Public Service Announcement

***Warning, graphic content ahead. SFW, but graphic***

So I ended my weekend on a really rough note. I went to take the dog for a walk at 5, before DAPGF and I went to get dinner. As I was walking past our condo's pool, I glanced in and saw what appeared to be a person floating face down in the water, and nobody else around. I got out my keys and got into the pool area, clipped the dog leash to the fence, and whipped out the cell phone to call 911. While it's ringing, I take off my shoes, keys, wallet, etc., and jump into the shallow end where the guy is floating. 911 answers and PUTS ME ON HOLD!!! I close the phone and chuck it up on the pool deck, scream for somebody to call 911 (several times), and grab this guy who is about 6 feet tall and probably weighs 200 pounds and hurl him up onto the pool deck. Boy Scouts 20 years ago comes rushing back and I get him on his side to try and clear his airway. Beer starts coming out his nose and mouth. While I'm checking for a pulse, my cell phone starts ringing. I don't know why, but I knew it was 911 calling me back (since I hung up on them) and I answered it. The 911 operator tells me that paramedics are on the way, and starts talking me through mouth to mouth and CPR. Side note, compression/breathing patterns have changed since I was last certified in the 1980s. People start to gather around the pool deck, but only one dude is helping me out at this point, mainly wiping the beer, water, and whatever off of this guy's face while I'm doing chest compressions. After about 10 minutes of that, I realized that the other dude had left. No idea why, no idea where he went. A few minutes after that, the San Diego Fire paramedics showed up and took over. I called DAPGF to come down and get the dog, to finish her walk. A San Diego Police officer took my statement (what happened, when did I find the guy, yadda yadda yadda). After about another 20 minutes of working on the guy, the paramedics stopped, saying that he was gone. After talking with a bunch of my neighbors who were hanging around with DAPGF, I went home and showered. We decided to go get something to eat, not that I had much of an appetite at that point. We decided to walk by the pool one last time, to see if the coroner had shown up so I could give her my statement and not have to have her call me during dinner or something. Fortunately she was there and that business was taken care of. I still feel queasy.

Things learned from this whole experience. You shouldn't swim alone, and you really shouldn't swim when you've been drinking. I only saw one can of beer on a table by the chaise lounge where the guy's wallet, flip flops, etc. were, but I bet he spent the day drinking while watching football. You should also carry your keys (all of them, storage rooms, pool areas, club houses) with you at all times. Damn near all of my neighbors said that they were amazed that I had my pool key on my key ring. Apparently they all keep theirs on separate rings. That, and keep a cell phone with you at all times. I walk the dog early in the morning and late at night. I am 6'3" and weigh in the range of 277-280, and I'm walking a Doberman Pinscher. It's not that likely that anybody is really going to hassle me while I'm walking, but why take the chance. So take these experiences and use them to better protect yourselves. I'm also going to find a CPR course and get re-certified, and I suggest that you all do it, too. Again, better to be prepared than find yourself in a bad situation and not know what to do. I feel bad that I wasn't able to get the guy revived, but I know I did everything that I could, and I did it as right as possible. I hope you never find yourself in such a position, but if you do, I hope you have read this post and are better prepared for it.

***Cross-posted at The Randomness***

How Stupid Can You Be?

And for the stupid is as stupid does award…

We bring you the story of MIT student, Star Simpson.  She's attending MIT, so she's brainy and likely somewhat techy and geeky (not that there's anything wrong with that).  She has to go to Logan International Airport in Boston to meet her boyfriend.  She decides to wear a sweatshirt upon which she's attached a lighted computer circuit board with visible wiring, and she's holding a wad of play doh in her hand.  After having the authorities level machine guns at her and arrest her, she's actually protesting what happened, and pleading "not guilty" to a charge of disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device.

OK.  Was what she did a harmless statement (as she said)?  Technically, yes.  She was not wearing a bomb.  Did she exercise judgment that goes beyond stupid?  Hell yes.  Let's examine this.  Post 9/11 USA.  "Let me dress like a suicide bomber, but it will just be a joke.  Nobody should misunderstand what I'm doing.  And to add to the excitement, maybe I'll do it at the airport where two of the four highjacked 9/11 planes took off from.  And just to extract maximum irony, I'll do it in the city that went apeshit over the Aqua Teen Hunger Force goofy fake bomb thing.  I should really be able to make a statement that way."  And you wonder why the men with the big guns told you to get face down on the pavement.  And you wonder why you were placed under arrest.  Did the authorities overreact?  To the ATHF thing, probably.  To her, nope.  I'd say they did their jobs correctly, and I'm glad for it.  Besides, every single airport I've ever been in has always had a sign (several, actually) that had words to the effect of, "We take all comments regarding bombs and guns seriously."  Meaning even if you're joking, we're going to react as though your comment was meant seriously.  So if you go to an airport, any airport much less the one which was pretty much the epicenter of the 9/11 tragedy, and basically say that you've got a bomb strapped to your body, you should expect to be treated as a terrorist threat.  The moron is lucky to still be alive.  Major Scott Pare of the Mass. State Police was quoted as saying, "She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands and not to make any movement, so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device.  Had she not followed the protocol, we might have used deadly force." 

I understand the idea of making a statement, really I do.  Unfortunately the statement that came across was, "I'm a f**king moron.  Shoot me."  Mr. Darwin, we likely have a future candidate for your award.

Dogs, steroids, and any excuse to not work out...

Wassup party peeps! I apologize for the lack of posts, but my dear doggie has been having some severe health issues, and I’ve been shuttling back and forth to vets, hand feeding her, and other assorted sick doggie activities. Right now the preliminary diagnosis is a slipped or herniated disc that has been causing lethargy, pain, lack of appetite, and a desire to not move her hind legs. The neurologist vet (yes, we’ve gotten to that stage) put her on steroids (my own little Dobie Bonds!) to see if they can reduce any inflammation in her spine. If they work, great. Still, on Tuesday she goes back to the neurologist for an MRI to specifically identify the injury. Even if the steroids reduce the inflammation, and the combo of ‘roids and doggie pain pills have given her her energy and appetite back, it’s likely that without surgery the problem would crop up again. So any good thoughts you can send towards Ginger and improvement to her health are much appreciated. And with that, on to my fat.

