Archive for the ‘Weight loss’ Category

This post has no title

Posted: July 10, 2010 in Weight loss
0

Hi everybody!

I wasn’t sure I would be able to get something posted today. However, doing dinner prep ahead of time allowed me a few extra minutes after the move.

Ah, the move. First of all, let me just say that when I’m involved in a move, it is usually the hottest day of the year. The move could be on February 10, in Alaska, and it would suddenly shoot up to about 90 degrees. Today was different in that the temperatures were at least bearable.  Granted, the rain kind of sucked, but we certainly needed it.

We all met at our friend’s storage unit, which is located way out in the middle of nowhere. Next to a cow pasture. I kid you not. It was hard not to watch the little calves be frisky and focus on heavy objects. Granted there wasn’t a lot of really heavy objects, but stuff still needed to be moved. We loaded up the caravan of cars and went to the new place, unloaded and left the unpacking to the professionals.

So, a lot of times, rainy weather like today makes me a little introspective. I’m going to impart something that I never told anybody up until today.  You see, when I was diagnosed as a diabetic several years ago, it came as a shock. I knew I wasn’t feeling good. I was lethargic, sleep apnea, the whole ball of wax. Basically, I was overwhelming my pancreas with too much sugar. As a result, the pancreas just kind of said, “The hell with this” and walked off the job.

I had read up on the disease and what I could expect if it were to go unchecked. The loss of limbs, the blindness, basically, fates worse than death. So, I really didn’t care if I lived or died. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was suicidal, but I certainly didn’t give a damn.

Looking back, that was incredibly selfish of me to think that way. While I might not have cared, there are others who did and it wouldn’t be fair to them. That carried over into my work. I just didn’t care. I wondered why I should care about anything, after all, since I was just going to die a very unpleasant death and probably soon. I was having trouble feeling my feet, I still felt crappy and I had to inject myself twice a day in the gut.

One day the light just came on. I realized I wasn’t dead yet. That’s when I started this blog. Part of the reason for my awakening was a visit to the eye doctor. He was looking at my retinas, and last year I had a small hemorrhage in my right eye. This year he said it was still there but it seemed that my body was starting to reabsorb the bleeding. That got me thinking that maybe life is a good thing and I should stop treating my body like a tent. I’m not at the temple status, but I’m treating it like a slightly used 3 bedroom split-level with semi-detached garage. It’s an improvement. Improvements are a good thing.

Have a great rest of your weekend, everyone. We are headed to Reading tomorrow for a family gathering. If you travel, be safe.

Last night’s weight: 297.7 (the Muenster cheese is well and truly vanquished)

And in the latest news, a giant legume threatens Chicago…

Posted: July 9, 2010 in Giant legumes, Weight loss
5

This just in… a giant legume has appeared in Chicago and is threatening to take over unless it is allowed to vote for Mayor Daley at least eight times. This highly reflective bean is currently ensconced in Millennium Park and was brought to my attention by avid reader Kristen.

Seriously, the giant legume is in fact a public outdoor sculpture called Cloud Gate by British sculptor Anish Kapoor. It might be a nice title and I’m sure the artist can explain his vision for a giant metal bean most eloquently. The fact remains that this looks like a highly polished, giant metal BEAN!  Let’s compare and contrast this with other notable sculptures.

While I can see the appeal of the bean’s ginormous size and the perfectly polished exterior, it doesn’t quite hold a candle to the other two examples, in this blogger’s humble opinion.

That being said, I think it’s time to move on to the meat of the day’s post.

Brian stumbles part way off the wagon.

Yesterday was not a good food day. I could make all sorts of excuses, but the bottom line is that no one took me to the fridge and forced me to eat the better part of a half-pound of cheese. Cheese is one of my big weaknesses. Muenster is probably my favorite cheese. I came home from the Country Store with the enemy in the bag. I put a couple of slices on a sandwich for lunch, and as the day progressed, I’d swing by the fridge and have another slice or two. Before I realized what had happened, most of that cheese was gone and I was feeling pretty pissed off at myself. This inevitably causes the gradual decline and the weight soars back up.

