for finding all kinds of change.

I'm CERTAIN that we get laughed at for caring to bend down for pennies and such on the ground, but if those people saw the amounts of money this adds up to, they'd be bending down to get them, too!

Hi. My name is...

2009-01-08T21:20:00.004-05:00

Hi. My name is Jim and I am addicted to food. There, I said it. Yes, I was able to lose 115 lbs 2 years ago and keep it off for about 1 year. But in the 17 months since then, I have now officially added 31 lbs back on. At that pace, it would not take all that long to add the other 85 and then some more, so at this point, I need to make a life-or-death decision. At least, that's the way that I see it.

So, how did I put on 31 lbs in 17 months? Well, it's somewhat the same answer I used to give when people asked how did I lose 115 lbs. It's all about controlling what I put IN to my body. Sure, exercise is important, but I've proven that I can out-eat just about any workout I can dream up. I even gained 2 lbs the week after running a 1/2 marathon! I've always attributed the vast majority of my weight-loss to controlling intake, with a minimal contribution from my exercise.

For that reason, I cannot allow the several injuries I have suffered in the past year, limiting my exercise for long stretches of time, to be the excuse I use for my gain. It's ALL about how much I put in.

One of the things that I have noticed about myself is that, unlike MANY who go on Weight Watchers, my stomach, or more appropriately, my capacity to eat volumes of food, as in no way shrunk. Not even a little bit. Unfortunately, I can still pack away vast quantities of food, as I have proved all-too-often. What can I do about this? Well, I have to be FAR MORE DILIGENT with respect to both portion-control as well as recognizing my satisfaction levels.

Eating at night, after the family has gone to sleep, has been probably the single greatest contributor to my weight gain. Somehow I have gotten into the habit of what I call "grazing" through the kitchen. I go through the snack drawers and take one of these, one of those, a small handful of these and a bunch of those. All so that, individually, noone would notice anything "missing." But totaled up, as I have done in the aftermath of several grazing sessions, it can add up to over 40 points quite easily. OBVIOUSLY, this is not very conducive to losing or even maintaining a healthy weight.

So, what am I going to do about this life-or-death decision? I have committed to a 28-day contract. I even put it in writing and signed it, giving it to my wife. I agreed to the following:

Stay within points (Daily, Weekly, Activity included).
Journal EVERYTHING I eat.
Exercise (5) days per week, 30-minutes or more.
I will eat ONLY what I bring to work each day.
I will eat NOTHING after 8:30 PM.

That is my commitment. I firmly believe that if I stick to the above agreement, I will significantly decrease my current 211 lb body at the end of the 4 weeks and I will reinvigorate my commitment to the Weight Watchers program.

I can do this. I WILL do this.

2009 - I love new beginnings

2009-01-01T11:30:00.003-05:00

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. [Lamentations 3:22-23]

This quote from the Bible is very often quoted around this time of year. God is a God of the second chance. Some may even say that He's a God of the third and fourth and fifth chances, too. And so on. And they might be right, in a sense. But equally, they would be wrong in a very important sense, too.

You see, when we fail, God picks us up, dusts us off and sets us back on His path. When He does this, we get a second chance, right? But it is so much more than that. Scripture tells us that he removes our sin from us as far as the east is from the west [Psalm 103:12]. It also tells us that He choses not to remember them any longer. [Isaiah 43:25]. That means that if we fall again, God picks us up, dusts us off and sets us back on His path, giving us a second chance. You see, calling this a third or fourth chance diminishes what God is doing for us. When He gives us a second chance, it really is a fresh start.

His mercies are new every morning. Each new day, and even moreso, each new year, is an opportunity to come before God and make a fresh start. No matter what you went to bed with last night, the mercy and love of God is there in the morning to pick you up, dust you off and give you a fresh start.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Decorations 2008

2008-12-15T05:53:00.004-05:00

So, I figure since the last time I blogged was Christmas 2007, why not make it a tradition and do it again. Here is our tree and our outside decorations for 2008.

Christmas Tree 2007

2007-12-10T18:54:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we put up and decorated our 2007 Christmas Tree. It's an artificial tree, on a rotating stand, which means you get to see the WHOLE tree throughout the season.

The Christmas Village beneath the tree is a homemade village made out of Plastic Canvas. My wonderful wife made that with her own two crafty hands and unfortunately, this video doesn't do it justice. It is spectacular and has been adorning the bottom of our tree for over 10 years now.

