Finally! a "Dam" weekend post!

This weekend has been a very busy one so I have not had time t0 post until now, it was a perfect kind of weekend here in New England so we took full advantage, well sort of. Saturday I played with my mustang for a bit just cleaning some of the winter debris off of it that has collected in the cracks and crevasses and then I ran it and took her for spin on a gorgeous day. We had my brother in law over to reinstall some things on wifys desk top and set up our wireless network and I made chicken breast on the grill with sliced then baked red potatoes with corn on the side for dinner and pretty much just hung out for the rest of the night. I do know that I went over my calories by about 250 on Saturday but no worries as I have been pretty active.

Then today we woke up to 60 plus degrees out and decided to go to a flea market "just for kicks" and we ended up coming home with a carved mask and 2 meat cleavers that look like they can bone an elephant! When we got back home we couldn't resist the day and decided it was time to walk around the lake and over to the Dam on the far side with a friend of Wifys. It's about a 2.3 mile walk but we hung out and played on the dam tossing rocks into the lake with the kids so we were out there for close to 2 hours just fooling around, of course I took my camera with me and snapped off a few pics, have a look.

Wify snapped this one of my ugly mug as we were standing next to the dam, some of you say I never smile in my pics that I post, hows that?

Here is a shot down the bridge that crosses over the dam.

This is a shot back across the lake towards my house from standing on the bridge in the previous picture.

You can see it was a bit overcast and the weather report was actually calling for showers but they never came so it was a nice day out walking around. My intake for Today was again above what it should have been but I don't feel that it is really that bad a thing as I have literally been active all weekend, now don't take that as "oh boy here come fat boy again" nope, it was more like I was so active that I didn't weigh or measure much of anything is all. Tomorrow I will not be going over on my calories and I will be getting in my bike ride, business as usual.

Something else that I noticed this weekend, my wedding ring, I have not worn in in quite some time because it literally falls off of my finger and I don't want to lose it. The ring is now so loose that my daughter can slip her pinky through it up to her first knuckle while I am wearing it, now that's a loose ring! I took a picture to illustrate just how loose it is, waddya think of that?!

This picture is really amazing to me because that ring was once so snug that I couldn't wear it comfortably.

I am happy with the way that the weekend went even though I was over on calories on both days, I did get a lot of moving into both days. My water intake was good all weekend with yesterday coming in with 1 gallon of green tea and 64 oz of water and today was all water as I forgot to make more tea last night but I did manage a gallon and a half of water throughout the day. I am still steaming ahead since my little reset last week and am looking forward to getting below my all time low weight of 352, I do think that I will need a bit of luck to go with my arse busting to get there but hey that's how I have been doing it the whole time so no worries.

That will bring an end to another post and don't forget that H2O that you just earned from reading all the way through my ramblings.

As Ever
Me

Update mini post # 4 Big ol hunka apple

Today I came in at 1630 calories and once again I ended my night with a Cortland apple, and once again my daughter "shared" it with me, I drank 1 gallon of green tea and there is a 64 oz glass of water sitting next to me as I type that will be done before I go to bed and I did have a bottle of diet Dr. Pepper because we were out and it was just the easiest thing to get to at the time. I did not ride my bike today as I have a little bit of tightness in my right leg that I don't know where it came from, its crampish so I am hoping it goes away by tomorrow so that I can take advantage of the weather and go on a walk about.

Meatball out...

As Ever
Me

Weighing in and the setting sun..

Let us get to the weigh in straight away this morning, I cannot complain with what the scale said to me, It said that I am down to 355 pounds on the button and that's a good number for me considering that on Sunday it said 360 pounds so 5 down from there and two and a half down from last Fridays weight so either way its a loss and that's the point! From here on out I am in full steam ahead mode again and plan on getting under that 350 mark that's been teasing me for the last couple months.

I haven't been posting many photos up lately because of a couple reasons, my camera broke, my laptop broke and its been stressful BUT I have a new camera, I have a new laptop and I am back on track so with that said I took a couple pictures yesterday on a very short walk that I thought I would share, have a look.

Here is a shot across the still partially frozen lake that I live on, this was just before sunset and I happened to have my camera with me.

This is taken from my back yard looking back into the wooded area, I wanted to try and get the moon in the pic.

Same as the above pic but zoomed in on the moon.

Finally a shot across the lake again, I liked the way this tree was silhouetted by the setting sun.

Today it is suppose to get to the 50s and tomorrow should hit 60! so it would appear that the walks shall be back in the schedule again and I will start bringing my camera and popping some pictures like the above photos up here on the blog. The warmer weather means that I can start doing more outside and that can only be positive when talking about weight loss and better health, hiking, walking, running and all of the landscaping that I need to do this year will all add up into weight loss and I can't wait.

With that said it would appear that I am back to where I should be with this weight loss thang so its back to business and moving forward. Don't forget that glass of H2O that you earned for reading along and remember to check in on my mini update later tonight.

