I can never go back!

Sunday dinner today was a culinary experiment that turned out pretty dang good. I’ve got so I just log on to one of my favorite “healthy recipe” websites, type in a short list of the meat and veggies I have in the kitchen, click enter, and through the miracle of the WWW, up pops 25 or 30 nutritious dishes to choose from that are based on the ingredients I have on hand. Today I made roasted pork tenderloin, and something that can be best described as the carrot’s answer to creamy tomato soup. I also whipped up some kind of low cal, low fat, creamy-cauliflower dish. The soup turned out like nothing I’d ever seen before but it was pretty tasty. The whole meal totaled to about 400 calories, which is not bad for what is traditionally the biggest, richest, meal of the week.

The other night, I tried on a few leather jackets that I’d had stashed in the closet for several years, and would you believe that they all fit? I also slipped into three more pairs of dress slacks that I’d previously outgrown and they fit as well. I still have a good ways to go to get into most of my suits, dress shirts, and spot coats, but it won’t be long until I can wear them all.

I stayed up until 2:30am that same night reading my old journals. I found that back in 2000, I weighed 340 lbs. A few months later I was down to 280 but I was only there for a short time. Sadly it was another failed attempted at crash dieting that ended with me getting heavier than ever. The good news is, what I am doing now is not a diet! My healthy habits had a beginning but they have no end. I do catch myself once in a while craving some of the massive quantities of junk food that I used to eat, and I think briefly that “when this is over, I’m going to get me a bunch of that”, but then I snap out of the destructive reverie and remind myself that this is not a diet. There is no looking forward to a time when I can go back to eating the way the “old me” once did. Sure I’ll indulge in a small amount of some of those kinds of foods, but I can never go back to the way things were.

Ran a mile without stopping!

Wow…it’s late. Let me just say that today was a good one. Along with a nice walk, I ran for almost a mile without stopping. Oh, and I ate perfectly. Hope you had a great day too and I promise I’ll write more tomorrow.

Good Night.

Sometimes less is more...

Not much time to post today but sometimes less is more…as in more pounds lost. Last week I weighed in at 312.9 and today I weigh 307.1! That’s down 5.8 lbs! It’s also the biggest loss I’ve posted since my first week. Sweet!

Well, I’m off for a little exercise. Catch you tomorrow.

The belt-holes never lie.

Huh…that’s odd. I went to cinch my belt an extra hole this morning and there were no holes left to cinch. Is that cool or what? I’ve had lots of “pay days” since I started my quest for a better, healthier life, but having to punch 3 more holes in my belt is by far one of the best. Belt leather without holes is very tangible evidence that my huge gut is finally in full retreat.

I was just thinking how every belt I own has a disheartening story to tell, a story of bulging pressure and great expansion. Like reading the rings of a tree, you can look at my belt to study how my use of each overstretched hole slowly progressed from one belt-hole to the next. You can plainly see how my midsection has bloated over time. And now, finally, my belt-holes are telling the same story, only in reverse…and this version has a much happier ending.

Tomorrow is Friday, and that means weigh-in day for me. I’m excited because this is the healthiest week I’ve had since Christmas. I’ve been exercising like a track star, budgeting and counting my calories, and even getting more sleep, so I’m expecting some great weight loss numbers in the morning. I hope the good numbers turn out to be true, but even if I only lose another 3 or 4 lbs this week, I won’t be disheartened because no matter what the scales say…the belt-holes never lie.

Off leash for the day!

Sorry for flying under the radar yesterday by not making a blog post. I left for Orem early Tuesday morning for a very significant meeting with the BSA, from there I ended up spending the night at my kid sisters house where time just slipped away from me. Little Sis even reminded me mid-afternoon that I could use her computer to make my post and yet I still didn’t “get ‘er done”. The good news is that even though I was “off leash” for the day, I still ate like a genuine champ. Sis fixed us a scrumptious salad for lunch, a bowl of sliced apples for a late afternoon snack, and when we went for dinner at the world famous Santaqueen Drive-In, I ordered a double cheeseburger, large fries, and a thick candy bar shake! Or at least I actually thought of order all of that…okay, the shake part anyway, but when it came time to order, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I had a grilled chicken salad with triple tomatoes and an ice water…awesome!

