I am The REAL Loser

Much Harder this Time Around

2010-01-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

Hi all.....felt bad for not running today so I got in a quick half hour of lifting at 10:30pm. Now...I am wired so here I am. I mentioned this the other night, but this is much harder this time around. I have dropped 10 lbs since the 5th, but this time is requiring much more work and dedication. My short term goal is that we are going on a trip to San Diego in April so I want to be in as good of shape as possible. Mainly just to squeeze into the plane for that amount of time! Even at a good weight, I am not built for an airplane.

Work was busy busy today, still working now in fact, which is why I was not exactly motivated to get out an run. Although one of my buddies I run with stopped by the office today and reminded me The Pig is May 3rd. Even though I am not doing the marathon...the 10K is a marathon to me. Hopefully it will be above freezing for a few days and I can log some miles. The good that has come from not running is that I have been lifting more and just benched 300lbs for the first time in awhile. I can add a shoulder joint to the knees that I am going to blow out with all of this. Feels good to push yourself though.

Tonight's chicken flavors were Jerk and Curry. (Why you all read this I have no clue) I will have to admit the house smells a little weird though. Not a good combination.

Received some nice emails and Facebook notes from people starting their own little weight loss journeys in the Real World. Best of luck to Scott and Nichole as they start to achieve their weight loss goals.

Thats about it for tonight.......

Week 2

2010-01-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

OK....one week down. The weight is bouncing around, but we are right at about 10 lbs for week one. Not bad....it is most definitely harder this round. When you start a diet in horrible shape weighing over 350lbs the weight comes off much quicker.

I need to really focus on calories and getting my exercise in, which is about impossible with the amount of work and kids stuff we have going on right now, but oh well. Got a quick run in last night after Cora's swim meet and hit the weights for a little tonight. Jammed pack tomorrow...looks like I will finally get to try out my reflector bracelets tomorrow night. Look out Wonder Woman. Hopefully it will keep the deer away...nothing worse than looking up and almost running smack into one. Lessoned learned. Don't run with your I-pod on and hood up. Honest to God, I felt his breath on me. Freaked me out....not to mention the deer!

Click this to watch a great story.....you may have seen me write about Sam before. Sam is another Real Loser and one of the reasons I started running. Sam is a friend and business colleague and used to be a big boy and started running to lose weight and now is attempting to run 60....yes I said 60 marathons. Oh...did I mention he is trying to do that in 52 weeks. Crazy! His son Jack has autism and he is running to raise awareness. It is truly amazing. Good Luck Sam!

OK....so I have nothing to top that other than I am still dieting, still working out, and have held true to my not drinking for this month. Another reader the other day mentioned that this is a lifestyle and not a diet, which is exactly right. You should not be depriving yourself of the things you like to eat or drink. Yes, I like to have a beer or a cocktail every once in awhile. It is not the best for you, but in the grand scheme of things isn't horrible as long as you don't do it every day.

For this month though...I am on a diet, and I have made the choice not to drink, only because I am not very good at only having one, and once you have a beer, then might as well have the burger, and if I have the burger....well might as well get those fries....and well just screw it we will just work harder tomorrow and burn it off. That happened a lot to me the last 2 months and well....tomorrow is here for me.

Trust me ( and you will hear a giant sigh of relief coming from the fine folks at The Lube) I will find a way to the things I like to eat and drink back in to my daily life again....but for now I am being good and staying focused on the task at hand which is to drop another 30 lbs!

Have a good week...please God let it warm up!!

Let it Snow....

2010-01-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

So the White Death finally made it. I guess closing the schools was a good idea after all. Pretty uneventful day today. Mixed things up by having my favorite grilled chicken wrap from Wendy's for lunch. At least going through the drive thru let me feel like I was not on a diet. But honest to God....how many more ways can they find to get bacon on a sandwich??? They are like Pizza Hut with cheese......can there possibly be any more locations on a pizza to stick cheese? Anyway, I digress.

