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.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Change has come
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.
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.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Contract - Week 1
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!
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!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Very loose change
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!
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Hi. My name is...
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.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
2009 - I love new beginnings
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!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas Decorations 2008
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.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Christmas Tree 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
First Half-Marathon!
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:
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)
Monday, April 02, 2007
Long Time, No Blog
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.
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.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
I'm SO proud of her!
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!
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!
Monday, November 20, 2006
5K, Take 1
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.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Another visit to the Doc
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.
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.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Lifetime
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!
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!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
GOAL MET!
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?
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?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
What a difference a year makes!
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!
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!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Now *THAT* feels better!
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!
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!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
I FIT !!!
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!
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!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Creating Habits
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!
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!
Monday, June 05, 2006
I wonder no more...
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!
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!
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