It’s obvious to me that I am becoming a changed man, not just physically but mentally as well. It seemed last night that “the new me” repelled the unhealthy food with the same stubbornness that “the old me” utilized to attract me to it. Now, of course I’ll eat junk food again…my life can never be totally void of milk shakes, but I hope to always indulge as a part of a plan, and never an impulse. I still have a long ways to go before I am in perfect control, for example, my last nutritional relapse was as recent as twelve days ago but last night at the drive-in was very encouraging.

All-in-all yesterday was a fine success, the prognosis for today looks splendid as well and I hope yours does too.

Tasty yes, but still very stupid!

The “getting fit” paydays just keep on coming! Today I had the opportunity to help an elderly couple move out of their apartment. As usual, there were only a few able bodied guys on hand to make the move, but now that I am feeling so dang fit and spry, I didn’t even care that I would be doing most of the heavy stuff. Trip after trip I hauled stuff out to the trailer and hardly broke into a sweat. I didn’t even curse under my breath about the long set of stairs! (We really big people hate stairs, mostly because they go up and down, oh…and also because of gravity!)

I’ve said this before, but one of the coolest things about our bodies is that we don’t have to be considered slim to feel better. Once we reward our bodies with better food and regular exercise, our bodies are very quick to reward us by letting us feel better. And have you noticed the opposite is also true? One bad food binge and the gluttony sucks the life right out of you for several days.

Why I lived the way I used to live was just so freaking stupid (tasty yes, but still very stupid), and the only thing dumber would be for me to revert back to my old ways. A good friend of mine used to say, “Why do we do the things we do when we know the things we know?” I guess it goes back to what I said a few weeks ago. It does not matter what you know, it’s how you feel about what you know that dictates your actions. A doctor that smokes knows all about the ill effects, but the good doctor must not feel very strong about those ill effects or he or she would be ex-smokers already. The bottom line is, if I’m going to change, I’ve got to feel the need for change right to my very core. Looking back, that’s exactly what happened to me the night I cried out into cyberspace for your help. I’d been on enough diets to know a lot about getting healthy, but it was not until I felt super passionate about it, and was willing to swallow my pride, that I was able to begin making the needed change. Once in a while I forget, and that’s why I sometimes "fall off the wagon" for a few days, but then I remember my blog, and those of you who are pulling for me and I have no choice but get passionate all over again because I can’t allow myself to break my promises to you. You are the reason I’ve been able to keep on keeping on!


In the words of Little Cesar’s Pizza, (who, by the way, has nearly gone out of business since I quit eating there) “Thank you! Thank you!

“Mommy, that man is fat!”

Just another Sunday in weight loss heaven!

This counting calorie concept has really been a huge breakthrough for me! Here I’ve fought doing it this whole time, only to learn firsthand that counting is king! The really cool thing is that understanding calories isn’t even rocket science. You just read the food label or consult the web, do a quick bit of math, jot down a few simple numbers in your check ledger and that’s it! Oh, and you have to remember not to overeat! Historically, that part can be a bit tricky, but it’s still not as hard as engineering a rocket, and I’m telling you, it’s easier to eat less when you’re keeping a daily food log.

Tonight was one of those little paydays that I keep talking about. We went to visit a family friend who hadn’t heard that I’d been losing weight. One of the first things our friend said when I strolled through her door was “you’re losing weight!” How cool is that? She wasn’t a part of my “paid” support group trying to encouraging me on, she’s just a random lady that blurted out her first observation, which by the way, is far cry better than some wide-eyed kid at Wal-Mart pointing at me, telling his mother “Mommy, that man is fat!” Yeah, that kind of blurting is never fun, even though I always mustered a fake chuckle just so the kid’s mom doesn’t cuff the honest little sucker up-side the head.

On another note, I’m slightly freaked out but also excited that the big race is coming up so soon. It’s hard to imagine that in just a few short weeks I’ll actually be running three miles (hopefully non-stop) in Delta. I’m glad that some of you have committed to the run already, and hope there will be more, if not for this race, maybe the one in late March. Give it a think, will you?

See ya tomorrow!

In my young stud prime...