It’s a little frustrating. On August 27, my weigh-in was 279.2 lbs. At the time, it was the first real progress I’d seen in the month of August, and my next goal for 9/3 was to be 277.2 lbs. Ginger’s problems first cropped up that Thursday, August 30, and kind of screwed up my exercise over the weekend. I did get some weight-lifting in, hoisting 75 pounds of Dobie in and out of the Jeep, but with her lack of energy and pain, our 45 minute dog walks were reduced down to at most a lap around our condo building. I actually did pretty well on the eating end of things, especially impressive given the holiday, and wound up with a 9/3 weigh-in of 277.6 lbs, just .4 lbs shy of my goal. All things being equal, not bad.

Since I got so close, I set today’s goal at 2 pounds less than where I had planned to be last Monday, 275.2 lbs. Tuesday and Wednesday were both vet visit days where I ate no breakfast and didn’t go into the office, and thus didn’t really snack much. Wednesday’s weigh-in was actually 275.8 lbs, so I was actually pretty excited about making my goal. Unfortunately, Wednesday and Thursday’s gym opportunities were shot when I had to head home and take care of the dog, because DAPGF’s boss kept her late and she lost her window of time between work and teaching on both nights. And the weight had crept back up into the 279 range by Friday morning. I went to the driving range Friday at lunch, and I made it to the gym Saturday morning and was rewarded with a weigh-in of 278.2 lbs. Yes this was above where I started the week, but given the peak of the week (hey! That rhymed!) of 279.4, I was pretty pleased. Sunday I made it to the gym and managed to post a weigh-in of 277.8. Yay me! Fighting back! Sunday we went to Mimi’s Café for brunch. I had this stuffed BBQ chicken quesadilla. Now, I’ve had this thing a couple of times and it is just the perfect amount of food, IMO. It is tasty, satisfying, and just filling enough (it’s an appetizer, not an entrée) without making me feel stuffed. Sunday, though, I’m not sure what happened. I ate it and it just sat in my belly like a lead weight, and all I could think is that this was totally going to screw my Monday weigh-in. DAPGF went out with some friends, so I just had some Uncle Ben’s instant rice (about 400 cal. worth) and some baked Lays potato chips. End result, today’s weigh-in hit an ungodly 279.2 lbs. I gained almost 2 pounds this week, and wound up 4 pounds north of what my goal had been! I think they snuck some lead weights or something into my quesadilla.

You know, though, I’m disappointed but I remain optimistic. This recent effort that began in earnest on July 3, when I discovered My Fitness Pal (still the greatest weight-loss tool I’ve come across), and although the majority of August was lacking in progress, I didn’t backslide either. I’ve come to realize that I actually can control my weight. Logically (duh) all it takes is portion control and exercise. It sounds simple, but it ain’t the easiest thing to do. Especially when you are constantly bombarded by restaurants that have ever-increasing portion sizes, and fast food joints who charge $3.29 for a southwestern chicken pita sandwich that rings up at 254 calories (and is really tasty, btw – Jack in the Box) and $1.49 for a medium diet coke, but only charges 30 cents more to make it a combo with fries and a soda, or charging $2.29 for one sausage mcmuffin and $2.69 for 2 of them. Despite not needing a full combo, or 2 mcmuffins, I have such a mental block when it comes to trying to get my money’s worth, and I have such a hard time justifying to myself the idea of not getting the combo or not getting the two-fer deal. That being said, I’ve been really good at not hitting the drive-thru’s, and avoiding the Chinese buffets. I know I can do this. I’ve been doing it, and there’s no reason why I can’t. Given today’s weigh-in, my goal for 9/17 will be 277.2 lbs. I’m going to actually aim for where I should’ve been today, 275.2 lbs, but I’m trying to stick with the two pound drop per week. Wish me luck, and thank you in advance for any good vibes for Ginger.

After a small (unintentional) break, back to business

Hello blog world!  I must say that after a smashing success of losing 10 pounds during the month of July, August has been decidedly meh.  I've been doing some hovering in the 278 to 281-ish range the entire month.  I fully am to blame.  Mainly I've been snacking more at the office than I should.  Not a lot, but just enough to erase any progress made by exercising and eating decent meals.  At the tail end of July (Monday 7/30), my weight was sitting at 280.6 lbs.  The following Monday, 280.6 lbs.  The Monday after that, 280.6 lbs. 

Monday 8/20 was another story.  I had a slight Chinese buffet meltdown, and the weigh-in was 281.4 lbs.  So that put the week's 2 pound goal at 279.4 lbs.  The original goal of 278.6 would be the "X-Ring" bonus weight.  Monday and Tuesday brought large drops to 280.2 and 278.8 respectively.  Wednesday saw a rise to 279.2, Thursday to 279.6, and Friday to 280.8.  I made it to the gym on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so I'm not exactly sure why those days had increases.  Thursday I had lunch with some co-workers at a local brewpub.  I had a relatively healthy chicken sandwich, but caved in and had fries with it.  Meh.  Saturday, despite not getting to the gym I managed to drop back down to 280.0.  Sunday I didn't make the gym again, but still had an additional drop to 279.0.  Both days I didn't starve myself, but I ate relatively healthy.  Saturday was sushi for dinner and Sunday was mushroom ravioli, avoiding the alfredo sauce in favor of a much healthier tomato and veggie sauce.  End result, this morning's weigh-in, 279.2 lbs.  Yes I gained .2 lbs, but considering I didn't have much of a workout last night or this morning (both dogwalks were 15 minutes or less), I'll take it.  Besides, I beat my goal of 279.4, so good on me.  

The goal for 9/3 is 277.2 lbs.  Given that the 3^rd is a holiday, I'll likely go to the gym that morning.  Hopefully that will allow me to get a good start to September and get back into the groove that I had going thru July.  Wish me luck, and good luck to all of you.

The one in which we admit some shortcomings, and still see progress

Whassup party people?  Sorry for the delay in posting, but there's two reasons.  First, I've been hella busy at work for the past two weeks.  Second, I haven't had much to report.

 

My last post was on August 6, and at that point I was at 280.6 lbs, precisely where I'd been the week before.  As I said, I've been quite busy at work.  I did make it to the gym a bit during the week, but I didn't get any of my midday exercise in.  End result, Monday 8/13 my weigh-in was again 280.6 lbs.

