I am fat!

Yes, I have hit the 221 mark I set way back when. Got restarted in January with a team at work participating in the Scale Back Alabama program and have lost 35 pounds to get down to fat.

I'm not in decent enough shape to workout and have been hitting the gym a couple times a week for the last month. Two years ago I rode a half century ride at the WC Handy Festival. This year I'd like to do the century ride. Guess that means I should start riding...

Miles is now single. I hoped and prayed he and Sally would make a go of it but it wasn't to be. I don't see a bad guy/good guy - just two people who never really meshed into a couple. Marriage is hard and I know from my experience that if you don't grow together, you will grow apart. The problem with learning life's lessons is that you take the test first and then learn.

Maggie is working as a vet assistant and likes it much better than just taking care of animals at the rescue/boarding house. She's getting to do some procedures and really likes the Dr. Her and Joel are doing well and she's saving for a baby...not sure if should have the birds and bees talk or not...lol! Joel wants to have money in savings before they have kids - a wise move - so Maggie has to put $10k in saving....not sure if I'm allowed to donate...

It is a beautiful day so I will go ride my bike...not sure how many miles I'll get for the first ride...my legs are strong but my butt is weak...

Back Again...

It's been over a year and I never made it down to fat...but never fear, the battle will continue...

Came back from Alaska and started July at 260...my goal is still 221 and I'd like to get there by Maggie's wedding (10/25)...but I'd like an ice cream cone, too...there in lies the problem.

But I'm two weeks in and have dropped 2 pounds each week - down to 256 this morning...at this rate, I could make it in 20 weeks...

Could is the key word...

Happy 4th of July...

Summer has come (June 21) and I didn't make it down to 221...I'm hovering around 230 because I keep hovering around deserts...oh well, time to regroup after the fourth and push forward. Started working again on a 95003 project so my free time has been drastically cut and I'll have to avoid the southern fried lunches and pizzas they serve at work...

Gina and I went to the Smokies for the fourth - Coleman Family reunion. We went hiking around Greenbrier. I hiked to Ramsey Cascade yesterday...it's 8 miles round trip and you climb 2100 feet. It was graded as "moderate" but challenging enough for me. I did some trail running but the incline was tough and after the first mile and a half the trail had far too many roots and large rocks to try to run. That was a good thing - I'm not a runner! Anyway, up and back in three and one half hours...only spent about ten minutes at the falls...

Maggie had her fifth knee surgery last week. Hopefully this will reduce the pain and help her get around better. Miles went to Bonaroo again this year but is back now trying to sell cars. I'm hoping and praying that something comes up for Sally...

It's nap time...

Mayday!!!

I'm still not down to fat!!! But I am having fun working on it...after our beach trip I weighed around 230 so I was up a little but still doing ok...I need to drop ~ 10 pounds by summer to get down under my target (221)...

Dad's finally going to get a pacemaker installed...I hope this allows his physical therapy to pick up...he hasn't made enough progress to get to assisted living by June so we'll have to start paying a monthly rate for his rehab...I hate to think about our choices if he can't get to assisted living...so I won't. Ignoring things is a habit I have...sometimes they really do go away...


"The wheel is turning and you can't slow down
You can't let go and you can't hold on
You can't go back and you can't stand still
If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will"

Later

It's (almost) my birthday and I'll eat if I want to...

I weighed 230 last Saturday so I'm still trending downward but definitely not really working at it. My spring sinus/cold has slowed me from exercise but amazingly enough, it has not phased my appetite. I can't remember if it's "stuff a cold, starve a fever" or "starve a cold, stuff a fever" so I've been stuffing...oh well, it's a journey, not a destination.

I've started a new step study in Celebrate Recovery. Last year I think I tried to treat everything as past tense - I tried to answer the questions relative to where I was in recovery back when I was early in sobriety. I definitely experienced some growth from the last study but I believe I need to focus more on the person I am today. Otherwise it's more of a documentary of the past instead of a tool for growth. I can here Jan saying "We have not arrived."

I need to apply the "we have not arrived" attitude to more of my life...I won't be done until about three days before the funeral...

Later

Two-Thirds of the Way Now...Maybe..

I weighed in at 236 on Saturday (3/20/11) so I've lost 30 pounds. Lately I've really fallen off my exercise and have even returned to my late night cereal killer habit but I have decided to renew my efforts to meet my goal of being fat (221) by summer. With almost three months, it's very doable. In fact, it looks too easy. I guess I should establish a stretch goal to challenge myself...so I'll set my stretch goal at 206 by summer. That's another 30 pounds in about the same time frame. We'll see.

Lloyd and I are going to run a 5k in late April. I need to step up my cardio training so I don't suck the atmosphere off the planet and end life as we know it...it's a sacrifice but one I will make...just to save humanity. I will also run in a shirt...to save embarrassment...

I've been unemployed for three months and I'm totally cool with not working...I just miss being able to buy toys on a whim and having to actually budget. But the first of the year is always a crunch so I'm not worried at this point. I'll get through paying taxes and insurance by May and should be a little more flush. I still want to take a road trip with Gina to tackle one of our bucket list items.

I'm done for this month...

About Half Way to Fat...

My quest this year is to just be fat. Based on the charts and tables I viewed, I needed to lose 45 pounds to achieve that goal. Since January 1, I've lost 21 pounds.

Today I get started on my post Valentines Day recovery. Valentines Day was a preplanned relapse. Every year, like millions others, I start the new year with the plan of losing some weight. And every year, just like clockwork, we receive a Christmas package from our friends in Germany full of chocolate candies. This year the goodies went into hiding with the plan to get them out for Valentines Day. Mission accomplished.

I'll check my progress this weekend to see if I lost any ground. But I'm in this for the long haul...I'm gonna be fat!