While my progress isn’t exactly traveling at the speed of light, it is pretty satisfying for me to see that I’ve lost almost 35 lbs since this whole “blog thing” began and 58 lbs since my weight peaked out at 371! Very cool. Thanks again for all of your help and support. Your following my blog drives me more than you could ever imagine. I’m getting excited about the February race and am glad to hear some of you are training to run it with me. It will be the start of my renewed love for running. In my young stud prime I was running over 90 miles per week and I would love to be able to do it again.

I spent about 20 minutes last night trying on some of my “skinny” clothes and found that three or four shirts are now a decent fit and so are some of the pants. How cool is that?

I had a great walk/run this morning. I can feel my lungs are opening up and my stamina is coming back. In fact, I had to hold myself back just a bit because I can’t risk an injury. After another week or so, I’ll be confident enough in my body’s ability to handle the constant pounding and then I’ll push myself to the limit.

This calorie counting tactic is really paying off.

What’s that you say? I look thinner than I have in 7 or 8 years? Well…I look that way because I am thinner than I’ve been for 7 or 8 years! What a difference a few healthy days can make! After being off-track, I finally kicked in the afterburners and finished the week pretty good weight loss wise! Last week I tipped the scales at 316.7 and this week I was down to 312.9. Not quite four pounds, but still pretty good considering my overindulgent weekend.

This new calorie counting tactic is really paying off for me. To be calorically aware of everything I stuff into my face has a way of opening my eyes as to how I got this way in the first place. When I look at the massive amounts of calories I used to eat day-in and day-out, it just blows me away. I’m thinking that I had more 10,000 calorie days per week than most professional sumo wrestlers! But now my life is different, now I am in smooth calculated control and it feels great!

I went for an outdoor walk/jog today. It was the first time I’d traveled four miles on foot in a coon’s age and I loved it. I’m starting to get my “lungs back”, which will be very handy when it comes to breathing.

For those of you who’ve committed to the Delta Goose Run, I can’t wait to see you there. I’m going to be pushing myself pretty hard between now and then because I want to be able to run the whole thing. It will be a miracle if I can, but I’m thinking that if faith can move mountains, it ought to handle moving my big rear 3.1 little miles at a decent jog.

Sidestepping mallards in Millard!

Due to popular demand, and also to the fact that I need a tangible reason/deadline to push myself speed-wise a little harder than I have been, I’ve finally found a few good races to enter. The first one is going to be February 20th in Delta, Utah of all places. The best part is the race name. I’m going to be running in “The 2010 Wild Goose Chase 5k!” The course is part paved, part dirt, as it winds its way along Gunnison Bend Reservoir during the height of the annual Snow Goose Festival, where the waterfowl can be viewed and admired as you huff past them. Those of you who know me have already guessed that I’ll be packing a shotgun just in case a few low-fliers swoop within range! What a rush it will be dodging goose droppings, jogging along side a pack of fellow rednecks wearing snow boots!

The next race, the Operation Smile 5k in Utah County, is on March 27th. The punishment starts at Mt. Timpanogos Park, follows the canyon trail as it juts down by Nunn's Park and then on down the Provo River trail, making a loop back to Mt. Timpanogos Park.

Too be honest, I like that the Provo race is in March rather than February, as I could use as much time as possible to prepare my big body for speed, but I’ll be danged if I just can’t resist them Delta Geese, even if the early deadline kills me, literally. What can I say, some people get death defying, twisted kicks running with the bulls in Barcelona and I’ll get mine sidestepping mallards in Millard!

Now all of this brings me to the $50 question. Is there anyone in the ranks that wants to run these suckers with me? You see, I’m afraid I’ll fill out the form, send the meager entry fee, and start moving a little faster each day until the race begins, but if I’m left to go it alone, I could see myself dropping out. If you come run with me, I swear we’ll have a good time, and the preparation will help us push ourselves a little harder along the way. There are lots of training schedules on line, including some that claim to get you off the couch and ready for your first 5k in just 8 weeks. If you’re already off the couch, then let’s get moving toward the Delta deal ASAP!

Any takers?

Something tells me I’m onto something good!

Something tells me I’m onto something good!

