End of week 1

It's the end of my first week back to eating healthy and working out regularly. Decided to give myself off today working out, but feeling guilty and might head in anyway to give myself that much of a help for tomorrow's weigh-in, especially since I know I can't get a real workout in tomorrow. It's the first weigh-in at work where we'll see how much we've lost. I weighed myself this morning, and while I had lost weight, I know that I'm retaining some water from not eating very well the past few days. A loss is a loss though, so I am not worrying about it. This is a competition, but just like on Biggest Loser, this is about changing your life, not just losing weight for a competition. That is just motivation...not the end result.

I thank God that I have found some new things to add to my list of things I like that don't seem like "diet food". I have always loved blackened chicken or fish, and I don't know why I hadn't tried that before. I looked it up, and found that it's easy! The recipe I found was a cinch and the ingredients I found for this version "blackened" was just the following:

1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
(I added another 1/4-1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper)
1 Tbsp olive oil

You get the spice mixed and spread on a plate, put the fish/chicken down on it, and let it sit for awhile. Get a skillet and pour the oil in it, and get it nice and hot. Then put the fish (spice side down) in the skillet and cook for about 3-4 mins. While that's cooking, I took the rest of the spices and put them on the unspiced side that's up. Then, flip the fish and cook another 3-4 mins. And you're done! I hate fishy tasting fish, so I prefer the tilapia's, mahi-mahi's, etc. Mahi is actually my favorite because it's more of a steak-like fish, with it usually being pretty thick and chewy.

Another thing that I've discovered is Hummus. I didn't realize that all hummus is, is squished up chick peas. Well I LOVE chick peas on my salad, and so I knew I "should" love hummus. I went to buy some in the deli section of my grocery store, and found that they had TONS of different kinds! I picked up two flavors..."Roasted Red Pepper", and "Spicy Southwestern". BOTH were amazing! The red pepper one was a little more bland tasting, but the southwestern one had AMAZING flavor! You can use hummus as dip for crackers, vegetables, as a mayo substitute, etc. Hummus is an AMAZING source of protein. You gotta be careful of the calories, so just keep an eye on that part.

Taking the above, I actually combined the two. I made some wheat toast and put the hummus on it, then made the blackened mahi. I ate it slow, and the flavors really complimented each other. Now, if only I could remember these types of things when I'm struggling to find something healthy. Usually my creativity is the hardest to find when it's dinner time. ;)

Biggest Loser - Work Edition

I'm getting a bunch of people together for a Biggest Loser challenge at work. The goal, to lose the biggest PERCENTAGE of weight. Winner gets a cash prize. I didn't want it to be all about the money though, and wanted to create a community of accountability, and so instead of just starting the competition and letting them go their own way, I'm scheduling weekly lunches to get together and talk, share ideas, tips, etc. Afterwards I send out an email to the group with notes I prepared and additional information gathered from the meeting. Here is email #1, in hopes it can help some of you:

There are many tools to connect with and help you on your journey. A site I showed the group today, and that I personally use is called www.DailyBurn.com. It’s a GREAT and FREE site (with a paid “Pro” added content version as well if you choose), that has MANY amazing things to help you with your goals, meal planner, daily intake, calorie counter, etc.

Tips:
1. We all know that watching your caloric intake is the biggest part to losing weight, but you also need to REALLY pay attention to your salt/sodium intake! A trainer once told me to focus on keeping it around 600-ish mg’s of sodium per meal…so around 1800-ish mg’s a day.
2. Healthy snacks, and snacks to curb your appetite are hard to find, as we all like and don’t like various things. Try unsalted almonds. Just 12 of those will curb hunger. Also, for late night snacking, if you absolutely need something, drink a large glass of milk! It gives you nutrients, healthy calories, and coats your stomach and thus tames down the stomach acid that may be churning and making you feel hungry. Protein Bars are good once in a while too.
3. Make sure you are drinking enough water. Dehydration feels the same as hunger pangs, so make sure you take assessment of how much water you’ve had, before going for your healthy snack.
4. Chew gum or ice if you are wanting food but know you don’t need it. The act of chewing may help curb your desire to eat something.
5. “Healthy shakes” (ie: Smoothie King) are actually not very good for you. Sure, they give you lots of vitamins, etc, but they are almost always LOADED with sugar.
6. Sugar is OKAY…not sugar in the form of packets of sugar, etc…but natural sugar in foods (ie: fruit, etc) is OKAY right now in your diet, because again, caloric intake is the highest thing to be aware of (followed by sodium/salt).
7. Do whatever you can to workout. Just by changing how you eat you will drop weight, but adding any sort of workout at all, will DRASTICALLY help! We all have favorite shows we watch at night (*cough* Biggest Loser is on tonight…GREAT motivation! *cough*), so try walking/jogging in place, or doing jumping jacks, etc, during commercials.
8. You’ve heard to not eat after a certain hour at night, well that’s kind of true. You should not eat four hours before you go to bed…or better yet, don’t eat bad if you know you are going to do nothing the rest of the night.
9. Try eating reverse sized meals…instead of eating a small breakfast, larger lunch, and then big dinner, eat the reverse…big breakfast, normal lunch, smaller dinner. That way you have a better chance at burning more calories that you’ve eaten throughout the day.
10. Focus on having at least 5-6 meals a day…your normal meals, and then a small snack between meals (maybe a hard-boiled egg, unsalted almonds, etc…something more protein based…or some fruit). A protein shake is a great meal-replacement, or snack. You can get the ready-made stuff you just pour, or can save money and buy the large bags of powder you just mix with water/milk. Great over ice!
11. KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL!!! How can you TRULY tell how well you’ve been eating if you can’t sit down and look at actual numbers. Sure that meal may have been small, but how many calories was in that steak…those fries…etc. There are many paper/online methods.
12. I subscribe to Runner’s World’s, “Daily Motivation” emails. It’s a daily quick sentence or two to help motivate. There are many sites like this, and many apps I’ve seen on the iPhone for this type of thing as well.


