Well, that definitely wasn't good for the waistline

Well, like I mentioned on Friday, I was dreading "Happy Hour". This mostly weekly gathering is a smorgasbord of cheese, crackers, cookies, doughnuts (a first actually), and other things to bust a waistline. I had all intentions of being good. Unfortunately I failed miserably.

It started with a little cheese and crackers, then they had hot wings. Having had a little turkey and ham at Thanksgiving with no ill effects, I said I'd have one. That became two. Then 3. I think it was the fourth that did me in. After putting it down, I found myself outside ready to throw up (which fortunately did not happen). There were cake pops (delicious), and doughnuts. I went to bed feeling exceptionally stuffed.

As my body has been adjusting to waking up to work out, I found myself up at 5:00 on Saturday. So, as the family would still be in bed for another 2 hours, I hauled my butt to the gym. 20 minutes on the bike, 30 minutes of lower body. Felt good about myself, getting my workout in on a Saturday morning. Came home and made some breakfast for the family (Chocolate French Toast (yes I had a piece) for everyone and an egg white omelet with sharp cheddar, spinach, and tomatoes for me. Delish. Lunch at Ruby Tuesday was moderately good (salad bar, Thai-Phoon Shrimp), but dinner was BAD. The kids were at a "parent's date night" provided by our son's daycare, so we hit up one of our date spots. Walnut Salmon on Parmesan Risotto with Wilted Greens. Not bad, relatively smaller portion size, so I felt okay. Then our server mentioned coconut cake. I have to admit, I make a mean coconut cake. 6 layers, torted, with buttercream and toasted coconut. It is good. REAL good. So, I figured, I'm curious... let's grab a piece. The cake was tasty (not as good as mine), but the slice was HUMONGOUS. Definitely designed for 2 people. Mrs. P doesn't dig coconut, so guess who ate pretty much the whole thing, and paid for it dearly on the scale. This guy.

But, Monday morning rolled around and I was back at the gym. 20 minutes cardio, 30 minutes upper body. And today, I'm feeling good. I've really lost focus of how much water I should be drinking. The past week I've been living off of Diet Dr. Pepper. So, today, I have had more than 10 glasses of water as of this post. True, I'm heading to the bathroom every 15 minutes, but my cravings to eat are down and I definitely don't feel as sluggish.

Well, there it is. The start of the second week of working out/watching what I'm eating... fa la la la la la la la la.

Holiday weekend=bad for the waistline

Where to begin? Maybe the chicken wings that wreck havoc with my 4 month vegetarian stomach? Or the huge chunk of cake I devoured nearly single handedly? Updates and musings to come soon...smh.

Day 5!

Weight: 298.2 Wootness! I'm thinking I'm going to make Friday my official "weight day", although I am weighing myself daily.

DC was a successful trip. Met my new rep, a young guy who has studied art history abroad and had a really strong grasp on our products. Our old rep, Cpt. Apollo, will be missed, but I've got great hopes for the new guy. Very productive conversation over Spinach Quesadillas (heavy on the Spinach), rice, and refried beans.

Because my meeting lasted a bit longer, and I made an unanticipated stop, I didn't have a lot of time at Union Station before the trip back to Lburg. I did check out a tie shop and found that they sold adjustable bow ties. I have always loved the look and dare I say prepadelic elegance that is a bow tie. However, with the majority of my adult life with a size 19-20 neck, I've not been in luck for something that fits. The guy in the store got me set up with three, and even tied one on for me. Upon returning home, it hit me that I did not know how to untie it. (Don't worry, I figured it out).

While at Union Station I stepped out for a smoke (yes, I know I should quit), where I was approached by a young man hoping to bum a cigarette. Just FYI, I always keep Menthol cigs and regular cigs available (I'm an eclectic nicotine fiend). I offered a menthol (which I had in my pocket), and he turned his nose up. So, I offered him a Pall Mall (el cheapo but decent). He scoffed, but ended up taking one. WTF? Beggers can't be choosers. Sorry I didn't have your brand available, but I did give you a choice.

As the train entered into the station, I looked out the window to see Mrs. P and the monkeys waiting along the fence next to the tracks. There is nothing that is more awesome to me than getting picked up at an airport or train station. The happiness to see each other, the immediate hugs and kisses. Its a good feeling. The conductor was gracious enough to let me bring the kids on board to check it out. So, all in all good trip.

