The Count Down Begins... 189 days to go.

I should be folding clothes right now, but I have to start doing this or I'll never start.

It's been a while since my last blog. For awhile I kept you up on my weight loss program. Well that's still going OK even thought I'm can't work out as much as I use to due to job changes. However I do have something to write about that had a good purpose.

Approximately 6 weeks ago Jeanie and I found out that we are going to be parents x2. At first we were a little apprehensive because the month prior we miscarried. It was tough. For one we got over excited and told the world that we were going to have another baby and a week after we spilled the beans we miscarried. Fortunately Olivia wasn't old enough to understand why she wasn't going to be a big sister any more. The other part of losing that baby was after we told every one, it was hard to tell them that we lost a baby. People we had told had come up to us congratulating us then we had to go through the awkwardness to tell them the bad news. Oh well.

So after we found out that we were pregnant again we told each other we wouldn't tell anyone until we heard the heart beat or made it past 12 weeks. Much like we did for Olivia. So now we are about 13 weeks along and we've heard the heart beat. It was good and strong at 160 BPM. The doctor's office that we changed to doesn't do ultrasounds / sonograms until about 20+ weeks so we don't have pictures as of yet to show.

The second reason for this blog is, fair is fair. What you might be asking yourself. We'll I'll tell you. The day after we found out that we were having Olivia I started a journal for her. I wrote about how Jeanie was feeling, and wrote it as if I were speaking to Olivia. The intention was and is, is to continue the journal until either Olivia graduates from college, or gets married, or some special moment in her life that warrants us telling her how we loved her, her entire life, while she was just the size of a pea as a bundle of cells to... well forever. She was important and such a blessing to us that she needs to know that there was never, ever a time that we did not love her. Much like God loves us. Thus the reason for starting this blog/journal for our second child... YOU. So for those of you that read this on a consistent basis you'll have to read this as "Junior" would read it one day. Mommy / Jeanie is keeping up with your big sister's journal, and will write this one.

So stay tuned and enjoy reading how much we love you from when you were the size of a... well now... a tangerine. :-) 189 days to go before we meet face to face. Love you, Daddy.

Chipping away... 1 pound at a time.

One pound lost is better than no pounds lost, or even better gained. I tipped the scales at 263.8 lbs, but because of the clibration of the scale at my weigh in sight I had to add .2 to that total to top out at an even 264. Thus I shed 1 lb last week. But you know what makes that even better... I achieved my 1st goal of losing 10 pounds in a month!

10.1 to be exact. BOO -YAH!!

I even added a little more to my run this past friday. Instead of the normal mile and a half on the indoor track at the West Center I kept going to make it an even 2 miles. Then as always peddled out 30 minutes on the bike (8.5 miles).

I started out the week pretty good. Saturday Mom took Livy out shopping and so Jeanie and I took the opportuinity to go test out the swimming pool at the west center and I swam a few laps for abotu 20 minutes (stop and go). The real swimmers lapped me quite a few times. We also rode the bike for 15 minutes, and I tried to give Jeanie her first lesson in Raquet ball. That lasted all about 10 minutes.

I need to push it real hard for this weeks weigh in because there won't be a weigh in until March 14th after this week.

If I have time tomorrow I'll write about the water thing I teased from last week... for all of my many readers out there.

"Why do we fall down sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

First things first... Friday's weigh in I was 265.0 which brings my weight loss total to

9.1 lbs!!

That's huge! If I drop another pound this week I'll be on target for my goal of 250 by March 3rd. (March 4th is my birthday) I might even surpass that number. I can feel the difference in my health already. 10 lbs is a lot of weight if you think about it. I did. Yesterday, after my work out I went into the gym and held a 10 lb weight, and it may not look like a lot but it is!

I ran 1.5 miles on the indoor track upstairs and rode 30 minutes on the bike. (8.5 miles) I'd ride more, but my toes seem to go to sleep around 20 to 22 minutes of riding. I've adjusted the seat and changed the way I pedal but so far nothing seems to work. I just guess the centrifugal force of my pedaling flushes the blood out of my toes. If any one reading this has any idea what may cause my toes to go to sleep please let me know.