A friend of mine who is doing very nicely with his weight loss goals shared with me a glistening pearl of insight. He sent me to search the internet for a website that helps calculate the number of calories your body needs per day to maintain your current weight. I found a good one, (freedieting.com for those who are interested) entered in my stats, i.e. height, weight, age, gender, and through the magic of computer science, the program spits out how many calories I must eat to either maintain or lose weight. According to the calculations, a guy my size requires more calories to maintain my current weight than someone smaller. (That’s why you have to enter your own stats.) This is important information because it’s not healthy or even effective to just guess how many calories you need. It turns out that weight loss is more about science and mathematical facts. You learn the number of calories you need to maintain, and for every 3,500 calories you deny your body, your body will burn off one pound.

I mentioned very early on in my quest for a better, healthier life, that I was not going to become “Mr. Jonny Count Your Calories” but I was wrong. You have to count them; you have to know exactly where you’re at every day. My informative friend said that he packs a 3x5 note card in his pocket, writes down everything he eats, searches the web or reads the label to learn how many calories the item has, and then makes sure he ends the day having eaten the perfect number of calories. He is the kind of guy who needs to lose maybe 40 or 50 lbs and he has already lost 20 since the first of the year by following this simple procedure. Though I thought the note card idea was okay, I figured an even better way to keep count. I dug up a pocket sized check ledger to use in keeping track of my calories. Each morning I’ll write down a calorie “deposit” in the ledger and then as I eat, I’ll list the item and then deduct the number calories much like you would after writing a regular check. And POOF! You now have a very convenient, easy to read, running balance for the day, plus it will be an easy way to measure your weight loss performance over time because you’ll have it all written down someplace where you can find it.

Whew! Now that’s what I call a POST! Sorry for being so wordy, but hopefully I’m onto something that will really help me (us) to succeed!

Sold in “girl” colors only...

Man, I’ve been thinking about my blog all day and had thus assembled some very interesting thoughts to share but the time has gotten away from me and my brain is already shutting down for the night. I promise to share more with you tomorrow.
I did have a great walk with my new weights. I won’t say how much (or how little) they weigh, but let me just say that as long as the weights I am able to carry with me are sold in “girl” colors only (purple in this case)…I will assume that I have much room for improvement.

Also, a great friend of mine, who also happens to be a professional fitness trainer at the Biggest Looser Ranch near St. George gave me a bunch of race information so I’ll be signing up for something very soon. I hope that many of you will be there to run that sucker as well.

Keep working hard and I’ll catch you tomorrow

CRASH AND BURN!

CRASH AND BURN!

For those of you who thoughtfully wrote to congratulate me on my resisting the temptation to snack inappropriately while alone at the cabin…not so fast! It turns out that I was better at resisting temptation alone than I am with a crowd. I ate a terribly unhealthy breakfast this morning, then pledged to eat smart the rest of the day. Then came lunch…failed! Then came cookies and milk…failed miserably! And now do I feel like exercising? Not in a million years! The cruddy, sluggish feeling that has overtaken me is akin to the way drunks feel after an all night binge at the bar. Basically, I have eaten myself right into yet another “fat-guy-hangover”! Question: Why do people get drunk and party all night when they know they’re going to feel like dog crap all the next day? Answer: I don’t know, but we fat people do the exact same thing—our drink of choice…Syrup-N-Grease!

Resolution: I’m going to pry my grease-drunk butt off this chair and do some physical activity even though it feels like the last thing in the world I would ever want to do. At least I might be able to get the crud flowing in the right direction.

I hate to come on line and post about days like today, but for those of you laboring under the delusion that this is magically easy for me, and unexplainably harder for you…now you know! This is war! We’re all in the trenches together and the enemy’s shells are raining down on me as well as you. But we can’t stop! Bad nutrition days are still in my future but they are going to become fewer and farther in-between! Right now is a new hour and tomorrow is a new day and I am swearing to you that I will make it great; that I will eat the right things and do the right kinds of activities.

Please hold me to it!!! If you read my blog tomorrow and don’t feel that I toed-the-line, I expect (NEED) to hear from you! If you feel like coming down hard on me today…I wish you would. Even if you’ve just had a lousy day and want to take it out on me…do it! At least your frustration will be taken out on a guy who needs his butt kicked more often than he’s getting it! Oh, and thank you in advance for kicking my trash!

Sorry I missed you all last night!

Sorry I missed you all last night!