Great workout this morning. 20 minutes on the bike, 30 minutes of lower body (and rows, which I forgot yesterday). Still getting up at 4:00 am to get it done, but although I'm dead assed tired at the end of the day, I'm actually able to get up in the morning pretty easily. Lunch with Mrs. P and ORP at the local Italian joint. I'm going to do everything in my power to pass on the cheese pizza and cannoli. I'm thinking a hot veggie sub and salad might be in order.

TONIGHT, is a big problem though. Most Fridays, the family heads over to Happy Hour Lane where a group of friends gather for cocktails and hors d'oeveurs (god, I hope that's spelled right). Even when I'm on my best behavior, I still end up over doing it. I'm hopeful that I can withstand the power of chocolate dipped cream cheese/oreo balls. OH MY!

That's my story today. As tomorrow is a SATURDAY, I'm hoping to get to sleep until about 6:00 before waking up. But who knows, my body might be achin for a workout a few hours earlier. Gotta love 24 hour gyms.

Later!

JBP

Day 4...ugh

Greetings courtesy of Amtrak's wi-fi service. I left Lynchburg at 7:30 on route to Washington DC to visit with a subdistributor and hopefully an opportunity to finish up my christmas shopping. So, It's Day 4. Day 1 found me working out at home, but for the last few days I've gotten my carcass out of bed at 4:00 am to run down to the local 24/7 gym to workout. No real weight loss yet (Tuesday was a travel day which I kinda blew, particularly as dinner was a Christmas meal with my family), but I'm definitely feeling some muscle. For the past three days I've done 20 minutes of cardio (I normally do the elliptical runner, but the bike has been my cadio-du-jour the past two days) and I've done 30 minutes of weight training alternating between upper and lower body, and I'm sticking to the machines right now. I'm thinking when I slim down I might switch to free weights.Weight is still hovering at about 300, so nothing super exciting yet. But I have decided to start tracking what I eat and managing my calories. When I went vegetarian, I often ate "healthy" by getting a base salad from Chick-Fil-A and a large fry. Did you know that can set you back nearly 1000 calories. You wouldn't think so, but yeah. Not so healthy. So this morning I swung by McD's and grabbed a canadian bacon-less egg mc muffin and a hash brown with a large Diet. Lunch will be with my new rep with our DC sub, and who knows about dinner. I did see a vegan burger on the club car menu....I said I was going to post pics, but I'm a little nervous about doing that right now. True, no one even knows about this blog but me, but something about pics of me in my short shorts doesn't seem very hmmmm....public worthy.Anywhoo. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. JBP

An update

So, the past couple of months have been a bit of a roller coaster. Between traveling, doing a couple of shows, etc. remembering to blog hasn't been part of my daily routine. I'm going to try to do better.

At the end of August I tried my hand at veganism, and did pretty well with it. I lasted for about 6 weeks. No meat, no dairy, no chicken broth... the whole nine yards. While in Chicago, per a friend's suggestion, I checked out The Chicago Diner. AMAZING. Soy milkshakes, country fried tofu with gravy, burgers, cakes, pies. It was fantastic.

My wife has been vegetarian for years, and after seeing an article about Bill Clinton and his diet, I thought I'd give it a try. Well, after a month and a half, I decided to "cheat" a little and grab a cheese pizza. I've not been on track since. I like the way I feel when I'm eating vegan. I feel more energetic, lighter, and better. But cheese is addictive, as is butter. But I might share some vegan recipes along the way. I've developed some nice vegan alternatives to some of my favorite soul foods. With the exception of Thanksgiving Day (when I had a little turkey and ham), I have been pescatarian for the past few months. I'm not huge on the labels, I'm eating what I feel like eating, and I haven't really felt like I've NEEDED red meat or poultry.

But the reason I've come back to the blog, is that I've recommitted myself to working out and eating right (in the midst of the holiday season). Today, I joined a gym and I'm going to start moving again. And I've committed myself to lose 33 lbs before my 33rd birthday, which is 50 days away. Yes, it's going to be tough. No, it may not be realistic. But I feel like I need to set a goal for myself, and this has a nice ring to it. Over the past few months with my vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian lifestyle I dropped down to about 285 before slowing adding 15 or so back, so I'm hoping the first 10-15 fly away pretty easy (its the way it tends to work for me) and it'll be the 20ish pounds that are gonna be the uphill battle.