 

I actually started to make some progress this past week.  I made it to the gym several times during the week, including Saturday and Sunday mornings, I hit the driving range once, and I got a bodysurfing session in on Sunday morning.  Water temps were in the low 70s and it was fan-dam-tastic.  My weight had been trending down, and as of Sunday's weigh-in (8/19) I'd beaten my goal of 278.6 by .4 lbs.  And then the wheels fell off.  If you either know me, or you've been reading What Happened for any length of time then you know I'm a sucker for Chinese food.  I.  Freaking.  Love.  It.  Sunday, after the gym, the beach, and the bitchin' weigh-in, I took my car to be detailed.  DAPGF was going shopping with a friend, so I was on my own for a rare Sunday.  There happens to be a Chinese buffet in the same shopping center as the car wash.  I haven't been to a Chinese buffet in close to a year, and I was jonesing.  So I went.  I really tried hard to not gorge myself like I've done in the past, and I think I succeeded.  That being said, I knew it wasn't a good thing.  And to top it off, DAPGF and I had to run errands after dinner, so no après-eating walk.  Monday's weigh-in, 281.4 lbs.

 

Yes, I know I torpedoed my progress and I've got nobody to blame but myself.  That being said, I'm not worried.  I know I'm not backsliding or anything, and I know that this mini plateau I've hit is only temporary, aided somewhat my conditions at work (which aren't bad, just busy).  So I'm ok with myself, because I've proven that it isn't that difficult to lose the weight.  I lost the first 10 pounds pretty easily, and, I know the first pounds are the easiest, but I'm so much heavier than I was 3 years ago that I know this is all excess weight that should come off fairly easily.  Besides, the odd Chinese buffet notwithstanding, I'm consistently eating much healthier than I have in years, and I'm exercising much more consistently as well.  As an example, Monday I started off on the road to go to a meeting with staff from the City of San Diego and one of our smaller airports (my company is looking at doing some work at the airport).  I ate my bagel on the road for breakfast, had just one quesadilla from Taco Bell for lunch, and a Lean Cuisine Bistro Brick Oven Pizza (they're surprisingly good, roughly 350 calories and 3 and a half minutes in the microwave) for dinner.  End result: Tuesday morning's weigh-in was down to 280.2 lbs.  See?  I can do it!  Now back to losing weight.  Gym tonight!

Still going...

So this week really got off on a bad start.  Monday morning, after a stellar weekend of avoiding pitfalls all over the place, I had a weigh-in of 280.6 lbs.  That not only beat my stated goal of 282.4, but also beat what had been my original goal of 281.0 lbs.  And then I got to work.   The day started off benignly enough, with my usual bagel and a couple glasses of water.  Then two of my coworkers grabbed me for a marketing meeting with a firm we're looking to collaborate with on a couple of projects.   So you've got 3 guys all in their mid 30s, with no authority figures around anywhere (aren't WE supposed to be the authority figures?), so do we go somewhere healthy to eat?   NO!!!  We go to the Pizza Port Brewpub for some doughy, cheesy, beer-y goodness.   One big cheesy chicken and artichoke heart pizza and 2 pitchers of beer down there.  And now hopefully we can go back to the office and get to work.   Nope.  One of the guys gets an email on his Treo stating that we just won a contract to prepare an Environmental Impact Report somewhere, and that is a six figure contract so it was time to celebrate.   Margaritas!  When all was said and done, Tuesday's weigh-in was almost 3 lbs higher.  Noooooo!  

 

But lately I've been feeling pretty good about this weight-loss thing.  I've actually lost 10 pounds over the last month, and I'm feeling good about my ability to keep losing.   So I buckled down and really worked.  I had a bonus gym night and took advantage of it.  I hit the driving range several times.   I was hyper diligent about what I ate.  By Sunday's weigh-in I'd gotten to within a half pound of my goal of 278.6.   And with DAPGF going out with some friends in town from NorCal, I'm thinking I can actually pull it off.  But I shot myself in the foot.  Dad is heading out on a vacation, his first real trip since my Mother passed away, and I figured I'd go spend some time with him before he took off.  Some snacking and such later, and I'm back home.   Monday's weigh-in, 280.6 lbs.  Exactly what it was last Monday.  On one hand I should be disappointed that I didn't lose anything.   But, I'm actually pleased that I managed to lose the 3 pounds I gained at the beginning of the week, and I'm liking my chances at continued weight-loss this week.   Tonight DAPGF is out for drinks again with her friend, so I get a bonus night at the gym.  And there shouldn't be anything at work that could cause a meltdown like last week, so I should be pretty safe there.   Finally, I've managed to get up a little earlier the past several mornings, which allows me to get my ExerciseTV mini workouts in the morning.  My goal for this week should've been 276.6 lbs, but the actual 2 pound loss would put me at 278.6 lbs.  So 278.6 is the goal.  If I can do better, and I think I can, then yay me!

Quite The Weekend!!

It was a pretty good weekend.  Saw the Lindsay Lohan movie, "I Know Who Killed Me" on Friday.   I'll give her this, she did a solid job of acting.  It's just that the movie was lame.  Especially given her recent meltdowns, the only way I can see this as being remotely beneficial to her career is that you get to see lots of her half-naked and either having raucous sex with some guy or grinding off of a stripper pole.   Beyond that…not so much.  On the other hand, I also saw Live Free or Die Hard (thank you DAPGF for caving in, and I told you it would be good!).   It absolutely freaking rocked!  As much as I loved the original (and I still do), I think I have to rank this one higher.   It was insanely good.  Was it a violent buddy action flick?  Yup.  Did it kick ass all over the place?   Hell yeah it did!  Probably my favorite movie of this year, and I see almost 2 movies per week, so that should say something.

 

Managed to get lots of exercise over the weekend, including time at the driving range and a dawn patrol session at the beach.   Combine that with the fact that DAPGF now thinks that walking after our meals is a good thing, plus some honeydew stuff around the house and I was working it hard.  Which worked out to be a good thing, and a perfect complement to my food intake.   Normally the weekends are dangerous, particularly Sundays.  I'm not eating my Lean Cuisine meals, but instead going to restaurants for notoriously large potions of food.   This weekend, though, I just managed to do a great job of controlling what I ate.  Shrimp fajitas where I avoided most of the beans and rice.   A chicken quesadilla with almost no sides.  Chicken and Shrimp veggie Thai stir fry.  And then the evil day, Sunday.   It started with a pretty gnarly omelet and hashbrowns, but we followed that up with an hour-long walk by the beach.  But here's what saved me.   DAPGF was having dinner with some friends, so I got to stay home and stay in control of what I ate.  A frozen pizza and one of those micro-servings of Ben and Jerry's Fudge Brownie ice cream.