Patrice always informs me that we have grilled chicken and tortillas here...why go through Wendy's. One it is convenient...two, I think there is something to be said for going through the drive thru. Its not about the money...it is really almost a social thing. I personally will go crazy if I just pack my lunch everyday, eat my salad or chicken and go right back to work. I am to the point where I know I will not be tempted by the giant glossy Baconator poster in the drive thru. Alright, I am tempted, but it is really just wasting 2 days of a diet by the time you burn that thing back off It is just a nice change of pace from the bucket of protein powder and zip-lock bag of chicken.

The same holds true for stopping at the bar and having an Iced Tea or Diet Coke. Yeah a beer would be nice, and yes I have Diet Coke at home, but maybe just those 20 mins where you can just sit at the bar and be Dave-not Dad, Husband, Business Owner, Board Member, is worth more. I know...I am breaking new ground here....people go to bars for other reasons than to get a beer.

Anyway......exercise today-shoveling snow. I will hit the weights a little later as well. My neighbor busted me though because I used my leaf blower on my deck. Well....you cant use a snow shovel, that would tear up the wood! I shoveled the rest.

Stay warm.... Eat mor chikin

Its Like Deja Vu

2010-01-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

No...I am not talking about the strip club. We are at day 3 and the routine is setting in. Want to know how today went. Read yesterday's entry. It is about the same. Although today I am flying solo as Patrice is working late.

I need to join back up to the Sports Club so I can mix up the workouts a little more (hello Sports Club.....hook a brother up...it was a bad year in the video business!) . The snow is killing me. I don't mind the cold, but I am not a big fan of running in slop! I am however counting shoveling snow as my cardio for today.

Food was pretty much the same as yesterday. Chicken, protein powder...mixed in an omelet today with egg beaters and turkey bacon ( it really isn't that bad) I have really gotten to like turkey bacon plus it cooks fast and makes no mess.

That is about all I have for today. Nothing too exciting...and nothing too witty. I guess a lack of carbs makes you boring! Maybe I will watch the Biggest Loser tonight...that always sends me over the edge and makes for good posts! For more explanation as to why I hate The Biggest Loser read some of my earlier posts!

Seriously though...I did get a few nice emails of support today from folks....thanks so much for taking the time to email and read the blog! Until tomorrow........

Welcome Back to Life

2010-01-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to life. The holidays are over....the alarm was going off at 5:45.....dragged 2 kids out of bed who had absolutely no desire to go back to school...made breakfast...packed lunches for everyone and out the door to the bus at 7:30. Worked all day trying to save the world from bad commercials as best we can on a budget....get home....get Cora off to swimming....Get Claire's homework going...cook dinner....lugged the Christmas tree to the curb. Now.....wouldn't it be great to stop off at the bar and have a few beers, and catch the UC game.

NOOOOOOOO......how about some Laura's lean ground beef with some lettuce and taco seasoning.....now we are talking.

I tried to go for a run to get my cardio in, but I figured blowing out my knee by slipping in the snow was probably not in my best interest. So 7 rounds on the heavy bag for me, in addition to hitting the weights. Man...I really wanted to try out my new reflector bracelets I got for Christmas too.......if figure if I end up giving up running, I can always use these for my Super Hero costume.

I think squats are the best exercise ever. Period. Of course talk to me tomorrow when I can't get up out of my chair. After 3 sets, I was breathing heavier than I ever have after running. Not a lot of people like to do them....you know why??? They are FREAKIN HARD to DO! Throw 200lbs on a bar and factor in that I am already moving 280 lbs of body weight and that will get r done. Metabolic discomfort as my brother likes to say.

Sticking do the diet was pretty easy today. Being busy helps. It seems like with eating 6 small meals a day you are always eating, planning your meal, cooking your meal or shopping for your meal. Speaking of which...I am off to broil up some chicken!

Talk to you tomorrow........

Day One is in the Books

2010-01-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

After 2 weeks of eating too much and drinking too (way too) much, it was kind of nice to be healthy again today, although I will have to admit that it is going to be a little hard to watch my Bengals with a diet coke and protein shake!

