No great revelations tonight...

Short post tonight dear "Watchers". I was asked to join my friends Justin Farren and Kerry while Justin played for an hour from KDVS, a local college radio station in Davis, Ca. It was loads of fun and justin got a lot of callers requesting this song or that. Justin was even kind enough to sing My theme song and mention the web site. That's right...my first radio plug. *makes motion of polishing finger nails on lapel* I even got to sing back up harmony on the "No you don't know me" part. Pretty exciting.

Anyway, between my workout and my 15 seconds of radio fame I'm plum tuckered out! So......I sleep!

G'night folks. Or G'morning depending... Tomorrow I'll tell you all about my new Vitamins!

June 29, 2006 meals and workout

Meal 1: nothing

Meal 2: Grilled chicken Sandwich w/ light mayo and mustard, lettuce and whole wheat bun

Meal 3: I ended up not eating my second *Chicken Burrito* that I had saved from last night's dinner so I ate it for the third meal today

Meal 4: 2 small apples and a peanut butter sandwich on 2 slices of wheat bread

Water and Vitamins

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Workout:

First circut:

Inclined crunches w/ 10 lb weight: 3 sets of 10 reps
standing barbell press while doing 6in step/ alternating legs: 3 sets of 12 reps (this kicked my ass)

Second Circut:

inclined push-ups: 3 sets 12 reps
standing forward bends from the waist w/ 20 lb dumbell in each hand, pulling up barbells while bent at waist: 3 sets 10 reps

Treadmill: 15 minutes 2.5mph

A Jacket for All Seasons...

So I wasn't sure what I was going to write about today but I remembered something that Buchilala (Nick) said about wearing a shirt in the swimming pool. This got me to thinking about all the silly ways we try to hide our weight if only to make ourselves feel better.

For me it was always my chest. My chest has been my biggest cause for discomfort since I first started gaining a lot of extra weight. For lack of a better term I developed uh, man boobs...how's that for honesty? (and now everyone I know is going to be staring at my chest going...oooh yeah...man boobs) I hadn't really noticed until my freshman highschool gym class started swimming. I hadn't really given it much thought before then but you know how kids in high school are all about physical image...well it became clear very quickly that my body shape was unacceptable. I remember my first attempt to mask the problem consisted in always standing with my shoulders hunched over a little and constantly tugging at my shirt so that it didn't cling to my chest and give away the shape of my body. As I got larger I started walking around with my arms crossed all the time and started blocking people off if they got too close. I believe that this is where I started developing my discomfort with physical intimacy. From there it went to layering, tugging and arm crossing and from there it went to wearing a jacket all year round. It didn't matter how hot it was. Whether I was inside or outside. My jacket was always on and you would have to fight me to get it off. Of course this was sometimes unbearable. In my town it can get up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit during the day in the summer. I can't tell you how many summers I spent killing myself just to hide a few extra pounds. I even went so far as to wrap ace bandages around my chest...and other methods that I still don't feel like going into. It was horrible for a long time but if it gave me 1 moment's comfort I was willing to suffer through it.

About 12 years ago I decided to do something about my weight once and for all. (at this time I think I weighed about 370) I started my own diet and exercise program. I would only eat one large meal a day. I went home from work every day and did 100 sit ups/ lifted weights for 45 minutes and walked a mile to two miles every night. In about 5 or 6 months I had lost about 100 pounds and I felt great. I stopped covering my chest all the time and I was able to give up the jackets. I got a social life back.

I'm not sure why I started gaining all that weight back but I did...and then some. Over the next 10 years I would balloon up to 528 and that's I find myself today. Although the odd thing is as I gained the weight back I completely gave up on the whole cover my chest thing. I got so sick and tired of being hot all the time I just said to hell with it. I will admit, however, to wearing button up shirts exclusively until recently when I couldn't find any that fit me without having to order through a catalogue. Now mostly I wear these soft waffle knit shirts that I found...like the red one in my pictures. I have started to wear bright colors as my self esteem improved over the last couple of years (that's something that I had been working on for a while before I met all of you fine folks).Before that I used to wear nothing but Khaki pants and denim shirts....booooring!

I guess I figured... a couple of extra layers aren't going to hide anything. The world isn't fooled. I still look fat but now I'm just fat and hot! Screw that! I guess my point is. Sometimes we kill ourselves to hide our flaws when in all reality no one really sees us as we do and if they do we're probably just drawing more attention to ourselves by hiding. It took me a long time to realize this but I started to gage my own reaction to people my size and I realized that people will always notice our weight...it's an unavoidable fact but think back to the last time you met someone large...how long after you started talking to them did you even dwell on that fact. I would venture to guess...not that long. People tend to have short memories for things like that...your inner strength and personality can win out. I know it sounds simplistic but it's true. And if you happen to come upon someone who does dwell on your weight and can't see you for the person you are...is that someone whose opinion really matters to you anyway?

Just a thought...gonna hit publish before I realize what I just wrote... ;)

June 28, 2006 meals

Meal 1: it's hopeless

Meal 2: KFC grilled chicken Salad w/ italian dressing (lettuce, tomato, grilled chicken)

Meal 3: Chicken burrito (tortilla, chicken, salsa, lettuce) cup of black beans and scoop of rice

Meal 4: unknown/ I may have the left over chicken burrito that I took home from the restaruant

Vitamins and Water (started mew vitamins today/ will go into detail in tomorrow's post)

no work out today

Theme song part 2 & "go ride a bike"

I figured out how to post the little video thing for my theme song on the blog so more people can get to it easier!

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So, on to my main topic.

Since I started my journey to fitness I have been listing things that I'm looking forward to being able to do again when I reach my goal. Some of them I'll be able to do before that time and some will take longer. But, for the most part these are things that I miss out on because of my weight. For instance...I forget what my feet look like...ok not really but you get my drift.

The one that I've been really thinking about lately is...riding a bike. aaaahhhhhhh yeah! Riding a bike. I haven't done that in years. I used to love it. I had a great bike and I rode that bad boy all over town. Not only that but I used to be really into Photography...I acctually did it for a living for a while. I shot the society party pictures for Sacramento Magazine for about 2 years. I had once expected photography to become a career. But, like with a lot things we like we find that doing them for money diminishes our enjoyment of them. Also why I'm no longer a professional male model. I still walk down this make shift runway I built in my garage...got little flashy lights on their runners and I crank up the techno and strut my ample stuff...the fans are gone but I still hear the cheers...i still...*sniff*

Oh, sorry..where was I? Ah yes. Bikes! I would take out my bike and my camera and just cruise around. You see so much more of life that way...I really do miss that.
My city is great for bikes. Several bike trails. Two rivers. Second saturday of every month all of the galleries open their shows for the month and people come out in droves to walk through the gallery sections of town and view all the new art. It's good to ride down their, chain up the bike and walk.

My plan is to start looking for bikes that can support aprox 270 pounds so that when I reach that weight I can start riding again. I know that even at that weight I'll be pushing the boundries of most bikes support capability but I really want to get out there you know...

Anyway...if anyone reading this has some knowledge in this field and has any suggestions on what brands or styles of bike I should start looking at I would appreciate your input. It's still a while off but it never hurts to research and start saving...

June 27, 2006 meals and workout

Meal 1: skipped

Meal 2: Grilled skinless Chicken Breast sandwich from KFC w/ lettuce, Tomatoe and light mayo

Meal 3: Togo's Large turkey sandwich (My normal config.)