Not this time.

I talked a few entries ago about dealing with mistakes and moving on. It’s time to practice what I preach. I’m not going to let the fact that I ate too much Muenster cheese stop me from reaching my goal. I’m stronger than that. I’m also not going to allow my mind to give up on all the other progress I’ve made. This is a journey, not just to losing weight, but a journey to self-acceptance. I’m not going to change to be who everybody thinks I need to be… it’s hard to maintain that facade all the time.

Today starts a new phase. Getting back on track after a minor setback should prove to be within my capabilities. I know I can get back to it.

After the food debacle yesterday, I felt a drink was in order. I met up with friends Jed and Maureen, as well as Mrs. T. and enjoyed a very tasty Troegs Sunshine Pils at Annie Bailey’s. Only one, as they gave me the depth charge sized beer schooner and then the rains came. But, it’s a Friday and the weekend is coming. On tap for me? I will be helping a friend move tomorrow morning, after which I get to display some culinary skills. I will be making pasta ponza. I know, pasta’s not the best thing for a diet, but it’s not necessarily bad in moderation. I will discuss how the recipe turned out in a later post.

Today’s weight: 300.6 (cheese is not my friend)

Wow… just wow.

Posted: July 8, 2010 in family, Weight loss
0

Hiya!

Wow. Today’s post just isn’t flowing too much. It wasn’t a bad food day, we didn’t do anything really exciting. I guess I will just start and see what winds up on the page.

So, anyone who read yesterday’s post is aware that my mother visited yesterday. That can usually be a great cause of stress in my life. As my wife can vouch, I’m usually pretty laid back, but something about her visits, however infrequent, can usually get me cranked up. I’m never 100% sure why this is.

In the good news department, the visit went well. My heart rate stayed calm and collected. We had lunch and the sewing project I thought I needed her for was superfluous. You see, I need a suit for an upcoming vacation. I have two (I usually only wear them for wedding and funerals), one is bigger than the other. I assumed I would not fit into the smaller suit, as I haven’t worn it for about three years. The bigger suit did not have any buttons to attack suspenders, so I wanted my mom to put buttons on the pants. Before we got started, I said, “Well, let’s see how tight this one is,” meaning my smaller suit. To my shock, it fit. The jacket might even be a little big. I guess I prefer it to be a little loose. Better than being stuffed in there like a giant sausage.

After that happy news, Mom went on to my aunt’s house, where she will be staying a few days. I went back to my CD ripping, because it was too hot to go out and accomplish anything useful. We went out a bit, had to meet up with some friends at BJ’s so they could get a few items, then we went to the beer distributor. Speaking of hot, I was surprised the beer wasn’t boiling. We wound up with a Pete’s Brewer’s Box. Three varieties, Original, Strawberry Blonde and Rally Cap. After a quick stop at Stauffer’s, it was home to chill down the beer, as the first guest of the bar was stopping by that evening after work. Luckily, the beer had chilled enough by the time our guest arrived and a good time was had.

So, my food lesson for today is that spices are free. No, don’t go to the supermarket and abscond with a giant jar of cumin. What I mean is that nutritionally, they don’t really count. So, if you say, “Oh, healthy food is so bland,” spice it up a little bit. With the proper application of spices, you can make any dish interesting, not to mention updating the flavor of an old standby. Be careful, though. Spice should enhance the flavor of what you are eating, not totally obliterate it. If you have something that has a mild flavor, like tilapia, think of it as a blank canvas for your taste buds. Keeping to fish, a fish with stronger flavor, like salmon, doesn’t need much enhancement. When I make salmon, I normally use sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a little olive oil. I then roast the fish on a plank of cedar wood. This gives the fish a wonderful, smoky taste that blends so well with the flavor of salmon.