I went to the cabin around 10am on Saturday and ended up staying the night. I’ll be going back up right after church and since there is no internet up there, this post will have to do for Sunday’s as well.


I’m pretty sure that yesterday was the healthiest I’ve ever managed to eat while in the mountains. I was alone up there for 3 or 4 hours until the family arrived, and although the cabin is stocked to the hilt with treats, I was able to resist, because of you guys. This process is not moving as quickly as I would like, but it is moving and I am so grateful that I was prompted to start posting like this and I am so grateful to all of you who follow along. I swear you’re being there is making the difference between my success and my failure.


I wish you the best in dealing with your own demons (we all have them) and please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.


See you on Monday!

I missed it by that much!

In the words of the bumbling Maxwell Smart, “I missed it by that much!” The lowest I’ve weighted in the past 8 or so years is 315 lbs and today I hopped on the scales and logged in a modest weight loss of 3.1 lbs for the week. My new weight is 316.7!

Not as low as I’d hoped but better than gaining or staying the same. A part of me is very pleased with how things are progressing, but another part of me wants to literally kick my own self in the rear! Science says that if I lose the weight nice and steady, over a longer period of time I’ll be more likely to keep it off, but science also says a guy my size is a freaking time bomb waiting to explode and that every day I live like this is like counting from ten backwards, with reaching zero being a catastrophic health emergency!

What to do…what to do?

Had a great walk today…that was good! Going out to dinner tonight…that could be scary but I plan on ordering a nice leafy bowl of green weeds, so all should be well.

Five dollars worth of Cold Stone in the trash!

Spent the day on the road and certainly did not eat as well as I should. I only ate once, but when I did…it was Chinese food, and way too much of it. Tasty yes, but very unhealthily. I console myself a little when I remember that the old me would have went for a Chinese buffet rather than a single serve joint like the one we went to but it was still unplanned and thus against the rules.

After the Chinese, I figured all was lost for the day and suggested we stopped for ice cream. In a moment of weakness, I ordered the largest size of hard-serve they had and dove in. The only good thing about it was that a few bites into the cream, I stopped, shoved it away, and ended up throwing five dollars worth of Cold Stone in the trash.

Today’s exercise went great. That was the one good thing I did today. I’m thinking more and more of committing to “going raw” for at least 7 days. I don’t want to promise that which I cannot perform so I will have to think it over a bit more before pledging to do it. I’ll keep you posted.

My fellow weight warriors!

Whole-wheat lasagna anyone? Tonight was my first time making the triple-layered pasta dish and it turned out pretty well. I used a non-fat recipe and hardly noticed the difference between that and the real thing. I can only guess that my indifference is either because I’ve gotten used to the taste of health food, or the recipe was not as healthy as it claimed to be.

I had a great walk this morning and even jogged part of the way. By the time the roads thaw, I’ll be trucking around town at an accelerated pace and loving it.
By now I should weigh less than I have in years and years but we’ll wait until Friday to find out for sure. Wish me luck!

PS It’s been a while since I’ve heard from some of you, my fellow weight warriors. DON’T YOU GO QUITTING ON ME NOW! Please let me know how you’re getting along.

Should be monumental!

It’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers around my place and I don’t know what the aliens did with the old me, but they can keep him…because the new me was just watching the news and suddenly felt like dropping to the carpet for a few sets of impromptu pushups! Just in case you’re wondering…THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE, or at least not in the last ten or fifteen years. Like I said…Invasion!

I’ve been really into sweet potatoes these days. I don’t know what it is about them orange little suckers, but I’m starin’ to like ‘em better than the whites.

This Friday’s weigh in should be monumental. I’ll weigh less than I have in like seven or eight years. How freaking cool is that? Before long I’ll be too skinny to drive with the truck windows down or I might blow out. I guess I could always drive with a 50 lb sack of flour on my lap or something…or get me a baby car seat with them fancy dancy shoulder harnesses. Any other ideas?
Thanks again for reading! Catch ya tomorrow.

You’re jeans call ‘em like they see ‘em…every time!