Had some nasty cottage cheese, peanut butter and protein powder concoction this morning that will not be making a return appearance then got in a good workout with the weights and got the courage up to run in the 16 degree weather. It wasn't too bad except for the wind, and I have to say that I looked damn good in my new running tights! 2.5 miles before my shins said enough!

Grilled chicken for lunch and a grilled chicken salad for dinner and how could I forget my 18 almonds! But even after one day it feels good not to be full.

People have asked why the Blog? One...if I am typing...I am not eating. Two it keeps me motivated to continue on...the more people that I tell that ask me "How is the diet going" keeps me honest. Some people don't let anyone know they are trying to lose weight. My personal theory on this is that it is much easier for them to give up. I want people to know what I am doing....I want people to join along with me, whether it is to lose weight or just be healthy.

Honestly, with the support I had last year, I feel like I am letting people down when I cheat or stray from the diet. I have even told my favorite bartenders at The Lube...not to serve me until the Super Bowl! (Don't worry...I'll be back!) It is easy to fail on this and I need all the support I can.

Now...I am off to watch the Bengals with a diet coke. Talk to you tomorrow

Time to Get it Going Again

2010-01-02T15:50:00.001-08:00

If you are going to play in the Summer (and Fall) you have to pay in the Winter. Tomorrow marks the beginning of another round of heavy dieting. For the next 30 days, I am going to be very strict on what I eat and force myself to workout everyday. And share every bit of it with you guys!! Aren't you lucky!!

Overall, I am happy with last year's efforts. For the year I ended up keeping off 62lbs. Yes, I lost more and yes I put some back on. I am really looking forward to the next 30 days to see how much weight I can lose and then work on maintaining that. My goal is to lose another 38 lbs so I can make it an even 100. Then as I said I need a solid maintenance program. But first things first.

I am looking forward to this because last year when I started this, I was unable to do any type of running and very little cardio because of my weight. That is not the case this year. I am in much better shape starting this off, so I am hoping that the results come easier. Another running goal is to run the 10K (thats 6.2 miles for those of you following along at home) at the Flying Pig this year.... We shall see...the knees are not what they used to be, and they were never good in the first place.

My mom gave me a book by John Bingham, "The Penguin" nicknamed so because of his waddling running style and it has been very inspirational so far. The best quote that I have come across in my reading is my new motto...."The only person you have to outrun, is who you used to be" For me this sums it all up...

Stay tuned for updates!!! And if you are starting this journey for yourself......good luck!

I Got Nothing For You Today

2009-09-23T16:08:00.001-07:00

Nothing for you guys today. Other than I watched some of "The Biggest Loser" last night at least until I was yelling at the TV and Patrice wouldn't let me watch it anymore because I was going to wake up the girls. Yes...there were a few people on there who lost weight....but there were also some who did not lose that much. You all know my thoughts on the show. It is compelling television, but who has the luxury of being taken away from their everyday life and given the best trainers, etc and all they have to focus on is getting healthy and losing weight.

Then you have people on there who are worried that they may have gained that week. I am sorry, if you weigh over 300, 400, or even close to 500 pounds as some of them do, and you are in week 2 of a professionally managed diet and exercise program where your only job is to lose weight and you have to worry that you put on pounds....you are a loser. Nuff said. Read my earlier blog to understand my full hatred of the show

Anyway...at least it motivated me to continue my dieting in the "Real" world. I guess that is something to be said for it.

Not much new...very busy at work which is good......swimming, cheer, piano and lacrosse have the evenings pretty much taken up. It is hard to maintain focus and desire to eat right and workout, but such is life.

My brother has me on a sort of new plan. I am counting calories pretty religiously. Trying to stay to about 2200/day. Kind of sucks at first to get started but once you get the hang of it, it isn't too bad. And we all know that a Mich Ultra has 95 calories, so you can guess where my extra calories end up being used. It is pretty simple though....burn off more than you take in. Also I am changing up my workouts a little. Trying to get back to a little more weightlifting and scaling back the running a little. I really do enjoy running. It is nice just to get away for a half hour, but it is taking quite a toll on my knees. So I am mixing back in more of the weights and beating on the heavy bag and my sledge hammer and tire again. I am sure there is a letter from the Home Owners Assn in my future for the tire routine in the back yard!