Yet another food tip involves ground beef. You will always see advertising for 95%, 97%, 98% lean beef. That’s pretty much a crock if you ask me. There’s not a lot of difference between the three, but they will charge you a lot more. Secondly, and this really holds true for grilling, a little extra fat goes a long way. As you grill a burger, the drippings fall away. Most of those drippings are fat and we really don’t want to eat it. However, when the fat cooks out of the meat, it leaves some great juicy flavor behind. So, if you want to be healthy, buy 90% beef. It’s a great compromise between high fat and high price.

So, I wish you the best here on another hot day in the east. I will be helping a friend move on Saturday, so there might not be a new entry. I’ll let you know.

 Today’s weight, 298.4

Wednesday stress

Posted: July 7, 2010 in family, The Jerz, Weight loss
3

Howdy!

Hope everyone is having a great morning. Today is fine, so far, but my stress level will increase exponentially as the time of my mother’s visit grows closer.

I don’t really have any reason why her visits stress me out so much. Usually if she stops over for dinner, I just become a bundle of raw nerves. I know she means well, but stay the hell out of my kitchen. If I need help, I will ask for it.

It should be an interesting visit. I’ve been keeping her posted as to how the weight loss has been going, but she hasn’t seen me since I weighed about 330. The other day, when I was only down a tenth, she was giving me crap, though about not going out for a walk for two days. Not that I’d need the giant blister (now named Lord GOMF, the Earl of Bunion) to heal up or anything. The funny thing is that she was previously on my case for losing it too fast. I just can’t win, I suppose. If you add that to the fact that she’s currently annoyed with us for something I’m not at liberty to discuss at this juncture, well, let’s just say it should be an interesting visit.

So yesterday was bloody hot, however, we still have our new friend… a dove who has made a nest in one of our hanging baskets of geraniums. She’s got to be the calmest bird I have ever seen.

I was actually able to water the basket without spooking the bird. I’m interested to see if the eggs hatch and when.

Yesterday I went to the dry cleaners to pick up my suits, a dress for the missus, a shirt and another sport jacket. When did dry cleaning get so expensive? It was $43! I’ve had suits that didn’t cost that much (just kidding). There was a lot of running around as well, out in the heat. I fixed some chicken and salsa in soft tortilla shells with a little cheese for dinner. Salsa is like the ultimate condiment. It’s very flavorful and reasonably healthy. It also goes well with pretty much anything. Highly recommend.

After that, threw a tape in the machine to get the premiere of Warehouse 13 on SyFy. Thought this looked like an interesting show last summer and we found we really enjoyed it. SyFy has come up with some of the better shows I’ve been watching. Eureka is a hoot, and the remake of Battlestar Galactica was first-rate. I still liked the original BSG, it was so campy, but the grittiness of the remake was very refreshing. I’m not a big fan of Caprica, though.

I finished importing a stack of CDs into iTunes, messed around on Facebook for a while and went to bed early. All in all, not a bad day.

I leave you with the following:

You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be. – David Viscott

Today’s weight 298.7 (down 21.3 since 6/24)

Addendum: Visit with Mom went well and found out I could fit in my smaller suit. Now THAT’S closet shopping!

Post holidays…

Posted: July 6, 2010 in Earl of Bunion, home improvement, Weight loss
2

Good morning campers!

Well, the middle installment of the so-called summer holidays is gone. Time to go back to work. Oh, wait. I don’t have to go back to work until next month. My employer offers what are called Voluntary Temporary Layoffs. Basically, I get a month off, collect unemployment and get to go back to work next month. The company even pays my health insurance. Not a bad gig. Gives me time to do some work on the house, decompress, and fight the food demons.

I was hesitant to take my layoff. I was afraid that I would be tempted to eat the lining off the fridge. After one day, I’m glad to say I didn’t. It wasn’t a great food day, but wasn’t bad, either. I also have taken two days off from walking to give a persistent blister a chance to heal up. One of the downsides (and there are many) to being diabetic is that any wounds to your feet have to be taken seriously. Otherwise you end up sans feet. That’s the funny thing. Any kind of upper body cut or bruise and it heals like nobody’s business. I managed to Dremel myself while cutting a bolt and that was healed in a week. The blister? Not so much. I figure as long as it will hang around, I should name it. Any suggestions?