Geez, looks like another uneventful day in Slimmerville. I had a great indoor walk this morning. I pushed myself pretty hard for an hour and really could have kept it up a lot longer but I ran out of time. Can’t wait for it to warm up, even if it’s just a bit, so I can do my trekking outside. I’ve also come to the realization that I need some heavier weights to lug around. Sounds like a trip to “Wally-World” is in order.
I guess it’s pretty good news that I wore a pair of pants last night that I hadn’t been able to shimmy into for almost a year, same with the shirt. The scales don’t always get it right, but you’re jeans call ‘em like they see ‘em…every time!
I’m thinking about shifting to a temporary “raw food diet” but (A) I’m not sure I can do it, (2) I’m not sure it’s even that great heath-wise, and (III) AM I FREAKING CRAZY? Maybe…but, I would be interested in your feedback and information concerning any raw food diet plans that you may be aware of. I’m thinking of “going raw” for at least a week, but maybe 30 days. Hook me up with your input…I’m wide open on this subject, so come on…fess-up.

Calorie-wise supper that tasted like a million bucks.

Whoa. It got late all of the sudden. Just got back from seeing a great friend who lives in Murray. She fixed us a calorie-wise supper that tasted like a million bucks and then we chit-chatted the night away.
Not much to report other than all is well. We’re still looking for the perfect race but apparently the smaller ones don’t always make themselves known this far in advance. Hopefully we can find one soon or we’ll have to run in a bigger one. I guess that may not be all bad if we start training now.
Well, there’s no use dragging this on. Hopefully you’re all smart enough to be in bed by now anyway. Goodnight!

All’s well on the weight-loss-front!

All’s well on the weight-loss-front! I tried cooking up some brown rice and chicken for lunch today, I say tried because I somehow the rice mutated to near goop. The poultry part turned out good enough to make up for it though. For dinner it’s another “culinary miracle” taco salad, I can never get enough of those…even when I pass on the chips, sour cream, and cheese.
I am pretty excited about how things are going so far. I wish the scales were dialing down quicker, but I am getting hooked on exercise. Before my feet hit the ground in the morning, I find myself doing crunches in bed. I look forward to the walks each day and am very excited for when I graduate into running full speed. It’s been a long time since I self propelled the wind through my hair (what’s left of it).
I hope that you’re all having a great weekend as well. I’m still waiting for someone to come forward and take me up on preparing for a race together. Without someone to do it with, I could see me just sitting around doing nothing all summer!

The teens—the teens—the teens!

The teens—the teens—the teens!
That’s right weight-loss-watchers! The illusive 3-teens have been found! I’ve finally been able to do in only 5 weeks that which I casually assumed I could do in 2, but “do it” I did…even if it was just by a hair. My new weight is 319.8! That’s only down 2.8 lbs since last week, but considering the grub I mowed-through over the course of two major year-end parties, I guess the numbers could be much worse, and oh…did I mention that I was in the teens again?
The best part is that after a few more days of hard work, I’ll weigh less that I have in like 6 or 8 years!!! (Don’t worry; there’ll be no charge for awesomeness…or attractiveness!!!) Another thing I wanted to say has to do with the way I feel and not the numbers on the scale. Sure I didn’t even hit the 3 lb mark this week but I feel so much leaner. Over the past seven days, I’ve noticed my clothes fitting better and I had to take up a notch in my belt (and it was NOT because I stretched the leather out with my gut!).
I was forced to attain my cardio out-of-doors today, due to some scheduling problems. I drove my truck to the bottom of Nephi’s steepest hill, hopped out and hit the pavement with a vengeance. It was only like 9 or 10 degrees out and I worried about burning my lungs (which are still relatively weak) but I forged my body upward in a pretty serious furry. In short, I kicked that hill’s butt! Once at the bottom, I wheeled around and kicked that sucker again just for good measure, though I must admit, it kicked back about 3 blocks into my second trip. At that moment, I considered turning around, after all, one hard-core trip up was plenty for a big ol’ boy like me, but then I thought of you and how proud you’d be of me, and how proud I’d feel as I told you about it. Those thoughts were all the fuel I needed to keep pounding forward. IT FELT GREAT!!!
For those of you struggling in the trenches with me, keep up the fight! I was thinking for a minute today that a guy in my poor physical condition could easily kill-over with a heart attack from pushing myself too much, but I decided if that were to happen, I was only speeding up the inevitable by trying to fix my body before it fixes me. Now…my ticker has always been pretty good, luckily great heart-heath runs in my family or I’d be worm-food already, and I really don’t think I’ll kill over anytime soon. But if I do, I’d rather bite-the-bullet charging forward across the battlefield, firing-at-will, than turning up among the dead with a bullet in my back! Sounds gruesome I know, but I am tired of retreating from this personal battle! It has driven me into retreat for the final time!
PS Please note that no animals were injured in the writing of today’s blog, don’t text and drive, and please please please…check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