 

All of which leads to this.  Last Monday's weigh-in was 284.4 lbs.  I'd been aiming for 283.0 but faltered a bit, so the goal for this morning's weigh-in was 282.4 lbs, instead of the 281.0 that I should've been shooting for.  So I get out of the shower, towel off and step on the scale.   280.6 lbs.!!!!!  Holy crap!!  Not only did I better my specific goal, but I even bettered my original goal!   Yay me!!!  When I started this latest round of effort back on July 2, my goal was to lose 2 lbs per week.  With this morning's weigh-in, I'm running ahead of that!  DAPGF deserves recognition for the after-meal walks.  I'm so glad she has gotten into this, because it really helps undo any damage done by eating.   I deserve a bunch of credit for my incredible exercise efforts and my ever-growing will-power and self-control.  And again, MyFitnessPal.com has proven time and time again to be an excellent tracking and motivation tool.  My new goal for next Monday will now be 278.6 lbs.  I think it's been nearly a year since I've been this low, but with the progress I've been having I am hyper-motivated!   Wish me luck and all of you keep up your efforts.  I am proof that the average schmuck who loves to eat can actually lose weight.

Hey! Progress!

So Monday's weigh-in was 284.2 lbs.  Dinner wasn't too bad.  Chinese food and frozen yogurt.   Combined with the golfing at lunch, I only gained .2 lbs for the Tuesday weigh-in.  On a side note, my dog is kind of acting like a whack-job.   Or at least a dog with ADDD (Attention Deficit Doggie Disorder).  In the past, our walks have been "destination" walks, where we leave our little condo complex and go walk thru the neighborhood, up through a park and so on, taking a roughly 45 minute to an hour journey spread out over 3-4 miles.   Lately she's been obsessed with kitties that she's seen on some of the walks, and is constantly going back to those particular condos and just pacing back and forth, or around the building.   2 things wrong with that.  First of all, it isn't consistent walking.  She'll stop and spend a couple of minutes sniffing, and then she'll go to one side of the stairs and then back to the other.   5 minutes of that and I've taken maybe 20 steps.  The other thing is I'm just waiting for somebody to call the cops on me because I'm loitering or casing the place.   I mean, I'm outside of these people's houses at 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.  What would you think?  So lately it's been after 20 minutes of this I just drag the dog away and we go home.   I've tried dragging her away with the intention of going on a destination walk, but she knows exactly how to walk anywhere in the complex and still find her way back to Kittie-Land (yes, DAPGF and I have named the place, for the two kitties who live on one side of the sidewalk (Kittie-Fabulous and Kittie-Wonderful – don't know the real names), and Burrito who lives on the other side of the sidewalk).   Crazy.

 

Anyway, I was bound and determined to make up for the Chinese food on Tuesday.  I didn't go to the range at lunch, but went to the gym after work and then went and shot 9 holes at this little executive course near Casa de Hoff.   I got home late enough that I only had time to eat a single, 250 calorie Lean Cuisine and some Wheat Thins.  End result, Wednesday's weigh-in was down to 283.6 lbs.  I lathered, rinsed, and repeated the process for Wednesday.  Gym and then 9 holes of flog, and then a small dinner.   Thursday's weigh-in, 282.6 lbs.!!  w0000t!!

 

Again, I'm not perfect (far from it), but I am continuing to prove (mainly to myself) that I actually can control what I consume and make efforts at losing weight.   Wish me continued luck, and may you all find continued success in your efforts to do whatever it is that you all are attempting to do (unless it's make me fatter!).

Yeah, I saw this coming...

I was a naughty boy.  So when we last discussed my corpulence, I was making some progress.   But, dear readers, if you recall I purchased a box of Little Debbie Snack Cakes.  I mauled those on Tuesday and Wednesday, and failed to make it to the gym on both evenings.   Then came Thursday.  I had to be on the road very early, so I could be about 150 miles away by 8 a.m.  So no time for a proper breakfast, so we hit the Mickey Dees drive-thru for some McMuffin-y goodness.  Besides that, I haven't been thru the drive-thru for a meal in some time, so I was tempted at all turns.   I finally caved in and made my lunch a mix of Arbys and Wienerschnitzel (mmm, chili cheese dogs).  And to top it off, when I got back to the office that afternoon, we had people in from our corporate office.   And of course we like to show our visitors a good time, so someone had gone over to the nearby Karl Strauss brewery and procured a jug of their finest Amber Lager (one of my Top 5 desert island beers) which we proceeded to drain.   Not exactly a light beer.  So Friday's weigh-in actually hit 286.4 lbs, more than 2 pounds higher than the last good weigh-in on Tuesday.

 

With my goal of 283 for the Monday weigh-in fading quickly, I stepped it up.  I took some extra time at the driving range on Friday (comp time from getting going so early on Thursday), and I made it to the gym on both Saturday and Sunday.   End result, this morning's weigh-in was 284.4 lbs.  1.4 lbs shy of my goal, but given my meltdown I'll accept it.  

 

I'd love to continue the pattern I'd been on, which would've made this week's goal to get down to 281 lbs.  I'm not sure how realistic that is, so I'm making my 2 pound loss goal 282.4, which is 2 pounds from today.  If I can do better, then Yay Me!!!  If I make my goal, then good on me again.  If I don't, well, I'll keep trying.  I'm off to a good start today.  Just my bagel and some string cheese and several glasses of water.  The driving range will be visited (as it usually is on Mondays) which will help matters, and hopefully the doggie will want long walks.   As long as DAPGF doesn't torpedo me with dinner tonight, I should be in pretty good shape to get thru the week.  Wish me luck, and as always, shouts to MyFitnessPal.com for having such a great tool for a great (big) tool.

I think I'm liking this...

So at my last post, I was expressing amazement that I'd dropped all the way down to 283.6 lbs, and was hoping that I wouldn't implode over the weekend.   And the weekend was a little of both.