It was a busy holiday weekend around the Haus of Thompson. Besides finishing the bar, I replaced the bathroom vanity top on Sunday. I might have mentioned that Mrs. T. likes themed rooms. The bathroom has a rubber ducky theme. The green counter did not go well with rubber duckies. It had to go. So, we found a replacement at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. If you’re doing some home improvements and want quality material at a decent price, check them out. There might be one in your area as well. All profits go to Habitat, which is a favorite charity of mine.

Anyway, I disconnected the plumbing, pulled the top, staggered downstairs while carrying this beast, carried the old one upstairs and ran off to Lowes in search of compression hoses. It turns out that the builder  had the hot and cold feed lines reversed, so I needed longer hoses in order to make the crossover. This builder is apparently the main reason why West Hempfield Township has building codes in place. I could list all the construction issues, but I wouldn’t want to bore anyone. Let’s just say that wherever they could save a buck, they did.

Once I got the new faucet installed (a Moen… the only one still made in the US) I got my capable assistant to guide me in as I placed the top. The drain pipe was a little too long, so I had to break out the hacksaw, but I eventually got it lined up. I connected the plumbing and gave it a whirl. The feed lines were fine, the drain, however, was another story. Water pouring out of seams. I checked all the piping, and tried again. Leaking from a different spot. Again, still another spot. It was about that time when I realized I put the gasket on backwards. Whoops.

Anyway, the job is done, it looks nice, and that ugly green vanity and faucet that I hate are going to the Habitat ReStore today.

Yesterday I managed to add lighting to the bar. I picked up two LED puck lights to help visibility behind the bar. They are supposed to be adhesive, which is great. The only problem is that the adhesive doesn’t like plywood. After some modifications, I’m pleased to say that the lights aren’t going anywhere soon.

Today brings a visit from the in-laws, tomorrow a visit from my mom. I haven’t seen my mom since I started this little journey. Wonder what she will think? I should thank her. She hasn’t harped on me too much over the years about my ever-expanding fuel cell, but I know it concerned her. I just needed to do this at my own pace, on my own schedule.

Since I have a bunch of stuff to accomplish today, I’m going to leave you with something from one of my wife’s heroes:

You must do the thing you think you cannot do. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Today’s weight: 300.1 (guess I do need that walk after all!)

Ode to my friends

Posted: July 5, 2010 in friends, Weight loss
2

“Friends are a liability.” – Karl Knosp

“I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.” – Paul Simon “I am a Rock”

Hello.

When I started this little avocation oh so long ago (9 days, maybe) I had no idea what my plan was. I figured I’d see where my mind led me, and if somebody took the time to read it, all the better. I had the plan that it would be about my journey to lose a supermodel (in terms of weight), and whatever else struck my fancy.

All I can really say is that I am so overwhelmed by the support of my friends that I feel inspired to take an entry and talk about friendship.

You see, I’m lucky or blessed, depending on how you see it. I have friends, and it came as a shock to find out that I had so many. Some of them I’ve known for 35 years. Others, maybe 35 days. I’d just like to throw a few things out there, some circumstances of how we met, some crazy situations we’ve been in, things like that. I will not name names, in order to protect the innocent (or not so innocent).

Let’s set the stage. It was February, 1988 at the Sheraton Washington Hotel. The setting was the North American Invitational Model United Nations. Dinner time was approaching and I had elected to dine solo so that I could review some things before the conference picked back up. In the interests of time, I chose the hotel restaurant. As I was waiting in line for a table, I heard a voice behind me ask if I was dining alone. I turned to find a group of smiling faces and replied that I had planned to, I had some work to do. The voice that had asked belonged to a rather attractive brunette and she said, “No, you’re eating with us.”