So sorry this was not the most compelling blog but now I have to go help Claire with her homework then get in some type of workout.

Until Next Time!

Be Thankful for What you Have

2009-09-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

In the words of my 9 year old daughter.."Hi Peeps!"

Well...I have completed my month of "Must Do" moments. I attended a NASCAR Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. I went to the OSU/USC football game at Ohio Stadium, and I went to the Metallica Concert. Looking back...maybe my wife was right....this could be a mid-life crisis. Come on I sold my Corvette...that should count for something.

The good news, is that I lived through all of it....and managed only to put back on 1 pound. And I highly recommend all 3 events. Although if my daughters think they are joining a sorority at Ohio State...they are crazy. They will be the only 2 who commute from Cincinnati and I am driving. I am all for having a good time and all....but when you can make me blush....nuff said.

So I am back on the diet train. And while it is wobbling....it is still going down the tracks. A couple egg whites for breakfast, turkey sandwich for lunch, a protein shake and some old plain grilled hamburger patties that I had left over from Sunday which quite frankly sucked. Plus I got in a quick 2 mile run in the dark and don't forget Wii Basketball. I swear, you can count that as a workout. Tennis tomorrow....and a meal plan that will look remarkably similar. Except for the burgers.

Things are going well. I touched on this before, but if you are overweight, you are doing yourself such a disservice. 70lbs ago, I would not have been able to do any of these. 4 miles of walking at Bristol....cramming myself into US Bank Arena for the concert, and there was a small parking mis-hap in Columbus that forced a surprise 7 mile walk from OSU back to downtown Columbus at 1am. That is material for another blog entirely. But these were all definitely things I would have not even attempted to do and would have truly missed out.

I said at the beginning...my doctor gave me my wake up call and while it took awhile to sink in, I shaped up and started not taking life for granted because you may not be here. I was reading my friend Sam's blog today. He is another Real Loser. He is actually one of the people who got me to think about running after seeing him lose over 70lbs. Check out his blog at http://www.operationjack.com/blog/.

Jack is Sam's 6 year old son who is autistic. In an effort to raise awareness for autism, Sam is attempting to run 60 marathons in 2010. A truly unbelievable task. Anyway...as Sam puts it..he wrote a letter to Jack today on his blog to wish him a happy birthday....even though Jack has no idea that it is his birthday, or what a birthday is for that matter.

That truly inspired me to continue on my weight loss journey. You never know what life is going to deal you. Some things, like with Jack, you have no control over. But this is something you can control and you have to control. I can't cure autism....wish I could, but I can't. What I can do is put down that Big Buford Burger from Rally's and get a workout in. I have learned, there is no excuse for being fat. None....unless you count laziness as an excuse. You have put yourself in this place. You made a choice to eat that double cheeseburger, drink those beers, or have that milkshake. And you are the one that has to fix it. You can ask for help....God knows I have tried everything out there. There is no quick fix.... unfortunately the only way to do it is eat less and workout more. So if you are fat.....fix it. Easy as that.

Happy Birthday Jack!

I Should Read What I Write

2009-09-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well....here we are again. I have been a slacker. As someone who preaches no excuses...I will be the first one to admit that I have been totally lame the last 2 weeks. Too much beer (even if it is low cal/carb).....Eating junk......not running enough.....not blogging...now I am looking at the OSU Game, Bengals Opener....and Metalica on Tuesday. Not looking good at all.

And you know what...I feel like crap. I have not felt full in 7 months...and right now I am full. Again...not good. Only one thing to do....suck it up and get back on the horse. There are tons of excuses, but I can't let myself accept that. I let myself down. The fact is, I just have not been getting it done when it comes to my diet and exercise and I have fallen back into bad habits so enough is enough. I have more weight to lose and I have to get it done.