It’s a 12,000 calorie culinary miracle…

Today was known as “The Day of Salads”! I foraged a tuna, lettuce, and veggie salad for lunch and a bean and lean beefy taco-type salad for dinner. Both were very tasty and I hope healthy. You know what they say about most taco-salads with all the salty sauces, sour cream, and that deep-fried eatable tortilla bowl. “It’s a 12,000 calorie culinary miracle…but is it healthy? You bet! It’s a salad!” Hopefully mine was a bit less than 12,000 calories (More like around 300) but it did taste pretty good as far as protein-laden “shrubby” is concerned.
Tomorrow is the big weigh in. It will be fun to see where I’m at. I had to have gained a fair amount over New Year’s weekend but as long as the weight is all gone by tomorrow, I might consider eating that stuff at the party well-worth-it. It was all pretty tasty, and after all…New Year’s Eve is still just once a year, right?
Now, if I have not recovered from the splurge…I won’t be so cocky come morning.
A good friend of mine is going to research some races that we all might consider entering. She’ll get me the info tonight and I’ll let you know how it looks. I know a race sounds scary, but think of the incentive that kind of commitment will provide. We won’t have to run it together, everyone can just lumber along at their own pace. The golden-crown will be found in the preparation and in simply making it to the finish line, not the impossible victory. So who cares how fast we run? Just “Run, Forrest! Run!”
Well, wish me luck for in the morning! Until then…

I considered smuggling in a Slim-Fast shake...

Just got home from the movie and would you believe I didn’t partake of the traditional movie munchies? I didn’t have any non-traditional treats either, although I considered smuggling in a Slim-Fast shake but then thought better of it. I’m not saying that a man can never have movie popcorn again, a world without that would suck, but for now I am holding fast. I’ve barely recovered from the crud I ate over New Years (even though it was all very tasty) so I figure I’ll deny myself of more “crud” for a while.
Any thoughts on us running a race together? Any thoughts on anything else? Are there even any of you still out there? Everyone’s been pretty quiet theses past few days. Since the Holidays actually. I hope you’re all doing well. Give me a shout when you have time.

Thinking more about entering some kind of race...

This entry is going to be a smidge in the “short but sweet” side. Life is great. You all are great! Thanks for being there for me and I am glad to be there for those of you who are working hard to have a better, healthier life. I had a great walk (with dumbbells) this morning and I am already looking forward to tomorrow’s exercise. Walking indoors is the perfect thing for me right now. Not having to deal with slick roads and subzero air blasting into my lungs has made it so I can move faster and work harder without any extra worries of falling or burning my unhealthy lungs out.
I’ve been thinking more about entering some kind of race in the spring. I know I can be ready. If I could do a short one around April and a slightly longer one in July, that would be awesome. I need to pick one and get registered so I can train specifically for the distance. Help me pick a race location that is central to everyone and let’s enter it together. That would be very cool if we got 6 or 10 or 20 of us to train and then go run it together! Any takers? Any suggestions as to when and where? Think of how motivating it would be if we all entered together and then we could help each other keep up with the training schedule. COME ON! JUST DO IT!!!

Sweeter than that crusty chocolate Santa Clause we’ve been considering!