Software:
iPod Touch/iPhone users: There is a free app for the DailyBurn site, as well as a cheap app called “FoodScanner”, where you can scan the barcode on the food you’re eating and it automatically adds it to food journal for the day. This then syncs to your DailyBurn.com account, for an easy one-stop-shop website to track how you’re doing. If the food you’re eating doesn’t come up, you can input the information manually on the app, and then when you save it, it’s there for you and anyone else who comes across that food in the future!
Windows Mobile/Palm/Blackberry users: Sorry, I didn’t have enough time to find something for you, but I do know that DailyBurn was at least in the process of getting apps for your platform as well! If you know of any kind of app, let us know!

So there you have it. That was what we talked about this first meeting, and we didn’t even get to the real parts I wanted to. Each Tuesday we’ll meet and go over our victories/struggles we had for the week (if you so choose to), discuss things we’ve found that could help others (using Ms Dash spices vs salt – they have 10+ kinds of Ms Dash…Garlic, Onion, Chipotle, Lemon, etc), and other things that might help us. Even though this is a competition to find the Biggest Loser of the company, "we’re all in this together" (thank you High School Musical), and I want to see us ALL succeed! I have things planned for individual/team competitions throughout these three months, so I hope you’re excited and ready to lose with me.

And lastly, please spend time with the Father, as well as keep all of us in prayer. Being totally honest here…food has always been my “drug”, and for those like me, we all know that food is just as addictive as smoking, drugs, etc. So, let’s cover each other, and keep Satan at bay, so that we can give ALL the glory to the Father and show the world what He’s done through us, and how He’s broken these chains!

Not my proudest moment by far.

Gonna be real with the people who read my blog. I've hit rock bottom with my weight again. I knew it was time to turn things around, but I just lost all motivation. Well, the motivation is back, but I can't really hit it hard due to Dr's orders to not push myself other than on a stationary bike, because of the inflammation in my chest. I'm praying that I can get back on track and drop the weight just by eating better and doing the bike most days until I can really step it up and start running again soon.

I upgraded to a Pro account on the DailyBurn site. I had been using the free version, and some iPhone apps they have for a while, and I was deciding on signing back up on the Biggest Loser account again, but this DailyBurn site is about 1/12th the price, and with the economy and us trying to save money, I went that route. I'm done with this weight. I let myself gain almost all of my weight back, even though I know I gained about 10 lbs of the weight enjoying food and making myself sick of the bad stuff the past couple weeks, since I knew I'd be starting it all back up today.

I told myself in the past that it was okay to enjoy the holiday foods, and it is, but I let myself enjoy them TOO much, and it started my eventual slide back to gaining weight. This year, I am purposely starting my eating healthier during the holidays because I need this change, and this was a sure fire way to test my resolve. I know I have it in me to do this. I just need to use/find some people around me who can support me when I get down, and not turn to all the junk in my house. I want to be a spark for my family again, to start turning to healthier alternatives, and not the junk that we turn to. It will be hardest for me during sporting events, and family gatherings, when the food is just sitting there, or when I normally would turn to food for stuff to pass the time (like during sporting events).

Food is like a drug to me. It's my comfort when all else is going crazy. Unfortunately, it's that way for most of my mother's side of the family as well, so maybe I can inspire others. Who knows. I just know that it's possible, and I want it!

I thought about creating a personal blog to jot this journey down for myself, but I decided not to. If you care to read about this journey, read my entries. If not, skip over them. I'll share my struggles, my triumps, and anything else like I was doing initially a year ago. Thank you all for being there for me.

Here I go again! Thanks for coming along with me on this weight loss journey.

Video Friday!

Here are some videos of the past week. Keep checking back, as I have about 4 or 5 to upload!


Pre-ride vid of "Tour de Houston 2009" & the KSBJ booth from Erik on Vimeo.


Post "Tour de Houston" - 20 Mile ride thoughts from Erik on Vimeo.


"Tour de Houston" sponsor alley...KSBJ booth view from Erik on Vimeo.


Evel Knievel, WATCH OUT!!! from Erik on Vimeo.


Angel vs. the Window from Erik on Vimeo.

I be trainin', foo!

