Living in the 70's

It was a decade of wide bottomed trousers, plaid pants, big hair, and even bigger soles on your shoes. It was 10 years where music transitioned from the ethereal sound of bands like Yes, or Asia or even Major Tom by Bowie through to the steady beat of the disco era and John Travolta strutting his stuff on Saturday night fever to the outrageous anarchy of the punk bands.

The 70's were a decade of transition, a decade of change, a decade that many look back to with nostalgia and many more look back to and try to forget. The 70's for me were a decade of transition when we made the move from rural Indiana to Belfast, Northern Ireland. When I made the move from the US public school system to the NI school system. It was a time of change.

Right now I have entered a new 70's phase - a decade that I haven't seen in a long time. The 70's I have entered is the 270's - pounds that is. I mentioned last time that I have dipped below the 280lb mark and it is official, this is the week I will reside in the 70's and maybe just for a little while next week too. I dont want to stay here too long though, while the 70's were fun, they were nothing to match the 60's and the wild time that was had by one and all then. So I am headed to the 60's, I am headed to a place I have not been in a long time.

I'll keep you posted on how that journey goes.

I Dare You to Move - See What Can Be Achieved

After a rough week of slowly diminishing weight, this week started off much better with some encouragement on Day One. After a busy morning in the clinic yesterday It was time to head to the gym. So, gym bag in hand, nice little parking space right in front of the door - which I should comment on.

Have you ever noticed how many people will circle the parking lot of their gym looking for a space that is as close to the door as possible - so they dont have to walk!!! Then they go into the gym, jump on a treadmill and run 5 miles - but, oh, those extra 30 feet of walking to the car would just be too much. I wonder if people who have to park really far away adjust their training schedule to accomodate this additional distance?

But I digress.

Feeling good, ready to spend some quality fat reduction time, I headed to the locker room, got changed, reached in my bag and found that my sneakers were missing - nowhere to be seen. Crap! I had left them at home. I looked at my shoe selection for the day and decided that while they may be suited for a nice walk around Allen's Pond, they would elevate me to the super dork category had I tried to wear them for my workout.

Nothing for it, got changed again, loaded up in my car, in the very close parking space, and headed home to retrieve my sneakers. Now came the decision - do I stay at home or go back to the gym? Hmmmm, decisions, decisions.

It had to be done - jumped back in the truck and went in search of that perfect space again - not so fortunate this time and had to park 50 feet from the gym door this time. Definitely need to reduce the resistance on the elliptical now.

Had a good work out - felt good the whole way through. Focused on cardio and then shoulders, chest and back exercises on the weights.

Most exciting news - did my post work-out weigh-in and passed a new milestone. The numbers before me were amazing - 279.6lbs. This journey will be a series of little successes, and getting under 280lbs is the latest in a long line of successes.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be increasing the challenge to you as to how you can get involved - and in particularly how you can get involved in helping rescue children with Compassion International.

Thanks for your support.

Pushing Through is Hard to Do

This past couple of months have been a very interesting time for me. I started this challenge full of excitement and hope. I joined the gym and started the process of rescheduling my time to spend less time in Panera Bread (a place I love to spend the day reading, praying and writing) and to spend more time in the gym shedding what I added from my time in Panera.

I had a reasonable idea what to expect with regards to the exercise part of this challenge and with the pain that would come with the workouts. I knew there would be a time when I would hit the wall, and training would be difficult. After all, this challenge really is a marathon and not a sprint. Well, the start of this week I hit a wall. Having had so many great weeks of training and weight loss, this week seemed to be one of those weeks when regardless of what I was doing the weight just wasn't dropping.

In hindsight, the murder mystery party on Saturday night with some great friends and the tremendous meal, which probably contained 2-3 days worth of calories, probably had something to do with the slowness of this week. I had a choice to make on Tuesday, push through or give up. Well, mama didn't raise me to be a quitter, so there was only one option - pushing through.

Wednesday became day one of the push. Early Wednesday morning I hit the gym for a good 90 minute session. A day of meetings followed and we ended the day with a 60 minute RPM class. The metabolism was rolling. Yesterday I planned to hit the gym after clinic but decided that spending time with my girls was more important. As we were driving to the park I remembered that Brad had a RPM class at the Crofton gym and with my wife's blessing I was in my second spin class of the week. To help keep things going I added an extra 250 calorie burn on the eliptical after the class, and then did a full shoulder/arm workout on the weights. Things are rolling now.

My goal for Saturday's weigh in is to be at or below 280lbs.

What are you facing that you need to push through? You can do it. It starts with the decision, then you take it one step at a time. Breakthrough will come.

I wanted to give a shout out to all those who have checked out this challenge having heard it on the Catalyst podcasts. Please send me a message or response to this blog to let me know who you are. I really appreciate teh support and I made a new friend in Sam Holmes this week.