Meal 4: skipped

Cheat: 1 scoop of rainbow sherbert in plain cone (damn those Togo's/Baskin Robbin's combonation stores!!!)

Water water water, Vitimins

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Workout

Stretching + knee lifts for one minute for warm up

1st Circut: standing forward bends from the waist: 3 sets 10 reps
standing forward press w/ minor resistance: 3 sets 15 reps
siting to standing squats: 3 sets 12 reps

2nd Circut: standing pull down (weight unknown) for upper back and shoulders: 3 sets 15 reps
standing barbell curl w/ 20 lbs each hand/ lifitng oposite knee (alternating knee) 3 sets 20 reps

Treadmill: 15 minutes

Are you ready for this?!!

Ok folks...here it is as promised. I don't have anywhere to store the mp3 online so I tossed a couple of pictures into a bad slide show so that I could make a movie file...all so you could be the first to hear my new theme song! It's goofy as hell but it rocks none the less!

Watch My Loss!

Soooooo? What do you think? :0)

Lyrics, music, guitar, bass, backing vocals and recording by Justin Farren
Drums, pots and pans, backing vocals by Brian Rogers

June 26, 2006 meals and workout

Meal 1: Protine shake

Meal 2: peanut butter and 2 slices of wheat bread, 2 small apples

Meal 3: Togo's Turkey sandwich (same congifuration) on wheat

Meal 4: bowl hearty chicken soup w/ veg and 2 slices of wheat toast

Water, Vitamins

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Workout: Treadmill 1/2 hour 2.0 mph (1 mile)

How many people have a Theme song?

Show of hands?? No one? Only me?? Hot Dang!!

I mentioned in my post a couple of days ago that I had been asked if I would consider doing a weekly podcast but I hadn't made up my mind. Well, over the weekend a couple of friends, Justin Farren, whom I've mentioned and Brian Rogers, got together and recorded a theme song that Justin wrote for me! Swweeeeeet! I got me a Theme Song! Now I almost have to do a podcast!


Justin singing some harmony!


Justin checkin' the EQ...errrr sumpthin'


Brian and Justin addin' a little country funk with some ole pots and pans

Brian throwin' some of that sweet voice on the mic!


I must say. I have some wicked talented and generous friends and I would not have the strength to take something like this on without them and all of you! Everyone reading this should know that I thank and appreciate each and every one of you!

Now...about that song. I have a copy but it's not the completely mixed version so I'll promise I'll post it for you to hear as soon as it's complete. Hopefully within a couple of days. I think it's the funniest thing ever and I know that you're all going to get a huge kick out of it. Damn I can't wait to share!

June 25, 2006 meals

Meal 1: I'm just not cut out for this morning stuff!

Meal 2: Togo's Turkey Sandwich (my normal toppings)

Meal 3: Can of hearty Chicken Soup w/ 2 slices of whole wheat bread and 2 cellery stalks

Meal 4: half cup raisins and some pretzles

Water, Vitamins

I know it's a bad habbit to form but It was so hot today I didn't have the energy to go do treadmill. I did take a walk around our block for about 15 minutes but that's all I had. I will make it to the gym tomorrow and i'm thinking about adding a couple treadmill days to my gym schedule...we'll see. I just wish it would cool down a little. It's been over 100 degrees for days!

My Kingdon for a Sturdy C _ _ _ _!!

Ok, so here's the deal. When going out for an evening there are several things you have to take in to consideration. Things like: what show are you going to, where should you eat, who gets to drink and who gets iced tea all night so both of you don't end up doing something inappropriate in the back taxi on the way home that shows up 2 weeks later on www.CheckOutTheCrazyShtThatGoesOnInMyCab.com. Yeah...you know who you are!

Other than that you are able to set out on a nice evening (hopefully Taxi free). You get to the restaurant and you're seated on time. Your food is great and you are out of there in time to catch your show! Of course, the show was amazing. It was that movie that had that actor you like so much running from that radioactive creature...you know the one spawned from that toxic waste spill at the toy shop?? A purple dinosaur on a rampage singing childrens' songs and eating the flesh from tourists in some futuristic meropolitan city...

Damn! I tend to ramble! Ok, The point I'm trying to make is, that beyond the normal prep most people are able to enjoy an evening out without too much difficulty. Guess whose nightmare is just starting? You guessed it...mine and the rest of us who have managed to carry around a bit of unwanted fat. There is one thing that can change that perfect evening into an uncomfortable and possibly embarrassing fiasco. Can anyone guess what that is?...I'll help you out...

Lack of a STURDY CHAIR!!

It seems like such a simple thing but you would be surprised how terrible it feels to walk into a restaurant and see nothing but flimsy plastic chairs around all of the tables or to find out that there is nothing left but a tiny booth. "Arrrrrrgh! Ok breath..it's not the end of the world", you tell yourself. Surely they have a sturdy chair somewhere in the building. So you collect yourself and you walk calmly over to a Waiter and say, "Pardon me sir . But do you happen to have a different type of chair?" The waiter turns to you...looks over the top of his glasses and gives you the once over and says, "no." and turns back around. Feeling the panic and frustration welling beep within you tap the waiter on his shoulder and ask, "no other chairs?....in the whole building? in an office maybe." Again the answer comes, "no sir we have these." "would you like to be seated?" And I'm thinking..."On What?" "You have barbie dream house chairs!" "Have you ever seen Ken sporting an Ass this big? now bring me a proper chair you twit!!" Well, that's what I'm thinking anyway...what I say is more like "No thanks *sigh* we'll try somewhere else..."

With that, a new place to eat has to be found and the whole evening's plans must be tossed out the window. Or I could risk sitting on a toothpick legged, gumby fun house chair...making sure not to breath the wrong way or reach the wrong way or blink the wrong way and hooooope that I don't hear that all too familiar craaaack which generally proceeds my keister hitting the tile and the entire clientele snapping their necks to get a look at the fat guy floundering around on the floor!

Can you tell I how worked up this situation can make me? At one point I acctually started carrying a stool around in the trunk of my car for just such an occaision. Now granted. I can't expect every restaurant to cater to the needs of someone as obviously abnormal (with regards to weight) as myself. I just ask that they take a few things into mind before buying chairs for their patrons to sit on.
1. please have at least a few Chairs without Arms...
2. If you insist on having plastic chairs...maybe have a couple of metal chairs on hand for those of us who might break your normal ones...this will not only increase your business but decrease your chance of being sued over an avoidable accident.
3. just understand that comfortable seating is important to your business' success.

----end---rant---

You wanted honest ;) Thanks for indulging me folks!

Please feel free to ask me questions if you have them. If there is anything you want to know about me please post or email your question. My email is ukefoo@earthlink.net . Please don't be shy...I'll answer almost anything. (did I just open a can of worms?) ....git back in der worm!!

June 24, 2006 Meals and Workout

First I'd like to give my sincerest thanks for the latest Watchers to make a contribution to Diabetes research! We've got a long way to go but today we are that much closer and I have you to thank!

Skinnyr.com

Megan G.

Selmer.
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Meal 1: woke up late- no breakfast

Meal 2: Turkey Sandwich on 2 slices of wheat bread w/ mayo and mustard, 2 slices of tomato and 2 celery stalks w/ light spread of peanut butter

Meal 3: went out for dinner: Medium sized Chicken burrito, (tortilla, sliced chicken, salsa, lettuce) scoop of refried beans, scoop of rice, light cheese sprinkled on beans, small dinner salad w/ italian dressing, 1 glass of plain Iced Tea

meal 4: nothing yet...