So tomorrow is another day....I owe my buddy Scott a 5K run in the morning since I had to bail on him for the Race for the Cure so we are starting the day with an early morning run and starting over. Yes...I am going to Columbus for the OSU / USC game tomorrow....yes, that is going to be a tough one....college football and diets don't mix real well, so what I will have to focus on is how great it felt to actually be able to buy jeans from The Gap. How nice it was to be able to sit in a booth in a restaurant. How I felt to crossing the finish line at the Flying Pig ( even if it was just a 5K) it was a marathon for me!

So thanks to Scott for making me feel like crap for not running tomorrow, but come on....free OSU Tix and a hotel room?? How can I pass that up. I will run / walk / limp a 5K in the morning for you. Plus I just got my new running shoes! And thanks to Cammy for reminding me that "My Public" needed to hear from me!!! And motivating me to get my head on straight again.

As I said before....there is not a quick fix for being fat. I didn't get to over 300lbs overnight and I will not take it all off overnight. It is a journey.....so lets keep journeying.

Until tomorrow.....

Excuses, Excuses.....

2009-08-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

OK...I am back.....What Happened??? I got lazy! The same as I did last month. I hurt my knee, I was going on a guys weekend, business is slow, getting the girls ready to go back to school.....you name it, they were all excuses for me to "start again next week".

Well.....next week is here and it is time to get to gettin. The good news is that my weight has not gone up. While I was lazy, I was not totally stupid. Yes, I drank too much beer. But, it was still only Mich Ultra...(lame, I know) I did try the new Bud Select 55....55 calories and 1.3 grams of carbs per beer. Unfortunately, that is about all you can say about it. Anything that makes Mich Ultra taste good.....we'll....nuff said. Sorry Budweiser, if you still want a corporate sponsor, I can give it another try.

OK...today...I am back on track. Chicken, protein shakes, running, lifted....feeling good. Plus I got a new grill so I can grill up all that chicken! So, I didn't put on any weight, but I didn't lose the 10 lbs I should have in this time.

My buddy Jamie and I went down to Bristol, TN this weekend to watch the NASCAR race. We had a blast! If you have not been...go check out a race. There are no words to do it justice. Anyway....the only good that has come out of the last 2 weeks is that it dawned on me that there was no way on earth that I could have done this trip last year at this time carrying 70 extra pounds. We had about a 4 mile walk each way to and from the track to the car. Not to mention, it was a 15 minute walk from the entrance to the track just to get to the seats. After the race we had the 4 mile walk back, in pitch black, in the rain, mud, barbed wire ( don't ask) a maze of RV's and 165,000 of our closest friends. Oh, did I mention the 20 flights if steps we climbed to get to our seats?

AND....2 cute Tennessee girls flagged us down, picked us up and gave us a ride to the track from the parking lot. Yeah...they were just looking to make money...but don't ruin it for me. As far as ya'll (my new favorite word) are concerned...2 hot little southern girls picked me up! Even if they did call me "mister"

Anyway, the point is that last year I was so overweight and out of shape, that I could not have physically done this trip, and that would have been a shame because while I may have had a few (or 13) Mich Ultras, this was really a great trip that chances are I would have passed on last year.

And that got me thinking. How many things that I have passed on in my life because I was overweight? I never wanted to go to the pool with the girls. Sports, as much as I loved them, were out of the question. Anything where I had to dress up I avoided because no matter what the temperature was, I would be in an embarrassing sweat. I was not only doing myself a disservice, I was doing the same thing to my friends and family. And I can name at least 10 other people that are reading this Blog who are in the same situation...you know who you are. So, if you are not going to do it for yourself, do it for your family....do it for your kids....do it for your friends...but most importantly get off your fat butt and do it....ya'll

Talk to you tomorrow.

Oh Man.....

2009-08-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

So today I received an interesting email. I will not call you out publicly, but you know who you are. It was from a nutritionist telling me that "I was doing a disservice to the diet industry because my diet was not nutritionally sound."

Oh...man....

First, thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate your interest. And thank you for taking the time to email me. I have never met you, and I am not sure how you found me, but thank you again for taking the time out of your apparently not so busy day to email me.

My response....NEITHER IS A McGRIDDLE!

Drastic times, call for drastic measures honey! You can be as nutritionally sound as you like when you can cram yourself into smaller jeans. Right now we are focused on losing weight. I am not sure what constitutes nutritionally sound as I have a degree in television not nutrition, but all I know is that I lost 70 lbs in 7 months, my blood sugar, blood pressure and cholestorel went down, and I can now run. So if that is what nutritionally not sound gets me...sign me up! I told you from the begininning I have no training in this and don't sue me when you fall over dead.

I could go on for awhile with you, but if you would like, I welcome you to post a comment here and explain exactly what I am doing wrong.

That should about handle that. Now, today there is a special treat for you. If you are doing the diet, you get to have 190 calories and 5.2 grams of carbs from beer. Thats right..I went to Quaker Steak and drank 2 Mich Ultras. Here is what I did to justify that in my head.

Breakfast- My favorite protein shake

Lunch- A turkey and swiss sandwich on wheat. But Medium Dave you ask....bread...carbs...bad. Carbs are not bad. You just shouldn't eat a whole lot of them if you are trying to lose weight. And they could have come from a Baconator and not a turkey sandwich. I needed the carbs, because, I played tennis for an hour and a half. Ran 2 miles, then cut the grass at 6:30 in the heat.

To reward myself, I continued to carbo load with 2 Mich Ultras and had the boneless wings at The Lube, which are just grilled chicken with some sauce. No breading and no deep fry.

Now I have come to the realization that I am old and tennis, running and cutting the grass was not the best plan because my knees are killing me, and the 2 beers have done nothing but make me feel full. BUT. I have lost 5 lbs since Monday, although I will say I took full advantage of weighing in after sweating for 3 hours and not eating since lunch. But in my mind...the scale says 5 lbs less than it did on Monday!

Keep being not nutritionally sound!

Why the name?

2009-08-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

I had had a few people email asking what is up with the name "The REAL Loser". It is simple. I hate the tv show, "The Biggest Loser".

It is not reality TV. Tell me in who's reality does someone take you away to a retreat, give you the best trainers and nutritionists in the business, take all of life's cares away from you and then PAY you to lose weight. If you cannot lose weight in this scenario, you are a LOSER. A big fat chicken wing eating, Mountain Dew drinking, drive myself around in a scooter cuz I am too fat to walk through the outlet malls....LOSER! (that is a topic for another post) These people that are given this chance and then sit there and have to worry when they step on the scale....PLEASE!!!

Let me tell you about reality.....reality is when you have to get 2 kids to the bus by 7:30 in the morning, run a small business, run children to 20 different lessons and practices, all the while driving through Wendy's with the Baconator looking right back at you through the Plexiglas. (which for the record I have never eaten...if you have...shame on you...but please let me know how it was!)

Reality is running in the rain, snow, 90 degree heat and in the middle of the night because this is all the time that you have to squeeze in your workout. Reality is getting pulled over by the cops on your run (trust me I wasn't speeding) because you are out in the dark and rain, wearing dark clothes and 2 streets over there have been cars broken into...then the cop who just totally screwed up your workout wouldn't give you a ride home! All while managing to stay in business, married and be the apple of my daughter's eyes, and drop 70 lbs Hey NBC...I got your reality right here.

It may make for compelling television...but it is the farthest thing from what the average person trying to lose weight will go through. It is hard to lose weight. There is no quick fix. I have said it before and I will say it again...you didn't get fat in 2 weeks, and there is nothing on this planet that will make you thin in 2 weeks. I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone that has have the courage to admit they have a weight problem and then do something about it. There are definitely ups and downs and it has to be a lifestyle change and not a quick fix or all the weight is going to come back on...but in the end you will be so much better off for it.