We think it came out lovely. Hope you like it as much as we do.

First Half-Marathon!

2007-05-10T13:44:00.000-04:00

Sunday, May 6th, 2007. It was a chilly and windy Sunday morning on Long Island. The family and I got up real early (5:00 AM) and got ready to leave the house as soon as possible. We had a 40-minute drive to get to Eisenhower Park before the surrounding roads were closed. We managed to get there in plenty of time.

Once we got there, we waited a while, then had quite a walk to the starting line of the 2007 Long Island Marathon. This was to be my first-ever half-marathon run, and boy, was I excited.

Christine, my wife, and Faith, my daughter, walked over to the start with me in the cold morning air. The support they gave me really helped through my training and on the day of the run itself.

As the start time grew close, I pared down to my running shorts and shirt, losing the sweat pants and sweat jacket that were, up to that point, keeping me warm. It was a cold few minutes before the gun went off, but I managed to survive.

Prior to the race, I had set 2 goals for myself. One, 1:55:00, which I would be disappointed if I did not meet and the other, 1:50:00, which I would be thrilled if I could achieve.

When the gun went off, and the 5000 or so runners all began to make their way to/past the starting line, my adrenaline was at overload. Mainly due to the crowd, I managed to keep myself from burning out on the first mile, but even still, 8:22 for the first mile was not bad. I then settled in to a fair pace for the next few miles, passing Christine and Faith at about 2.5 miles and waving to them, knowing the next time I'd see them was about 11 miles later.

Miles 3-5 were somewhat uneventful, though my pace slowed a bit. At about mile 5, an old friend caught up to me from behind. I didn't know he was running, though I knew he had done the full a year ago. We ran together for the next 3 miles or so, despite the fact that he had a deep thigh bruise sustained only a few nights earlier. One stretch between 6 and 8 was both uphill and against the wind, which was brutal that day. It was on that stretch that I had my only 9-minute-plus mile for the run. At 8 miles, Matt (my friend) bowed out, saying that he could no longer continue. I was sad, but kept going, knowing I had set a pretty good pace for myself.

By the time I had hit the 10 mile mark, I pretty much knew that my 1:55 goal was a given and my 1:50 goal was definitely within reach. At about mile 11, something odd happened. This overwhelming feeling of euphoria came over me all at once. But, instead of feeling "happy" I actually started to CRY! I actually had to compose myself by remembering that I still had over 2 miles to go! It was an amazing feeling that popped up a few more times during the rest of the run.

I passed Christine and Faith at about the 13-mile mark and waved as I went by, again fighting back some tears. 0.1 miles to go and I still had enough to push out a sprint to the finish. My "clock" time was 1:50:23 but my "chip" time was....1:49:33! I had done it! I had come in under my aggressive goal time! It was an 8:22 mile pace overall! I finished #672 out of 3289 finishers, which was just about in the top 20% of finishers!

What an amazing experience! It was a feeling of accomplishment that I'm not sure even hitting my goal weight with Weight Watchers could match.

Will I ever do a full marathon? Someday, I'm pretty certain that I will. For now, though, a half-marathon is accomplishment enough for me!

And to think...just over 18 months ago, I was morbidly obese at almost 300 lbs and could barely jog the length of a football field without passing out! If I can do it, so can ANYONE!

Here are my split times for my entire race:


Mile 1: 8:22
Mile 2: 7:46 (16:08)
Mile 3: 7:42 (23:51)
Mile 4: 8:10 (32:01)
Mile 5: 8:17 (40:19)
Mile 6: 8:31 (48:50)
Mile 7: 8:25 (57:16)
Mile 8: 9:04 (1:06:21)
Mile 9: 8:22 (1:14:43)
Mile 10: 8:30 (1:23:30)
Mile 11: 8:26 (1:31:40)
Mile 12: 8:15 (1:39:55)
Mile 13: 8:47 (1:48:43)
13.1: 0:50 (1:49:33)

Long Time, No Blog

2007-04-02T15:35:00.000-04:00

So, it's been almost 4 months since I posted my last blog entry. Wow, time sure flies.

What has gone on in my life since then, you may ask. Then again, you may not ask. Either way, if you keep reading, you're gonna find out.

So, in my last post, I boasted about my wonderful wife's accomplishment of attaining her lifetime status with Weight Watchers. She has done an amazing job of not only maintaining her weight, but even going a little bit lower (she wants to go about 10 pounds less than her official WW goal anyway, and she's almost there). What an incredible woman!