SO. Today, December 12, 2011 I weighed in at 300.8 lbs. I worked out to the Biggest Loser DVD for about 20 minutes and ate egg whites with brown gravy and toast (don't knock it if you haven't tried it) and had fish tacos for lunch. Dinner is some homemade potato soup I made yesterday that tastes amazing! Tomorrow, I plan better, I eat better, and I start working out at a gym. Carpe Diem!

Will probably start posting some pics as well tomorrow too. Not for you, but for me. To show the world that I want to change my life and am committed to doing it.

Later.

JBP

Whoops

Okay, so it's been my intention to post at least once a day, if anything just my stats for a record. But there's been a lot going on at home and a lot going on at the office. So full update in the morning, complete with stats and musings. But for now, sleep. Gonna try a 5:00am walk tomorrow.

Weigh In

So you've got to love the 2nd day after a "gorging". Down to 298.8. Under 300!

Last night for dinner I came home to Laura wilting spinach and garlic, sauteing up some asparagus, and roasting red potatoes. She was kind enough to run to the butcher shop and picked me up a 1/4 pound of ribeye, tenderloin, and sirloin that had been ground together. I made 3 patties, sprinkled them with some seasoned salt and garlic salt and out to the grill. They were DELICIOUS.

I woke up this morning and popped in the Biggest Loser and did about 25 minutes of cardio. Breakfast was a McDonalds Egg McMuffin. I'm having lunch with a friend, so I'm thinking a grilled buffalo chicken tenders salad, and then for dinner, Mexican with friends. Probably looking at a 1/2 order Fajitas Texanas (no tortillas).

There you go. No major words of insight or anything, just a little glimpse into the day. Now back to work.

Testing

Just downloaded blogsy for my iPad. Just checking this out.

Workout 8/1

My first official workout. I'm teasing with the idea of doing Body for Life exercises (decreasing number of reps with increasing weight, with a power burst at the end). Today, I did the decreasing reps but not the increasing of weight. I worked out Saturday (to prime myself) and I am SORE today. I made it through ok. So this week I'm lifting MWF (upper body, lower body, and upper body) and T Th and Sat, I'm going to do cardio. Hadn't quite made up my mind what kind of cardio yet. I'm also thinking I'm going to start walking in the evenings. We live in a great neighborhood for a leisurely stroll.

Food wise has been interesting today. Yesterday I felt the need to gorge myself (cuz I'm going to be good tomorrow, right?) Steak and Eggs with toast, then Ruby Tuesdays Salad bar with Mini-Burgers and then sausage, pepperoni, and fresh mozz at a local pizzeria. I woke up this morning feeling bad and actually not hungry at all. I snacked on some almonds through the morning (no more than 300 calories worth) and then for lunch had a vegan chicken salad (from EarthFare Food Store... amazing stuff) sandwich and two vegan chicken nuggets. My wife is a vegetarian and I am a fierce carnivore, but I have to admit the texture and flavor of these soy nuggets are amazing. For dinner, I've asked Laura to run to the butcher shop (sending a vegetarian to a butcher shop, I know right?) to ask them to grind 1/4 lb of sirloin, 1/4 lb of ribeye, and 1/4 lb of tenderloin together for me. I'm thinking with a little seasoned salt and garlic salt, a "triple steak" burger should be amazing with some wilted spinach. We shall see.

Some stats

Okay. So this is a little embarassing, but for the record, I think I should post some stats.

Height: 6'2 (at 32 years old I'm hoping that I don't have another growth spurt)

Current Weight: 304.2

Shirt Size: 3XLT (although I'm squeezing into a few 2XLTs here and there)

Neck Size: 20"

Jacket Size: 54L

Pants: 44 (they are feeling a little loose. Can get into a 42 here and there)

Where I've been (back at my lowest weight of 227) and where I'm going.

Shirt Size: XLT

Neck Size 17.5"

Jacket Size: 44L

Pants: 34

Five years in the making...