I agreed and had the time of my life. This group of strangers was from California. They hailed from a town called Sanger, located near Fresno. I don’t remember what country they were representing… the UK rings a bell, but I could be wrong. Anyway, after that delightful dinner, they introduced me to another member of their delegation who I wound up meeting again the following night at the delegate dance. I don’t remember everything, but for some reason we bonded over the abysmal music being played, to the point of having a sit-down strike on the dance floor during Will to Power’s “Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird” monstrosity.  We saw each other the next day, the final day of the conference, exchanged addresses and vague promises to catch up if we were ever in the same time zone. It’s been 22 years, we’ve not seen each other live in that span, but yet, she’s still my friend. I know that if we were to get together again, we wold pick up like those 20+ years have never happened. Probably still would sit out Freebird, too.

Then there was another case. My first college roomie, let’s call him Mr. Anthrax, and I didn’t work out too well. There were a couple of other guys with roomie issues as well, so a three-way swap was made. I wound up on the third floor of the dorm, where I met this guy. You see, I had an Ad-lib sound card for my PC at the time, along with a set of powered bookshelf speakers. The Ad-Lib was a VERY big deal. It made playing 688 Attack Sub that much cooler. The speakers were dead and my new roomie walked next door and brought back another engineering major. He took a look and realized I had a blown fuse. He said I should stop by his room tomorrow and he’d score a spare from the engineering lab. True to his word, there was a fuse. We fixed it and played some very cool games (for 1993). As the rest of the year moved on, we grew closer. Fast forward ten years and he was the best man at my wedding. Still the closest thing I ever had to a brother.

How about another case? Somone you didn’t really know from school, but attended your prom with some guy in your class. A few years later, you’re both working retail in the same department store. You strike up a conversation, but lose touch until one day you move to Baltimore and get a phone call out of the blue. Fast forward a few years and you reconnect again. This person has moved to another time zone, and we don’t see each other nearly as much as we would like to, but again, a sign of a true friend is being able to talk like the intervening months/years never happened.

I started the entry with some negative comments about friendship. I don’t subscribe to those points of view. There were times it might be easier to be a rock, but who wants easy? A lot of times you have to wonder if there’s some grand, cosmic plan in play. Is that really why we end up meeting the people who become our friends? Or is it just that we make the best of circumstances? I don’t know the answer. I know that I’m very lucky to have my friends and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I love you guys.

The dreaded yard sale, part deux

Posted: July 3, 2010 in Weight loss, Yard sale
1

Mellow greetings!

I write to you this fine morning from Blandon, PA. This is the home of the extended family of The Management. It is also the site of the annual “Out with the old, in with the cash” yard sale.

It’s not a bad setting. It’s right on 222 and this is the opening day of the Kutztown Folk Festival. That equals pretty good traffic.

I always like yard sales for one specific reason… the people watching is unrivaled. Seriously. Where else can you see such unbridled cheapness? I often say to Mrs. T. that I am tempted to charge one pubic hair for something, just so I can hear another human being say, “Will you take half a pubic hair for that?” I like a bargain as much as the next person, but shopping someone else’s castoffs is not a license to be shameless. Be fair.

So, what to talk about today? How about yesterday? I finished moving the bar to the basement and attaching the top. It looks pretty snazzy. However, as some of you have commented, I was not in a good place yesterday. So, if it seemed like my heart wasn’t in to writing, it really wasn’t. I’ll try to do better today.

Getting back to the bar, I made a pretty stupid, amateur mistake that I was pretty annoyed about. I assumed that each side of the base was the same size. That was not the case, ergo, I cut the shelves all to the short side. Grrrr.

Looking back, it was probably because I was distracted. There are some big changes afoot, and I’m sure that’s been weighing on my mind. The point I am trying to make is that whatever you’re doing, focus. If you pay attention, you make less mistakes. This goes with weight loss. If you pay attention to what you’re putting in your mouth, losing the weight will be that much easier. Not necessarily counting calories alone, but knowing that what you’re eating has benefits for you. For example, eating fish that has Omega3, eating veggies for the vitamins and minerals. Avoiding a lot of carbs and sugars. There’s useful information on the label. Check it out! You can make exceptions, though, as I did last night with new pretzel M&M’s. Those things were GOOD!