My biggest trouble this week on the "diet" is I'm a grazer. I have a problem compared to how a dog or horse could eat itself to death... well at times I feel like I'm the same way. I graze on easy food which is the biggest struggle for me in my weight loss adventure. The previous week I was 266.4 and this week I'm 265.0... do some quick math that's 1.4 lbs. I firmly believe that number would be higher if I wouldn't graze so much at home. You can tell me all day about the healthy alternatives to junk food like "Eat an apple instead of some chips." or "drink some water to quench your hunger." those are all well and good, but come on folks this is reality. We all fail in at times in what ever endeavor we may undertake... whether it's weight loss to business ventures to what ever. I just need to learn to not beat myself up when I fail, but learn from my mistakes... A good quote I think that falls into the category is from the movie "Batman Begins"...

Alfred - "Why do we fall down, sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

And by the way in my next blog I'll tell you my opinions on drinking lots of water in my "diet".

The Super Bowl and losing weight don't mix.

WOO HOO!!... BOO YAH! I was 266.4 lbs at Friday's weigh in! That give me a grand total of 7.7 lbs lost since January 14th... Here's my weight loss tracker...

1/14 - 274.1 (Starting weight)
1/20 - 272.5 (Not recoreded by the Activate folks b/c I missed my weigh in, so I weighed myself at home)
1/25 - 269.0
2/1 - 266.4

If I keep this up I will be well near my goal of 250 lbs March 3rd when I go for my physical. In turn I hope that my blood pressure will be lower because of this weight loss.

I ate salads for lunch all last week and Ran with my Dad Monday, Wednesday and Friday.. Plus a little extra work out with the weights after our run Friday. I was so pumped all weekend!

Now for my problem... THE SUPER BOWL! Jeanie and I decided to forego any Super Bowl parties and stay home this year. Thus, when we went to the grocery store to get our normal weekly supply of groceries we picked up a few chicken wings and chips and dips and a 12 pack of coors light for me. Hey it's the Super Bowl! The one sporting event the government should make a national holiday for the day after. I gorged myself on about 15 chicken wings... grazed on Chips and Dip and about 3 beers (Coors Light)... probably the most healthy thing I put into my body last night. Plus my old gut can't take hot wings like it use to... I'm paying for them this morning if you know what I mean. If I keep up with my 30 minute runs this week, and add a little 15 or 30 minute bike ride, plus a little weight lifting I should be able to pull out of this diet dive. We'll find out on Friday.

Help right a historical wrong...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnvK3_FuMR8






Watch this on Youtube, and help send a message to President George W. Bush, so he can right a wrong in history.

And the number is...

269 lbs!!! That's 5.1 pounds in two weeks! Proud of me folks? I sure am. However, I think my scale at home is broken. I checked the next morning and I was back to 272.5 lbs. And I hadn't changed anything eating wise, and the night before I rode 31 minutes (8.5 miles) on the bike and lifted some weights. We'll just have to see this coming Friday.

I goofed up a few times this weekend eating wise, snacking, or as Jeanie told me, grazing. A hand full of chips here and there. How ever after church we stopped by Bucko's and instead of grabbing a burger, I got a salad.

Here's where that problem comes in... The salad was more expensive than a burger combo. Thus one of the reasons why I and we as Americans are considered over weight. I on a number of occasions have eaten the dollar menu at fast food joints rather than buying the healthy items for the sole reason that the unhealthy items are cheaper, and my "wallet" can't afford to eat healthy. A healthy life style is an expensive lifestyle. exercise

Work can mess up a good diet.

Yesterday was crazy for me. First the night before I didn't get to work out because I brought a live truck home for the Barrack Obama and John Edwards rallies at Winthrop and Lancaster the next day.

The day started off OK eating wise... I treated myself to a cup of coffee and a banana nut muffin. Probably not the greatest thing to eat in the morning when you're on a diet, but it would turn out to be beneficial later in the day. The reason? I didn't eat anything other than a banana until 7:30 that night.

Tom Rouessy and I were so swamped with work covering the want-to-be presidents that we didn't stop for anything. Now we could have stopped at a McDonald's, but my will power and defiance to eat fast food unless it is vital to my survival, saved me from that.
As for exercise I wore myself out getting my work done, and we got it done... go check out www.campaigncarolinas.com and check out the Obama and Edwards stuff.

Anyway, once the hub bub and every thing was over I was bad again. I ate 4 slices of pizza. Jeanie ordered some because she didn't feel like cooking and I usually do most of the cooking around the house.

Thus bad day eating... mediocre day for exercise.

For today... Oatmeal... Spagetti & and Orange for lunch... Supper I'm not sure yet.

Excersise I plan on riding the bike for 30 minutes again, and lifting a little. We'll see.

Weigh in is tomorrow so I'll up date you on that Monday.