Hi. I'm Jeff. And I think I need to lay down a little backstory. Bear with me. It's going to be a long one. Since graduating High School, I've put on a little weight. First it was the freshman 15 (actually more like 25) in college. Then it was 30-40 lbs before getting married. Through my first 5 years of marriage, I added 50 pounds to that total. And then we had our first child.
It was about this point, that my snoring had gotten so bad that my wife was actually scared. It had been intense for years, so intense that we had spent the majority of our marriage in separate bedrooms. But she told me that I had to go to the doctor and get this checked out.

So I did. Now, I deal with uncertain situations by joking and talking. I mess with the nurses and joke with the doctors as a defense mechanism. I always have. Of course, as a proud papa of the most beautiful girl ever born, I was bragging and showing off pictures of my little Olivia. I was told my blood pressure through the roof and that she was almost certain that I had sleep apnea (keep in mind, at this point I was 27 years old), but, and I'll never forget this, she told me: "If you keep this up you won't see your daughter graduate high school."

Talk about the floor dropping from beneath your feet. Sure, I knew my weight was bad, but seriously? I wouldn't be alive in 20 years? It was a slap in the face and the motivation I needed. I left the doctor's office sobbing, and pulled into my local greasy spoon, ordered my regular meal (greasy burger with egg and relish, bowl of chili, and coke, followed by a piece of pie), and said that my life changed now.

And it did.

I started at 341.1 lbs. At first, it was 10 lbs down, then 20, then 30. After about 3 months I was under 300 pounds for the first time since I'd been married.

I tried to maintain a diet of about 1800 calories a day, and every morning around 5:30 I popped in my Biggest Loser DVD and me and Bob would have about 20 minutes together. And the weight just kept falling off. Soon we learned we were going to be parents again (a little more stamina I suppose?!) and by Thanksgiving of 2006 I was down to 275. By Christmas...260, my birthday in January 250. As my wife's stomach grew with our child, my stomach continued to shrink.

In May, I hit my lowest weight: 227 lbs for a total weight loss of 114.1 pounds, and I maintained that weight loss (give or take 10lbs or so) for about 6 months. The first thing to go was the exercising. Getting up a couple of times a night with a screaming newborn was not conducive with waking up at 5:30 to get a workout. Then I started eating a little bit more (and worse). Nothing major. An extra slice of pizza, a bacon cheeseburger and fries for lunch. I had always allowed myself a free meal a week when I was losing. Pretty soon it became a 5 free meals a week. But by Christmas (and a year and a half after I had started my journey, I was still looking pretty good, and sitting pretty at about 240-245. Something I felt comfortable with.

Then I quit smoking.

I started justifying eating as an excuse for not smoking... "I've lost weight before, I'll lose it again". By April of 2008 I was back up to 260. By Fall: 285. My skinny clothes kept getting pushed to the back of the closet to make room for my old clothes. By 2010, I'm back up to 350 lbs, where my weight settled back in.

Fast forward to Christmas 2010. I've had a wonderful time with my parents at a charity Christmas dinner followed by a Christmas lunch with my grandmother's family. For some reason, I spent more time (and good time) with my Mom, then I had for awhile. Early Monday morning (Dec 20th) I go out of town for a sales visit, get home, change into some sweats and tell my wife that I'm headed down (to MY bedroom that I'm having to sleep in because my snoring's gotten so bad again) to go to bed, and my phone rings. Mom's on her way to the hospital and things don't look good. I throw on an overcoat and head to the hospital. By Wednesday we are forced to say our goodbyes and she's gone. Her death, in part, was caused by her weight. She died with me, my sisters, and my dad holding on to her. I vowed then that I would not allow my children to go through that pain with me.

I lose 30 lbs and life starts to get in the way again. Burgers at lunch... Pizza for dinner....

Then a dear friend's son-in-law has a heart attack due to weight related issues, and he leaves two teenage kids and a wonderful wife behind. I'm not so bold as to assume that these events are related to me. But what other kind of wake up call do I need? Families are suffering much like I have suffered through my own loss. It's time to get back on task.

Over the past 2 months I have watched what I've eaten and I'm now down to 304.2. To help commit me to this goal of losing 100 lbs, and getting to a weight in which I should be fit, trim, and healthy I'm making my journey public. I'm going to share my weight, what I'm eating, what I'm doing, and how I'm feeling. Let's see how this goes.