Archive for the ‘Weight loss’ Category

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Posted: June 28, 2010 in Weight loss
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Greetings and Salutations!

The Vista desktop shows a temp of 75 degrees at 7:11 AM. Uhm, yuck? Alas, only the government can control the weather, so there’s no use complaining about it.

Getting down to business, however, Sunday was a very productive day. I was able to finish taking the paint off the old bar, sanded the wood, so it’s almost ready for paint. A quick history of the bar… we bought it from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. For those who are unfamiliar with the ReStore, they sell used and donated building materials with the profits going directly to Habitat for Humanity. It’s a worthy charity and I’ve both bought and donated in the past.

So, we found a lonely used cabinet and realized it would be a nice height for a bar… it just needed some TLC. That’s where I come in. I built a ceramic tile top for the lonely cabinet to start, now I’m fixing the cabinet itself. So far I’ve finished the unfinished side, stripped all the paint and sanded it down. I also built a divider so we can make better use of the space underneath. Since the bar is going in the Penn State room (we have themed rooms… more on that later) it will be bright white with navy blue trim.

The inimitable Mrs. T. had to cover a tennis match yesterday, so I had ample work time.

I also baked off about 10 pounds of chicken breast. Here at Chez T, we will make a whole bunch of whatever protein and then portion it out for freezing. With chicken, I slice it thin and divide it into 4 oz. portions. Afterward, back in the freezer. That way, when I’m getting ready for work, I can just grab a bag of chicken out of the freezer and it’s already a healthy portion. Makes getting dinner together a snap! Also, by just baking it with a little spray of olive oil, it’s easy to customize the flavor. I like more heat that does the wife, so I can spice it up to my heart’s content.

Anyways, after the tennis story was filed and I got a well deserved shower, we had to go in town to the newspaper office. I realized we were close to Lancaster Brewing Company (www.lancasterbrewing.com) andwe had been talking about eating there for the three years we’d been living in Lancaster County. So, I set the GPS and off we went.

Place is loaded with character, brew tanks line one wall. It’s a little dark inside… needed to use the iPrecious to light up the menu, but that’s OK. Mrs. T. had a glass of strawberry wheat, I went with their Litening Lager. I probably should’ve tried the Kolsch, cause the lager was a little disappointing. But the food more than made up for it. I had a pretzel-crusted chicken, which was served with a red bliss mashed and perfectly done asparagus, all with a cracked mustard and cheddar cheese fondue. No, probably not the best food for losing weight, but tasty. There would be pictures, but it was too dark for the iPrecious.

Afterward, came home and watched The Next Food Network Star and Iron Chef America, followed by a walk and some cleaning. All told, a productive and fun weekend. Back to the grind today.

Speaking of the grind, I work at a place which is not always conducive to healthy living. It can be very stressful, there’s a lot of sitting on your butt and staring at a computer screen. I’m lucky to work with someone who keeps me honest by encouraging me to go for walks and to eat right and to stop grazing at the vending machines. Never underestimate the power of your support system… if you don’t have people to lean on sometimes, you will fall down.

Today’s weight: 309.0 (down 11.0 from Thursday)

And we’re off…

Posted: June 27, 2010 in movies, Weight loss
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Good morning, campers!

It’s a Triple H Sunday here in the Amish Paradise. For the uninitiated, that means hazy, hot and humid. It’s never a good sign when the weather widget on your Vista desktop is reporting 72 degrees, at 7:30 in the morning. *sigh* I guess the word of the day will be “swelter”.

So, went to see Toy Story 3 last night. Since we are all about the fat here at MOASTBFFG, can’t go to the movies without talking movie snacks. We were good. The inimitable Mrs. T and I shared a medium popcorn with white death and there were bottles of water all around.

We saw the movie at Penn Cinema in Lititz which is a great place to go. Instead of being some huge chain like Regal, it’s a private cineplex owned by a guy who likes movies. This can mean so much when your experience is not about the company making obscene profits, but rather about you enjoying the cinematic experience. Right now, he’s at 14 screens, but plans for an Imax are afoot. Hope it will be in place for Tron Legacy.