I just got home from my first pre-triathalon workout. That's right, you heard me...I'm going to be in a triathalon! Granted, it's nothing huge like normal triathalons, but you know what...it counts for me and B. And yup, you heard me right again, B is gonna do it with me! She actually heard about it from a Dr she works with that does tri's all the time, and she got inspired to sign up so she has something to work for. I loved that she enrolled me with her, so that we can push each other and work on losing these last few pounds we want to shed. The details of the triathalon are as follows...a three hundred meter swim, followed by a ten mile bike, and finishing with a 5k run. As I said, I just got home from my first workout towards the triathalon, and I decided that I wanted to try the bike/run portions. I didn't kill myself on the bike, since it's been years since I biked, but I finished the 10 miles in 41m 50s. Not horrible. I then got a quick drink and hopped right on the treadmill. I ran the first mile, but then ran a 1/4 of a mile, then ran 1/4 of a mile for the rest 2.11 mi. I finished my run/walk of 3.11mi with a time of 39m 34s. Again, not horrible. My mile time was horrible since I hadn't ran in a few months, and since I just biked ten miles, but I'm happy. I didn't kill myself, because I didn't know how to manage my energy, but I have a better feel now and think I could shed some serious time. We'll see how I feel after I do the swim next time. Next time I'll do the swim/bike portion and see how I feel.

Now, I need to talk to some friends who have done triathalons before, get some answers to some questions, buy B & I some bikes, and a few other gadgets to complete our necessities for our first tri. Wish us luck, and keep us in your prayers that we don't kill ourselves in the training process! HA!

Spicy Lime Tilapia & Pepper Stir-Fry

I said in the past that I would try to throw some healthy recipes that I really dig on here, and I have done a horrible job of doing that.  Here is one that I really like, that I found in a Men's Health magazine last month.

Spicy Lime Tilapia

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp red-pepper flakes

2 cups lightly packed baby spinach

12 asparagus tips

2 tilapia fillets (3 to 4 oz each)

2 scallions, sliced

2 lime quarters

Salt & pepper

 

How to make it

To make chili oil, combine the olive oil and red-pepper flakes in a small bowl and microwave it on high for 30 seconds.  Set it aside.  For each serving, lay an 18-ich length of aluminum foil flat on a work surface and arrange half the spinach and six asparagus tips in the center.  Place a fillet on top, and top the fillet with half the scallion pieces, half the chili oil, and the juice from a lime quarter.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fold the foil up and over the food, crimping the edges closed and creasing the sides to form a tent.  Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  Makes 2 servings.

***Alternative to the above:  Since I don't like eating spinach like the way this recipe calls for, I'll make a small salad with that spinach.  And if you don't like the asparagus made this way, feel free to grill it separately with some "I can't believe it's not butter" spray, or steam it for about 3-4 minutes.  

 

Nutritional Info

190 calories

25 g protein

5 g carbs

9 g total fat (1.5g sat fat)

135 mg sodium

 

Pepper Stir-Fry

What you’ll need

1 tsp olive oil

2 bell peppers cut into 1/2” squares

1 clove garlic

½ tsp red-pepper flakes

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

 

How to make it

Heat the oil in a medium pan on high.  Add the peppers, garlic clobe and red-pepper flakes, and sauté until browned and blistered lightly.  Add vinegar and cook for 2 mins.  Season to taste.  Makes 2 servings.

 

Nutritional info

60 calories

1 g protein

9 g carbs

3 g fat (0 g sat)

3 g fiber

5 mg sodium

As you can see, you can have the entire meal and heck, even eat both servings and still only top out at a surprisingly small 500 calories!  All that food and you're still about 1/4 of the calories of just ONE Big Mac sandwich from McD's!  If you don't like fish, don't worry, tilapia is a very non-fishy tasting fish.  And as always...get your fish from behind the counter, not the freezer section.  If anyone tries this, feel free to let me know what you think, as well as any suggestions on changing it up a bit, all the while keeping it healthy!

True Lemon

I found this at the Y when I was working out a few weeks back and forgot to mention it. If you like lemon water...no, not lemonade, but the kind of lemon water where you squeeze a lemon wedge in your water, check out True Lemon at your local grocery store or online. It comes in a packet that looks like a sugar packet you'd see in a restaurant. One packet handles a huge glass. I put in two for my 32oz water bottle. It's been yet another option that I put in my arsenal of ways to lose weight. You still get your water, but it's not the same boring no-flavor water. It has helped me many times when I've wanted something other than water, or when I have craved a pop or something else.

Nutrition Facts (per packet):
Calories - 0
Fat - 0
Sodium - 0
Carbs - < 1g
Vitamin C - 25% daily value

So as you can see, there are no negatives to it! Well...unless you don't like lemon in your water.

Sunday Morning

Gustav predictions are still fuzzy, but it looks like it's pointing towards New Orleans again. Those poor people! At least with it being a long holiday weekend, and with how preparation procedures have been drastically changed since Katrina, everyone has been given a lot of time and warning to get ready and get out of town in that area. There have been many reports showing how people have been bussed out of town to shelters farther inland since Friday. And from what I've seen and heard, it's been very civil and orderly, with no issues to report. That's nice to hear that the people of that area aren't going through what they did last time. Since it's too early to tell where Gustav is definitely going, we're still going to get ready in case it takes a turn West like some people are saying it could do. Today we'll pack a suitcase with clothes and necessities. I'll throw some food and other items in the car if the reports say it's coming this way. Some reports are saying that it could hit land, and then circle back around and head West as well. So, we're not out of the woods yet, and we know we'll get plenty of tropical storm rain if nothing else, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Gustav keeps going up and down as far as category...it was a 3, then it ramped up to a 4, and now is back down to a 3. And don't forget the two other hurricanes that are coming afterwards...Hannah, and some other one they haven't named yet. B and I are both critical/emergency employees for our respective jobs, so that means that unless our bosses say "go", we have to be onsite when they need us to. Last time when Rita hit, KSBJ was the only radio station on the air, so we were a voice of hope and reason during the horrible conditions that came through. And with B being a nurse, she definitely is needed during this time. Unfortunately, if this all happens like that, then that would mean that we'll be separated during this ordeal. I would take the kids, only because I think our building is safer, and plus, if we're both needed, I would have a little more time to help take care of them...not to mention more people the kids would know and be more relaxed around.