I, on the other hand, have had a difficult time maintaining my weight. Not some "mysterious" or "I have no idea why I'm gaining weight" type of difficulty, mind you. I know EXACTLY why I'm having trouble maintaining...too much food. Plain and simple. I have yet to pay for a WW meeting still, but this week's weigh-in will be iffy. I'm exercising well enough, but the eating part has been terrible to say the least.

I'm training for a 1/2 marathon next month, which will be the first time I will ever run that far. I am really looking forward to it.

My wife lost her mom last month, which has been very difficult for her. Praying for her is about the best thing I can do for her, with the possible exception of just providing a shoulder for her to use at her disposal. This is the first close loss of our adult lives, so we're still trying to figure out how to process it all and deal with it.

My daughter turned 9 last month. 9! Unbelievable! Too fast! She's amazing, though. I never knew I was capable of that kind of love...perhaps I wasn't until I got her as a gift.

Anyway, that's an update on my life for now. Hope to post more often as time goes by.

I'm SO proud of her!

2006-12-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

Please allow me a few minutes to brag about the most wonderful woman in the world. With apologies to anyone who may have their own opinion on that subject, I would be referring to my incredible wife, Christine. She has proven that whatever she sets her mind to do, she can accomplish.

Tonight, she earned her lifetime Weight Watchers status by completing her 6th week of maintenance. 15 months and 1 day from the day we began this journey and we are both now lifetime Weight Watchers! How amazing. I view her own accomplishment as even more than my own, because of some of the challenges she has had to face, including intollerance for non-nutrative sweeteners and some health problems that prevented any kind of consistent exercise program, yet even still, she has managed to lose over 80 lbs in that short time.

So, in this blog entry, I would like to offer a huge CONGRATULATIONS to that wonderful wife of mine. You did it, Christine! YOU DID IT!

5K, Take 1

2006-11-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

Staff Writer

Stony Brook, NY - It was merely a 5 kilometer run through the roads around the SUNY Stony Brook campus on a chilly Sunday morning, but for one runner, it was that and so much more. To understand why, we need to understand the longer race that this runner has been running.

Obesity had plagued Jim for years, who had long struggled in the battle of the bulge on his own. Battles were won and lost but the war was always tilted towards the heavier side of the scale. That is, until September of 2005, when all that changed. Jim got help.

"I'm not certain that I can pinpoint an event that triggered my need for help, outside of my wife finally saying, 'Enough!' and making the call to go to the nearest Weight Watchers center," said Jim, sitting down after the race. "It was exactly what I needed."

With the weight dropping by the fistful last fall, a long-hidden love resurfaced in Jim's life. Running was coming back in dribs and drabs. First, a tenth of a mile, then 2, then a quarter, and so on. "By mid-January, I had run 2.5 miles non-stop. It was unbelievable." He progressed from there, extending the distance all the way to 8+ miles by summer, all the while improving on pace and continuing his march towards his weight-loss goal.

Once the weight was all lost, he felt the need to test his running in a real race, so when a co-worker informed him of the SUNY 5K event, there was no turning back. Not only was he going to run, he wanted to beat this long-time runner who invited him.

"When the race started, I think I was a bit over-zealous and got out a bit fast. By the time we had climbed the first hill, I was sucking wind and getting passed by my co-worker before the 1-mile mark. But I held it together." Throughout the first two-thirds of the course, much of which was steadily uphill, Jim maintained a good solid pace. In the back-stretch, however, he faded a bit, but still managed a 64th place finish with a more-than-respectable 23:10 time, just 40 seconds behind his co-worker.

"It was only 15 seconds off my all-time best practice run at that distance, and I practice on a very flat course, so I'm quite pleased, " said Jim. "It was only my first run, so how could I be disappointed?"

When asked about future race plans, Jim smiled broadly and said, "Well, I'd love a rematch with (his co-worker) in a 5K, but my sights are really set on the spring and a longer run. At least a half-marathon in May."

5 kilometers? How hard can that be for someone who has already run the race that Jim has? Can he do better? I wouldn't bet against it.

Another visit to the Doc

2006-11-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

So, last night I had another visit with my doctor. I had gone for blood tests about a week ago and scheduled this apointment at that time to discuss the results. One of his staff-members brought me into one of the treatment room and "interviewed" me about my visit and then said, "The Doctor will be in shortly."