My doctor told me when I started (well...actually 2 years before I started this..it just took awhile to sink in and decide to do it) that this was my wake up call. I was getting too old and too fat to continue to put my body through this. Sooner or later is was all going to catch up with me and it would take years off of my life. Those would be years that I would miss with my family and friends and I decided to go do something about it. For those of you who are reading this for motivation....GO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Become a REAL Loser

Got to go...I have 18 almonds with my name on them....I call it The Almond-ator!

Wednesday Aug 5th- Uneventful

2009-08-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Pretty uneventful day today. Tried to get some tennis in but there were no availabilities on the courts. We will play tomorrow.

Breakfast- Uneventful. Had my normal protein shake with apples and peanut butter Yum.

Lunch- Since Claire ate my chicken for dinner last night, I had my favorite Wendy's grilled chicken wraps for lunch with an iced tea. I swear, if anyone from Wendy's is reading, you should hire me as your Jared. The woman at the drive through at the Mariemont Wendy's knows my truck and order when I pull in. The only question is usually do I want a Diet Coke or Tea. Now that is service, all for $5.17. It is actually pretty good and it is fairly good for you. Plus I am better looking, funnier and can kick Jared's ass in a street fight. Bring it Jared!

Since my cardio work was not stellar last night, I need to get in a good run when I get home from the office. Mommy is home tonight after being gone for 3 days which means dinner out somewhere...which for me means some type of protein grilled with maybe a salad! Oh well, at least the kids will have fun.

Tennis tomorrow and running a 5K on Saturday. There may be exactly 3 Mich Ultras in my future Sat night (95 calories and 2.6 grams of carbs!) We will have to wait and see.

UPDATE- I did manage to get in a good run. Got a couple miles in although it was hot and humid as hell out there. It also seemed like the entire subdivision had their yard fertilized today, so it was like running through agent orange. I am sure that was healthy. Went to the local Mexican joint for guess what...some more grilled chicken! I cannot tell a lie, I ate 5 or 6 tortilla chips before my 9 year old busted me.

Until tomorrow

Medium Dave

Man What a Day

2009-08-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today I did something just as bad as overeating......I did not eat enough. I have been running from meeting to meeting since 7:30. Lightening hit a tree at the office and took out power. A pipe burst in the basement and I had to run our $75,000 HD deck to service because it stopped working!

Oh yeah....it has been pouring down rain since 7am as well. So far today, I have had some coffee, iced tea, 2 scrambled eggs and a couple handfuls of almonds. NOT GOOD. Got to go home and take the girls to piano lessons and hopefully throw down something somewhat nutritious.

Where this is going to hurt me the most is with any type of workout I try to do tonight. Too wet to run, so I need to lift pretty heavy and that is not going to be easy, given the fact I have starved myself most of the day.

UPDATE- Here is how we ended the day. Had to eat quick because it was off to piano lessons, so I went the egg route again for the protein. 2 eggs...some egg beaters, a couple strips of turkey bacon, garlic and a little cheese. Got the girls home and while they were in the bath, busted out 20 mins on the heavybag, and after today, it felt good. Lifting was not going to go well, so we will live to lift weights another day.Gonna grab a protein shake and water before bed and call it done.

Haven't weighed in yet since Sunday....probably jump on the scale tomorrow.....I know most of you all won't be able to sleep waiting to see if I lost any weight, but you will have to wait until tomorrow night!

Lucky you...it's dinner time! Now

2009-08-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

OK kids.......

I know you are filled up from all that we ate today....but it I hope you can squeeze a little more in. Here is what else we did today.

After work....came home, and got the girls off to cheer practice (Go Eagles!!) then went for a 2 mile run. Came home and busted out a little work out.

3 sets of Bench press x10 reps

3 sets DB overhead press

3 sets 1 arm rows

throw in some shrugs, curls, push ups, and 200 crunches ( cause I want those 12pk abs) and call it done.

I realized no one was home and I had an hour to kill so I fired up the car and headed to The Lube. Why ruin all your hard work. I was running at 6pm in 85 degree heat, drenched in sweat. Here is a tip....you can still sit at the bar and not drink alcohol. Order up a nice refreshing ice tea and enjoy a lovely Cincinnati evening while watching the Reds suck.

