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