So I was waiting. The door was open and my doctor passed by, made eye-contact with me, and kept walking, which is actually unusual for him...he usually gives me a jovial greeting, but I figured he was just busy. A few minutes later, he came to the door, again unusually quiet, grabbed my chart, the started to chuckle. He said, "You want a funny compliment? I thought you were a new patient. I didn't recognize you." Fun stuff.

Anyway, we talked and he said that my blood results were EXACTLY what doctors look for in their patients. He was pleased, but then saddened that I was requesting to come off the 1/2 dose of cholesterol medicines I was still on. The way he saw it, the results were too perfect to mess with. But I begged him to give me 3 months off the meds, and he relented. So, I "dropped" the blood-pressure meds last spring and now, at least for 3 months, I dropped the cholesterol meds. I'm hoping that my results will be similar in February as they were now and I won't need to go back on them.

Lifetime

2006-10-26T23:28:00.000-04:00

Before I get into the subject that the title of this post eludes to, I need to say a word about what my incredible wife has accomplished. In just under 14 months, she has managed to inspire me to lose all of the weight I have lost and, oh by the way, toss aside 77+ pounds of her own for good measure. She reached her goal weight tonight, losing 5.2 lbs in the last two weeks to get there.

What makes this more special is that she, because of some physical problems, did this without the benefit of any of the extreme exercise I have availed myself of. She did this without being able to use any artificial sweeteners, which her body cannot tolerate. She did this with true grit and determination. Can you tell that I'm not just a little proud of this amazing woman God has blessed me with?

And to boot, she did this on the very same night which I finished my 6-week maintenance period with Weight Watchers.

For those who may not know, when you attain your goal weight with Weight Watchers, you begin a 6-week period during which you need to strictly maintain your weight within 2 lbs of your goal. Once those 6 weeks are over, you receive "Lifetime" status with Weight Watchers, granting you a free seat at any meeting for life, with the stipulation of weighing in at least monthly at or no more than 5 lbs above your goal weight.

So, tonight was my 6th weigh-in for my maintenance period, and I was granted "Lifetime" status. I really like this title. I think it is incredibly appropriate, really. Some weight-loss plans consider what I have done as being "completed" or "finished." Some would say that I'm on my own now. Some might say that my journey to my goal weight is complete in and of itself.

But instead, I like the "lifetime" status much better. To me, this has so many meanings. Sure, it means that I can now attend meetings free for life, and I certainly won't sneeze at that. But there's more, at least to me.

There's a whole LIFETIME ahead of me. Far more LIFETIME than I would have had any right to expect at nearly 300 lbs. There's a whole LIFETIME with my wife and daughter. There's a whole LIFETIME with family and friends.

There's the fact that there's more LIFE in my TIME as well. I can now do things that before were merely wishes and wants. I can run. I can run far and fast. I can ride a bicycle. I can roller-blade. I can fit on Stormrunner in Hershey Park. There's just so much more LIFE in my TIME now!

And lastly, my journey is not complete. It will never be complete. It is a journey for a LIFETIME. It is a journey that has no destination. The journey IS the destination.

LIFETIME. Yeah, I like the sound of that!

GOAL MET!

2006-09-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

My goal weight: 180 lbs.
My weight as of tonight's weigh-in: 180 lbs.

I did it! I have now lost 115.6 lbs and have officially arrived at my weight-loss goal! One week later than I had hoped, but that's ok. I still made it!

I have to give a HUGE thank you to my amazing wife, without whom I could never have even dreamed of accomplishing this. She has been by my side through the entire journey and is almost to her own goal herself. The encouragement and support I have received from her has helped me in so many ways.

Another huge thank you goes out to my wonderful daughter, who has supported me, assisted me, and yes, at times even chastized me.

I love you, girls!

Yet another thank you must go to my Weight Watchers meeting leader, Alice, who has meant so much to our journey, and to the entire group we have grown so close with through the last year.

Also, to the family, friends and co-workers who have been so uplifting and supportive, even if it did take losing the first 40 lbs before ANY of you noticed (except you, Steve K! :) )

Lastly, but certainly by no means least, I must thank my Lord Jesus, who has taken my heart-felt efforts in this process and blessed them ten-fold, granting success to my journey. I can do nothing apart from Him and through Him, I can do all things!

Now begins the next phase of my journey - maintenance. To be quite honest, I am more than just a bit nervous about tomorrow, when I add some more points to my plan. This will take some getting-used-to, to be sure, but I think I'm up for the challenge.