Water, vitamins

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Workout:

1st Circut:

Standing reclined pull ups: 3 sets 15 reps
step exercise 6 inch step(?) (step up and lift opposite knee): 3 sets 10 reps (each leg)

2nd Circut:

Standing straight pull back (row): 50 lbs 3 sets 15 reps (each arm)
Standing wood chop w/ light resistance, pulling up: 3 sets 10 reps (left and right sides)

Crunches on an incline, cross over and reach for each knee: 3 sets 10 reps (each leg)

Stomach cramp/ no treadmill today

Tomorrow free workout: 30min on treadmill and crunches

June 23, 2006 Meals

Meal 1: protine shake with 8oz of soy milk

Meal 2: Turkey Sandwich w/ 2 slices of whole wheat bread, lettuce, tomato and mustard, Cup of Black bean chili w/ onions

Meal 3: Chicken Breast and green Salad w/ lettuce and tomatoes, lite Italian dressing, small cornbread muffin w/ butter
(had a glass of diet coke w/ dinner. I've pretty much given up caffeine but I had a strong craving)

Meal 4: Apple and a half cup of raisins

Water/ vitamins

"Watch" My Loss?

So tonight's post will be short because I'm about to face plant into my keyboard and much like with falling asleep on a corduroy pillow, your co-workers can always tell, in the morning, by reading the head lines... bah-dum-ching! Thank you folks I'm here 'til I lose 250 lbs...don't forget to tip your bartender!

I wanted to run an idea by you to gage your interest. I received an email from Cameron Reilly of The Poscast Network in Australia asking me if i would like to do a weekly video or audio Podcast! I'm considering doing it and wanted to see if you all would be interested in something like that. I suppose it would cover my weekly progress, talk a little about my day to day life and interests. I could answer "Watcher" emails either at the end of each show or for a complete show once a month. My freind Justin is already working on a theme song. I heard the first draft today and nearly sprayed protine shake out of my nose!

So let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for content shoot them out there. I'd love to hear them!

Ok, Watchers I'm 'bout ready to fall asleep so I'll wrap this up! I look forward to your responses!

Sean-crest OUT!

6/22/06 Meals and Workout

Meal 1: Plain Oatmeal w/ Raisins and pat of margarine, 1 Apple

Meal 2: Togo's large Turkey Sandwich/ Wheat roll w/ mustard, lettuce and pickles
1 large Sobe Lean from fountain (man can not live by water alone....im so weak ;)

Meal 3: Chicken Burrito w/ salsa, beans and rice, Small bag tortilla chips

Meal 4: 2 small Apples
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Workout (bare with me I don't always know exactly what the different exercises are called)

Warmup- jogging in place for one minute/ no treadmills available

1st Circut: sitting over head presses w/ aprox 90lbs 3 sets 15 reps
Upper Abdominal Crunches: 3 sets 10 to 11 reps

2nd Circut: one arm pull down (working upper back and lats) 2 sets 12 reps (back and forth between both arms)

Treadmill: 20 Min

You Guys Rock!

Let me thank the latest Watcher to make a generous contribution to Diabetes research:
You made your donation under Anonymous so I'll honor your choice unless you let me know that it's ok to reveal your name. I know who you are and I thank you for your great advice and wonderful donation!

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I just got done reading all of your messages of encouragement after my weighin. I knew this blog was a good idea! Did I mention that you guys rock?? I just want everyone to know that I'm feeling good about the weighin. At the worst it adds a little human drama to the whole thing, don't you think?

The fact is that I feel good. My clothes are looser. My posture is better. My energy is up and my balance has improved and my legs feel powerful. Seriously I feel like I could leg press Canada! *RrrrRg* You feel that Kyle??

Honestly I had prepared myself for minimal weight loss. I've always known that muscle is 3 times denser than fat. Of course it would have been nice to see the weight come down on the scale...but that's cool. I know that progress has been made. Besides It's way too early to get discouraged. Stick with me for about eight months and watch me whine when I hit that first plateau...then you're gonna see some bitchin' and moanin'.

For now I'm good. And I don't want you to think that I'm just masking disappointment because I'm really not. I can't even begin to express what it's like to have so many kind people (Most of whom I've never met) take the time out to hold me up during what could be a very frustrating time. I could try and I'm sure I'll continue to try but mere words will never express my appreciation.

Tomorrow I work out again and I hope Kendrick agrees with my logic regarding the whole body fat versus muscle gain? What do you think Kendrick? By the way, say hello to my Trainer at 24 Hour Fitness everyone! Kendrick follows my journal every day to check up on me! See you Thursday at 6pm. Don't worry I'll park at the end of the parking lot and walk in!

6/21/06 Meals

meal 1: slept in...no meal

Meal 2: stopped by Mcdonalds...(in a rush) but not to worry. Ordered a Clasic "Grilled" Chicken sandwich on a wheat bun w/ Mustard (no mayo) w/ lettuce and tomato and a cup of Ice water.

Meal 3: 1/2 Togo's large Turkey sandwich on wheat roll w/ Mustard, No Mayo, w/ extra lettuce and pickles
1 bottle of Sobe Lean (Mango)

1 glass of Iced tea between meals

meal 4: 1/2 Togo's large Turkey Sandwich (left over from meal 3) 2 small apples

Water/ vitamins/

6/21/06 Weigh In!

I guess I'll get right to it.

*sigh* I gained a pound. I'm exactly 1 pound heavier than I was 2 weeks ago. Now I can't say that I'm not disappointed because I am...just a little. I will say that I do feel that there has been improvement. My muscles are tighter. My Balance is much better. I have a little more energy and my clothes and even my car fits a little better. So there has been obvious physical improvement. I was just hoping that the scale would reflect that. But it doesn't...yet.

I don't know how accurate these electronic scales are. The ones that supposedly measure your weight, body fat and fat free mass... But I used the same scale so I assume it's at least accurate when checked against itself. And if that is true then there is one reading that has improved. Total body fat:
on 6/8 the computer told me my total body fat was at 51.5% and 269.4 lbs (122.2 kg)
on 6/21 the computer tells me my total body fat is at 49.9% and 261.5 lbs (118.6 kg)
which in my books constitutes aprox 8 lbs of fat loss. Someone check my math...I could be misunderstanding the numbers!

So there you have it. I don't know if it's a major improvement but I'll take it as a sign that things are starting to go well. Besides I never expected this to only take 2 weeks...I'm in it for the long haul and I hope you will join me for what should be an interesting ride. Besides I need someone to talk with me on the trip so I don't fall assleep and crash this blog into a ditch somewhere in the middle of nowhere!

On a lighter note...

Weigh in Today! Stay tuned...

Long post/ minimal point made ;)

First I want to take a moment to thank the following "Watchers" for their kind and generous donations to the American Diabetes Association! For any considering Donations or if you would like to match donations for a set period of time please either follow the link on my side board or email me at ukefoo@earthlink.net! Any amount is very welcomed and every penny is appreciated!

Kyle MacDonald

Maura

Fritz Wyssen and Son

theshellieshow

The 1 Second Film

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I thought I had a great Idea for a post but the more I think about it it may just be a bunch of pretentious nonsense. Well I guess we'll find out ;)

I was reading the responses to my "FAT JOE" post and one of my guests suggested that insulting a fat person is similar to other forms of prejudiced speech such as racism/ sexism etc. I started thinking. Now it's not that the idea was so new to me but as I partially agree with the poster I wanted to explore a little why we come to harbor these feelings and sometimes act on them.