How about some non-hurricane talk now?!

I received some partially bad news on Friday. The MRI I had done last week on my back and shoulder showed that both will most likely require surgery. I will be speaking with my Dr whenever this hurricane thing passes, because he wasn't available when I called and so I spoke with his assistant. She said that my shoulder shows a partially torn rotator cuff, a large bone spur, and lots of inflammation. My back shows three slipped discs (that's no news to me, as I've had those slipped discs like that for about 10 years), a large bone spur, lots of inflammation, and something else she said (I apologize I can't remember what she said it was) that made me think cancer, but she said it wasn't. She said that I needed to talk to my Dr to get the full explanation, since she isn't a Dr, but has looked at enough MRI's to tell a bit about what she sees. So, again, when this hurricane stuff gets over with, B & I will head in and get his opinion. I don't want surgery if I don't have to, but I have done a lot of things for my back and it's been 10 years. My shoulder is more of the same, except I had surgery and it was pretty good for a handful of years and only lately in the last year or two has it been giving me fits again. Just would like to get rid of or lessen the pain, ya know?

Yesterday, I completed phase 1 of cleaning our garage. That consisted of organizing, trashing, and moving everything in the garage. I completed about 90% of it. The only thing left to do is have B go through the boxes that are left, to see what else she is okay with getting rid of to clean up even more room. What plans do I have for the garage you may ask? Well, I have dreams of cleaning it up so much that I could use half as an actual garage, but those are far fetched dreams. We just ahve too much stuff that we need to store, but not enough storage room for it. So I'll settle for plan B. Use half for storage (hopefully not a full half), and then the other half for my workshop/workout area. The workout area is there already, but I want to put it on the other side of the garage, which it will be once B & I go through the last of the boxes. After going up to Iowa this last time and seeing that I'm the only one on the Roos side of the family that doesn't have a shop, I finally said enough is enough, and it's time to learn it. I'm super pumped too! I'll take pics and show updates as we go.

Yesterday went really well concerning the garage cleanup, but then after I was done, the pain set in. My back is killin' me! Last night I tried ice. No help. This morning I'm trying a heating pad. It seems to help more, but still hurts too bad to do much. Advil didn't touch the pain earlier, so I'm trying ibuprofin. Alieve is usually my drug of choice for pain, but we're out. On top of that, Braden has diarhea and Jaelyn is puking a bunch. Poor Avery is gonna be leaned on something fierce today.

The workouts have been going really well. I burned 1000 calories in a workout on the elliptical machine this week because "I just wanted to see if I could do it". I also then started running on a track instead of a treadmill, because I wanted to get outside instead of looking at the same tv/wall that I see at the Y. So, after my first five minute warm-up walk, I started to run. I ran my first two laps and said "what the heck, let's see if I can do a mile". I did it! It was in nine minutes, but I was able to do it. Not fast, but not slow (at least in my eyes). Now, my buddy Doug from Iowa, and I are going to keep an online spreadsheet up to date with our progress. This way we can push each other and try help each other get up there in running. Who knows, maybe some day we'll run a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon together later! Getting in shape was tough to do mentally in the beginning, because I had hit my lowest of lows, and even though I'm not where I want to be physically or mentally, it's so fun to see where I started and where I am now, as well as where I am planning to go!

Well it's time to wrap this up, because Evan is dying to sit on my lap and he keeps hitting buttons while I praying he doesn't erase this post (as he's done in the past). Have a great rest of the long weekend. Pray for the people in the path of this hurricane.

God bless.

Milestone, baby!

I worked out for 65 minutes on the elliptical machine this morning. I wanted to try and hit 1000 calories just to see if I could do it. I hit about 900 and ran into a wall physically. I didn't think I could honestly make that last 100, but I told myself that I wasn't going to give up this close to my goal and I did it. Once I hit that 1000 calorie mark, I actually almost broke down in tears. I was smiling from ear to ear, and felt overwhelming emotion, and just lost it. Man, what a day! Milestone #1 to see how far I've come. Amazing.

Ft Lauderdale, baby!!!

I was right, I was right, I was right!

Ft Lauderdale was the destination that B had surprised me with last Friday morning! We arrived at the airport, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer, telling me just as we got out of the car and started to head into the terminal. I was blown away! And it was so cute to see how excited she was! We were both glowing…getting this chance to get away from our beautiful children for a few days. Love them to death, but momma and daddy need some time to relax and focus on each other and that’s it for a few days once in a while. We get date nights once in a great while, but I don’t think the last time we had longer than a night alone was since our cruise that we took six years ago. SO, we were due for this time away.