As I’m typing this on my iPhone, I’m going to cut this a little short. I might have more to add later, depending, but I will leave you with the following: To all of our friends traveling this holiday weekend, travel safely. If you’re headed to the shore, wear sunscreen and if you’re going elsewhere in the proximity of quality beer, drink one for me.

Today’s weight is undetermined. I feel a bit lighter, though.

 

Friday, I’m in Love…

Posted: July 2, 2010 in home improvement, regrets, Weight loss
0

Today’s title comes from The Cure. So, thanks, Robert Smith & company. It really is a good song, one that was a staple during my college radio days.

So, allow me to start today’s entry by saying that an important milestone was reached. I am pleased to announce that major construction is done on the bar. I fully expect to be moving the base to the rec room today and marrying it to the bar top, which has been languishing in the basement for a couple of weeks. Keep tuned to my Facebook page for picture updates.

When I say major construction is done, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of little things to be done. For example, I still need to attach the trim and mount the shelves, not to mention all the other little finishing items. It’s true what they say about home ownership. Your work is never really done.

Moving right along, we will move into today’s topic.

Guilt.

Guilt is everywhere you look, my friends. Whether you feel guilty because you stole a candy bar from the mini mart when you were eight or you feel guilty because you gorged on cake rather than something a little healthier. It’s pretty natural to feel guilt or regret over your actions. If you beat yourself up incessantly for every little mistake that you make, well, you’re going to spend an awful lot of time beating yourself up because we all make a lot of mistakes.

Football coaches will say that “a good quarterback has a short memory.” This is pretty true… if the QB kept dredging up every interception he threw, we wouldn’t see much scoring. We all need to have short memories when it comes to our mistakes, at least in the food intake area. If you eat a piece of cake, you ate a piece of cake. It’s not the end of the world. It’s a piece of cake. The key is not to make mistakes all of the time.

One other consequence of guilt is the associated feelings of helplessness and depression, which often lead people to overeat. For many of us, we find solace in food. I know I do. Problems with your boyfriend/girlfriend/significant other? Let’s send out for a pizza! In my case, it usually was a pizza. A whole, large pizza. With extra cheese. Consumed while I was sitting in front of the tube feeling sorry for myself. It tasted damn good. But then the guilt creeps in and you feel even worse and order another pizza and eat it and then another pizza and this time let’s get some chicken wings and a whole package of Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies and I’ll also drink real Coke not that diet crap because it’s all messed up and my life is messed up and then I’ll just stay inside because I’m fat and I don’t want anyone to see that I’ve gotten even fatter and maybe I’ll just start trying again next week but in the meantime pizza!

I’ve been there, friends, looked over the precipice and I’m coming back. Who’s with me?

Today’s weight: 302.8

The tyranny of the SPORK!

Posted: July 1, 2010 in Chick-Fil-A, Wegman's, Weight loss
4

“Everything happens for a reason. Except for the spork. I mean, seriously, what the hell?” – Anonymous

Recently my employers have switched the provided plastic flatware from spoons and forks to the dreaded spork. You have no idea how much consternation this has caused. Grown men in the break room, weeping because they can no longer properly spear their manly steak and must resort to shoveling. A great wailing and gnashing of teeth from people attempting to spork their tomato soup without dripping any on their clothes. During a recent service anniversary party, employees were observed fleeing said party, handfuls of actual plastic forks and spoons secured to their bodies.

It is a sad state of affairs when one must fight the power of the spork. The spork has its place, that place, however, is not where I eat my dinner. An alert reader and fellow sufferer of the regime of the spork sent me the following information she found on Wikipedia:

            “Plastic sporks are common in prisons in the United States because they are difficult to form into weapons.”

Seriously? Could this be the true reason that the spork has been foisted upon us? Are there  really pressroom operators, composition specialists and CSRs in the exercise yard making prison shivs? This baffles me to no end. There are times when it feels like jail, but that’s only when you’re stuck in a windowless room for hours on end. There are no bars. There used to be bad chow, but then they closed the cafeteria on 2nd and 3rd shifts. I’m very confused.