First, however, let's take racism out of the equation because it's such a hot button issue and it's a word that is thrown around far too easily because the threshold is usually placed far too low. Prejudicial thought and speech do not constitute racism. When prejudice wields power for it's own selfish means...that's when we get racism. But, enough on that.

prejudice is human nature. Bare with me. It's primal, natural. It's the remnant of a primal self preservation mechanism.

Let's face it. Mankind is not the fastest, strongest or sense (as in the 5 senses) gifted animal cracker in the box! We have survived mainly due to our ability to learn and adapt to our environment. Oh, and running away from the saber toothed tiger from time to time didn't hurt either. We are where we are because we developed the ability to assess each situation relying on past experience to help us hopefully make a decision that will keep us alive long enough to crawl out of our caves in the morning and witness another sun rise.

Prejudice. Break it down and you obviously get 'pre judge'. (Kids play...) Think about what it means to pre judge...why would anyone need to do it? Well...say that you're primal man...or woman and you're walking along and *Crack* lightning strikes a tree and flaming branches fall all around you. Well..you've never seen fire before. What do you do? It sure is pretty...all sparkly and crackling...but as you get closer and are just about to reach out and grab it you feel this strange sensation. There is pain and your skin begins to tighten just a little.... You pull back. "What the heck", you think to yourself. You walk around the burning branch and try it from another angle and the same results...ooowch! Just then you flash back on that time you were going to sun yourself on that nice rock and you burned your skin so bad that no amount of chewed up root and mud could sooth you and you spent the next 2 moons sleeping on your face in on the hard cave floor. Remember how you learned to test the sunning rock after that. "Well", you think to yourself. "This feels very similar." Right there you prejudged the situation and saved yourself from a horrible burn. Soon you will learn to hold the part of the stick that is not burning. You will bring it back to your people and they will learn from your experience that Fire is hot. You'll learn how fire affects food. Next thing you know you're hosting your own cable network cooking show!

Ok, that was a lot of rambling to make a simple point. People pre judge. We look at things and situations with the benefit or lack of prior experience. If someone told you that a certain type of people were dangerous and you have no prior experience with them your pre-judgment will take into account what you observe of the situation mixed with what you've been told and you'll arrive at a decision regarding how to react. If the person appears to exhibit traits that confirm what you were told your reaction may to be scared and you may act on that by lashing out or by running away. If your observations contradict what you have been told you may be more trusting and you will have learned that you have been feed bogus information. No matter what the outcome there will be a moment of "prejudice" pre-judgment.

Animals also apply similar pre-judgments to situations the difference is that as humans we have the ability to control our reactions regardless of our pre-judgments. Simply put. If your inclination is to lash out at someone because your prejudice tells you to...you can still choose not to. Or we can be taught not to.

Awwww crap...this is a mess. I would like to make the point that my definition of prejudice is a simplified break down of the word and is not meant to take into account the social stigma that has become attatched to the word.

It's late and I don't even know if I made a point. I'm gonna post this because I have nothing else. i promise tomorrow yo return you to the regular light hearted posts...

June 20, 2006 Food and Workout

meal 1: Peanut Butter Sandwich/ 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 tablespoons Peanut Butter, 1 Apple

Meal 2: skipped

Meal 3: large Togo's Turkey Sandwich, Whole Wheat Roll, Turkey, Mustard, extra Lettuce

Meal 4: Protine Shake 25g protine, 2 cups of grapes

Water and vitimins/ 1 bottle Sobe lean

Work Out:

1st group: circuit style

Seated single arm rows? (pull backs) 3 sets 12 reps (unknown weight)
Seated to standing squats: 3 sets 10 reps
Seated dumbell presses: 3 sets 15 reps 12lbs

2nd group: circuit style

Wood Chop (pull down across the chest both hands) 3 sets 10 reps
Standing forward presses: 3 sets 10 reps

Treadmill: 20 minutes

"Still real"

You ever have those moments that bring you down to earth? You know what I mean, the kind of moment that pokes a hole in the cloud you're floating on. We all do and we all have our own way of reacting to those moments. Well, I had one of those moments today and where I might have internalized the situation in the past I think I handled pretty well. Let me know what you think:

So I just got done working out and decided that I'd stop by the super market to pick up some whole wheat pasta for meal 3. I was feeling pretty good. A little sore but that good sore, ya know? Endorphins flowing...feeling pretty content. I parked my car and got out to walk into the store. I stopped to allow a car to pass and as it did a kid popped his head out of the back window and yelled "FAT JOE"!

"Lovely..." I thought to myself. Here I was fresh from the gym...trying to do something good for myself and all it takes is one smart ass kid to take the wind out of my sales... Needless to say I was upset and I wanted to say something but what do you say in a situation like that. Before my conscious mind could react my mouth opened and I yelled something that, in hind sight was probably the only truly appropriate thing I could have said right then. I yelled out, "Do you let your children act like that in public??" All the car windows were open and there was a woman in the front seat. I assume it was the child's mother so I figured that I would address my response to her. I figured I could hardly blame a little child for that kind of ignorance. Not that it would be entirely his parent's fault either but if a child is willing to insult a complete stranger in public within ear shot of his mother there must be disconnect in the discipline department somewhere. My mother never would have tollerated that from my brother or me and when I have childern they will know damn well that it is not appropriate to act that way even if I'm not around.

I don't know what kind of reaction I expected but what I got was the woman rolling up her window and driving off down the road. Two seconds later I was fine...I realized that I just got my blog topic for the evening. Thanks kid...where ever you are.

So...there that is. It's one thing when it's a child. Children are honest. They have limited self edit skills. Adults are guilty of the same transgressions and when they are what is the proper response. It's not likely you can reason with someone so thoughtless. Must we just accept that it's socially acceptable to insult people who for whatever reason are over weight? If you ignore it when it happens...who has the power?

"You gotta walk where I walked
Bang where I bang
Slang where I hang
To get where I'm going to
Stay where I stay
Blaze who I blazed
Pay dues how I payed
To get where I'm going to"
- (Rap Artist) Fat Joe

Welcome Everyone!

I thought I'd take a quick moment and thank everyone who came by or posted after Kyle posted about my blog on One red Paperclip! Ever since his post, 1 day ago, I have received over 1100 unique hits resulting in post after post offering nothing but encouragement and support from wonderful people all over the world. I believe that says a lot about the kind of energy ORP generates and the kind of people that are drawn to an amazing spirit like Kyle's.

I wanted to welcome everyone and let you know that your kind words and input are very much appreciated. As more and more "watchers" respond to my posts I may find it hard to answer each individual post but I do read every single one and will answer any questions you have either in post form or response form. I value each and every one of your opinions. Your participation is a huge motivator.

Thank you all and make sure you check back often. I plan to post daily.

Sincerely,
Sean Perkey

June 19, 2006 meals and workout

Meal 1: peanut butter and 1 slice of wheat bread, 1 small apple

Meal 2: Turkey Sandwich (slices wheat bread, 3 slices of lunch meat turkey and mustard, lettuce), small salad w/ lettuce and tomato no dressing

Meal 3: 1 Chicken Breast w/ garlick, Whole Wheat pasta w/ marinara sauce, 2 small apples

Meal 4: skipped

Water, vitamins (multi vitamins, anti-oxident, calcium)

I found a Soy protine drink that I will be adding starting wednesday. It doesn't have sugar so it doesn't mess with my diabetes and it delivers 25grams of protine per 8 oz glass.


