Monday, June 27, 2011

I feel like blogging tonight

Only... not really.

I wanted this blog to be a record of my weight loss success.  To date, I have been tracking calories for 2 months, working out (in some fashion) for 3, posted 23 times on here and have lost a grand total of about 3 pounds.  So at this rate (roughly a pound a month, for 140 pounds), I'll lose my goal in about 11 years, or when Levi is a teenager.

I'm not going to post my calories from today.  Sorry, I know you're waiting anxiously.

I just feel... done.  This will probably be my last post for a while, maybe for good.  Like I said, I wanted this to be a record of success.  I wanted this to be an encouragement so I could look back and say "Look, just a month ago I weighed this.  And now, I've lost such-and-such pounds."  Instead, I look back and realize how much time I've wasted for anyone who read this miserable thing.  Thus far, it is a Chronicle of Huge Embarrassing Failure.

If I ever post again, I'll mention it on Facebook so you can check it out.  Bye.

Friday, June 24, 2011

2nd post today.

Wow, this is the first time I've posted twice in one day, I think.

Here it is:  today I ate 2556 calories, 29 over goal.

Okay, that's all.  Now I have to go haul some stuff for Brandy's yard sale.  No complaining though - I'll get some of the money!

Night.

Too much sleep is a bad thing?

I went to bed last night at 9:40 and slept until 5:00 AM (which is the absolute latest I can sleep and not be late for work).  I'm still tired.  Some would say it's because I got too much sleep.

Anyway, yesterday was weigh in day.  Not only did I gain back the 4 pounds I lost at last week's weigh in, I gained an additional 3!  That's right, since Sunday morning I've gained 7 pounds.  Sheesh...

My wife is concerned that my thyroid isn't functioning properly.  We have someone on both sides of the family with that issue (that we know of) and she thinks that may be my problem.

I don't know what to think.  I walk and work out, though this week I've missed a few.  Also, for 3 days last weekend I ate with abandon.  Frankly, all day yesterday I didn't eat tll that great because of the weigh in.  I went over goal by about 800 calories (my goal went back up with the weight gain to 2527, and we wen to Chili's for dinner... tortilla chips, guacamole and fajitas are not exactly low cal).

So what do I do?  Anyone have any suggestions?  I know I didn't do that well last weekend but frankly if 3 days worth of mistakes is going to make me gain that much, I can never make a mistake.  That is too much pressure.  Maybe.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

My belt feels funny...

Today, I had to tighten my belt to the next hole.  It was a little snug, but I had to tighten it to keep my britches up.  Seems I am no longer too big for them.  Take that Grandma.

Today I consumed 2578 calories, over goal by 97 calories.  I also walked briskly for 50 minutes, burning approximately 373 calories.  Woot woot!

Today was long.  I don't know why, can't put my finger on it.  It wasn't because the accreditation survey team showed up and I stayed 2 hours late.The day seemed long prior to that.  I just feel like I'm headed in the wrong direction.

I've been reading Nehemiah systematically the last few weeks.  By systematically, I mean... slowly.  I read a little everyday, and I usually re-read it for a night or two.  I've been reading for almost 2 weeks in Nehemiah and I haven't even gotten to Chapter 5.

Anyway, one thing I've noticed in Nehemiah is that when he calls the Jews to work on the wall, no one complains.  None of the Jews are recorded as saying "Nehemiah, dude, the ball game is about to start.  Could we maybe do this whole wall thing tomorrow?"  No.  The only people being negative are God's enemies (see chapter 3 and 4; the Arabs, et al.).

I guess what I'm getting at is that the Jews didn't complain because they wanted to restore the wall.  They enjoyed the work.  They knew it was bringing God glory.  I don't enjoy my work.  I used to feel like I was making a difference.  Now I feel like a paper-pusher (because that's mainly what my job is).  I certainly don't feel I'm bringing God much glory.

Now, I know that as a believer God doesn't promise that everything will be fuzzy and happy and we'll just wet our little Christian pants with joy everyday (if you do that, let me know.  I want to pray for you.)  But, at the same time, if my purpose is to glorify Him, it helps if it's tolerable.