So hit me up, friend me on Facebook, join the Cause, get involved. Push through.

Would the Real St Patrick Please Stand Up?

Today is St Patrick’s day - a day when the whole world attempts to claim it’s Irish heritage by dressing in green, drinking beer and if you live in America, eating corned beef and cabbage. Sadly, none of these things were actually done or would even be condoned by the Irish saint (especially the corned beef and cabbage thing) whose day this is all in honor of. St Patrick brought the truth of Christianity to the people of Ireland, but only after he has been kidnapped, beaten and sold as a slave before he eventually escaped and following his call from God and traveled to the Emerald Isle with Good News.

The following prayer is attributed to St Patrick and this version is found in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 4, §14, critical note on St. Patrick. Schaff, notes that this Irish hymn is found in the Book of Armagh, and is "called S. Patricii Canticum Scotticum, which Patrick is said to have written when he was about to convert the chief monarch of the island (Laoghaire or Loegaire). The hymn is a prayer for the special aid of Almighty God for so important a work; it contains the principal doctrines of orthodox Christianity ... in a composition intended as a breast-plate or corselet against spiritual foes."

This St Patrick’s day why don’t you take some time to pray this prayer and find out what the real St Patrick was all about.

St Patrick’s Breastplate
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgment Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., traveling by land]
Christ in the poop. [i.e., traveling by water]

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

Just Look At Those Eyes

I have two very beautiful daughters. So beautiful in fact that I think I will enroll them in a nunnery somewhere until they are 40 yrs old. The thing that fascinates me about both of my daughters, and has done since they were born, are their eyes. When they were just born, their eyes were so clear, so perfect, so innocent. Their eyes were so intent in searching out new things, following new sounds, absorbing information. As they have grown, and they have learned more things, their eyes still hold power and beauty. Their eyes are still the window into their hearts where you can see love, or fear, or frustration, or excitement, or joy. They both smile with their eyes, and they both cry with their eyes.

As you look at the television, or surf the internet you will see many images and pictures of people. we have recently had our senses shocked by the devastation that has occurred in Haiti. When you look in the eyes of those affected by the earthquake you can often see a very different story coming from their eyes. Behind their eyes is often pain, or fear, or a longing for help.

When you look through the photographs of the children on the Compassion International website, there are countless stories that are being told, through the eyes of these precious children. For many, their story is one of hardship and pain. For may their story is a far cry from our own story. However, for many, when you look at their eyes, there is hope. There is a sparkle that comes through the screen and impacts your heart.

When you look at these wonderful kids who are so desperately in need of help, you dont see destruction, or loneliness, or resignation in their eyes. You see ..., well, the best thing for you to do is go to Compassion International for yourself and look into their eyes. See what story they tell you.

210 in 2010 - one man's dream of inspiring people to change a world one life at a time. Please join us and make a difference. Please join us and kindle the spark that you will see in the eyes of the children who are in need.

RPM - Revisit Pumping Music - from the 80's and 90's

So, last night was the latest in the RPM adventure for this lowly large lad. Yes, that's right folks, at great risk to personal injury, the FAT man saddled up and hit the road again (at least mentally). As I was setting my ride up last night I noticed a CAUTION sticker place on the bar connecting seat to handlebars. I am sure that this sticker has always been there, but this was the first time I had noticed it, or it was the first time I was feeling good enough to be able to expend the necessary energy to focus on the minute writing. Why do warnings always come in small print? Surely if the warning was sufficient to produce a sticker and employ a sticker sticker in some factory somewhere to apply these things then using a font size of 3.5 is less than adequate.

I digress, the CAUTION sticker was there, and on closer inspection I was surprised by what it said. Having partaken in a couple of these manic sessions previously I was expecting a warning that was something akin to "WARNING: RPM can serious damage your butt!" or "WARNING: RPM can seriously affect tomorrow's ability to walk" or "WARNING: RPM will adversely affect your body odor, so make sure you have soap and a towel ready to shower before starting this class, stinky!"

No, these were not even close to the warning that was printed. And, I need to add here, that the warning that was printed and stuck to every bike must have been thought up by the maniacal instructors who excitedly scream and shout there way through 60 minutes of cardiac arrest inducing pedaling like ADD hamsters hyped on Red Bull, Ritalin and helium.

The warning on the bike reads like this - "CAUTION: Failure to follow instructions could lead to serious injury." followed by some other stuff about stopping pedaling and falling off. Are they serious? They actually felt the need to warn me that if I didn't follow instructions then I would risk serious injury? I beg to differ.