I did it. I really did it. How amazing is that?

What a difference a year makes!

2006-09-06T14:17:00.000-04:00

September 6th, 2005. It was the first day of 2nd grade for my daughter. It was the first day of change for my wife and I.

We put her on the bus and sent her off to school. Then we went to our local Weight Watchers center and joined the program for the first time ever. We were obese. That's a rough statement, but it's true. I weighed in at 295.6 lbs, which was probably not quite my "all-time" highest weight. I knew I had well over 100 lbs to lose. My wife, who had already lost about 10-15 lbs over the summer on her own, was not quite that bad, but we were both in need of serious weight loss.

My expectations were that, maybe, perhaps, within one year, I might lose about 50 lbs. My wife was a bit more modest, hoping for about 25 lbs over the course of a year. My expectations were drastically altered the very first week when I lost 13 lbs! My wife did well, losing over 4 lbs. We've never looked back since!

By Christmas, I had already lost over 50 lbs and my wife was well on her way, too. By late spring, I had lost 100 lbs, which is when I made it a goal to get to my goal weight by my "anniversary" weigh-in, which will be tomorrow night. It's been a bit of a roller-coaster ride since then, with some vacation time and bad eating time cutting in to my progress, but I've still managed to lose some more over the last few months and I'm SOOOOOOO close. I would have to come in with a 2.8 lb loss to get to my 180lb goal weight, which is not likely, but I'm ok with that. It's not like it's never gonna happen...it will, and soon! If it happens tomorrow, all the better. My wife is within 7 lbs of her goal as well and has lost over 70lbs in the last year. What an amazing job she has done!

Can a year make a difference? You bet! I will NEVER return to my old self. I like the "thin and healthy" me much better! Here's hoping the next year will bring successes different in nature!

Now THAT feels better!

2006-08-24T13:14:00.000-04:00

You may wonder what the most annoying part of my weight-loss has been. Then again, you may not wonder that at all. Be that as it may, if you keep reading this blog entry, you're going to find out.

When my wife and I got married in 1993, I weighed approximately 225 lbs. My wedding band was a size 11.5, if memory serves. About 7 years later, I had the ring sized up to match the "upsizing" that my body had done...this time to a size 13. When I hit 295, even that was getting pretty tight.

Then came my weight loss. By the time I got back to my wedding weight, I had to switch the ring from my normal ring finger to my middle finger, because it was constantly falling off while showering, washing my hands or just "rough-housing" with my daughter. That really took some getting used-to, although I'm not sure I ever really did "get used-to" it completely. It annoyed me pretty much all the time.

But I kept losing and my fingers kept shrinking, to the point that it started falling off my middle finger, too. Nearing my goal weight now (3.8 lbs left as of last week), I figured my hands had probably shrunk all they would and I could safely have the ring sized down. So I took it to a jeweler this weekend. They were able to "shrink" it back down to a size 11 without having to cut the ring, which was a plus, although the final "pattern" on the ring isn't quite "exactly" what it used to be, it's still my ring. And it FITS without feeling like it's about to fall off, too. I like that. A lot!

You may wonder what the best thing about my weight loss is, and then again, you may not. Anyway, the best thing....hmmmmm. Running? Better fitting / new / smaller clothes? Feeling great? Substantially less medications? Compliments? All great things to feel great about, to be sure. But the best? The best is getting to go through this with the woman who gave me that wedding band on May 1, 1993. The best is sharing this experience with her. The best is giving her that ring again and allowing her to slip it back on my ring finger where it belongs.

She's the best! By far!

I FIT !!!

2006-06-29T13:39:00.000-04:00

My family has been vacationing almost annually (we missed last year) for the past 4 years at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. It is a wonderful park, with rides for kids of all ages...even my age! In any case, I'm a roller-coaster enthusiaste and Hershey Park has a great variety of excellent roller coasters. In 2004, they added a new launch-style roller coaster named Storm Runner, which I desperately wanted to ride that year. We went in late June of 2004, and I got to the line entrance for the coaster, where they have a sample seat, next to a sign stating that due to the nature of the restraint system, "larger" individuals may not be able to be accomodated on this ride. I tried, but I simply did not fit. I was extremely disappointed. They also opened another ride that year (The Claw) which I tried to get on but had to do the "walk-of-shame" off of for the same reason...I was too fat!