 

Friday dinner was kind of doomed for us.  We got a late start, and wound up at a very good sushi place in La Jolla village.  They actually had an all you can eat special for $25 per person.  Danger!  Danger!   What made it worse was that, unlike some of the mega buffets like Onami or Todai, you actually submitted your order form to the sushi chef and he made your order fresh.  Jeezus did we eat a bunch, but damn was it good.   DAPGF and I did go for a short walk after dinner, and I did walk the dog later, but I knew I'd been a baaaaad Hoff.  To top it off, I wasn't able to hit the gym Saturday morning.  

 

Saturday's weigh-in: 285.6 lbs.  Yep, gained 2 pounds.  But once again, I knew that this was a temporary setback, and that I did have the ability to lose the weight again.   So lunch was actually pretty light…a lean, bbq pulled pork sandwich (no breakfast) and then a "smaller" amount of Mexican for dinner.  All told, I only took in 1500 calories or so, which is about the smallest amount I've ever consumed over one 24 hour period (without the assistance of Montezuma's Revenge).   DAPGF and I took a walk and then I had a pretty long dog walk.  I was hoping that I'd been good enough to maybe get below 285.0, which was my goal for the week.

 

And Sunday's weigh-in: 283.2 lbs!!!  w00000t!!  How about that!   My only fear was that I'd gone to the gym and then weighed myself fairly late in the morning, so I knew the much earlier Monday morning weigh-in would probably be higher if only because of that.   Anyway, no breakfast but lunch consisted of some calamari, some veggie spring rolls, and a shrimp cobb salad at a restaurant with one of the finest views in Del Mar.  That all seemed to work out relatively healthily.  Dinner consisted of some tasty evil Thai food and frozen yogurt for dessert.  We actually have a "boutique" yogurt place here (it's just how we roll in San Diego), and I couldn't resist a layer of cookie dough, followed by cookies and cream yogurt (it really tastes like a freaking oreo cookie, not just vanilla with oreo bits), followed by chocolate custard yogurt topped with actual crushed oreo.   Mmmm.  Sweet fattening goodness.  I took the dog out for her walk and prepared to face the Monday morning music.

 

Monday's weigh in: 285.4 lbs.  Yep.  I knew that Sunday torpedoed my progress.   My goal from the previous week had been 287.0, and I hit 287.4.  Since I was so close, I made my 2 pound goal for this week 285.0, instead of 285.4.  I didn't hit the actual target weight, but I did hit the 2 pound loss goal.  So again, because I got so close, this week's goal will be a weigh-in on Monday 7/23 of 283.0 or lower.  So I set out to work hard on that goal.  I was careful in my eating.  I did my bagel/cream cheese for breakfast.   Snacks consisted of wheat thins and string cheese, and I did go to the store at lunch and got some beef jerky.  All that protein, low in calories, and very low in fat.   Great nibble food to have around.  I did munch a bit more than I intended, and there was one other bad thing I did.   Sunday night, DAPGF and I were watching something on Discovery or Food TV or one of those channels, and they did a teaser on Twinkies.  GF asked when the last time I had a twinkie was.   Honestly it's been over 10 years, but it got me kinda jonesing.  When I was at the store, I looked at a box of twinkes.   Back in the day, Ho Hos were my guilty pleasure, but there's nothing wrong with twinkies.  So I look at a $3.99 box of twinkies, and right next to it I see a box of the Little Debbies Ho Hos knock-off's for only $1.29.   Well how can I pass up that bargoon?  So I had a few snack cakes on Monday afternoon.  Meh.   Dinner was Red Robin for the righteous BBQ Chicken Wrap.  It did come with "never-ending" fries, but I tried not go gorge myself on them.  I had a nice long walk that evening with the dog, and then another good one this morning, hoping that I'd not gained anything more than I already was.

 

Tuesday's weigh-in: 284.2 lbs.  Down 1.2 lbs!!  I think I may be getting a handle on this.   I know that I've got a loooong way to go to get below 240 lbs, but I'm starting to feel as though I'm understanding how to actually eat in a way that will help me lose weight.   And again, I must give props to My Fitness Pal.  Whether it's legitimate or I'm just psyching myself into increasing my metabolism, being able to track my caloric intake directly against what I burn, and more importantly being able to track all activities that burn calories, is really helping me see what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, how to correct that, and what progress I'm actually making.   If you haven't tried it, check it out.  I think you'll be pleased.

 

 

So, umm, wow!

So.  My Monday weigh-in to start this week was 287.4 lbs.  This was .4 lbs heavier than my goal, and almost 2.5 lbs heavier than my low point of the week, one day previous.  Despite that setback, I was still feeling good.  I had proven that I can lose the weight if I am just careful about how much crap I shove down my neck.   Anyway, Monday was not the best day.  I had to run home at lunch and get some stuff I'd forgotten in the morning, which meant that I ate a lot more than I intended to.   I did hit the gym on the way over to Mom and Dad's house, but I counteracted that with chips, salsa, a quesadilla, and two huge margaritas at Chevy's, with my sister.  End result, Tuesday's weigh-in was about 1 pound heavier than Mondays.   Still, I was optimistic because I had proof that I could lose the weight.  And in this I must give DAPGF full credit.  She is getting older (like the rest of us losers), and she's finally noticing that her metabolism is slowing and the weight isn't staying off like she would prefer.   So we go walking after dinner, usually for about a half hour or so.  In addition, I did go to the driving range at lunch on Tuesday, and had some nice, long doggie walks.   Wednesday's weigh-in was down to 286.8!  Progress!  Wednesday I hit the gym after work and was really tight on what I ate.   Thursday's weigh-in, 285.4 lbs.!!  Thursday, I went to a work luncheon but lucked out with the food.  Salad, and penne pasta in tomato sauce with chicken breast.  And I went and played this tiny little 9 hole executive golf course near Casa de Hoff after work.   DAPGF was out, so I was very careful with what I ate (Lean Cuisine BBQ Chicken Pizza, yummy).  When she came home, we went for another 30 minute walk, and then I had a 45 minute dog walk.   Friday morning's weigh-in.  283.6 lbs.!!!!!!!  Outside of the few days surrounding my mother's death, I haven't been near 283 in several months at least.   I do have the weekend to worry about, but I'm doing too well.  You can bet your collective asses that I'm going to do everything in my power to not backslide.   And I've said it before and I'll keep saying it…My Fitness Pal is a phenomenal tool.  Honestly I couldn't tell you whether it truly is keeping me on track, or whether the idea of using it is making my body process stuff better I couldn't tell you.   I do think that it is keeping me on track.  My sister isn't a fan of food journals or exercise logs, but I say Nay Nay.   Because of how My Fitness Pal is set up, it really lets you see your progress.  One look and I can tell whether the physical activity I've done (again, it lets you track just about anything) has "made up" for whatever I've eaten, or whether I need to put in extra time at the gym to burn off something naughty I've eaten.   I think that's the key…having calories in and calories out integrated.

