2008 - Week SEVEN Update

Weight Today: 328.6
+/- Since last week: -5.4
Total Loss Since MAXIMUM DENSITY: 89.4 lbs
Total Loss This Year: 10 Lbs

So I am headed to Houston today on business so I weighed in a day early and KNEW I was having a good week. I am really happy with this past week. My nutrition was very good and I made it to the gym three times for both cardio and weight training. My motivation is getting better as the spring approaches, time to come out of hibernation mode...

Tomorrow my grandmother Liberty goes in for surgery. She is having a cyst or a pollyp removed from her intestine or colon (not exactly sure) and will have a lenghly recovery time. She's 89 years old and I can't recall her being in the hospital ever (my memory is not as sharp as it used to be) and has always been healthy as a horse. She's a strong willed woman and I am sure things will go okay but I know she's got to be pretty nervous. I've tried to reach her and my dad a couple of times today to visit a bit but no luck, so we'll try again later. Please send prayers for her successful surgery and recovery as well as prayers for the doctors and surgeons who will be working on her.

We picked up our new Travel Trailer on Saturday and we are all really pumped to get out and do some camping this year. We are looking to make a trip to the Black Hills as a big trip and many, many small trips throughout the season. We got a 30ft. grey wolf with a slide out so we are really STOKED. No more primitave camping for us... :-)

I am headed to the airport now, we'll report in again later. Wish me luck in the nutrition phase of my plan as its always harder when your on the road to eat like you should. One thing though is that I plan to work out each night while I am down there. No going out and partying since I gave up drinking for LENT...

Fight the Fat and Keep the Faith...

B

2008 - Week SIX Update

Today: 334.0

Just a quick note to let you know how the week went, we'll post more when I have more time.

Headed the right direction and thats really what I want to see each and every week. I did a pretty good job with nutrition last week but TERRIBLE working out, as a matter of fact I only did one cardio work out last week and nothing else.

We're all still fighting the CRUD and that makes it even harder to motivate BUT none the less. Alyssa is home today sick and had a fever all weekend.

Since I gave up drinking for Lent I haven't missed it, maybe there is still hope for me yet. :-)

Fight the Fat and Keep the Faith

B

2008 Week 6 - Mid Week Update

As far as my weight goes I think I am finally turning the corner and expect a good week this week. I've got a few things ironed out and we'll see where we are on Monday...

Fight the Fat and Keep the Faith

B

Power of the Word

I hadn't been to Boys Town lunch time mass for probaby over 6 months at least. There was a time that I was going there pretty regularly and I really miss the service and the setting. I added more mass as a Lenten promise but I plan to continue on after Lent and go often during the week.

It's really a special place and a very, VERY spiritual setting. You can feel the spirit as you walk up to the doors of this church. You cant help leaving with a little extra bounce in your step and going on Wednesdays is a great way to break up the week and usually by Wednesday I could use a boost from the Holy Spirit.

One thing that makes it more special is when MSGR. Dunne presides over the mass. This man is the most genuine and holy man I know. His passion and pure LOVE for the Lord is clearly evident EVERY time he does the mass (actually every time you hear him speak or visit with him). Many times he's brought to near tears as he does the Eucharist. I've heard many of my Catholic bretheren call him a "Living Saint" and I definately can't argue that position. Its a GREAT blessing to hear him and just to be in his presence. I had the opportunity to work a CEC weekend where he was the spiritual coordinator a few years ago and it was as AWESOME of an experience as I've ever had. (more on cec down the line). As he was speaking I knew I was supposed to be at this particular mass at this particular time. He talked about "Mastering our Sins and Conquering our Pride". WOW, that hit me right in the MOUTH, he was speaking DIRECTLY to me. I'm totally clear now on a few things that I need to work on to become a more spiritual person and I'm so very glad he made it clear to me. Sometimes my "human-ness" gets in the way and makes things a little cloudy. If you ever get the opportunity to go to mass at Boys Town and hear MSGR. Dunne you'll not forget it. He's old now and has been in poor health off and on the past few years but I think GOD still has a plan for him and thats to speak to people like me.

Keep the Faith...