Workout:

Made it to the gym to make up for yesterday

Treadmill: 30min/ 1 Mile

Crunches on incline bench: 5 sets 10 reps

One Red Paperclip & One Big Heart

For those who know me you know that the quality I respect most in others is sincerity. It's one of those rare qualities that really stand out when you find the real thing...if you find the real thing. Kyle Macdonald of One Red Paperclip.com is a person who exudes sincerity in word and in action. In a world where it's seems easier to turn your back on others in pursuit of personal gain Kyle has in fact gone far out of his way to include others while achieving much deserved personal success on the way to his ultimate goal *One Red Paperclip + One Big Dream = One house*.

For a few weeks Kyle has been emailing me helpful and creative tips on how to get my blog off the ground. Amidst his own hectic schedule, his own time consuming work, an international media frenzy, traveling to make trades and reporting back on his adventures Kyle has never failed to answer an email and has never given me less than stellar advice. To top it all off he was the very first person to donate to my Diabetes fundraiser. If that's not one hell of a genuine human being than I don't know one.

So, Thank you Kyle. Thank you for your sincerity. Thank you for the amazing mention on your blog! Thank you for your generous help. And most of all thank you for inspiring a lot of us to go after our dreams with a light heart and passionate abandon!

Tuffy's tattooed belly!

As planned I headed out to the tattoo festival today. I hate to say I was not too impressed. I think maybe we got there too early because half of the booths were empty. My friend Sandy, who came with me, and I milled about for a little while looking at the different portfolios and perusing the assorted plastic skull trinkets. Some of the tattoo books were pretty good but only 1 really stood out. We came upon a small corner booth where a crowd had begun to gather. Seeing as nothing else was going on we decided to follow the trend and crane a neck to catch a glimpse of tattoo artist Robert Hernandez at work. For those of you not familliar with Mr. Hernandez's work I implore you to check out his web site. His work expresses a realism and 3 dimensional quality that I, personally, have never seen in a tattoo. I can't even believe it having seen it with my own eyes. Now, his images are a little bizarre for my personal tastes but given the right subject material I would be proud to sport one of his tattoos and would even travel to his business in Spain to have it done.


Sorry to say that and getting my picture with "Tuffy" (below) a guy who makes me feel small (and that's no small task) were the only real highlights of the festival...well that and getting to spend the day with my very close old friend Sandy of course!
We didn't hang around too much after that and who knows things may have picked up but we decided to call it a day.

Me and "Tuffy" and Buddha!
Sandy rubbing the Buddha!

6/18/06 Meals

Meal 1: went out for breakfast: grilled chicken breast, grilled potatos w/ onions and green peppers

Meal 2: Togo's sandwich: Turkey on whole wheat roll w/ mustard lettuce and pickles

Meal 3: Chicken breast w/ pasta and marinara sauce, salad

Meal 4: 2 stalks of celery w/ peanut butter

water, water, water and vitamins

Postponed treadmill until Monday/ wiped out from the heat

Would you care to dance?

Sounds like a pretty reasonable question. And, for most people the answer is simple. Either yes...if you'd like to or No thank you...if you don't. So why is it for me that question seems fraught with peril? First of all let me put this out there.

Reason #8 for losing weight: having the confidence to say yes when an atractive woman asks me to dance and not having to have a inner dialoug with myself about her motivations.

So it goes like this. I was out watching my friends Justin and Brian play music at a nice little outside venue in a small college town near home. I was singing along with the music and a young woman in front of me leaned toward me and remarked about my knowing all the words and then asked me why I wasn't dancing. I smiled and politely told her that I just don't dance. She said, "c'mon lets dance...that's half the fun." I declined, smiling sheepishly, sinking back into my chair. She persisted and I resisted and eventually she gave up.

Now, it's not that I didn't want to dance with her, quite the contrary. I may be fat but I'm still a guy. The fact is that several things go through my head in situations like this. First is drawing any undue attention to myself in public. Of course that's funny because I often like being the center of attention. Take this blog for instance. Well maybe this is more of an exercise in socialization than a ploy for attention.

Second...how should I put this? Well, we all know about inertia. Newton's laws tell us that "An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Meaning, when I start dancing sometimes i'll get going one direction but some of me is still going the other direction and it makes it very hard to keep rhythm.

I guess part of it is that I tend to hide behind my weight in uncomfortable social situations. In the interest of being as open as I can be I'll admit that i haven't had very many physically intimate relationships with women because of my discomfort with my weight and the ones i have had, while memorable, were short lived. I've also let a few amazing women slip through my fingers because I sat on my feelings so long that opportunity passed me by.

I'm not the first to go through this and I'm sure not the last. I don't even expect that losing weight will magically fix the issues I have with self esteem. What it will do is remove the primary excuse I have used to let my life continue to pass me by.

Now the question is...do I push the publish button and cement the idea that I may be brutally honest from time to time or do I scrap this post and go back to my comfort zone?

Ahhh....what the hell...

Gym 6/17/06 - Meals

Gym

Warm up: Treadmill 5 minutes

1st group of exercises:

standing push-ups: 3 sets 15 reps
abdominal turns/twists /w resistance: 3 sets 10 reps
jogging in place/leg kicking back: each leg 3 sets 15 reps

2nd group:
crunches on inclined bench: 3 sets 10 reps
lat pull downs w/ light resistance: 3 sets 12 reps
turning steps onto 6'' step: each leg: 3 sets 10 reps

15 minute walk around my neighborhood in the evening in lew of treadmill at the end of my workout

Meals:

meal 1: slept in

meal 2: chicket breast w/ marinara sauce, 2 slices of bread, apple, 2 stalks of celery

meal 3: 3 slices carved turkey, scoop of mashed potato, small ladle of gravey, small dinner salad, italian dressing

meal 4: apple, unbuttered popcorn (aprox soup bowl full), 16oz can of Caffeine Free diet coke (ok so i don't crave the caffeine but I do miss the flavor..and to think I used to kid my brother about the futility of drinking caffeine free diet drinks.)

several bottles of water
multi vitamin, calcium, anti-oxident

Today...

Meals:

Breakfast: Woke up late had to run. No breakfast.

Lunch: Togo's Turkey Sandwich on wheat roll w/ mustard and lettuce

Meal 3: Soy protine shake and Apple

Dinner: Chicken breast w/ garlic, Pasta w/ marinara sauce

snack: about a cup total of peanuts and raisins. little bit of a sweat tooth...

water, water, water! Vitamins etc.

*******************************************************

Well..what to talk about today. Well, I'm finally walking with confidence. Very little wobble and my legs feel strong. Kendrick, my trainer, is very good at making sure I stretch properly and I believe it's paying off. I have a little better range of motion which makes it easier to move around or at least it makes putting on shoes eaiser :o). It's just a little progress but enough to see where things are heading. I can't wait to see how I feel after a month of this!

Oh, before I forget. For those interested. I plan to weigh myself every 2 weeks to start so my next weigh-in should take place on June 21st or 22nd. If you haven't noticed I posted a weight loss scale at the top of the blog under my picture which will give a visual representation of my weight loss. I also plan to add some stats to the side bar where the red weight marker is now.

I want to take a moment and thank my very close friend Sandy Q. She has offered to host a Photo day wherein she will offer to take portraits of anyone, family, pet etc. in the Sacramento area for a donation to go directly towards my Diabetes Research fundraiser. What a great opportunity to have a family portrait done by a wonderful photographer. Is that a good friend or what? Thanks kiddo I love you ya know!