Enough about the spork for now. Let’s get down to brass tacks, namely our excursion to the wooly hinterlands of Mechanicsburg. This is pretty exciting stuff for those of use who don’t get out much, so bear with me.

Around 11 AM, Mrs. T and I grabbed our environmentally conscious grocery bags, a cooler, some ice blocks and headed out to the Honda. After a stop for gas and a stop to drop off overdue library materials we were back on 283 west heading toward Harrisburg. Traffic moved pretty well until we got to the I-83 bridge. After crawling across the bridge, we entered the traffic wasteland of 581. Not pretty, but we made it to our destination…

Wegman’s. (Insert choir of angels singing)

After securing a parking space, we took our environmentally conscious grocery bags, grabbed a cart and entered grocery nirvana. First stop is usually the produce aisle. Brimming with every sort of produce you could want (and some you wouldn’t), we set to work grabbing healthy stuff. Broccoli crowns? Check. Four types of extremely crunchy apples? Check. Two bunches of celery? Check. $300.00 a pound summer truffles? (silence) Anyone? Anyone? That’s what I thought. When I posted a picture of the price tag of the truffles, the best comment was “Those truffle pigs have to be paid a living wage.”

After navigating the produce aisle, it’s considered good form to admire the tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella salad, then on to the meat aisle. They just have the nicest meats. The really nice thing is that the meat is vacuum packed and stays very fresh. Several trips ago, we bought pork chops and each chop was sealed individually on a sheet. Cut them into strips of two pork chops, stick them in the freezer, no worries. After picking up some pork tenderloin and chicken breast, we admired the brilliant red color of the wild-caught sockeye salmon and made our way to the checkout area.

All-in-all, a most excellent shopping trip. It should also be noted that Wegman’s stocks a decent selection of beers. There’s your typical mass-produced American swill (Yech, Budweiser) along with a decent selection of microbrews and imports. The prices are a little high, but you pay for convenience.

Upon leaving Wegman’s, we ventured across the parking lot to the true Holy of Holies. Chick-Fil-A. Anyone who knows me for any length of time knows about my affinity for Chick-Fil-A. These three words alone are the reason I could never pull off being a vegetarian. I’d drive too close to a Chick-Fil-A and next thing you know I’d be passed out in the middle of the restaurant surrounded by a sea of empty foil sandwich bags.

That was not the case yesterday, as I ate smart. I had half of a grilled chicken sandwich and half of a standard chicken sandwich with a small fruit cup and a bottle of water. Total caloric damage was around 435 calories. Little known fact about Chick-Fil-A is that all the entrée items are under 500 calories and the chicken is breaded on-site, as opposed to being breaded in a factory and shipped that way. If you’re going to eat fast food, eat Chick-Fil-A.

After lunch we headed to Dick’s Sporting Goods where I went looking for some new cross-trainers. I’m a big fan of New Balance, since they make their shoes in wide widths. I’ve been wearing their shoes for years now, starting with the 620, then the 621, 622 and now, the 623. Let me tell you, these are some COMFORTABLE shoes. Almost feels like you’re wearing slippers! Mrs. T. and I both left with a new pair of trainers. I wore mine last night and did nearly two miles on my break and no complaints from my dogs.

Tonight is going to be another drinking night, though, so I had better get my act together and sweat off a few. I leave you with the following:

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”- Maya Angelou

Today’s weight: 303.0 (Down 17 pounds since last Thursday)

*sigh* I hate Mondays…

Posted: June 29, 2010 in music, Weight loss
5

Hidee ho!

Today’s post took some thinking. What should I expound upon today? Should I discuss the price of tea in China? Probably not… not seeing the relevance. How about I discuss the changes in the Russian government in the 20 years since the fall of communism? No takers? Hmmm. Maybe I should discuss why I think that Roger Daltrey’s scream at the end of “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is better than Robert Plant’s scream in the beginning of “Immigrant Song”? That has possibilities. Hang on to that one.