The flight went smooth, our luggage arrived with the plane (unlike our last trip to FL), and even though our cabbie drove like a bat out of hades, we made it to the hotel in one piece, and ready to really get the vacation started. We pulled up to the most amazing hotel I think I’ve ever been to. It was the Harbor Bay Marriott. It was amazing! We checked in, put our bags in our room, then went on a discovery mission to see what the hotel had to offer. First of all, a good sign was that we saw it had it’s own Starbucks! It had lots of gift shops, FOUR restaurants, it’s own private beach that was HUUUUGE, a very nice pool, and an amazing staff that made you feel like you were a king and queen. B wasn’t sure if it was a four or five star hotel, but I think we both agree that it didn’t matter…it was a five in our books! If I ever get back to that part of the world, I wouldn’t hesitate staying there!

Originally, B had planned on us going parasailing, or getting some jet ski’s. We even were “that” close to getting tattoos, but just couldn’t decide on what to get (we wanted to get matching ones), to help make the trip more memorable. When we didn’t do any of that, she said that she was bummed a bit, because she wanted it to be more special for me especially. I told her that the trip was PLENTY! Just getting alone with B for a few days was exactly what I had wanted. Anything more was just a bonus. We didn’t do much besides sit out and soak up the sun by the pool, or by the ocean. With how crazy our lives have been lately, that was just what the Dr ordered. We brought some books, and both knocked out a few while we were there. It was so relaxing!

Our 11 year anniversary was Saturday. It was the only full day we had at the place, so it was nice to at least have our anniversary being that way. We went to "Riva", one of the really nice (aka expensive) restaurants in the hotel for dinner. I was pumped because I wanted to have an emmaculate dinner to show my baby how much I loved her. We sit down and find out that while they do have food they can serve, that night they were putting on a buffet. I felt cheesy taking my wife out to a buffet for our anniversary meal, but once we got to the buffet, that all changed. They had NY strip steak, tons of various pastas, exotic cheeses and salads, and don’t get me started on the desserts! We both agreed it was perfectly fine to enjoy “this” buffet on our anniversary meal! HA!

While eating our meal, we saw that they were finishing setting up for a wedding outside on the hotel’s main deck. We snuck out to a gazebo a few hundred feet from it and watched most of it. It was a beautiful sight to think of the memories that couple were making, and it made me reminisce of our day 11 years ago. It may have only been in a small church in Denison, IA, but it was just as amazing. People, I am the luckiest man in the world…no question about it. I married the girl of my dreams, and I am in love with her more now than I EVER was back then. It’s hard thinking that I thought I knew what love was 13 years ago, before B came into my life, and 11 years ago when we were married. It has grown beyond love to something I can’t even put words to, because of the love I have for her. She wells up my heart with happiness!

Sunday came, and we were bummed because the vacation came to a close. The hotel let us check out, and then roll our account with them to another kind where we could still get food/drinks/etc and bill it to that, and still allowing us full use of their facilities since our plane didn’t leave until 5pm. We sat out at the pool for the last five hours we had before we had to leave…and got fried. B wasn’t happy with the tan she was getting, so she bought some tan accelerator, which then promptly fried her.

I really tried to eat “decent”, and try new things while on this trip. I ended up only gaining two pounds based off my weight last week, so I was more than okay with that. I drank many a pina colada, and my new favorite sandwich is a blackened mahi mahi. YUM! I tried some seafood that I have no clue what it was. It was rubbery and very chewy, so after the first bite was done, I didn’t go back. We hit “Bubba Gump Shrimp” and I personally thought it would be decent-at-best food, but we were both blown away with how amazing it was! I recommend the place to everyone! It’s mostly shrimp, but they have other stuff as well.

The beach scene is something I think B and I could definitely see ourselves in. I never really thought I’d like to live to Florida, what with the hurricanes coming through there all the time and everything, but after this trip, yeah, I could “manage” it. We both said though, that if we didn’t have a beach front house, it wouldn’t be something we’d do.  LOVE THAT OCEAN!!! The wind was so perfect, that you barely felt the heat. So it was comfortable to lay out all day and not feel like you’re roasting (until the sunburn anyway).

On the way to the airport (in which we were driven by the hotel in their very nice Town Car), the driver said that Steely Dan (an old rock group that I remember liking from my youth) was staying there the same time we were, and the group Aerosmith demand to stay at that hotel whenever they are remotely close to the location. I’m glad they weren’t there this weekend, because I would have never seen B! HA! We got to the airport very early. We misjudged timing of everything, but it was okay, as we could just sit and relax and wind down. B took a little nap while laying on my lap, and I finished up my last book. Then we hopped on the plane, and reality began to creep it’s way back in the closer we got to H-town. Seeing our kids (and my mom) made it easier to be back to reality though.

I honestly don’t know what could have made this trip any more perfect. Thanks B, for surprising me with such an amazing trip! I pray we can feel the waves, and smell the coconut suntan lotion for a long time to come.

And remember, I get to do the surprise trip next time!

Here are some pics... (make sure to check B's blog for more!)

Eagerly waiting to dive into the waves. Check out the shirt (IOWA GAMES 3on3 REPRESENT!)

Paradise part 1

Paradise part 2
View of the pool from where we sat the last day.