Is this just me complaining?  I don't know.  I'm a little dehydrated from the walk and tired because it's late.  I just want to enjoy my job.  I've been working in mental health for almost 7 years in various capacities and it is time to move on.  I have  business degree for Pete's sake - nothing in mental health!

God lead me like you did Nehemiah and his team that rebuilt that wall.  They did it in 52 days.  But only because you were there and gave them grace, protection and determination to do it.  Give me the same, O Lord.  More importantly, don't let my occupation define me.  Let who I am in You define me, and let whatever I do bring you glory.  Amen.

This post written while listening to:
Death Machine by Resurrection Band
Intoxicating (Pneumatic Mix) by David Crowder*Band
The Race Is On by George Jones
People of God by Gungor
16 Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

20 posts with numbers is too many

Okay, I'm bored with numbering my posts.  I wanted to do it until I hit 30, but it just ain't happenin'.

Today was just another day at work.  But tonight, Brandy and I had dinner with some good friends, Josiah and Catherine.  It was nice.  The kids went downstairs after we ate and played and we just visited for awhile.  Adult conversation never gets old, especially if it isn't at work.

Today I consumed 3635 calories which is 1154 over goal.  Now, I know what you may be thinking.  Isn't his goal just over 2500?  No.  Since I logged a 4 pound weight loss, my calorie goal went down almost 100 calories to 2481 a day.  Not a major change, but enough to keep the loss coming.  Or going.  Whichever...

In actuality, I consumed 3635 and burned 533 walking, putting me at 621 over.  Whichever, I went over my goal.  THIS CANNOT BE A HABIT.

So, in other news, I've decided to put myself out there more.  What does that mean?  Well, I always say to myself "I would like to be better friends with (fill in the blank)."  Then I never do anything about it.

Well, that's stupid.  Not to be harsh to myself, but it is stupid.  If I want to be friends with someone, I need to invest in the relationship and not expect them to do all the work.  Where we used to live, it was easier to do this.  Most of the churches were small and you just fell in with a group at church, kind of by default.  Unfortunately, before we moved to the STL area 2 years ago, I didn't have many friends because of this behavior.  I told Brandy tonight "The worst thing that could happen is I burn some cell phone minutes reaching out to a possible friend."

I don't say this to be callous.  There are some guys I know that I would like to be closer friends with.  If they would like that, then why not try?  Why just sit at home, wishing I had friends to hang with, or talk about my problems with when I could just call one of them?  Or (God forbid) ask them to coffee to get their advice and see if they would be willing to be a closer friend.  Frankly, I realize that some guys would rather be hit in the crotch with a stick than be friends with me, but that's fine.  There's what? Five million people in the STL area?  Surely I can make some close friends.

Not to air out too much dirty laundry, but starting my senior year until just a couple years ago (about 9 or 10 total), I had several friends stab me in the back and just generally not be very good friends.  Shoot, the guy who was my best man (as I was his) I don't even talk to anymore.  As a result, I trusted no one except Brandy.  While I think you should wholly trust your spouse, you need other accountability partners and people you can lean on when things are tough.  No one can be a cowboy and last that long, despite how cool Clint Eastwood makes it look.

Also, I'm not trying to discount or minimize the friends I do have.  Josiah is a close one.  There are one or two others that I could reach out to, but I don't feel that we are close enough to do that sometimes.  This could be fear of being rejected.

Anyway, there it is.  I put it out there, to you, my readers (how weird is that?).  Let's see what happens.

This post written while listening to:
The House is on Fire Acoustic by Resurrection Band
Cry Mercy by David Crowder*Band
More by Trip Lee
Carolina Tide by John Mark McMillan

Sunday, June 19, 2011

19 reasons to call out of work tomorrow.

I won't actually bore you with the list, but I bet I could come up with 19, no problem.

So today, I considered not logging calories but I thought that may be a mistake and figured I should, just to see how bad I did.  I did not hold back much today; I ate much like I used to on a regular basis.

So, I consumed (according to my calculations) 5394 calories, 2913 over goal.  Actually, more than twice my daily goal.  And you know what?  The food may have tasted good as I shoved it indiscriminately down my gullet, but afterwards, I felt terrible.  Truth is, I still don't feel all that great.

That, my friends is why my long term goal is to lose 140 pounds.