Actually, I’m going to talk a little bit about one of the plusses of taking off some pounds. Being able to wear clothes you gave up on years ago. Or, as a dear friend of mine refers to it, “closet shopping.”

My first mental image after hearing that phrase was of that Tom Cruise South Park episode, “Daaad, Tom Cruise won’t come out of the closet…” After a little more thought, I realized it’s a great choice of words. It’s like going shopping for new clothes without having to pay. Not like I shop a lot, but expanding the wardrobe is never a bad thing. If you only own five shirts that fit, people will start taking bets on when you will wear each shirt. (“Dude! I got a finnski sez that Brian will wear the tan polo shirt with the white stripes on Thursday… any takers?”)  I’ve managed to closet shop three times since my journey began, most recently yesterday when I found my DCL polo shirt languishing in the back of the closet. It actually fit pretty well. Other closet refugees that have been worn were a very nice WDW polo and a pair of shorts I was going to yard sale.

As far as the title goes, I don’t really hate Mondays, although it was a little warm yesterday. I left the building at 9:50 last night to go for a walk and the air was chewy. I managed to do about half of what I normally do before I was at risk of liquefaction, at which time I called it a night and went in search of air conditioning. The heat is supposed to break temporarily today or tomorrow, which should mean much better walking conditions.

Other big events yesterday included the priming of the bar and my smallest-ever purchase at Home Depot. I decided to prime the bar with Killz before putting the gleaming final coats of Polar Bear on it, figuring that since the basement has the ability to be a little damp, this will fight any chances of mildew. As for the smallest-ever Home Depot purchase, I had to buy a white receptacle plate. Total damage, after tax, was $0.24. That’s me, the last of the big-time spenders.

Daltrey vs. Plant. At 7:50 of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, Daltrey unleashes a throat-ripping wail that is so primal and unmodulated it’s scary. On “Immigrant Song” Plant’s scream is in tune, lacking the primal factor. Just my opinion. This is not a Zeppelin bash by any stretch, and I am perfectly willing to concede that Plant has the better voice otherwise. Just not in this instance.

Getting back to the true purpose of this post, though, the biggest obstacle that most people need to overcome is themselves. I used to complain non-stop about my job, how terrible it was, how much I hated it. A couple of weeks ago, I came to a conclusion that I was spending so much of myself on hating things that I had no room for anything else. Why hatred? I used to think that hating the reflection in the mirror would be motivation to change the reflection. That hatred just grows and festers and instead of just hating the reflection, you begin to hate yourself. There might be change, but it’s not at all positive. That’s NOT where you want to be. Once I made the effort to push the hatred out, it’s made such a difference in my life. I’ve realized that I have a good job that I don’t hate. I don’t love it every day, but I don’t hate it, either. Most importantly, I don’t hate me anymore. I’m just a guy trying to get himself in a better place, mentally and physically. How can I hate or fault myself for that? Instead of browbeating myself for eating something not good for me, I’m much better off accepting that I made a mistake and not doing it again. Ornette Coleman once said, “It was when I found out I could make mistakes that I knew I was on to something.” Truer words have never been spoken.

Finally, I’ve gotten a lot of really positive feedback from people who have taken the time to check out the blog. Thank you so much for your compliments. It’s very gratifying to know that what you are doing is appreciated by others. This is not something I am accustomed to. When I started my little folly, my motivations were somewhat (read: very) selfish. I wanted a way to hold myself accountable to my stated goals. Has it worked? So far it seems to be. But to read comments from people who are inspired by my scribblings is just so humbling. I don’t have the answers, but if what I am doing is helping somebody choose to snack on veggies instead of potato chips, or to get their a** kicked by a Jillian Michaels workout DVD instead of not doing anything, well, I’ll shoulder that responsibility anytime. Gladly.

Today’s weight: 306.4 (down 13.6 from last Thursday)

Older Entries
Newer Entries