These are some things that they use for shade. Didn't know why anyone would use them until I got my sunburn. Then any shade was heaven!
The view of the hotel from the beach.

The main walkway view to the pool Alone with the love of my life. Nothing but us, the beach, and the wind.

Goofballs!

Servin' up the calories.

This morning in the gym, I wanted to really push myself. I want to try and break the 50 lb mark before B & I go on our mini-vacation for our anniversary. On our elliptical machine at home, it goes up to lvl 8. At the Y, it goes up to lvl 20. I usually sit on lvl 15 when I do my workouts, but I pushed it to 17 today, and even maxed it to lvl 20 for three minutes. UGH! Three minutes may not sound like a lot, but it was! I burned over 625 cals on that machine, then ran on the treadmill for another 100 cals! I straight ROCKED it today! Good workout, good workout!

More health news

I give blood every now and then, but have been really trying to do it every three months the last few quarters. This past time was the first time I gave since I started losing weight. My highest cholesterol level was 252 in January last year. When I gave blood in January this year, it was down to 237. So, I was down, but not really due to me trying. I heard that a cholestorol level over 200 is horrible, which made me really focus on eating oatmeal for breakfast as part of my cholesterol fighting agents. After giving blood two days ago, my cholesterol is now down to 198! I might live a long life after all?! We'll see. Gotta keep getting it down, to lessen the chance of a heart attack, etc. Just wanted to share the good news.

Big Milestone!

Quick post for you all...

It seemed as if I was hovering in the 30's...meaning a weight loss somewhere in the 30's. Well, this week I finally broke through! I'm now down a total of 41 lbs!!! FORTY ONE!!! I don't remember the last time I weighed this much (or less)! I'm only 3 lbs from losing 44 lbs which is half of my goal weight loss number! So, for those that are lost, here is a quick recap...

Starting Weight: 328
Goal Weight: 240 (That's an 88 lb goal to lose)

Current Weight: 287

Maxed Out!

I did my 40 min workout on the elliptical machine last night. I have gotten it up to the lvl 6 resistance (out of 8 lvls). Last night after about 20 mins or so, I was realizing it was easy for me already, so I popped it up to lvl 7. I didn't notice much of a change, so I bumped it up to lvl 8 and finished my workout at that lvl! So I maxed out my elliptical machine on the highest level for 15+ mins and felt I could do the same setting the entire time next time! That is amazing! I used to do the elliptical machine on the 2nd or 3rd setting, and would get frustrated that it would tire me out. When I first started on here in January, I hadn't used the elliptical for a long while and so I couldn't do it for more than 15 mins on the lvl TWO setting. I was saddened and horribly frustrated at how far I had fallen. B can attest to that fact as she saw me break down that day.

Now I am addicted to working out, hate it when I miss a day, and am blown away at how fast I was able to get to that highest level! I don't know what I'll do in a couple weeks when I have comfortably maxed it out for the entire session, and 40 mins isn't enough. If my B is working that day, and my oldest is keeping an eye on the baby and his other brother and sister, I hate that I have to have him do that for 40 minutes, even though I want to add another 10 or so. Any suggestions on what to do? I feel that a health club membership might actually be my only route. Don't know how I can manage that though, money just too much. Our church does have a gym/workout center that looked really nice when I went there last night for a soccer coach's meeting. And with it being a one time fee of like $10 or so, it might actually be the route to go. Actually, now that I'm reading this, it makes sense to be the only route to go if I have to go that way. It's farther to drive though, which stinks, and I'm not sure about childcare. I'll have to ask.

On another note, I'm no doctor or anything, but I've heard that losing weight and eating healthy foods instead of junk/fast foods will help you think more clearly, and as for my situation, I definitely agree that it has! It's been amazing! It's still only baby steps, but I feel my memory is increasing, and I feel way more energy to just move around more. Loving this! Hope you all are too!

Ch ch ch chaaaangeeees

I finally broke the 300 lb barrier, on my weight loss journey! I honestly don't remember the last time I was under 300 for more than a week or two. It's got to be around 5 or 6 years ago, if not more. I'm glad I carried it well enough to hide the fact that I was ever that big, but now I want people to see me as even better than that! I am down to 299 lbs! I am on the last notch on my current belt! I really am watching my sodium intake, and with my weight loss stalling for the past few weeks, that's the only thing I can think of that helped me lose 8 lbs this past week. That, and the three hours of painting I did with B on Thursday (my website said that I burned over 1000 calories that day...yes...one THOUSAND). And also, my group on BiggestLoserClub.com challenged each other to add 10 extra minutes of cardio each day, so that equals another 100 calories that I burn each day. Working out is getting to be less and less of a drag to do, and more and more of a fun thing to do. I always looked forward to doing the workouts, but more of a way to lose weight. Now I'm looking at it as a way to keep getting healthier. To me it's a more positive thing, rather than a workout. Thanks for all the well wishes from everyone. I can still use all the positive reinforcement that you want to give!

Glad I didn't throw away old clothes!

I'm on the last notch on my main belt, and my two favorite pants are getting really big on me. My favorite few pairs of shorts are no longer able to be worn without a belt. My shirts are feeling roomier. Good stuff! My overall weight loss seems to have slowed down (down 21 lbs as of last Saturday), so it's nice to see a change in clothing loosening up!