But I weighed in today, randomly and I lost 4 pounds since Thursday.  Woo hoo!

I didn't mention it yesterday, but if you're curious, I went to the doctor about my extreme case of poison ivy.  Turns out, I also have a skin infection.  Don't worry - it isn't staph or MRSA or anything that serious.  Just a little grime and dirt in burst pustules of poison ivy, causing a dermatological infection.

How unpleasant is the word pustules?  Almost as bad as seepage...

Anyway, I went on a little bit of a rant yesterday and it superseded some other things I wanted to say, like the above philosophical discussion on pustules and skin infections.  Yuck.

The other thing I wanted to say was to give a shout out to any dad's who read my blog.  You know who you are and today was your day.  I lived it with abandon regarding food, I hope you enjoyed your day somehow.

Well, I go back to work tomorrow, even though I could call out.  But it will be my third day in a row and I'll have to fill out that FMLA paperwork that says I don't want/need FMLA coverage and that's a bigger pain in my bu... neck than just going to work and suffering through the day.  Uhh.

Peace and blessings to you, my readers.  I was informed that there are more than 3 of you, like I previously believed.  Apparently, there are at least 7.  Woo.

Night all.


This post was writtne while listening to:
Love Comes Down by Resurrection Band
Deliver Me by David Crowder*Band
If I Leave This World Tomorrow - Live by Glenn Kaiser Band

Saturday, June 18, 2011

18 minutes past my latest bedtime...

So here it is, almost 1 AM and I'm not tired.  I'm usually in bed by 11:00!

Anyway, since I can't sleep, I thought I'd blog about the last two nights.  Friday night I went on a date with my special lady.  We went to Longhorn Steakhouse, drove around a bit, then had dessert at Cheesecake Factory.  She kept joking that all we do on date night is drive around and have dinner.

In a way she's right.  We end up doing that quite a bit on date night.  It seems conducive to communication for us.  If we're home, we want to watch TV or do housework or be on the computer. If we're at a restaurant, we're always concerned about other people hearing what we're talking about.  Not that it's bad stuff, it's just our stuff.  Then today, we went to a couple parks, played with Levi, then had dinner at the Plush Pig BBQ on Manchester.  Brandy's verdict: "Ehh..."  I concur.

Anyway, last night I consumed 4184 calories, over goal by 1672.  Yikes!  The Mac and Cheese at Longhorn has way more calories than I realized!

Tonight I consumed 3540 calories, 1032 over goal.  Yikes! That BBQ place gave me a ton of rib tips!  And ice cream has how many calories!?!?!

Anyway, there's my accountability stuff for the weight loss.  Tonight I want to get something off my chest and into the nether-regions of cyber space.

What is it with people who gossip?  I don't get it.  Brandy and I both in the last few weeks have had people try to gossip to us.  We try very hard not to gossip.

Pretend with me for a second that I have two friends who are also friends with each other.  We'll call them... Uncle Jesse and Bo.  Pretend that Uncle Jesse comes up to me and says: "Hey, Josh.  Bo was in a car wreck and we should pray for him."

I reply "Oh my gosh!  Is he okay?"

Uncle Jesse says "He will be.  Now let's pray."  We pray for recovery and whatever Bo needs that we don't know about.  No gossip.

Pretend the scenario changes a bit.

Uncle Jesse comes up to me and says: "Hey, Josh.  Bo was in a car wreck and we should pray for him."


I reply "Oh my gosh!  Is he okay?"

Uncle Jesse shakes his head with a sigh.  "Well, we're hopin' but you  know how he likes to nip at the distillery in the back 40."  Gossip.

What makes Uncle Jesse think I'm so stupid that I don't realize if he's gossiping to me about Bo, that he gossips to Daisy about me?!?

So, I'll leave you with this.  Are you the first Uncle Jesse, or the second?  Would you rather be the first Uncle Jesse or the second?  Me, I'll be the first.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

17 itchy places

 The poison ivy saga continues.  I actually took off work today and tomorrow because we have some clients with skin issues and I don't want to be responsible for a home of 6 or 8 people (not to mention staff) getting poison ivy.