So I was really looking forward to our trip to Hershey this year, not just because we skipped it last year, but because I knew I would get on rides I've never been on before. We went last weekend, which, if you watched the news concerning the weather in the North-east during that time, you would know was not exactly prime amusement-park-weather, but we went anyway. We did get about a good 1/2 day in the park, and I did get on to Storm Runner. I FIT! I sat right down and had absolutely no issue with the restraint system. I FIT! And I've got to say, it was absolutely the BEST roller-coaster I've ever been on in my life!

I got on The Claw without a problem, too. I FIT!

It's funny, though...the first ride that my daughter (8 yrs old) and I went on was the Comet (a classic wooden coaster) and out of habit, when the lap-bar was coming down, I sucked in my belly...but I didn't need to! I FIT!

And I got on the Wave Swinger and got back off without the swing seat sticking to my butt. I FIT!

I was able to comfortably sit in the seat of any ride I wanted to. I FIT! I really fit!

It was really an amazing experience! Due to the weather, we cut the vacation short and we will be heading back there in a few more weeks for more "fitting" fun! I can't wait!

Sure, I gained a pound or two while I was there, but that was expected...sometimes the scale isn't the only measure of success on Weight Watchers. Sometimes it's fitting in the seat of a 180-foot-tall roller coaster!

Creating Habits

2006-06-15T05:33:00.000-04:00

You know...One of the things that has been absolutely key in my successful weight loss so far has been the ability to add some new habits to my life. I have made it a habit to exercise almost every day. When I get up on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, there's no question I will be exercising. These days that most likely means going for a run. At first, it was a difficult chore to do the exercising, but after a pretty short while, not only did it become second-nature, but I began to LOVE IT. I absolutely LOVE to exercise now.

When I'm grabbing something to eat, it's absolutely a habit for me to immediately figure out how many points it is and how many I have left for the day. It's a habit for me to go to my WW meeting every Thursday evening. All new habits, formed because they are helping to accomplish something that I really want in my life. Things I don't have to even think about anymore, really.

I just read today's selection from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, which seems incredibly pertinent. (here's a link: http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php?month=06&day=15&year=06 )

Here's the thing, though. That has really confronted me with the fact that I have still not been able to "form" new habits in my Christian walk as well as I would like to. I have yet to make real prayer and scripture reading a daily habit, even though I know how absolutely critical it is to my success as a Christian man in this world. The reading above, along with my physical success in weight-loss has made it absolutely clear that it IS possible for me to make these things a habit, and yes, even begin to LOVE doing it. But I've got to be willing to put in the effort it will take to get through the "adding" and "forming" part, in order to get to the "habit" and "love it" parts. That much is up to me, but the cool thing is, I know that if I'll do my part, He will meet me halfway with arms open wide and grace flowing!

Now, similar to the fact that I didn't start my exercise program with a 5 mile run every morning, and I didn't change my whole diet all in one day, I'm not going to start this "forming" of new habits by promising to do 3 hours of Bible study and prayer every day. I'm going to take this a little bit at a time, doing some small study work and prayer each day and then add to it little by little.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you lose 100+ pounds? One pound at a time. How do you read the whole Bible? One chapter at a time. I'm making a commitment to do just that, starting today!

I wonder no more...

2006-06-05T13:23:00.000-04:00

Not that I really ever wondered why it was that I was so fat in the first place...I sort-of had a pretty good idea...I ate too much. But several times over the past few months I took note of some specific foods that I used to eat and had a chance to figure out how many points they were. Boy was I surprised!

My typical meal at Wendy's? 45-60 points.
McDonalds breakfast (2 SEC McGriddles, 2 Hashbrowns, 2 Milks)? 46 points!
A slice of my favorite cheesecake? 14 points, but who can have just one slice?
Lloyd's BBQ Pork Ribs? 9 points for 2 ribs...I've polished off a whole rack myself, along with some side-dishes!

Those are just some of the examples. I am sure that there were MANY days where my daily point total well-exceeded 100 (not that I was counting!) When I see the way I used to eat, it makes it entirely obvious why my belt was getting tight at 56 inches and my 300-lb scale was pushing it's limits!

In actuality, I still did have my cheesecake on my birthday. Just one slice. It was WELL-worth it, as it is the BEST cheesecake I've ever tasted! (Jonathan Lord Cheesecakes) But that kind of treat is now just that...a TREAT. No longer a staple in my diet!