Ooooh this just in. There's a tattoo convention in town this week end and I have fresh batteries for my camera...sounds like a prime Photo opp and a chance to brighten up the blog with a little color. Look forward to photo's on Sunday. Maybe I can introduce you to my friend Sandy since she'll be accompanying me! Oh what fun we'll have! Maybe I'll get a snake tattoo on my fundament (as it were). Sorry no pictures of that! ;o)

G'night watchers.

test: Bill Gates

Yesterday...

Thursday
June 15, 2006

Warm up: Knee lifts for 2 minutes (treadmills were full)
Stretches for legs and biceps

Workout: Steps: 10 reps each leg/ 3 sets (3 inch step to 6 inch to 9 inch)
Back and forth between: Triceps pull downs 15 reps/ 3 sets (increased weight each set) [can't remember weight]

Bench press: 15 reps/ 3 sets w/ 45 lb Bar
Back and forth between: Squats: 5 reps 3 sets

Cool down: 10 minutes of treadmill (walking)

note: discussed reorganizing diet. we decided to try going to 4 meals:
meal 1: 500 calories
meal 2: 800 calories
meal 3: 500 calories
meal 4: 800 calories
Total 2600 calories

I feel that I'll get meals that are more satisfying and I won't be scrambling to find food all day. I'll continue to take 2 multi vitamins, calcium suppliment and an anti-oxident.

Meals:

Breakfast: usual Oatmeal w/ raisins and apple

Skipped meal 2

meal 3: chicken breast w/ marinara sauce and 2 slices of wheat bread

meal 4: Suppliment Shake (Soy protine)

Cheated a little, was out late with some friends and had a regular order of fries at In and Out burger. I also had a bottle of Sobe Lean (Diet drink) which is not too bad. I have cut out the caffeine though and have been drinking water constantly. Something to be proud of.

Yaaaaawn!

hey friends! I got home really late from listening to some good music and hanging out with some good friends so I shall postpone my daily post until tomorrow evening! No need for sadness...just think You'll have not one but TWO posts to look forward to tomorrow! (or even better by the time you read this it will already be today and the posts are not far away!)

Anyhoo, happiness and good health to all. Good Night and thank you very much for being here!

Aaaaand In this Corner...

a brand new George Foreman grill! That's right folks. I'd like to announce a new member to my family! He Cooks like a buttefly and cleans like a dream!

let me get this out of the way:

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ raisins and 1 Apple
220 Calories

Skipped second meal

Lunch: 1 half Togo's Large Turkey Sandwich on Whole Wheat Roll w/ Mustard and extra lettuce (no cheese/ no mayo)
aprox 400 calories

4th meal: 2nd half of the sandwich
aprox 400 calories

Skipped 5th meal

Dinner: Half chicken breast w/ garlick (cooked in George Foreman grill - yummy) 1 cup cooked pasta, marinara sauce
450 calories

2 multi vitamins
water until it came out of my ears...
**********************************************************

You know it's funny. The more attention I pay to my food the harder it is to get all of the calories I'm supposed to be having. I mean, the deal is to cut back on what I eat but now I have to think about food all day just to keep up. Ok, minor frustration. Like with all things this will take some getting used to.

I've got my grill now so food prep will be a lot easier. I've got my eye on the goal. Deep Breath...

On a lighter note the batteries for my camera finally got here so there may be some new random pictures soon.

Oh yeah! I don't want to forget this. I'd like for everyone to swing by Gnosticminx and say hello to Candy for me. Candy has been a very big supporter of my blog since I first posted and she has been generous enough to employ her skills as an artist to create a painting/collage (featuring your's truly) to sell on eBay with part of the proceeds going to the American Diabetes Association which will help me get closer to reaching one of my goals. Raising $50,000 for diabetes research. She's got photos up on her blog showing her progress and I think it looks great! She's very talented and I thank her very much for her spirit and her enthusiastic support.

Ok, watchers! Bed time for me. Next workout is Thursday 6pm! I'll blog at'cha soon!

Streeeeeetch!

Tuesday
June 13, 2006

Treadmill: 5 min warmup
Stretches: legs, biceps

Modified Rowing: 3 sets 15 reps each (increasing from 100 to 150 lbs, I think)
Knee Lifts: 3 sets 10 reps
(back and forth between both)

Dumbell Bench Press: 3 sets 15 reps (2 x 25lbs dumbells)
Barbell Standing Bicep Curls:3 sets 15 reps (12 on last set) (aprox 45lbs barbell)
(back and forth between both)

Abdominal Crunches on Incline Bench 1 set 15 reps (developed severe abdom. cramp had to stop for the day)

Breakfast; Plain Oatmeal w/ Raisins and an Apple

missed next 2 meals

Late afternoon: Turkey sandwich w/ whole wheat bread and mustard, celery stalks

missed evening meal:

late snack: Turkey sandwich w/ whole wheat bread and mustard, Apple

1 Multi-vitamin
Drank: 4 x 24oz bottles of water

(explaination of missed meals: honestly it was my day off and I decided to go back to bed. as for the evening meal, after my workout I went to see my buddys Justin Farren and Dean Haakenson perform at a showcase for The Sacramento Music Awards for which they are both nominated)

I'll finish my shopping Tomorrow and then I should be able to pre-prepare my food so that it'll be easier to stay on track.

*****************************************************

Hey there Watchers! (I hope you don't mind me calling you fine folks that) Not much going on today. My legs feel a little more stable and the stretches that Kendrick showed me helped a lot with that. I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel with regard to being wobbly all the time. Of course I do remember that Calf raises are leg killers so when we get to those I'll be beggin' for my mommy again.

I did have a massive stomach cramp today after a set of crunches...let me tell you that ain't no pic-ah-nick! No matter what i did it wouldn't subside. I stretch this way and things seem fine then the cramp goes the other way...so I stretch back the other way and the cramp goes back to it's original position. I had to stretch just so...so I could meet it in the middle and hold it! Hold it! Hold it. Aaahhh sweet relief! Then SNAP! Cramped up again. Needless to say that was then end of the workout for the day. Next time we work the legs again...yay... ;0)

Ok kind watchers. I must sleep. Thanks again for your support and for all the new watchers....Welcome friends!

Sean

Food and music

Hello out there in blog land! Today I thought I'd address the Food issue. I've received a couple questions about my diet and after I mentioned using my iPod while on the treadmill folks have asked me about the type of music i listen to and have offered some great suggestions.

First the food. I'm going to start by saying that I'm a pretty picky eater. That's not to say that I have very refined tastes but more to say that I have very simple tastes and a lot of food dislikes. For instance I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I don't like shrimp...well let's expand that to include ALL Fish! Oh, and don't ask me well what about salmon...'cause..uh...that's a fish and as we've established that I don't like them. "Well Sean...how about tuna? you have to like tuna?" To that I would have to give you my "you know tuna is a fish don't you?" look! I'm dead serious here...No Fish shall pass these lips. Beyond that I'm not down with the eggs unless they are baked into a cake...so let's just mark eggs off that list. I'm also allergic to Milk. Now, to clarify I don't have an intollerance to lactos...meaning I don't have a gastro-intestinal reaction to milk. What I have is a histamine reaction to milk that causes severe mood swings. It's not fun. So no fish and no food with High Dairy content which leaves out a lot of suplimental shakes and the like.

So, my menu revolves, primarily around the nobel chicken. Now the idea as I understand it is to spread my calories out over 6 meals a day. (two of those meals being snacks)

Bare in mind this is a preliminary menu. It doesn't quite have all the calories that I'm allowed to have and I may want to go to 4 meals instead of six so I'm not spending my whole day trying to prepare my food.