On the positive, Brandy found a medication that seems to be drying it out pretty good.  It's called Ivarest.  It's expensive but it works.  She got it on sale at Walgreens.  It's usually $10.99, on sale for $5.99 with a $1 coupon: grand total = $4.99.  She went back and got a couple more bottles because if it's summer in Missouri, chances are I'll get poison ivy again.

Anyway, today I weighed in and lost 0.4 pounds.  Not the 2 or 3 I hoped for, but still a loss.  I'm trying not to get discouraged.  It's not a gain! My calories for today: I consumed 2404 for 104 under goal.  So I was under, but barely!  My wife was very encouraging today.

Speaking of my wife, I have 2 things to say about her.  She has a blog too.  She's a great writer though she's more about quality, whereas I'm about quantity.  I want more posts but she wants higher quality posts.  One read and you'll see her posts are far less numerous than mine, but of a far superior quality.  Her blog is at thesingingloser.blogspot.com

The other thing is kind of about her.  I had to stop blogging to go get eggs off the stove from being hard boiled because that's about the only way she'll eat eggs.  That, and they are quick in the morning.  I love eggs and eat at least 1 every morning.

But what I was really thinking about (and I think about this with a lot of food), was this: who looked at an egg plopping out of a chicken's underside and thought "Hey, that might taste good.  I think I'll eat it."  I mean, really?  Who looked at coffee beans and said "Hmm... I bet if I grind those things up and pour really hot water over them the resulting brew will be a delicious beverage."

I'm not complaining mind you.  I love coffee too.  But some food boggles my mind as to how anyone would come to eat it the first time.  Come on, you know what I'm talking about.

Well, now that I've made you laugh, think and probably cry, I'll sign off.

This post written while listening to:
Rooster Crow, Altar of Pain and The House is On Fire by Resurrection Band (first 3 tracks on their 1989 album, Innocent Blood. Rez Band rocks!)
People of God by Gungor
Doxology by David Crowder*Band

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Poison ivy in 16 places.

So that may be an exaggeration, but it feels like 16 places.  Poison ivy is about the most uncomfortable thing I can think of.  Ugh.

So today I ate 2260 calories, 248 under.  That includes waffle fries from Chic-Fil-A.  I know, I know...

I also weighed in.  After losing 6 pounds last week, I was excited to see what happened.  Big mistake.  I won't even post what it was, because it has to be wrong.  I'll post tomorrow on my official weigh in day.

The last few days have been tough.  I've been popping Benadryl for the poison ivy and it makes me feel crappy.  I can't wait for the poison ivy to go away so I can feel better.

I feel like I'm in a funk.  I go to a job I don't really like, I come home, I put Levi in the tub and to bed, I work out, I count calories, I blog, 3 people read it.  I feel better eating healthy but it seems like now that I'm getting that particular area of my life in order (albeit slowly), the other things in my life that need work stand out to me that much more.  I feel like I should be doing something else career-wise, but no doors seem to be opening right now.  Maybe I'm mistaken.

Well, I'm tired and cranky and don't want to ruin any good days that people had with an overly depressing post.  Night night.

Tonight's post was written while listening to:
Beautiful Things by Gungor
Shadows by David Crowder*Band feat. LeCrae
Broken Promises by Resurrection Band

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Post 15. sorry I've been away.

I haven't blogged since Thursday when I got home from Joplin.  I feel like I have so much to say!

So, on Saturday I changed my calorie tracking tool from everydayhealth.com to loseit.com.  EDH was just very cumbersome and hard to use.  LoseIt! is really easy.  Plus my wife uses it so we're on the same page (get it?  WEBpage?  No one is laughing... ).  I like it because you can "friend" people on there and send messages, much like FaceBook.  I had to change my calorie goal though, from 2500 to 2508.  No biggie...

Friday 6-10-11 I consumed 2275 calories, under goal by 225.
Saturday 6-11-11 I consumed 2520 calories, over goal by 20.
Sunday 6-12-11 I consumed *ahem* 4146 calories, over goal by 1638.
Monday 6-13-11 I consumed 2519 calories, over goal 11.
Tuesday 6-14-11 I consumed 2531 calories, over goal 23.

So other than Sunday (when I ate CiCi's Pizza Buffet, aka "The Devil"), I didn't do too awful.  Back on track tomorrow.