B

2008 - Week FIVE Summary

Today - 335.2 LBS

You know sometimes you bang your head against the wall and it actually hurts. Now, I know this isn't easy and I know I wont be perfect in my quest BUT I think sometimes your body simply gives you the finger and says it will be "MY WAY" not your way. Last week I did cardio twice to the tune of 50 minutes and 12 miles, I had 100 calories LESS a day on the average and 16 Grams of FAT less a day on the average but yet STILL managed to gain a half a pound. I swear that scale has a mind of its own. I felt I spread my eating over 5 different periods of the day and expected a little reward for my "better than LATE" focus. 2200 calories a day was my count this week as comparted to 2300 last week. According to everything I have ever read a guy my size should be able to lose on that amount of calories simply by the amount of calories a day it take to "RUN my body".

I've take some time and looked at some history and it appears to me that my water intake is down and my caffine intake is UP. SO, this week we'll go with decaf and more water. We'll also try REAL hard to make a day 2000 calories and 4 big cardio workouts and go from there.

I think my body LIKES where it is right now. This is basically where I was from 1986 to 1996 roughly so maybe this is what they call a "Set Point" which means harder work and MORE focus to crash through this darn thing. Like I've said before my goal has never been to be a 200 LB man, hell I'd look like BLADE at my height but I'd sure like to maintain myself in the 265 - 270 lb area.

PS: NO pancakes this week either...

Keep the Faith and Fight the FAT.

B

Who's healthier???

I got this email from Bob today and thought I'd share;

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION - Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

:-) - B

ASH Wednesday

As this LENTEN season kicks off I can't help but reflect on where I am spiritually right now. The last several years has been a roller coaster spiritually, the CEC weekend and my conversion, my mom passing, various illnesses and deaths, temptations and general acceptance of my humanity. I can honestly say I am not where I wish I was at this point in time but I am in a much better place than I could have imagined even 10 years ago. I'll expand on those items in later posts.

The verse kicking off the Lenten section of http://www.eten.com/ reads as follows. "Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. (Joel 2:13)".

That verse really hits home with me, "return to the LORD" is something I always think I am striving for but in retrospect sometimes it comes off as LIP SERVICE with good intentions. (You know what they say about that ROAD and good intentions....) I NEED to strive to have a better spiritual life and ALL else will fall in place behind that. Common sense tells me this but sometimes its easier to make excuses and blame it on distractions. DONT GET ME WRONG HERE, just because you go to church more than the next guy or read the bible more than the next guy DOESNT make you a better Christian, BUT it does give you the OPPORTUNITY to become more SPIRITUALLY FIT. It all boils down to your heart and your relationship with JESUS.

Lent is always a SOLUMN time and sometimes that gives me concern. You see, if it weren't for the LORD being crucified and rising from the dead for our SALVATION we'd be doomed. In a way shouldn't it be a celebration of THANKS? More on that down the line...

In the tradition of sacrafice I am giving up DRINKING for Lent, attending at least one extra mass during the week and will read the Gospels. (Going to be a bit more of a challenge compared to my usual sacrafice of giving up RAP music and spinich :-) )

I've rambled enought for now. May you Lenten season be all that you need it to be.


B

Great Cardio Workout

So, I went to the gym at our office yesterday afternoon a little hesitant of what I may realize. When I initially started this battle with the bulge back on January 8th of 07 I clearly remember hitting the bike in the gym here and having a terrible time getting 5 minutes in at a 10 MPH pace. My stamina eventually increased and was getting pretty good at it. Including our 20 plus mile rides on the trails this summer.

I ONLY hoped I hadn't slipped too far since I really had not done much of any structured working out since september. I was plesently surprised and happy with what I was able to do. I did 22 minutes at a 15 MPH pace and probably could have gone another 8 minutes SO, although I slipped some I feel great that I wont have to come all the way back. YEA, go team...

We'll do it again this afternoon.

2008 - Week FOUR Summary

Not much to report this past week. Trying to shake off the SICKNESS I had and still feeling real tired and worn out with some congestion. I have decided to go on the wagon for February and passed up all sorts of alcholic indulgences this past weekend. Got to get into the GYM this week and start to change my mentality and make sure things start getting done.

No change in weight this week. 334.8 again this morning.

Keep the Faith and FTF - BC

My Local Hero

What a great story. Omaha man John Lapitz has lost over 600 LBS through diet and exercise alone. He sounds a lot like me with his obsessive compulsive tendancies. :-) What pain and suffering he's been through, nobody can quite understand it until you've walked a mile in his shoes but I give him credit, he's made it work and he's kept it off. This article is from 2006 but they had an article on him in the http://www.ketv.com/ today so that made me look a little deeper.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/686634/omahan_john_lapitz_weighs_less_than_onefourth_of_what_he/index.html

I may send him a letter or try to find an email for him... We'll see...