Breakfast will generaly consist of:
1oz cup of Plain Oatmeal
tablespoon of raisins
1 medium apple
total 220 calories

Meal 2
health/energy bar
total 150 calories

Lunch
(3 chicken soft tacos)
1/2 cup Cooked Black Beans
6oz chicken breast
3 medium whole wheat tortillas
lettuce and tomato
total 506 calories

Meal 4
Meal replacement shake (egg protine)
total 250 Calories

Dinner
1 medium apple
6oz chicken breast
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta
total 494 Calories

Meal 6
2 Celery stalks
2 slices of whole wheat bread
3 tbls peanut butter
total 468 calories

total for the day 2,088 (I should be getting about 2600 calories at my size and activity level so there are some changes that have to be made)

I'll talk more about my menu after I meet with Kendrick on Tuesday so don't everyone make your suggestions just yet...there will be modifications)

Ok, on to the music.

My muiscal tastes are pretty far ranging. I do, however, tend to gravitate toward singer songwriter music. Be it rock, folk, country etc. I love a song with good words that I can sing along with. I will admit that I'm not much up on what's on the radio these days. Where i live i happen to be blessed with an abundance of very talented local musicians several of whom happen to be friends and who supply me with all the music I could ever need.

The band I listened to on Sunday was a band called Bob's Child. Bob's Child is a former Sacramento group that played an acoustic jam band style of music akin to Dave Matthews Band or Phish. I am fortunate to have been close with the musicians and to have several of the live shows on CD and during their live shows they were known for jamming out a tune for 10 to 15 minutes sometimes so those recordings will be a lot of what I listen to on the treadmill. I can listen to their stuff forever and never get tired of it. I'll try to post an mp3 sometime soon if anyone is interested. (as soon as I get permission)

Another artist I listen to is also a very good friend of mine. Justin Farren. Justin is a singer songwriter that I like to compare to Greg Brown or Paul Simon. Beautifl songs with wonderful words and imagry and a great sense of humor. If you get a chance please visit his web site and launch the music player at the bottom of the page for 2 full songs. You can also visit the iTunes store and listen to samples of the rest of the songs from his current CD.

Other than that I'll probably mix in music from Cake, Tenacious D , Greg Brown, Modest Mouse and Dave Matthews.

So, there you are. That's about as much as I can offer at 2 in the morning. Please forgive my type-os.

To bed....will post again tonight!

Ahhh the secret to the treadmill workout!

Ok, so it's not much a huge secret but the iPod is officially at the top of my "I'd like to shake the hand of the inventor of..." list. Music! Sweet music and the time just flys by! Even better if the songs you listen to average 5 to 6 minutes cause *BAM* 5 or so songs and you have a half hour of treadmill time under your belt and you didn't even feel it! Alright, so this is nothing new to you veteran gym rats but a useful revelation in the hand is worth two in the bush. Not that I think that Bush has ever had a useful revelation let alone two...but now I'm waaaaay off topic. And, this is not that type of blog.

It took me a while today to get motivated to go to the gym. My legs are still shaky from yesterday and my thighs are very sore. Eventually I mustered up some energy and went in for 30 min on the treadmill! I must say that I will be very happy when my legs can do this without feeling like they're going to give out on me. But even with that and the soreness I do feel like I have a slightly better range of movement. Mark that in the gain column.

My next workout with Kendrick is scheduled for Tuesday. Tomorrow I rest my legs and finally get my shopping done.

Sunday June 11, 2006
7pm
3) Treadmill 1.7mph 30min incline =0 calories burned =184

good night folks.
Sean

Sore...

Ok, so it was to be expected. After my first light workout last yeaterday my legs felt like jello. I was seriously in fear of hyperextending a knee with each step. So I took it really slow and made sure that each step was as firm as it could be so I didn't fall on my rear and go boom!

Today I feel much better. A little sore but more stable! I plan to head back to the gym and hit the treadmill for another 20 to 30 minutes. Got the iPod this time so I should be good to go.

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has been swinging by to read and post their words of encouragement! You are a huge part of what is going to make this blog/community sucessful. I hope you continue to find the posts interesting and I hope that you will continue to add your perosnal voice. Quite a few people have told me they expect this blog to get a lot of attention and I think it has the potential of creating a buzz. I sure hope so cause I've pledged to raise $50,000 for the American Diabetes Association and the only way to do that is to reach as many folks as possible.

So, this is the part where I ask for your help. Nothing huge though so don't run away ;) What I ask is that everyone help spread the word to whomever you feel would be interested in my story and if you are at all able please consider donating at least $1 to the American Diabetes Association through the donations link on my right side bar. For thoughs of you who prefer to donate by paypall please use my email address ukefoo@earthlink.net and let me know if you would like your name posted on the donators page.

See? Not so much to ask. Of course any participation is welcomed and appreciated and if you simply choose to read and pass through I thank you so very much for stopping by and I wish you all the best!

It's here! It's here! Day 1!

Well, as you can tell by the title of my post, today is indeed my first day at the gym. I'm on the way and there is no turning back.

So it goes like this.

I arrived at 24hour Fitness at 3pm. I realized immediately I had forgotten my towel and lock for the lockers oh yeah and my temporary membership card. Alright...I'm off to a good start. I grab the food preference forms that I was asked to fill out and I and my spiffy black sweat pants stroll into the gym like we belong there. I sidle up to the counter and proudly announce that I have a 3pm appt with a trainer. (at that exact moment I forgot his name)
"Aaaand, what's your trainer's name?", came from across the counter.
I shoot back a blank stare... "uuuuh don't know", I masterfully replied.
"Well. Ok...do you have your temporary membership card?", asked the young clerk.
"um..about that", was all I could think to say. My this was going well.

The guy eventually looked up my account by my name and called over my trainer. Kendrick. Kendrick is a lean guy, about 25 years old and had a personality that put me immediately at ease. We went back to the trainer's office and set about the task of building a menu that would be nutritious and easy to follow. This took roughly an hour and at the end we came up with a list of foods and a plan for me to divide aprox 2700 calories over 6 meals a day. I'll go into more detail regarding the menu starting tomorrow after I go shopping and start to employ it. Suffice it to say I will be eating a lot of chicken but that's ok. I don't want the food to be too complicated.

After the food was settled Kendrick took me out onto the floor and showed me a few pieces of equipment he wants me to start out on. The treadmill, of course, and a sitting rowing machine. Kendrick ran me through a couple rowing and squat sets and then had me do 20 min on the treadmill.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to format my workout info in my blog posts but it might look something like this:

Saturday June 6, 2006
4pm
1) rowing machine 50lbs [2 sets] set 1 =20 reps set 2 =15 reps
2) partial squats [2 sets] set 1 =15 reps set 2 =10 reps

3) Treadmill 1.5mph 20min incline =0 calories burned =119

Ok so it's not much but it's a start. I'll go back tomorrow and try to get in 30min on the treadmill and from there my workouts will be Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday w/ trainer and Sunday on my own.

Please let me know if there is any other info that you would like from my daily reports and I will try to include it.

Oh and I should say...yes my legs are like jello right now and I expect some pain in the morning but...to be expected heh?

mmmmm...jello.....

The Tale of the Scale!

Ok so here's the low down, "the skinny". If I may be so bold.