 

So good luck out there.  Have a great weekend.

Cancer still sucks

Someday, hopefully sooner than later, we will find a cure for this shitty disease known as cancer.  But for now, here's a person who could use some kind words and thoughts.

 

Cross-posted at The Randomness and What Happened

The one in which we foresee both the good and the bad...

And the weekend was a mixed bag.  I had been making stellar progress this past week.   In fact, the Sunday weigh-in was all the way down to 285.0 lbs.!!!!  I haven't been that low in months!  I know the golfing was a major contributor, but I'd actually gotten down to 285.4 lbs for Saturday morning, so the golf counteracted the many beers consumed.  I proved to myself that I can actually lose weight, IF I DON'T GO OVERBOARD WITH STUFFING FOOD DOWN MY NECK!!!  

 

That last part is the key, obviously, and I aptly demonstrated it on Sunday.  After a fantabulous weigh-in Sunday morning, it was time to let the games begin.   I didn't hit the gym because my back was a bit sore, so I soaked in the steam room.  I sweated out a few calories, so I'm ok with that.   Lunch was a chicken taco salad thing that isn't too dangerous (no sour cream), but probably still fairly fattening.  Dinner was a BBQ Chicken Pizza at California Pizza Kitchen with DAPGF, and the cheese and carb-y goodness I'm sure did some damage.   Still, we went for about a 45 minute walk afterwards and made up for some of that.  The killer was what happened late that evening.   I pretty much hadn't been on the computer all weekend, and I wanted to check email, look at some of my favorite websites, and generally screw around.  So after DAPGF crashed out and I walked the dog, I jumped on the computer.  This is just shy of midnight, mind you.  Now, I know that you're not supposed to eat right before you go to bed, that it screws up your metabolism, etc. etc.   But the stomach started growling and I was needing just a little something salty.  So I went to the kitchen to grab something.  Did I grab a 60 calorie string cheese?   No.  Did I grab a few Wheat Thins?  No.  I grabbed the whole bag of Wheat Thins Toasted Veggie Crackers, using the rationale of "I don't want to make noise crinkling the bag getting out just a few chips, so I'll just bring the whole bag to the computer.   I'm not going to be on very long."  And next thing I know, 2/3 of the bag is gone!  End result, Monday's weigh-in was 287.4 lbs. 

 

Major bummer.  Not only did I gain 2.4 pounds from Sunday morning, but I also missed my goal.   Still, I'm trying to look at the positive.  I demonstrated that I can lose weight.  Now I just need to stop the little snacking problem.   Because the goal for this morning was to be 287.0 or below, the goal for next Monday (7/16) is 285.0 lbs or below.  I've got a couple of things working in my favor.   First, I get a bonus night at the gym tonight.  Little Sister is in town, and we've got to go thru some things that Dad has sorted out.   So DAPGF is on her own tonight and I'm hitting the gym on the way to Dad's (so weird to not say Mom and Dad's, btw, yesterday was their 40^th Wedding Anniversary.   Mom may not be here physically, but they're still married and Dad's still in love.  Cancer still sucks) house.  In addition to tonight, DAPGF starts teaching her new quarter this week, so instead of just one normal night of gym and online poker, I get two nights.   If the weather holds, I'm hitting the beach for some of it to catch the evening glass-off .  I also discovered a tiny little 9 hole executive golf course near Casa de Hoff.  It doesn't look like anything spectacular, but it will be good to work on the short game, pre-twilight fees are only $8, and the walking will be great exercise.   I had a good feeling about last week, and by and large I was right (except for the very end, which technically was part of the next week), and I've got another good feeling about this week, too.   Good luck!

Are the numbers really going down?

So yesterday's weigh-in was 286.8 lbs, and I was generally pleased that I'd only gained .4 lbs.  Yesterday was not a good food day.   DAPGF and I were house sitting over the 4^th, which necessitated my driving past (meaning thru) the drive thru on my way to work, and succumbing to the egg-y, cheesy goodness that is fast food breakfast sandwiches.   But dammit, I'm bound and determined to make up for it.  I walk the stairs all day.  I go to the driving range.   I know that DAPGF and I are going walking after dinner, and I know that I'm walking the dog later in the evening, but I'm pretty sure that it's not going to work.   When lo and behold, the email of emails comes down.  Our corporate office in Sacramento, where all of our network servers, internet servers, and email servers are located, is relocating and all of the servers were going to be shut down at 3 pm!   Well, hell!  If I can't even get on the internet, what's the point in staying.  So I left early and hit the gym on the way home!   Dinner consisted of mainly sushi, and the aforementioned walks. 

 

And the Friday weigh-in?  286.2 lbs!  Dropped .6 lbs!   As long as I don't completely fall apart over the weekend (and I'm golfing on Saturday which will definitely help the exercise side of things), I'll be ahead of my goal for the week.  

 

I have to say, My Fitness Pal is my new favorite thing.  I've kept the food diaries before, and I've tried to track my exercise, but this just works better.  First of all, it has a database of both food and exercise entries, and they run the spectrum.   Canoeing.  Golfing.  Playing a musical instrument.  Mowing the lawn (push or riding).   Walking the dog.  Walking up stairs.  I think this is it's greatest feature.   Not only can you track the obvious (20 minutes on the elliptical trainer burns 400 calories), but all of these things you wouldn't necessarily think twice about are listed.  It makes it much easier to see just how physically active you are, and it takes the calories burned and applies it to the calories consumed to give you your net figure.  It makes it so easy to see where you're doing things right, where you're doing things wrong, and what you need to do to make up for a poor decision (like going out to lunch with coworkers and having all fried appetizers and several beers, not that I would ever do anything like that!).   If you haven't gone over there to check it out, I highly recommend it.

 

Wherever you are, I hope you had a great 4^th of July, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Progress!