As Ever
Me

Update mini post # 3 walk this way.

Here I am again, 21 minutes on the bike today and I came in at 1710 calories total for the day on the eve of weighing in. Again I finished the day out with an apple but I was low on calories so I had a Dannon light yogurt with it. 1.5 gallons of green tea down the hatch along with a 32 oz glass of water earlier in the day so hydration has occurred.

These mini posts seem to be working so they shall remain until I need them no more, tomorrow is weigh in so make sure to check out how I did.

Wish me luck!

As Ever
Me

Hit the stage and knock the curtains down..

Last Friday I weighed 357.4 pounds, and Sunday I weighed 360 pounds then Monday I decided enough was enough with this fooling around where my weight loss is concerned stress or no stress it was time to get back to business. This morning I woke up and felt tired because of a rough night sleeping but now that I have my bearings I feel good, in fact its a noticeable difference in how I was feeling last week and the only things that have changed are the fact that I am eating within my calorie range and I am exercising daily again, a little hair of the dog perhaps. Though I do not think that I will get below my lowest weight of 352 by tomorrow morning I do think it will be significantly lower than the shameful 360 that it was on Sunday.

Last night I asked my wife to take some photos for my compare picture pile and I noticed something that I think is pretty cool, even though I have juggled the same 6 pounds for the last month I am smaller than in my last compare picture from 45 days ago, This can only mean that the skin is shrinking around the new me, and for that I am happy. Now let me tell you about a tee shirt that was given to me by an employer when I was 20 years old, it was almost brand new when I stopped working there and because I am the way that I am I kept it. This shirt has been used by wify for a couple years as a "cozy" shirt to sleep in but I decided when I started this weight loss thang that it would be my "ultimate goal shirt" so last night I thought I would try it on and what do ya know it just about fits! I am not saying I would wear it out or anything but I cannot believe that it is 90% wearable! it is short and it is slightly too tight but I can remember a time just 14 months ago when that same shirt would just fit over my chest and arms and there was no way that it was going any further down my body and now it almost fits, talk about a great feeling! I guess I was off with my "ultimate" size being that shirt, I guess it was a time when I was 100% comfy with myself and my size and at 534 pounds it was a FAR way off so felt like a good end game spot to be, of course I still have a ways to go and where I stop nobody knows.


It would appear that I am back! I look forward to my exercise again and I actually had to eat something extra with dinner to get in all of my calories yesterday. The little man in the plastic magic box said that this weekend will be beautiful so I am going to plan on getting a walk or 3 into that time along with the bike rides, I have a funny feeling that if I am riding the bike and walking that the weight will start to retreat again post haste and well that can only be a good thing.

The plan for today you ask? same as yesterday, eat right, exercise and drink until my eyes float, simple right? well it really is and staying focused is the key. Sometimes there are uncontrollable circumstances that can dictate the direction that any given plan heads but at the end of the day as long as control is kept at least partially, we will get where we are going. with that I will end another episode of my 3 guts, don't forget that H2O and look for the mini update later tonight.

Now Get out the way! I'm coming through..

As Ever
Me

Update mini post # 2 Tag you're it!

Tonight I sit here at 1690 calories for the day again ending with an apple, two thirds of an apple anyways after my daughter decided we were to share it five minutes ago. I did get a 25 minute ride in on the stationary bike this morning and I did it interval style riding intensely on and off the whole 25 minutes. 1 gallon of green tea and 1/2 gallon of water went down the hatch today as well and I have a big ol 64 oz cup of water next to me as I type so it will be about 2 gallons total for the day, 1 multivitamin went in today as well so I am staying on track and will continue these mini posts for a week or so to help me stay accountable.

That is all...

As Ever
Me

Back on cruise control..and a reminder.

Running around my living room last night with my daughter playing "tag you're it" which is literally running in a circle chasing each other I realized that life has changed dramatically for me. Not only has life changed for me it has changed for people around me, I would not have been able to play that way with my little girl just over a year ago so its a win win all the way around. I need those reminders to show me how far I have come every now and again because getting comfortable with my weight is something that I did not think would happen but it is. At 534 pounds EVERYTHING was hard to do, but at 534 pounds it was hard to admit that because it would have been admitting weakness and well that's just not how I roll, even back then. Now at 350 pounds I am my old self again and getting a bit comfy in my skin again.

Lets talk about my calories for a moment, Yesterday I decided to knuckle down and get back to business stress be damned and that I did. I ended up at 1700 calories on the nose and even squeezed a treat in there for myself, I had a Capicola sandwich for dinner and man was it good! that has got to be one of my favorite cold cuts and its been a while. I also managed to get enough plant life into the day as well, I had a pear, a banana and an apple along with a whole tomato which shall be the plan again today. I am making my chicken pepper soup today which will serve a dual purpose of a great meal tonight as well as warming up the house as it is currently 13 degrees outside.