Another year, another plan...

Another New Year approaches and I've decided to try blogging, again...as of yesterday, I am gainfully unemployed and in definite need of some structure for my time.

I won't worry about weighing until after the first - there are far too many snacks and goodies I must eat before I put my feet on that lying scale...but my goal remains the same as last time; I want to just get down to fat...I'll be happy at fat.

I picked up a new recording interface and will be working out some original compositions...I have a wordsmith for the lyrics - I just work up the tunes. I have several melodies in my head now and will get them recorded in January...

Stevie Reno

Stalled...

Tomorrow's the first on June and my weight loss stalled around 260...it's doubtful I'll make my previous goal but maybe I can just get under 250 by the end of July...I've been riding my bike several times a week but my calorie intake is a bit higher than what I need...at least I know what the problem is...I should take the good advice to keep my mouth shut.

I'm also stalled on getting some music together for Margaret...and on getting the house remodeled...and on working out the details for the family reunion...

Work is such an interference in my life! Oh well, this too shall pass. My contract ends at the end of September and I should be happily unemployed for a few months...

Slowly I turned...

In a week where I never found the gym, worked far more hours than I really care to and definitely played less guitar than I like, I was glad to see the scale this morning still heading in the right direction. Two-hundred-seventy (270) pounds.

Slowly but (hopefully) surely I'm losing...

Steve

Week Won...

I hit the scales this morning at a spry 272 pounds so I went in the right direction this week. But it wasn't according to plan. My fast lasted from sundown Sunday until lunch Monday...work was hectic and I felt the need to eat to keep from getting grumpy. But at least I did hit the gym Monday afternoon. Some light weight work then 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by 20 minutes on the stair master. I could feel the fat just dropping off me. All I needed to do was to keep it up 3 or 4 days a week. But unfortunately, I came down with a nasty head cold late Monday evening and was in no shape to exercise the rest of the week. As of today I'm better and may try again tomorrow but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I'm still not dieting. Yea, I'll eat oatmeal or a sugarless cereal for breakfast, but I get the hot lunch at work and eat a full dinner each night. The only thing I've been able to do has been to cut out the snacking. In the past I had an over reliance on exercise to offset my eating habits. I do need to make "lifestyle changes" and just eat less.

My goal is 210 by 7/31/2010. This week I'll try to stay on schedule.

Steve

Sunday Morning Coming Down...

274 this morning...but still a ways to go. I try to stay in today - I can't change yesterday and can only plan for tomorrow. So I'm off to church and then plan to meet my son at the gym for a workout.

I'll have to catch up blogging later (I'm behind after only a week!)

Steve

Third times a charm...

I did make it three days in a row for exercise and was able to apply science to my quest as I had my heart rate monitor attached to make sure I was operating at the optimum fat burning range. Thirty minutes of sheer bliss as I peddled to the sounds of Al Petteway and Amy White’s Acoustic Journey. I just hope this doesn’t turn out like Clockwork Orange!

Anyway, as I struggle to get into the habit of daily exercise/cardio, I look at my dad. He’s 83 and does his weights and stretching every morning before going to the gym to ride the bike. He’s always been active and kept himself in good shape so when he decided to have hip replacement surgery last December; I thought he would have a smooth and speedy recovery. It’s been everything but smooth and speedy. The actual hip replacement went well but he was plagued with circulation problems, then internal bleeding, then infections...he’s now at the stage I expected him to be last March. The reality is that if he hadn’t been in such good shape, he wouldn’t have made it though. No one lives forever on this earth but if you take care of yourself you may say a little longer and enjoy yourself a little more.

I did weigh today but after I road for 30 minutes. The scales said I weighed 277 - a little down but in the same ball park. In anticipation of meeting my first milestone, I bought a pair of jeans at Wally World; 38 Regulars. Got to think positive.

Steve

Day One...sort of...

A New Year approaches and I've decided to blog. Not because there's not enough stuff on the internet – but just because…

My wonderful wife has a nice blog for some of her photography work (usually from our vacation trips). I may take a few pictures but I’m not a photographer…so that won’t be my blog. Gina’s work is really good.

I have more interest in music – I play guitar and bass and tinker a little on mandolin. A few years back I played in a Contemporary Christian band with some friends. We played together for a couple of years as the band for a couple contemporary services in the area and of course did the obligatory CD…copies are still available at CDBaby. Nowadays I play bass at church and have been working on flat-picking but I generally just play around.

And while I will blog more on music later, right now I’m more focused in a different direction. This holiday season I hit the big 40 – not age, waist size. Back when I turned 40, I was running in 5k runs, swimming, doing aerobics and weights…that was almost 12 years ago but I fell off the exercise wagon about 8 years ago. And as expected, I’ve gained about 10 pounds a year and find myself now at 280 pounds. 280 is a good number for an interstate loop – not for my weight. As I struggled to get a new pair of 38s to snap I realized that I had reached the idea “before” figure. I tossed ‘em back and bought one pair of 40s to last me until I’m back into the 38s.

If I were Muhammad Ali, I might say something like, “Come 2010, I’ll be thin!” But I don’t think thin is my real goal. I just want to feel better and be able to do more. I was very comfortable at 210 – 220 so I’m targeting that range.

Like the title says, this is day one…sort of…I began yesterday (Monday 12/28) and have now completed two days of exercise. Nothing overly strenuous – just about 20 minutes of cardio on a bike trainer and then some hand weights. But it’s my start. I dug out my old heart rate monitor from my Spinning Classes, changed the battery and will now start targeting my work out to maximize fat burning…

Once I get a routine going, I’ll work on a better diet…right now I’m just trying to work on portion control and stay away from sugar…

So I'm 280 starting out with a goal of 210...stay tuned.

Steve