I strolled into the Kaiser Hospital health education department like a fat man looking for a scale. Found one. Stepped on and a few blips and flashes later I had my results and my starting mark. So, without further ado I'll just run down the numbers:

Height: 5 foot 10 inches

Current Body Weight: 527.6 Lbs (clothed)
239.3 Kg
Total Body Fat: 51.5 %
269.4 Lbs
122.2 Kg

My initial goal is to lose 250 Lbs leaving me at 277 Lbs. This will probably not be my Ideal weight but it is my initial goal. My final loss may be more like 300 Lbs total but we'll get there when we get there.

Well, that's it for now. I can't wait to get going on this. It's killing me that it's been held up but I'm just not willing to go in there and try to work out without some instruction first. It may seem like I'm avoiding it but I just don't think it's safe.

I guess that's it for today...
Seacrest out...

A set back...Grrr!

I seem to have been smote with the great cosmic sword of smitery! Or at least my training session has been pushed back to Saturday at 3pm.

When I spoke with the membership guy last week we had agreed that someone would call me on 6/7 to arrange my first session but no one called. When I called them today i was told that because of the amount of weight that I wanted to lose they want to set me up with one of the two elite trainers they have on staff. The next appt not being available until Saturday! So I wait.

I will still go get myself weighed at my Dr's office today so I can post my current weight by tonight but the rest will have to wait for two more days! Sigh... Maybe I'll go for a good walk the next couple of nights and limber up for Sat.

The last Oreo...

*lick* *lick* *lick* *dip* *Crunch* and done! Ah yes the sublime torture we inflict upon ourselves as we turn to face the abyss. Wow...how dramatic is that? But, you know...you have to make that last gesture or you feel robbed of some sort of experience, some rite of passage. I dunno maybe it's just me but I tend to eat a lot more leading up to a diet. I think this has been my problem all along.

**********************
I should begin by telling you that I have always been acutely self-analytical, even as a child. So, I know why I over eat. I just don't know how to stop.

As a small child I was very skinny. I don't think I started to gain any real weight until I was about 10 or 11. My parents had always fed me healthy food and snacks. To give you an idea we were that house in the neighborhod that always seemed to give out little boxes of raisens on holloween. As I remember there were never really any sweets or junk food around. And, though my mother was a great cook she didn't really bake except for pies at Thanksgiving. There was also the fact that 3 out of 4 of us in the house had verious adverse reactions to dairy which meant no chocolate, ice cream or the like were allowed.

It was 1980 when I turned 10 years old and back then children were able to run free by themselves until the street lights came on. I believe that it was then that I discovered food that was not good for me. The combination of an allowance, a sweet Huffy Bike with a banana seat and a convienience store just down the street would prove to be the begining of my spiral into bad habits.
*********************
...more about that later.

Today is the begining of a new chapter. One, I hope, will bring with it better health, energy to match my ambition and a body to match my vision.

When I wake up this morning I have to finish my paperwork for my trainer, call and make an appointment for my workout this afternoon and then swing by my Dr's office for an official weigh-in. Some time during the day I will post my weight and possibly measurements in the right side bar above the counter. That is where it will remain and will be updated as long as it takes for me to reach my goal weight. My plan is to post a brief daily report about my workout and diet with updates on my weight to come weekly. I'l also posts my personal observations along the way as well as just general daily journal stuff. Again, please feel free to comment or ask any questions you may have. My only rule is that we all keep it civil as this is meant to be a family friendly forum otherwise anything goes.

now to sleep and then my day...

eBay Blues...

"I only got one bid" buh bun-nah-nuh
"Now my auction is done" buh bun-nah-nuh
"...couldn't even get no love from Golden Palace.com!!"
"I got the blues!"
"I got the nobody wanted to pay me to shave my head and tattoo their logo on the back, I guess I'm not as interesting to Golden Palace as an x-ray of a duck who swallowed an alien's head and subsequently died eBay auction blues!"
"oooooh yeaaaaaah!"


Well It's coming down to the wire for my eBay auction. I have mixed emotions about it. While the money may have been nice and it would have paid for the time I want to devote to getting into shape and fundraising for Diabetes Reaserch I do get to keep my hair or as P-Diddy would say "preserve my sexy". So on we go. My first workout is on thursday and I can't wait to get going!

By the way, if you happened to stumble onto my blog or if you were directed here by myself or someone else please drop me a comment and say hi. That'd be nice... colon closed parentheses

T - 2 days from 1st workout!

I am nervous as well as excited. If I had butterflies in my stomach the larger winged creatures that seem to occupy the same space would probably eat them.

Today my task is to fill out the dietary preference form that will allow my trainer to conjure up a diet that will fit my tastes. They want to know things like what meats would you eat? And I would say...I'm down with chicken breasts and beef but ixney on the ishfey cause frankly, well, it tastes like fish! Turkey I can get behind but get thee behind me shrimp (ew)!

From the looks of this form there is almost nothing I can't eat but I guess moderation is the rule. My normal diet, which I'm sure I'll get into as I suffer the pangs of withdrawal over the next few weeks...er months, is a stellar concoction of carbs and fat! I'm used to eating about 2 times a day, generally lunch from the "roach coach" (Sorry Ben. It's just a figure of speech. You and your mother make a seriously tasty burger!) and then whatever I feel like for dinner. At about 9pm or so so it just sits there all night going straight to my "Problem areas" (read - everywhere on my body that stores fat).

I am excited about getting started. I know that the first few days will be torture even if educational but in a few weeks, when I start to notice the changes in my metabolism and energy levels I think that this is going to be fun. Gotta get over that hump. Anyone got a ladder??

Gym Membership (x)

Yikes! Fitness is not cheap! I have to just keep telling myself that the payoff is worth any expense! Anyway, I took a visit to my friendly neighborhood 24hour Fitness today resolved to stand my ground and not buy today! My plan was to listen to the sales pitch and then go home and mull it over for a few days and make my decision. I would soon realize that my resolve was no match for the super salesmanly skills of "Sales Manager" Jason! I don't know if it was his dazzling whit or the hypnotic swoosh of the nearby elliptical trainer but before I left I was locked in for 3 years and 20 sessions with a personal trainer. Sure, there were less expensive plans I could have purchased but I could not justify forgoing the personal trainer. I mean, come on, at my weight I could do some serious damage to myself with improper training! So there we are It looks like I will be going to the gym 4 days a week to start and will begin sometime next week.

I plan to make daily posts detailing my workout and diet for that day as well as my observations about my progress interjected with items about my personal life. I hope that I will have a few readers soon and that they will let others know and so on and so on. My life is about to be on display, which if you know me is not my normal style, but I really feel that it'll be good for me to learn to be more open and I'm hoping that you will all find the story engaging and maybe useful! Please feel free to post your questions, comments and your own personal stories! I'd love to read them all as I'm sure will all those who choose to stop by!

Sean

Slightly new Direction

I want give a personal thank you to Kyle MacDonald from OneRedPaperClip.Com. Kyle was gracious enough to email me with several great ideas to streamline my presentation and make this blog more accessable to those who may be intersted in following my progress. From now on this will be the home page for my project and the name of the project will slowly transition from profit from my loss to watch my loss. I think that the new name is a clearer indication of my goal wth this site. I still hope to raise $50,000 for the ADA but the main focus here will be the journey. All original links will still point here.

For those of you unfamilliar with Kyle's site (and for those who are) I ask you to take a look at his unique project. Kyle had the great Idea to start with one red paperclip and attempt to trade his way up to a House! Kyle documents his trades and adventures on his blog and I'm sure that everyone here can find something entertaining or uplifting in his pages! So go and give your support.