As I said, I think it's going to be a good week.  I started off on the Monday weigh-in at 289.0.   Tuesday I spiked up to 290.4.  Monday's dinner was just wrong on so many levels, and it just illustrates how weak I can be at times.  After fighting pretty hard to limit what I ate, I went to dinner with DAPGF at this local curry place.  We go here fairly often, because the quality is good and the prices are very reasonable.   That being said, our "frequent diner" card has the requisite number of punches in it to qualify for a free entrée.  Woo hoo!   So instead of ordering the regular size, I ordered the large portion of their Teriyaki Chicken.  And I ate the whole bloody thing, including using my jasmine rice to soak up the rest of the (admittedly yummy) teriyaki sauce.   End result, despite an hour at the driving range in temps approaching 90 degrees, a half hour walk with DAPGF, and a 45 minute dog walk that evening, I gained almost a pound and a half for the Tuesday morning weigh-in.   But instead of getting down on myself, I resolved that I would be better on Tuesday.  I worked diligently to control my intake (using my new favorite tool, MyFitnessPal.com) and track my physical activities.  So on the 4^th, I woke up, walked the dog, and instead of hitting the gym I went to the beach (I <3 San Diego!) and got about an hour's worth of bodysurfing in.  Weigh-in when I got home, 286.0!!!  Cha-ching!!  Food and adult beverages are part of every 4^th of July celebration, and mine was no exception.   Weigh-in on Thursday morning, 286.4 lbs.  Considering the beer and pizza, I'm pretty satisfied with only gaining .4 lbs.  That gives me hope that my recent switch in the breakfast department, combined with a renewed effort at physical activity (more walking, more golf) will really get me on the downward trend.   I've actually met (and exceeded) my goal for this week…I just need to make sure I don't backslide.  Good luck with everything you're doing out there.

Well this is pretty nifty...

So courtesy of my fellow fat poker player, Big Slick Nuts, I present you with a pretty slick new toy.  Myfitnesspal.com.  I've kept the food diaries (Microsoft actually has a pretty nifty Excel template that does this), I've used the food databases, and I've done the exercise.   Myfitnesspal.com actually combines all of this in one place.   Enter some basic data (age, gender, height, weight, desired weight, basic daily lifestyle) and it will spit out a formula for how much net calories you can consume each day.   And here's where the integration pays off.  You enter your daily food intake.  Pick stuff off of their existing database, or if your particular item isn't listed, you can enter the nutritional information yourself and add it to their database.   The database isn't nearly as comprehensive as Calorie King , but by being able to enter your own foods it helps everybody out.  One other cool feature about the meal logs is that you can save a meal.  If you eat the same basic meal several times a week (packet of instant oatmeal and a banana, for example), you can save that meal combo and then it becomes a one-click process to log your breakfast.   Based on your nutrition plan that it created for you, it keeps a running track of how many calories you still have left for the day.  It also tracks your hydration, so you can make sure you're drinking enough water (unless you live in Tijuana!).  The final portion of this that makes it such a useful tool is the exercise log.  Did you walk the dog?   Log it and it calculates how many calories you burned.  Going to the driving range, walking up stairs, mowing the lawn, pushing a stroller, log it.   Based on the log, it calculates how many calories you burned, and then adds/subtracts that from your total calories consumed to give you your net calories for the day.  And the final capper?   It's free.  Go ahead and sign up.  I know that I can always use another tool to keep me accountable…you probably could too.

It's going to be a good week...

Sez me…

 

This past 2 weeks has been brutally hectic.  Working late several nights, over the weekend, all to get a proposal together for a potentially $1.8 million contract.   We got it done, and now it's a waiting game to see if my company is going to be called for an interview.  I've got more projects to work on this week, but I'm hella relieved to be done with that proposal.   Of course, if we get the project I'm looking at 2 solid years of being busy, but it beats being unemployed.

 

A side effect of the work situation was that I played practically no poker at all for almost 2 weeks.  My first game of any substance, hell the only game I played recently was a 9 player $11 turbo on Tilt that I got into at about 12:30 in the morning, because I finally had a moment and was itching to play.   I played solid ABC poker and managed to take 2^nd place…that was my first cash in a while so I'll take it.

 

Last week had some rough spots on the weight loss front, which I partially attribute to how busy I was with work.   No gym last weekend, no gym on Wednesday, and after working late on Wednesday I succumbed to the siren call of Pickup Stix' House Special Chicken.  And I added 2 pounds that evening.   I fought back during the remainder of the week, and made it to the gym on both Saturday morning and Sunday morning.  Sunday's weigh-in gave me a fighting chance at hitting my 2 pound loss goal for the final week of June, but Sunday's eating did me in.   I'm not sure exactly what it is about Sundays (meaning why DAPGF and I eat what we do on Sundays), but my Monday morning weigh-ins are never good.  Case in point.  Sunday lunch was this killer restaurant in Solana Beach , where everything is organic, lean, and home-made.  So of course we order some of the least healthy things on the menu.  Calamari as a (very tasty) appetizer.   A Caesar salad to split, and a spiced turkey meatloaf (it tastes amazing) sandwich with home-cut Kennebec fries.  Then dinner.   Rubios Fish Tacos for a shrimp burrito.  And the weigh-in this morning was almost 2.5 pounds heavier than Sunday's.  So I'm starting (again) at 289.0 lbs, which is just about the heaviest I've ever (knowingly) been.  But the difference is, I've got a good feeling about this week.

 

I can't point to any one specific thing, but I feel good about this week (and everything else to come).  Over the weekend I managed to get some good housekeeping stuff done.  I made it to the gym twice.  DAPGF's new semester of teaching starts, and she's teaching twice a week which means two days plus the two weekend days of gym (or beach) opportunities.   On the beach note, the weather here in San Diego has been fantastic (eat your hearts out), and I'm dragging my fat to the beach for some good wave action.   I've gotten current on all my bills that piled up when I was out of work last year.  My checkbook register is all up to date, I've planned out my budget for the next 6 months, and it actually looks good, and my car insurance is going down because a speeding ticket expired and goes off of my record.  

 

I'm also trying something new on the diet.  I'm giving up on the oatmeal (for now) because one packet just doesn't do enough to keep me satisfied until lunch.   So I would then munch on my planned morning snack, and then my planned afternoon snack!  If I was lucky, that would hold me thru lunch, but then I'd have to go buy some sort of afternoon snack which seemed to never be low fat or healthy.   So I'm trying out a bagel with fat free cream cheese.  All told, about 260 calories and so far it's managed to fill me up better than a single packet of oatmeal.   Maybe if this one thing shows any kind of success, I can build some willpower off of that and do a better overall job of controlling my eating.