Anyway, getting back to the movie. Let’s just say that I love Pixar. I tend to cut them a lot of slack, even though in most cases it’s not needed. I don’t want to throw out any spoilers, but I found the last fifteen minutes of the movie alone to be worth the price of admission. Did it affect me as much as Up? No, but I was crying like a baby. All in all, a solid A-. Not a home run, but a solid run-scoring triple.

Lest you think we live a life of leisure, there was other stuff being done. We went to a friend’s garage sale where I found a very nice Walt Disney World 20th Anniversary book, followed by a trip to Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill for provisions. On the way home from SKH, we noticed a local church was having a car show/chicken barbeque, so we stopped in to pick up some BBQ for lunch. Ended up walking around the car show and whimpering. Among the highlights were a baby blue 1957 Cadillac, a bunch of 1969 Camaros, a herd of Mustangs, ranging from 1965 to present, a Lamborghini Murcielago, a Ferrari F430 and a Mercedes McLaren SLR, which is one badass looking ride. The chicken was tasty, the meals also came with a baked potato, roll, applesauce and a drink.

Post lunch, I started stripping paint from the old cabinet I’m refurbishing into a bar. Even though I was in the garage, the fumes were pretty intense. The wood is starting to look good… much more paint to be removed today. If all goes according to Hoyle, the new bar will be ready for drinking by the holiday.

At any rate, time to get to it.

Today’s weight: 311.2 (8.8 pounds down since Thursday)

Hello world!

Posted: June 26, 2010 in Weight loss
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Hey everyone. Just thought since I’ve embarked on my journey to lose weight, I would document what I am doing. If I can help anyone to lose before they get in as bad a shape as I am, well, that would be a good thing. So, here goes the rundown.
I’m 39, overweight, and diabetic. Sound familiar? I struggled with weight most of my life. I was never blessed with a really good metabolism, standing next to a sandwich would make me gain weight it seemed. I kept it under control in high school with being busy all the time and weighed 185 pounds when I graduated. Considering my height, I was only about ten pounds over my ideal.
After high school, I started eating more and doing less. I still managed to keep the weight somewhat in check, but I was looking a little more rotund. Between working and going to school, I was too busy to eat properly, wound up with a lot of fast food. Probably weighed about 230.
A failed relationship later, I thought a change of scenery would do me good. I relocated to Baltimore, took a new job and rarely left my apartment. My weight skyrocketed past 300 pounds. Started noticing pain in my knees and feet that I never had. After a year, I gave up on that and moved home. Weight continued to rise. I went back and finished college, but we’re talking orca-fat city.
The high (low?) point for me was when I surpassed 400 pounds. I topped out around 420, I think. I had gotten a new job and decided there was a coworker I wanted to ask out. I knew she’d never go out with me as fat as I was (411 pounds), so I started dieting hard. I managed to drop over 130 pounds just by eating right and walking every day. I actually did go out with her a few times, realized it wasn’t going anywhere, but still reached a goal.
Following a year of personal tragedy, I met the woman who would become my wife. The weight crept back on. I kept it around 300, but the comfort factor is tough to beat. Not to mention that we both love food. This kept up and two years ago, I had a scare. I went to the emergency room with chest pains. After some hemming and hawing, it was decided I would have a cardiac catheterization. This is not a pleasant experience, believe you me. But, it inspired me to give up caffeine and the snack foods, eat healthy, and the weight just came off.
As usual, it crept back on. Are we getting a pattern here?  This brings us to the present.  As of Thursday, June 24, I weighed in at 320.0. My goal for right now is 300, then 275, 250, and finally 225. Is it my ideal weight? No, but I can carry 225 and not look like a hippo.  How am I going to lose it?  First of all, I’m doing this for me. Nobody else. Secondly, I’m eating well-balanced, healthy meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Will I have a Chick-Fil-A sandwich from time to time? You betcha. Will I scarf three of them at a time? Not anymore.
Today’s weight: 312.6
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