Cutting the fat

I love food.

My body on the other hand doesn't seem to agree with me.

Checking the scales the other day, I weighed in at 215 pounds. The most I've been since late August of last year.

Not a good sign.

To make matters worse, the 215 pounds is 16 pounds over what I weighed just four short months ago on January 1, 2008.

Obviously something has changed in these past four months... but what?

Two things.... Diet and Exercise.

Or more specifically, total loss of any dietary boundaries... and a dramatic decline in anything even remotely resembling physical activity.

Sue me, I got lazy.

Of course I can drop these 15 pounds in no time flat, but I'm worried what happens when I hit 200, do I yo-yo right back up to 215 or do I actually have the will power to win the battle of the bulge?

My end goal is one day to be able to take my shirt off at the beach and show off my great beach body... I'm a long way away from that goal right now, so I've decided a better short term goal would be to concentrate on my diet and exercise habits and look to make vast positive improvements in both areas.

Starting with my diet, I found a website this morning called FitDay. The site, which has a free online service helps you track the foods you eat as well as a variety of other little goals such as weight loss, calorie intake, calories burned... etc. etc. It's a free program so it's pretty basic, but for what I'm trying to accomplish, fancy isn't necessary... just need something to track my results.

The second thing I did was to involve a friend in the accountability of my weight loss. She doesn't have to keep on me about losing weight; I just simply decided I'm going to send her a chart each week that tracks my weight, waist line measurement, and my BMI. Once again, something small and simple, but something I think will provide big results. If I keep sending it, it'll be motivation to continue to post results, and to get in better overall health.

Unfortunately the fat I already DO have is in the worst possible place for a guy. The abdomen. While your looks suffer from the fat around the belly, what's actually worse is what we can't see when we look in the mirror. Excess belly fat is known to be a huge factor in increasing your odds for a litany of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, arteries blockages and premature death.

That doesn't sound too cool.

So I need to drop those pounds. For my looks, for my health, and for the future.

After all, the last thing America needs right now is another pale, out of shape, (clinically) obese guy blogging away behind a computer screen, right?

Yeah, I thought so too.

Highlight of the week?

Goochland can be a boring place.

Shocker right?

Anyways.... Maybe that's why I'm not surprised to have my boss come in from a mid-morning mail run proclaiming that the highlight of his week is "running to the post office and checking our mail box".

Of course I'm sure he was being just a slight bit sarcastic, but it got me thinking... what is MY highlight of the week?

Do I have a set highlight each week, or is it a constantly changing event that makes me smile just a bit more than everything else that happened those seven days?

After some close self introspection, a mere 20 seconds of thinking, and one extremely satisfying turkey sausage biscuit, I've come to the conclusion that my highlight of the week is an ever changing thing. And I'm totally cool with that.

Take the wonderfully delicious turkey sausage biscuit I just had. So far, that meal was the highlight of my week.

That sounds pretty pathetic right?

Nope, not to me.

That little biscuit just provided me with more happiness than any other event I've experienced this week... and you know what? I think that's completely normal.

If the small things in life can't also sometimes be the very best moment of your day; then what's really the point?

Sure, the big moments in your life (wedding, first child, retirement) can all be the highlight of your week, but I think its just as important to recognize that some of the best moments in our lives are those small, deeply personal moments that we’ll never forget.

I think if we all just took a little time to enjoy the mundane, the everyday routine… we’d all find little joys that are big pick-me-ups during the stressful work week. And really, who wouldn’t want that?

So take time to cherish the small joys in life, they just might be the highlight of your week.

Awesome

Just filled up the Civic today... not only did I get the pleasure of watching my car waste vast amounts of my hard earned paycheck as it refueled, I also got this pretty picture out of the whole ordeal.

Awesome.

Must love coffee

Thought of the day: The first thing I need to look for in a potential girlfriend is her love of coffee.

An odd request for sure, but if she can't appreciate a good cup of coffee, what good is she to me?

I must admit...since taking my job with the Mechanicsville Local my love of coffee has reached dizzying new heights. The news room is filled with coffee addicts; each one looking to get their precious fix as the morning turns to afternoon, and hard deadlines come and pass. I joined the rank and file sometime during my second week of duty.

I never really planned to become addicted; although I suppose no addict ever really does. Yet somehow, try as I might to resist it, the seducer in the pot by the sink drew me in with her strong aroma and unforgettable taste.

It’s been nine months now, and I see no end to my addiction in sight. I tried decaf but it’s just not the same. Nothing gets me going like a good cup of coffee in the morning.

Come to think of it, what is exactly wrong with me having an explicit love affair with coffee? It won’t leave me for another, it will always meet my needs, and it never lets me down. In a way, coffee is the perfect mate. And no perfect mate will be complete in my eye without a love of coffee.

That’s not too much to ask… is it?

The Weekend ends... and I'm still standing!

Long weekend. Some good, some bad; heck most of it was bad but I did get some cool photos out of the trip to Nationals Park in D.C. Now if only I could have avoided the "talk" with a former flame, nearly running head on into a D.C. police cruiser and an awkward house party on Saturday night.

Here's a few photos of my friend Kat and I at the park on Friday, April 11, 2008.



Kathryn standing in the concourse of Nationals Park!



Our seats down the left field line!


Look at the massive scoreboard!


Although the Nationals lost, we were still treated to a cool fireworks display!

All in all, the weekend wasn't a waste, but it definitely would not be up there on my list of all time favorites.