 

In addition to the gym and the diet changes, I'm going to the driving range.  The budgeting has allowed me money for time at the range once or twice a week, so I figure Mondays and Thursdays or Fridays (gym/beach on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) will give me some more exercise opportunities during the week, with the added benefit of keeping me occupied and not stuffing food in my face.   And for those of you who don't think swinging a golf club is exercise, go hit a hundred balls in 45 minutes to an hour.  I think you'll be surprised.

 

Finally, just having gotten some cleaning done around the house, buying a 2^nd hard drive cable for the new computer, getting the bills and budget current, I'm making a more concerted effort to plan my time wisely.   I suffer from poor time management skills, and it's been a problem both in my personal life as well as my professional life.  Having gotten caught up on my "chores" is giving me the opportunity to organize my overall life a little more efficiently.   Everything from planning out specific work tasks and checking email to playing poker and blogging, I'm trying to do a better job of time allocation and prioritizing.   Hopefully this will build on itself and I can apply it to all aspects of my life.

 

Self-control and will power.  This blog was started as a weight loss blog, and those two characteristics are key to any successful weight loss.   Maybe the expansion of the focus of the blog will help me control the expansion of my waist and gut!

 

The one in which we begin anew

I just wanted to get off a quick post before diving back into work.  Last week was pretty busy, and I wanted to see how my first full week of the mini-me goals went.   In short, we're starting over again this week.  My weigh-in this morning was exactly the same as last Monday.   Actually it was a little different…my body fat content dropped about 1.5%.  I don't know if that actually means anything useful, because that number fluctuates as much as my weight.   I know that I did a lot to torpedo my efforts…but I had help.  Happy Hour one night, and we all know how kind beer is to the diet.   No gym this weekend because DAPGF had me helping her house and dog sit, so the mornings this weekend got all screwed up, and while I tried to be careful with what I ate, I'm sure I could've done better.   We did spend the better part of Saturday afternoon walking around the Ocean Beach Street Fair (and I've got the sunburn to prove it), and a couple of nights DAPGF and I went for a walk through this big community park in the San Diego neighborhood we live in.   But 288.0.  Way too heavy.  Hopefully work will calm down by Wednesday and I can start thinking about going to the driving range and gym during the week.   We shall see…

And let the weight loss commence!

So.  Yesterday's post presented my new plan.  Instead of this lofty goal of getting down to 240 lbs, which as of yesterday morning's weigh-in would be a total loss of 48.2 lbs, I've got a new goal of losing 2 lbs per week.  I figure if I can keep this going consistently, I should hit the goal of 240 lbs by Christmas (just in time to put it all back on!).   IMO, it seems to be more effective and workable to set much smaller goals…the typical .5 lbs per day loss that someone putting forth mild effort looks so much more prominent when it is fully 25% of your goal, versus only being (in this case) 0.24% of the goal.  And the same is true on gains…a 25% gain can serve as a much greater wakeup call than a 0.24% gain.  And with that…

 

The weigh-in on 6/13 was 288.2 lbs.  I brought a typical meal spread to work…oatmeal, reduced fat wheat thins, Healthy Choice lasagna, chicken noodle soup, etc.   Between strategically scheduling snacks (wow!  I sound like some defense contractor or something!), drinking lots of water, and writing down my affirmations during times of snack-wanting, I managed to control my food intake.   And because DAPGF was teaching, I got to play online poker.  That meant that I didn't eat too much, because I didn't want to take unnecessary breaks from my tournaments.   So dinner consisted of one of the Vons (Safeway) "Eating Right" meals with some tortilla chips.  All told, not too bad food-wise.   And in addition to the 3 flights of stairs at work that I walked several times, I made it to the gym and then had a several mile walk with the dog last night.  It all paid off with a weigh-in this morning of 287.4…a drop of .8 lbs!  Considering I started this on Wednesday and I'm already almost half-way thru my first goal, I'm pretty pleased.  Let's see if I can keep it up.

The one in which we try something new...

As you readers may recall, the original intention of this here tube in the internets was to document my efforts to drop 40 pounds.   Well, I've only got 45 pounds to go!  WTF?!?  I was reading my buddy Big Slick Nuts' new blog, Hundred Day Head Start, and I had a minor revelation.  Large goals are great from a "showy" perspective.   Oooh, I'm going to drop 40 pounds, and then I'm going to run a marathon, and then I'm going to make a million dollars, and then…  The problem is that with a goal that is so far off, making the little steps that you obviously need to doesn't show that much of an immediate return.   So I'm going to apply the baby steps method and set much smaller interim goals.  A little bit every day, and eventually it will add up.   And it presumably (hopefully) will be easier to stick to, because small gains and losses will be that much more obvious when measured against the goal.  For example: Woo hoo (extreme sarcasm dripping from voice).   I lost a half pound, only 39.5 pounds to go.  And the opposite side of that is true.  Oh.   I gained a half pound.  Well, that's not too bad.  No worries.  No need to alter my behavior.   Now look at the same scenarios under the baby steps method.  Hey!  I lost a half pound!  I've only got 1.5 more pounds to lose this week!  And, oh crap.  I gained a half pound.  Ok, if I avoid having chips in the afternoon and make sure to make the dog walk tonight at least 45 minutes I should be able to undo that damage.   I'm so close to my goal this week, I don't want to backslide.  See, it all sounds so much more urgent and serious.

 

So my goal is to get my weight below 240 lbs this year, which I've been dutifully writing down in my affirmations.   That means I've got 48 pounds to lose.  So my baby steps goal is going to be 2 pounds per week.  As I've documented here, I'm quite the yoyo-er, and a half-pound drop in a day is nothing new.   By starting to measure myself against that particular yardstick, I'm hoping that I'll be more motivated to keep on it.  When you weigh 288 and you're trying to get to 240, a weigh-in of 288.5 doesn't seem to be that big of a deal.  When you weigh 288 and you're trying to get to 286 by Monday morning, that half pound becomes a pretty big farking deal.   Hopefully I will be able to mainly get on track with eating and take better advantage of exercise opportunities.  So wish me luck.  Maybe this will be the method that allows me to avoid backsliding.   Wish me luck.