I'm finding that on the days I don't eat a snack between meals, I consume way more during the meals.  I'm also finding that exercise isn't making me more tired; it's giving me more energy overall.  Don't get me wrong.  When I'm done at Bootcamp, I'm beat.  Last Friday I felt like I had been run over by a tractor.  But the next day I felt great.

It's funny to  think that all those pieces of advice that I got that I thought were nonsense are proving to be true already in this journey.  Oh that reminds me.  The one thing I don't like about LoseIt.com is that it predicts when I'll reach my target weight.  It said October 2012.  However, that's if I lose 2 pounds a week.  Last week I lost 6.  I want to reach goal before the date they gave me.

Now, today all day I felt terrible.  I think it's because I have poison ivy and have been poppin' Benadryl every 4 hours.  It clears my poison ivy up quick, but it makes me sleepy and feel generally crappy.

Anyway, that's all for now.  Bedtime for Bonzo.  Wait, no bedtime for me.

This post written while listening to:
(Repeat/Return) or When the Seventh Angel Sounded His Trumpet, and There Were Loud Voices in Heaven, Which Said: 'The Kingdom of the World Has Become the Kingdom of Our Lord and of His Christ, and He Will Reign Foreverandever, Etc… by David Crowder*Band (longest song title I own.  the track is 11 seconds of guitar feedback.  Brilliant.)
We Win! by David Crowder*Band
Autumn in New York by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald

Lay It Down by Jars of Clay (Feat. David Crowder of DC*B and Dawn Richardson of Fireflight)
Lovespeak by Resurrection Band

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Post 14 will be different.

So, just to get it over with:
Today I ate 2,958 calories, 458 over goal.  I weighed in as well and lost 6 pounds.

However, after my day, this all seems so secondary.

Today, I went to Joplin with 27 other people.  We left at about 7:15 am and once we got where we were supposed to be (Samaritan's Purse), it was 1:30 pm.

We were given a brief orientation and given the address of our working location.  We met our SP team leader.

Then we packed back in our cars.  We drove just a few miles through a "normal" street.  You know the kind, car dealers, restaurants, stores, hair salons.  Houses just off the main road.  Very quaint.

Then, as we topped the hill on Ridge Line Road, going south, it hits me.  Like a 2 by 4 in the forehead.  As far as I can see to the left and right - destruction, chaos, trees with metal and clothes in them instead of leaves.  Car's flipped over, the windows busted out.  Then I fully realize what I'm seeing.  Until now I never had a mental image for the word desolation.

We get to our first house.  It's owned by an older lady but she's injured and her sister and son are there to give direction.  He looks at us and says "If it isn't jewelry or a keepsake, it's probably garbage."  We start hauling broken wood, twisted metal, broken glass to the curb.

Another volunteer and I head upstairs after an hour.  We see wood, piled randomly.  Books and shampoo bottles poking out here and there.  No outer walls and no roof at all.  I ask what we are looking at.  He says "Three ustairs bedrooms and a bathroom."  We start looking for items, anything we can salvage to keep.  We find very little.

After a few hours at the first home, we head to the second.  The longer we work, the more I realize we're calling "it" names: "rubble", "debris", "trash", "stuff".  It dawns on me that "it" is none of those things.  These items, this wood, that glass... that is this persons home.  I stifle tears as I work.

I didn't use work gloves.  I played it off like I didn't need them, but really I didn't want them.  I didn't want anything to stop me from touching anything that this chaos had destroyed.  I wanted my skin to touch the destruction, my sweat to move the heartache out of these people's broken homes.  I wanted cuts on my hand (and I got a very small one) to prove that this event was more than a news story to talk about at work, that these were living, working, breathing human beings whose lives had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes.

Then, as suddenly as we began, we quit.  We went to a car and signed a Bible for each family for Samaritan's Purse to present.  Then, I was blessed beyond words. 

These people, these poor broken people, who God loves more than I understand... had HOPE.  They had JOY.  I didn't understand.  This should beat these people down, make them want to give up.  That's what I would probably be tempted to do.  But they didn't!  God be praised, they plan to rise from the destruction, shake their fist at the enemy and come through this with a better home than before, with a better grasp on the really important things in life.  As the man from the second house said "This isn't my property anyway, it's HIS!"