Today I tried something new…and I liked it. I’ve been exercising at the school for the past several days but this time I went at 6:15am rather than 9:15. It was a bit early in the morning for my taste (unless there is a hunting trip involved) but overall it felt great to get the ol’ heart pumping that hard before daylight.
I’ve had a few more of you jump on board and pledge to get healthier this year. That is so awesome. I hope we can all meet our goal of living a better, healthier life.
I have to admit; today’s been a bit of an adjustment to pass on the few lingering Christmas treats that are lurking around my house. What was considered legal “grindage” over the Holidays is off limits now, at least for a while. I found myself wanting a sweet treat around 11:00 but thankfully there was an orange nearby and it saved my life.
I hope you’re all making the adjustment of healthy, everyday living without too many problems. Let’s remember to be patient with ourselves if we mess up and don’t let little nutrition mishaps trick you into calling it quits. The healthy-living paydays along our way are sweeter than that crusty chocolate Santa Clause we’ve been considering and certainly more savory than those sausage and cream cheese stuffed mushrooms that have been pushed to the back of the fridge since New Year’s Eve. Just say no!!! Pass on trash!!!

KSL 5 will be running our “Christmas with the Cops” story tonight at 6 & 10

After giving the UHP several days to comply, KSL 5 will be running our “Christmas with the Cops” story tonight at 6 & 10. We’re not angry with the officers. As far as we know, they were just doing their jobs, but we don’t think it’s fair when police agencies withhold details of a case when the information has already been deemed by the courts as “a matter of public record”. Hopefully the story will get the attention of state lawmakers and some basic rights for the wrongfully accused will be established into law.

Today was one of those little paydays I keep talking about.

Yikes. I missed posting yesterday and didn’t even notice. I guess it was okay to give you an extra day to digest my 01-01-2010 entry because it was a bit “heavy”. I was hoping to get a touch more feedback on that one but I think the Holidays have us all too tired to blog. I am so dang excited about the New Year. I had a wonderful Christmas Season, but I am more than ready to get back to my healthy routines and start posting some bigger weight loss numbers over the next several weeks.
Today was one of those little paydays I keep talking about. I wore a pair of dress pants to church that I had not been able to fit into for at least nine-months. I was looking pretty dapper if you ask me. I broke out a few my other clothing items that I am almost able to wear. They are lined up in my closet, “on-deck” until I can slide my way into them again.
I’ve had a few more of you come on board, pledging to get in better shape for the New Year and I expect there’ll be more. If you’re one of the fence sitters, just get off your rear and join us. There is an untold strength in numbers. Now is the time. We’ve been carrying this burden long enough and it’s time to just let this one go and live the life we were meant to live. Come one, JOIN US!!!

Not some dragon we need to slay.

01-01-2010.
Wow, what a party weekend! I hope you all had a sweet New Year’s Eve. By the way, is it just me or does today’s date seem to have extra ones and zeros?
What a great thing it has been to post like this every day. I love that you are all with me. I love that I hear from many of you often, and I love when someone brand new finally chimes in to let me know they are following along, and even better, to let me know they are fighting an important battle-of-the-bulge of their own. I say battle but it’s really war, with battles won and battles lost a hundred-thousand times a year. NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER! The strange thing is, right now as I am writing this, I wonder if using war terminology is the healthiest of metaphors. What if finding our weight loss groove is more like what Bagger Vance told Rannulph Junah in Robert Redford’s golf movie starring Will Smith and Matt Damon? Here is a direct quote from Ol’ Bagger himself, speaking to the war-torn Rannulph Junah.

“Put your eyes on Bobby Jones... Look at his practice swing, almost like he's searchin’ for something... Then he finds it... Watch how he settles his self right into the middle of it, feel that focus... He got a lot of shots he could choose from... Duffs and tops and skulls, there's only ONE shot that's in perfect harmony with the field... One shot that's his, authentic shot, and that shot is gonna choose him... There's a perfect shot out there tryin' to find each and every one of us... All we got to do is get ourselves out of its way, to let it choose us... Can't see that flag as some dragon you got to slay... You got to look with soft eyes... See the place where the tides and the seasons and the turnin' of the Earth, all come together... where everything that is, becomes one... You got to seek that place with your soul Junah... Seek it with your hands don't think about it... Feel it... Your hands are wiser than your head’s ever gonna be... Now I can't take you there Junah... Just hopes I can help you find a way... Just you... that ball... that flag... and all you are...”

Can you feel it? The quote was written about golf, but it has to apply to us and our quest for a better, healthier life. When you read it, what did you feel? Tell me, was there anything in it we can use? Let me know your “take” on this. Let’s see if we can teach each other something about becoming our “authentic” self and about searching for inner peace, and not some dragon we need to slay.