For todays exercise I plan on a 15 minute yoga routine and the same 25 minutes on my bike that I did yesterday. I am itching to get outside for some walks so that I can get this C25K thing started but as we live on a very rural road it is still covered in slush because of the lack of traffic, That along with the fact that I have to bring my daughter with me in her stroller and its just not fair to make her come along in 13 degree weather so the walks will have to wait, it is suppose to be back up to the mid 40's by Sunday so hopefully I can get some outside movement in over next weekend.

This is the one on the fridge.

I mentioned reminders, and yesterday I took that picture from August that started this whole ride and I printed it and it now hangs on my fridge. This idea seems silly to me to hang an old picture where I am larger up and is exactly why I am doing it for this week, I need to show myself why I am doing this, I need to show myself that I am stronger than the guy thats been letting himself slip for a while and this silly reminder I believe will do that.

So as you can see I have pulled myself back into this game and its on. You my friend have just earned a big ol glass of H2O for your troubles so get on up and grab it. Thank you for following along and tune in tonight for the mini post outlining my days activities.

As Ever
Me

Update mini post # 1 focusing on me.

In my earlier post from today I said that I was going to do mini posts for a while to keep me focused and this is the first one.

Today I rode my stationary bike for 25 minutes and did some stretches, my calories came in at 1700 on the button ending with an apple 5 minutes ago and I have drank 1.5 gallons of green tea and maybe a liter of water throughout the day.

Today was a success where weight loss is concerned.

Carry on...

As Ever
Me

Freight train? perhaps just a plan..

This morning I wake up feeling like I did a few months ago when unstoppable was the only thing that was floating around the air, I have to put the stress aside (at least attempt to) because I have come too far to let myself start to slip back in the wrong direction of weight again. I decided that I will put a plan for this week down in print so that I can go back and look at it and see how I am doing throughout the week and it is more a necessity than a decision but you get my point.

The plan is as follows, I will NOT eat more than 1700 calories per day for the entire week, I WILL ride my bike for at least 20 minutes per day shooting for 30 per day, I will also do yoga every other day for the entire week. on top of that I will make sure that I get at least a gallon of fluid and at least 3 quarts of that shall be green tea, I will also take my multivitamins daily. At the end of each day I will post up the results from the day in mini posts because I started this blog to stay accountable so I will use it for the reason that I created it.

This morning I wake up at 359 pounds which is up 7 pounds from my lowest number of 352, I did stick to 1700 calories yesterday, 1705 respectively and that's a good start. sometimes its hard to stay on track when life gets in the way and I know that some will say that life happens get over it but I am honestly impressed that I have not fallen off of the wagon completely with the hand we have been dealt this time around so for that I am happy.

The bottom line is that I have to do this, and I have to do this for me so that said,I will. A shorter than usual and to the point post for this AM, I have to get focused again and because of this lull I will have to lose an average of 3.4 pounds per week until the end of June if I am to reach that goal of being under 300 by that time, I am not very optimistic about hitting that goal but hey it could happen and if it doesn't it won't make too much a difference in the grand scheme. I am off to get an AM ride in so here it ends.

Thanks for following along and don't forget that glass of H2O!

As Ever
Me

Snow and eggs..

A busy weekend has kept me away from the computer thus the lack of posts are showing that, We decided it was time to repaint our kitchen and get it looking good and it basically took all of my time both Saturday and Sunday. I have been off and on with the intake and have been doing one good day and then a bad day, and when I say bad I mean going over on calories by 200-300 maybe every other day. I right now am at 1705 calories for the day so today is one of the "good days" but yesterday? not so much. I have to admit that I am struggling a bit lately with keeping to "good" habits because of things unrelated to this weight loss thang but I am holding within the same 5-7 pounds, first I am up then I am down and the back and fourth game is whats been going on for me.

My lovely wife made me one of if not the best omelets that I have ever had for dinner tonight, it was filled with onions, Jalapenos, mushrooms, crushed garlic, light cheddar cheese and tomatoes, I had a light english muffin, a few slices of turkey bacon and a sliced up dill pickle. Total calories for the meal was 650 which is a bit heavy but not too bad and would have been worth 900 calories the way it tasted! have a look for yourself.

Breakfast for dinner always hits the spot!

Hopefully I can get my juju back this week and get the weight moving in the right direction again, I think part of the issue is the exercise or as I have said before the lack there of. I have not done anything in the way of exercise besides the shoveling of the snow today for more than a week and a half. Yes I said more snow! just when it was starting to look good for the warm weather too! I measured in the middle of my front yard 10.5 inches of the white stuff fell and this doesn't make me a happy camper!

It is what it is and sooner or later the juju will be back in my pocket and the weight will be going back in a downward trend, the weather will be cooperating and I can get this train rollin again.

Thanks for following along and don't forget that H2O.

As Ever
Me