Tears streaming yet again, please understand that no matter what your relationship with God, to see this utter and complete chaos and have people smile and thank us for working on their things, literally looking for any scrap that they can take with them to their new home, proves (again) to me that God exists, that He loves us beyond measure and that He always has been and always will be in control.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Is 13 a lucky number or not? If yes, why is Friday the 13th bad?

I'm confused by my post title.  Sorry, just looking for something with 13 in it.

Today I consumed 1,625 calories for a balance of 875.  However, after I get off here, I'm probably going to have an apple, which is like 150 calories or so.

I've enjoyed the last few days of eating below calorie goal.  It makes me realize I can do it consistently when I think about what I am shoving down my gullet.  Also, remarkably, eating healthy food instead of fried or fatty stuff is very satisfying, both physically and mentally.  Physically because I am starting to just... feel better.  Mentally because I know I'm eating fruit, veggies and lean meats and not Doritos or McNuggets (what part of the chicken does that garbage come from anyway?)

Don't get me wrong.  I will still enjoy the occasional "bad food".  My favorite food in the whole world is BBQ for Pete's sake.  I simply can't have brisket, pulled pork or ribs without some potato salad, cole slaw and bread of some variety (preferably not focaccia or a crescent roll).

But I can't indulge that mess all the time.  I think I will end up enjoying BBQ (and other less healthy foods) more because they will only be every once in a while.  They'll be a treat.  I remember when I was a kid, my dad would go buy a couple random candy bars from the store about once a month.  It was like a mini-Christmas because that was about the only time I could get my grubby mitts on a candy bar.  Then, I started getting an allowance for chores and bought them whenever I wanted.  Fast forward about 20 years and here we are.  Miraculously I don't even care for candy bars that much anymore.  But I certainly didn't pick up any good habits there either.

Tomorrow I'm going to Joplin.  My heart is already heavy with what I think we will see there.  Prayer is a strong tool; Ecclesiastes says a "three stranded cord will not break."  Hopefully at least two of you readers are praying for me for some emotional support.  I'm really concerned I will get there and just fall apart and that won't help anyone, least of all those who need it.

Thanks for reading.


This post written while listening to:
Shadows (Live) by David Crowder*Band feat. LeCrae
Twisted by Trip Lee feat. LeCrae, This'l and PRO
Make War by Tedashii feat. Flame
Clear the Air by PRO feat. LeCrae
You Are The Light by Gungor

(Minus the Gungor tune, tonight was rap heavy... it was fly :))

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

12 posts in, still not giving up.

Post 12 will be short.  It is late and I am tired.

Today,  I ate 2,018 calories for a balance of 482 in the positive.  Whoo hoo!


Go me.

Short post.

Monday, June 6, 2011

11 rules for your first workout with Powerfit Bootcamp

1. Never underestimate how loud JR can yell at the group.
2.  Never underestimate how encouraging JR can be to you as an individual seconds after yelling at everyone else.

3. Never underestimate how encouraging everyone else can be.
4. Never underestimate just how deafening the cicadas can be (only relevant during certain workouts.)

5. Never underestimate how hot you will actually get.
6. Never overestimate how tired you will be when it's over.
7.  Never guzzle your water.
8.  Never think too much.  If you think, you vomit.

9.  Never vomit on the pavement outside - it splashes.
10. ALWAYS vomit in the bushes - it gives them nutrients.
11.  Never think it is a good idea to roll down the car window to vomit.  Never.

So if you haven't guessed, I had my first workout with PowerFit Bootcamp this evening.  I'm so tired, but amazingly I feel good.  We moved the whole time.  I enjoyed it but like I said, I'm tired.

So, I didn't blog over the weekend.  Here's a rundown:

Saturday - consumed 2,699 calories and burned 0, 199 over target.
Sunday - consumed 2,836 calories and burned 0, 336 over target.
Monday - consumed 1,919 calories, 581 under target.  Boo-yah!

Today, I'm going to quit tracking burned calories.  I will still exercise, but I won't track it like it's a little credit to eat more.