Ice Tea = $1.50

Tip to not have Steph the cute bartender hassle you to drink at her bar or ship out=$7.00

1 hour without the family to watch the Reds and the drunk hillbillies=PRICELESS

Head home and throw down 1 grilled chicken breast, some romaine lettuce and Parmesan cheese, put the girls to bed....read tales of a 4th grade nothing with Claire and explain to Cora, why she cannot have a cell phone for the 900th time and here I am talking to y'all! How can it get any better. Drink a big glass of water and head to bed. After you deal with email from all of your West Coast clients where it is still only 6pm and they are just getting back to you.

Every excuse you had for not losing weight.....I just overcame. What is your problem!

Talk to you all tomorrow.......omelette's for breakfast!!!!

The Problem with Success

2009-08-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a problem that I have run into on occasion with diets in the past and was starting to happen this time around.

Once you experience success on your plan and people take notice and congratulate you, DO NOT THINK YOU ARE THIN!!! Yes, I lost 70lbs, yes I lost 6 inches in my waist, etc, but I still weigh 276 pounds! I am far from skinny. I have gone from Big Dave to Medium Dave....but there is still much work to be done.

Don't get me wrong. I am happy to have come this far and there is an amazing differenece in the way I feel, act and approach life in general, but I am still fat. Just not as fat as I was!

Do not get caught up in your success! I don't know what my goal weight is. I am not really stopping at a number. I am just looking to be healthy, and maybe buy a pair of fancy jeans! But as the last couple weeks have taught me, I have about 20 years of bad habits to break, and while I have been good for the last 6 months, it is very easy to fall back into those bad habits again. This is not a quick fix. If you want this to work, You have to keep working at this everyday.

Its Lunchtime!

2009-08-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ok....I was bad and forgot the lunch I made for myself so we get a special Wendy's "Treat" today!

2 Grilled Chicken Wraps with no Honeymustard sauce and an Ice Tea ( Unsweetened of course!)

Just wait....there are 18 almonds coming my way later this afternoon for a snack! And don't forget another delicious protein shake!!

Good Morning

2009-08-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Monday morning like a protein shake!

1 TBS Peanut Butter

2 Scoops protein powder

1 TBS sugar free apple sauce

Water, crushed ice...throw into a blender.....

Yum.

And of course some coffee.

Have a good day!

Time to finish what I started!

2009-08-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

First off...welcome to my blog. Secondly, you must have something better to do than to read this!!! I am using this blog as a way to record my thoughts and motivate me to continue on this journey. If I happen to help, inspire or entertain someone along the way, even better.

It is time to finish what I started at the beginning of the year and lose the rest of the weight that I want to lose. While I still have been working out and eating fairly well, I have been "enjoying" the summer a little too much the last few weeks and the weight loss has stalled out. It is amazing how fast you can fall back into old habits.

So...starting Monday it is back to the diet. Thanks to all of you have have been encouraging me along the way, your support keeps me going! A lot of you have asked for tips on what I have been doing. "Whats your secret?" The answer is simple. There is no secret....when you eat right and work out, you will lose weight. You can't take a pill, drink a juice, stand on your head 3 times a day and bow towards Rally Burger and think that you will lose weight. The ONLY way to do this is to change the way you think about yourself and the food you eat. The ONLY way to do this is to eat less and workout more. Period end of sentence.

That being said, I am going to post what I am eating and the workouts that I am doing. For those of you at home who would like to follow along, knock yourself out. Just know, I have no formal training in this, or anything for that matter, all I am doing is posting what has worked for me and things I have learned along the way. Hopefully it will work for you. Hopefully you will not fall over dead. If you do fall over dead, do not sue me. I don't have much that I own outright anyway. The old line of "check with your doctor" applies here.

So stay tuned for random thoughts and some ideas for some pretty bland meals. But if you are trying to lose weight, I hope for the both of us that this works!