Visit to the Doc

2006-05-30T21:20:00.000-04:00

Here are some more before-and-after pictures. The "fat" pictures were from the summer of 2005 and the "current" pictures were taken just today.

Speaking of today...I visited my doctor today, just to check out how he thinks I've been doing. I've been going to him since 1992. He has seen my weight go from about 215 at that time, all the way up to the 295+ I found myself at last summer.

Anyway, he is VERY pleased with my weight-loss so far. In fact, he's tickled pink. He bragged about me to one of his collegues in the office.

The good part of my visit, you ask? I've been on medication for my BP for several years now. Well, my blood pressure was 112/63. When I described to my doctor that I've been exerpiencing some minor dizziness when getting up quickly after sitting for a while, he was not surprised. He said that I should immediately discontinue the BP medications, as I no longer need them!

Pretty Unbelievable!

He also said that I should spread out my reflux medication further, taking it every THIRD day instead of every OTHER day. I used to take it EVERY day, so that's quite an improvement.

And hopefully, when I get my blood test results back, I'll be able to either discontinue or at least decrease my cholesterol medication as well.

One more piece of news...he took a good look at me and told me that my goal weight of 170 seems too low at this point. He would prefer that I stop, at least for now, at 180, so instead of 22.6 pounds from my goal, I'm now only 12.6 pounds away! Pretty cool!

When trying to find some new "before pictures", my wife and I went through some old photo albums...The one phrase that kept coming out of my mouth was..."Oh, my gosh!" Boy was I ever big! I didn't want to post pictures with my daughter in them, but I've gotta tell ya...I was HUGE! I simply MUST HAVE cracked 300lbs in some of those pictures, because, oh, my gosh...I was HUGE! It was fun and horrifying at the same time. It was quite encouraging, though.

Oh...one more thing. Last week, a friend loaned me some weight-lifting plates...90lbs worth, to be exact. I put them into 2 nap-sacks and added some additional weight to equal the then-101lb weight that I had lost to that point. I put one nap-sack on backwards (payload in front) and the other on normally (payload in back). So, at that moment, I was back at my 295lb weight. Oh my. It's hard to imagine what 101lbs actually feels like, but it's HEAVY, to say the least.

I walked up my stairs to the 2nd floor and back down, and man, was I winded...me...the guy who can jog 3 miles pretty easy these days, winded from going up and down 12 steps with the weight that I once carried everywhere with me. What an eye-opener.

I highly recommend, when you need some encouragement, putting your current "weight-loss-total" together in a bag/sack/whatever and really feeling what your lost weight feels like. You'd be surprised how heavy even 20lbs is...it's nothing to sneeze at!

101 Gone, 24.6 more to Go!

2006-05-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

So, I went to my WeightWatchers meeting tonight, hoping for, but not really counting on reaching my 100 lb loss mark.

I got there! 101 to be exact! It's hard to believe that I'm actually 101 lbs lighter now than I was back in September, when I started this process. The changes in my life are astounding!

I run about 4-5 days per week, averaging about 3 miles per run, with my longest run to date being a 5-mile run done last month on my birthday!

My clothes have changed from having three 'X's in front of the 'L' to just a plain 'L' or sometimes even an 'M.'

The foods that I eat now are quite different, too, but I can honestly say that I enjoy food now FAR MORE than when I was gorging myself on the stuff I used to eat.

The picture included here was taken tonight. Comparing it to the picture from my last blog, it seems unreal that both of these pictures are the same person, much less that both of them are ME.

2006-04-25T06:22:00.000-04:00

Well, Here's a "before" picture. This picture was taken the weekend before we started on Weight Watchers at Jones' Beach. Shortly after this picture was taken, the Oceanic Rescue team showed up to push the whale back into the water, but were dissappointed to find that it was just me. :)

First Blog Post

2006-04-14T14:36:00.000-04:00

Well, this is my first-ever blog posting, so it'll probably be pretty lame! Really don't have much to say at this time, but I figured I should probably put SOMETHING up here.

Most people who know me know that I've been successfully losing a LOT of weight recently on the Weight Watchers plan. As of today, I've lost a total of 92 pounds! Only 33.6 more to lose until I get to my goal weight! It's been an amazing journey for me.

I've also taken up running over the past few months and as of today, my longest distance run has been 4.1 miles! Amazing, considering that 1 year ago, I probably couldn't have gone more than 4.1 HOUSES without collapsing.

Anyway, that's about it for now...I'll post up some BEFORE and DURING (not AFTER yet!) soon.