I have realized that it is because I am following instructions that my heart feels like it is going to burst out of my chest, walk home picking up a Big Mac meal on the way, and wait for me on the couch watching Law and Order re-runs. It is because I follow instructions that my hamstrings have filed a civil suit to be divorced from my body and allowed to live on their own in a van down by the river. It is because I follow instructions that today my brain sent a message to my legs telling them to get out of bed and there was rebellion in my body.

I feared for a brief moment that I was going to have to inject a shrunken Donald Plesence into my blood stream in a tiny space craft to fix my internal network.

I also realized today that joining in these Riding Pretend Mountains classes that the scale doesnt go all the way around and then some when I step on it, that my pants no longer dig in uncomfortably, but rather fall off without the assistance of a belt, and that my weight is going down.

Does my butt still hurt from wedging that tiny seat in unmentionable places - SURE DOES! Do my shirt triple their weight through additional water retention - EVERY TIME! In fact, my t-shirts are on diuretics on Wednesday nights so they can release the water they hold. Do I question the instructor's sanity every time he asks for 'another gear' - ABSOLUTELY! Will I continue this activity in the pursuit of my goal for 2010 - YOU CAN BET GOOD MONEY ON THAT!

Will I continue once I reach my target of 210lbs?

Hmmmmmm?

What's Eaten in Vegas Gets Passed in Vegas!

Hi faithful followers, and fellow fat losers. That is - losers of fat, and not losers who are fat - that would be rude. Anyhoo, my beautiful wife and I took a break  last week from everything - kids, work, church, Maryland, electronics - everything but each other and took ourselves out to Las Vegas for a few days. I was really looking forward to having this free time with Julie but I was a little concerned that the saying of 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' wouldn't quite apply to the calories we would consume and I didn't want what I ate in Vegas to make the plane journey back to MD with me.

One thing that this challenge has definitely done has made me much more conscious of what I eat and how long it will take me to sweat those calories off, so 4 days of eating out in restaurants and the like could have been a set back. Having said that, I am the one who is in control of my arms and hands so if I dont put it near my mouth then I wont eat it. We stayed at a beautiful hotel (without a casino) with a fully kitted out fitness center - and I made sure I got a work out in at least on 2 of the days we were there. The other days our exercise consisted of walking, walking, more walking, climbing stairs, walking some more, climbing down stairs followed by a last little bit of, yup you guessed it, walking.

The highlight of our trip for me was the day we spent at the Grand Canyon. Wow! That is one impressive hole in the ground! As I stood at the top looking to the canyon floor some mile or so below me I was drawn to the notion of how good it must be to be able to walk down to the bottom and look up at the rim towering above you. We were only there for a few hours so that wasn't possible - plus the amount of snow on the trails would have made for an interesting decent. I did hear myself say though, "You know, it would be a great guy's trip some time to come out here with some good friends and hike to the bottom for a a few days and hang out by the river." The words were out of my mouth and I was a surprised as my wife that I was even considering the possibility of walking the 7-8 miles of trails down the 1 mile vertical decent to the canyon floor. But maybe next year that will be an option. Anyone want to come?

So, getting back to the challenge - well, to my great delight what I ate in Vegas was passed in Vegas and I didn't bring any extra of me back to MD - in fact I lost a pound while I was out there. Today when I stepped on the scales I achieved another milestone. Today's weight was 284.5lbs - that is only 1/2 a pound away from a total drop of 30lbs, and 3.5lbs under my driver's license weight - my 10 year old driver's license which is up for renewal in October.

So after a week of quality Julie and me time, a week when we reach another target and a week when I have been contacted by people from all parts of the country (thanks to the Catalyst podcast and blog) I am ready for the next few weeks. I am ready to reach the 40lb drop and the 50lb drop. I am also looking forward to the Compassion International Sunday when we will hopefully see a lot of children sponsored.

Its a good week. How is your week going?

What a Shock!!

For those of you who have been following this challenge from the beginning, you will know that the inspiration for me starting this challenge came from a conference I attended in October 2009. I watched a young man recount his story of how as a young boy he was a sponsored child with Compassion International and how his sponsor faithfully wrote to him, encouraged him, supported him and now he was in training to return to his home village to help the people there. Moments later they brought out his sponsor and 10,000 people melted along with Jimmy as he openly wept with gratitude and thankfulness for this stranger who had supported him.



So fast forward to today and I am driving in my truck heading back from clinic listening to the podcast from the Catalyst team - Brad Lomenick and Ken Coleman - when they go to a piece where they talk about e-mails people have sent in. Ken begins to read an e-mail by an Associate Professor from Arlington, VA - IT WAS MY E-MAIL!!!

You can listen to the segment here I could not believe it. They want to put my Challenge on the catalyst web site and help me find the 210 sponsors!!! Unbelievable. Thank you God - this is going to be an awesome experience.