This week at work, my duties for 2008-2009 have already been assigned. I've got some HUGE projects. My main project is to totally redo my company's Active Directory structure and upgrade us to Active Directory 2003. Before that though, our DNS structure is out of whack, so that's my main project right now. I need to upgrade our Anti-Virus system to the new version that just came out. I need to install a web filter for the company soon. And I need to finish my inventory system that I started to put in place late last year/early January. I moved offices as well, so I'm learning to find places to put all my junk, in a size half as big as my previous office. My new office is a huge room that I'm sharing with Brent (my IT Manager) and then John and Don, our two engineers. It'll be nice once we get all moved in and some things set up. I'll throw some pics on here when we're finished. I found out that we'll also be moving to the new building when the buildout is finished in early 2009. That will be cool! First time I'll ever have a job in a place that was just set up with new furniture, etc. We're going to totally redo our server room, and make a big server farm, taking over a couple adjoining rooms next to our current one. We'll knock down some walls, make some new doorways/paths, and get self sustained AC in there to help keep the servers cool. That will be cool to see as well.

Today should be a fun one. Meetings in the morning, meetings in the afternoon. A few people from work want to go out to eat, so I'm going to try and push for Subway, so I can get a turkey/veggie wrap! Mmmmmmmmm Good! I've got to set up a couple computers, and help one of our remote radio stations with a computer issue. Hopefully I can more finish my office a bit as well. Too much clutter! Maybe some people will want some of the stuff I have, and I can get rid of it that way. I'm a minimalist, but when I got my own office a while back, B wanted me to take all the stuff we had lying around the house and put it in my office! HA! Speaking of B, she's been wanting to paint the inside of our house in a few rooms, and she decided this week is the time to get started, so that's her big thing she wants to do this week. We picked out the color last night, and so I pray she just doesn't overdo it today, and let's me help more when I get home.

Well, it's time to get to the grind. Word to your mother.
E

Week 3 weigh in & weekend fun

Saturday mornings are my official weigh in day/time. This week's results...down two more pounds. It wasn't anywhere close to what I wanted to see, but it does bring me to an even 20 lbs lost so far. It's nice, if nothing else, to just see that I'm under 310, and in the single digits of the 300's (308 to be precise). Still, I worked out a ton, and ate really well (B's sick of me checking the biggest loser website...ha!), and so I expected to see like a 4-6 lbs loss. I figured it was too early in the game to see such small numbers already. After talking to B and the couple ladies that are in my group on the BL website, they all agree that there will be big and small weeks, and to focus on other things (inches lost, muscle gained, energy gained, etc). I think I feel the other areas coming on, so I'm not as sad as I was this morning. I did decide to indulge a bit for dinner tonight. I had an extra helping of Belinda's goulash that she made, and had some swiss cheese. Tomorrow, it's back to the rigorous eating. Hopefully going to work out in the morning, then maybe church, and maybe take the family and do some small shopping (if B is up for it), up in the Woodlands area. Don't know why, but just felt like that would be a fun outing.

Okay, getting really tird. Evan hasn't slept well this past week, but last night he slept the entire night, yet got up at 6am. I love that I'm starting to like to sleep more. I feel regulated more and more in that area, but wish my back/kidney area didn't hurt. Stupid slipped discs.

Tax money came back and is already spent. Pay off our two small credit cards, then put the rest away in savings. We plan to use part of it to fly back to Iowa in August (so we don't have to drive AGAIN).

Alright, getting sleepy. Gnight.
Erik (it's only freaking 7:25pm)

Down down down, Cholesterol goin' down!

I've been giving blood off and on since I got down here in Houston. I figured I really need to start doing my part and donating more. I have "A+" blood type, so I can help a lot of people I guess. One of the cool benefits of the Blood Center of Houston is that they have a website where they analyze your blood and put the stats on your own website. My cholesterol has always been high, but when I saw last time that I had hit 250+, I was a little wigged out. Well, I just checked and now I'm down to 238. Down 12 points, baby! This was all before I really started eating better (focusing on heart healthy / cholesterol killing oatmeal for bfast most mornings) and working out. So I wonder what it will be when I can go again next month! I can't believe I've not had any interest in my health until now. It's actually fun to see you get healthier by looking at the scale, cholesterol numbers, etc. I pray God allows me to reach my goals and then to live many years longer.

Time to finish getting the kids ready for school, and to figure out what to have for breakfast today.