There's still a struggle.  About once a week someone brings in a little snack at work, or like on Sunday.  We went to Chili's for lunch and I got the endless lunch.  I had chips and salsa, two Caesar salads and two bowls of their enchilada soup.  I have this mindset that if it's endless (read: all you can eat), I have to "get my money's worth".  Well, I need to be more concerned about my health than my money's worth.

To wrap it up, there's a group from our church that is going to Joplin Thursday and I'm going.  It's going to be a long day and we'll see a lot of destruction, brokenness and heartache, so we need lots of prayer.  Thanks in advance.


This post written while listening to:
Rescue is Coming by David Crowder*Band
Fall Back by LeCrae feat. Trip Lee
He Reigns by Saint
Who is Like Him by Trip Lee

Friday, June 3, 2011

10 posts in the wilderness

This is post number 10.  Maybe when I get to post 30 I'll change my titling system.

Today, I consumed 3,082 calories and burned 704 for a balance of 132.  I went onver my goal by about 500 calories because I totally cheated.  Today was National Donut Day (how stupid...) and we got a free donut at Dunkin' Donuts (Yankees suck and Dunkin' Donuts rocks!  It's a Boston thing.)  To get our donuts, we had to buy a drink.  I got a Latte Lite - with skim milk and Splenda.  It was still wicked awesome.  We also got a free donut at Krispy Kreme to eat in the morning for breakfast.  Frugal, huh?  On the flip-side, I think I still may be a little lower in the calorie range than I should be, so I don't think it will hurt.  Time will tell.

Overall, I think it went well the last few days.  I just have to be disciplined.  It helps if I plan ahead for my meals and snacks.  If I know that I'm going to eat my salad, and only my salad, for lunch, it keeps me from going to the vending machine and buying a bag of Doritos (even though it's still tempting at times).

Those of you who read this, please pray for Brandy and I.  We are struggling in a certain area and we both try to be positive but sometimes you get beat up.  I want this situation to be resolved in 2 to 3 months and Brandy told me tonight that I was "optimistic" (whatever that means - j/k).  But I'm determined to get there.  Just pray in agreement with us - God knows the situation.

This post written while listening to:
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
Redemption Song by Bob Marley


The Flood by Sacred Warrior feat. Roger Martinez

Thursday, June 2, 2011

I need 9 breath mints

or I need to brush my teeth for 9 minutes, or I need to sleep for 9 hours [yeah, ok...])

This evening when I got home from my walk, I had thrown up 9 times.  Not large, projectile type, just... little spits of vomit.  Is that too much information?

My problem was three sided.  First, I ate too much for dinner.  Second, I went to walk too soon after eating said dinner.  Third, it was stinkin' hot.

Anyway, yesterday was an off day.  By the time I walked (after Brandy went to Praiser auditions), it was almost 11:00.  Then I had to recharge my A/C in my car, which took me almost 40 minutes.  I was too tired to blog.  Sorry, faithful fans, I get up at 4:30 AM for work.

So yesterday I consumed 2,280 calories and burned 665, which put me in the positive for 885.  Whoo!  Today, I consumed 2,139 calories and burned 619 (plus whatever the vomiting did for me...) for a balance of 980.  Double whoo!

Today was also weigh in day.  If you'll recall I weighed in when I shouldn't have Monday.  Not counting that, I lost 1 pound this week, which put me at 345.  That includes 3 days of junk, BBQ overeating and general mayhem for my gastrointestinal system.  This week, no mayhem!  My goal weight of 200 lbs. remains intact (that's 145 lbs. from now, for those of you who are subtractionally disinclined).

Things will get better if I keep on keepin' on (what am I Jerry Garcia?).  I have an Excel Spreadsheet that will track my weight weekly.  When I lose my first 50, I am having some kind of celebration.  Once I lose 50 lbs., I will be below 300 lbs. for the first time since... high school?  Over 10 years ago...

I've typed enough and I know some of you are nodding off, so I'll be quiet now.  Blessings on you and yours, and me and mine.

This post written while listening to:
Joyful by Flame feat. LeCrae
This Is Our God by Chris Tomlin feat. David Crowder
Oh, Happiness by David Crowder*Band
Big Iron by Johnny Cash
We Will Follow by Jars of Clay feat. Gungor
Prodigal by Gungor