God bless,
E

Watchin' weight and basketball

For those of you that don't know, I've finally bucked up and have started to eat better, work out, and generally take my health seriously. I'm not going to continue to eat horribly meal after meal after meal...being "blind" (ie. ignorant) to the calories I'm taking in. I've been above 300 lbs for over 7-8 years now, and even 3XL shirts were starting to get small. I'd make excuses that the 2XL shirts I couldn't fit into were shrinking in the wash, or weren't "true" 2XL size. That may all be true, but I also know that I'm not getting any smaller, and since I hadn't weighed myself in a long time, I had probably gotten bigger. I (along with B) decided that were going to take back the health we deserved in '08, and so I weighed myself, then puked at disgust as the scale hit 328 lbs (already 1/4 of the way to 400! UGH!). I immediately started watching portions and working out, but fell off around a week and a half into it. I came up with excuses of being busy. Then, one day after watching "The Biggest Loser" (one of the best shows on tv because of just how positive it is), I decided to join the biggestloserclub.com. It's been amazing so far. If only for the recipes, food plan, and workout plan they customize per the settings you choose. They have tons of recipes, and while it's been a learning curve to cook healthy, learn to cook with alot of ingredients I didn't cook with before (at least from scratch), and to control my serving sizes to the recipe, it's been awesome in how I'm finally learning caloric intake, portion sizes and what they "should" be for normal people. I'm also getting motivation by having a cool website to log my workouts, and see the progress I'm having by the graphs and charts they show on there. It's an amazing tool. It costs monthly, and I didn't want to incur another charge for us each month, so I bit the bullet and quit my World of Warcraft account for now. It was tough! Right now though, I have no time for it. With working out, family time, and trying to get more sleep, I haven't had the time.

This brings me to my next point. My workouts have consisted to the elliptical machine (thanks again BLC.com for finally engraving the correct spelling in my head...HA!) 6-7 nights a week, for 30 mins, then some general workouts (crunches, pushups, etc). I put on ESPN, watch some college basketball (since the NBA is no longer on tv it seems!!!), then slap on my ipod shuffle, hit random, and go to work. I've been watching so much college basketball (or at least parts of the games), that I have a good idea how to pick my NCAA Tourney bracket with a real sense of knowledge for the first time in YEARS! It's also this watching, that has made me have some revelations about college ball this particular year. I don't know if this is a trend or has been going on for years. Here they are:

1. The NCAA has about 3 elite teams (UNC, Kansas, and Memphis), another 10 good teams, and then the rest are mediocre at best. The top three are just so good that it will shock the heck out of me if one of them don't win the championship. They look like men among boys.

2. Besides the top 13-ish teams from above, no other team I've seen really has more than one good player on the team. Indiana's Gordon is just SICK! The guy will be a high round pick next year along with Hansborough from UNC. But back to my thought...seeing those teams with only one good player is hard to watch because they do what we used to do when I'd play ball at Urbandale back in the day with my boyz. We had this dude named Chris who was amazing. We'd get him the ball and just clear the lane and let him do his thing. We lived and died by how he did. That's what I see with those teams.

3. If the team doesn't have a clear go-to guy, they look like trash. I can't count how many teams I've seen look like junk this year. Totally disorganized and out of any rythm at all. I've only seen ISU one time this year, but they looked the part when they saw Kansas last week. I feel really bad for those teams when they look that bad. It just kills me how even though they're playing a good team (like an elite team of Kansas playing a bad ISU team), the bad team is still in a prominant league, so they should be getting some decent talent and have a decent coach, yet they look like an 8th grade team going against a varsity one. It's just sad. Not picking on ISU, because it's been happening alot. Even when it's two mediocre teams going at it, like Penn State and Ohio State last night, it was super hard to watch the game.

4. This all brings me to my last point. Unless the best player on your team is a center, and the focus of your team's attack is heavily weighed on your center (ie. UNC's Hansborough), the center is not used at all these days. I can't tell you how sick I am of seeing the center work his tail off to get position down low, have the ball rotated to his side, and then the guard throws it back around, not giving the center a chance. Every guard in the NCAA thinks they're trying to be the next Wade, Lebron, etc, and so they try to take on the other team 1 on 5, and end up screwing up and throwing the ball away, turning it over, or missing the shot. That leads to the team being horribly disorganized, because unless you are of the caliber of a Carmello, then you can't take the team 1 on 5. That also leads to the team taking 50 3 ptrs, and only making about 10 a game. Why do coaches not see that? How are you an NCAA coach, and even if your big man sucks (which makes me ask then, what is he doing as your center? height doesn't necessarily make a center...skill does), why are you not throwing the ball into your big man, let him try to open up the outside for your guards to shoot, or take a 15 foot jumper? It blows my mind. I had a few years where the teams I was on did this exact thing. I used to be pretty dominant in my day. I still am, but I've lost a step (editor's note: but it's coming back ya'll! gettin' in shape so I can ball again too!). But when we'd have a game where they would forget that they have the biggest guy in the gym, and can get them 15-20 pts a night, and instead miss 15 straight shots outside, I would get ticked. I'd just stop hustling. I'm not going to kill myself down in the paint, getting double and triple teamed, if you're not going to pay attention to matchups, or at least get the ball to one of the open guys. I see that in the college game, like I said, and it blows my mind on how the coach doesn't get his guys to wake up, use the center, and then their shots will open up outside. Basketball Philosophy 101 - the game runs inside/out...NOT outside/in. I'm not saying the center needs the ball every time down the court, but look how open guards are when the ball gets thrown in the post most times and kicked back out. Stan and I had that game down PAT! Man, I miss lunchball.

There, I've spoken my peace.

So, to bring us full circle. With me watching basketball, working out, and eating better, I'm down 21 pounds. I'm down to 307 last I weighed (last Saturday). I'll try to post at least each week on how I'm doing weight-wise, so you all can keep track and keep me accountable. I welcome any comments, or good wishes periodically to help keep me focused.

Have a blessed day, and lets cheer on those centers! WOO HOO!

E