210 in 2010 - A Challenge

My Body Hates Me

2011-12-29T13:20:00.000-05:00

Two years ago I sat on this very same sofa planning a path of sweat and tears that would hopefully ultimately climax in a much thinner me and a lot of children being helped through child sponsorship. Today, two years later I am slimmer than I was, but not as slim as I could be, but more importantly there are approximately 60 children who were living in poverty who are now a part of Compassion International's Child Sponsorship program - most of whom live in El Salvador.

2010 was an awesome year, but 2011 rolled around and good habits slipped, bad habits crept in and here I sit, having had one day at the gym in approximately 3 months and boy am I feeling it.

In the spirit of full confession and self-imposed accountability, I stepped on the scales on Tuesday just a smidge over 280lbs and stepped gingerly back on to the treadmill. What was once a warm-up for a full work out session took my breath away, took my legs away and broke all communication between my feet and my head. My body parts spent Tuesday night rebelling. Legs felt the worst, and complained the most. You would think that with a PhD in Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness that I would know that this was going to happen and that there was nothing to do about it.

But no.

Apparently the brain had decided that the rest of the body did not need to hear the truth about what was to come. Instead of preparing for the aches and pains that would come, my body seemed to believe that it could just step back into the gym and all would be right with the world.

Hmmm, not the case.

40 minutes on the treadmill, and a back and shoulders work out on the machines and Wednesday morning reduced me to T-Rex status. I rolled out of bed, slowly, stood up, and groaned. Not the masculine roar of a T-Rex about to hunt its prey, but more of a sad whimper of a pathetic groan that indicated that my effectiveness for the day would be limited. My T-Rex-ness was completed by my tiny arms - or at least my inability to raise my arms above my head. Yup, this was going to be a day when anything above my head would just have to stay where it was and could be dealt with another day, when overhead movements might be possible.

Wednesday did not turn out to be a gym day, but I did map out a route from my front door, around the neighborhood and back to my door that is 3.5miles. This, I determined would be walked/jogged/run/crawled on days when I could not get to the gym.

One thing is sure - 2012 will be more like 2010 and my weight will be back in the 230/240 range before long.

And Now the End is HERE!!

2010-11-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

I havn't written in this blog for a while - mainly because October was such a crazy month with traveling to Atlanta and being given the chance to tell my story to 1500 people or so at the pre-conference opening session. I met a load of great people there, had the chance to encourage a number of pastors and leaders to lead their churches into sponsoring multiple children from a single country with the intention of visiting that country some day. We hosted a dinner for our Compassion Sponsors at Mt Oak and were encouraged to hear the stories of letters they have received and just the excitement of helping to change lives around the world - quite literally.

A number of people have asked me how things have ended up -and so I wanted to set the record straight as to where I am with my challenge.

If you recall the plan was to weigh 210lbs by 20-10-2010 (20th October, 2010) and in the process to inspire 210 people to sponsor children through Compassion or to inspire 210 people to give $100 to Compassion. On October 20th I had the privilege of being in Lynchburg at a conference and connecting again with some of the new friends I have made this year on the Catalyst leadership team. My weight on that date wasn't 210, but instead was 235lbs - 25lbs short of my goal, but 80lbs less than my weight at that same date 1 year ago. I hadn't reached a goal of getting 210 kids sponsored but instead have 41 children now being sponsored by our church alone, and there may be more who have heard my story and taken that step - I won't know that this side of heaven. I think though that one day in heaven I will get a tap on the shoulder from a young woman or man who will say, "You don't know me, but you helped save me. Thanks" That is my prayer.

I also raised nearly $2000 in donations to Compassion this year - so a little short of my target, but you know, rather than being depressed or saddened because I didn't achieve my goal, I am so excited and happy that in the space of 1 year I have changed my life and inspired changed lives in a lot of other people. There are over 40 children who went to school today because of the support now being provided by people who heard my story. OVER FORTY! That is awesome. Our church is now in a position to send teams to serve and to support the work of Compassion in El Salvador. That is awesome. My own personal health and lifestyle have changed completely. That is awesome - for me and my family.

This has been a fabulous journey and I want to thank each of you who have walked this road with me, encouraging me, supporting me, praying for me, challenging me. It has been difficult and lonely at times, but the results have been worth it. I am a little nervous for the next few weeks though because this is usually the time when God speaks to me about the next year and things that He has for me. I will keep listening and will pass the news on as soon as I hear it.

Just to finish this post I want to refer to the title of this post. The End is HERE! is as much referring to the end of my challenge, but it is also an homage to the latest adventure in RPM or cycle/spin class. As many of you know, I have been taking Brad Albert's fantastic/hateful/really?/really? RPM class, and have written about it before in previous posts. Well, I took a little break to let the body rest and decided to jump back in the saddle and go again.

I set my bike up just like before but noticed something a little different about this class - there were fewer empty bikes, and more victims preparing for torture. If you have never been in a cycle class, let me set the scene. Take a shoe-box, add 45 stationary bicycles, drop in a few sweating bodies, pump up the volume and install one instructor who seems to be mainlining speed - and that is RPM. Well, the proximity of the bikes is such that when there is a full class, and the speed-junky instructor yells out, 'Add a gear and stand up to climb' then your face moves oh so much closer to the rear of the person in front of you. Not the rear of the bike in front of you - the rear of the person. Then the immortal words from the front, 'Don't look down, look ten feet in front of you!' As you lift your eyes you are temporarily blinded by the bouncing buttocks that are not ten feet from you, but a matter of ten inches. Resisting the urge to heave is the first instinct and then you bounce your eyes around the room trying to land on something that is much more pleasant to view.

Ok, you have the idea - now come with me to the last class we had. I followed every instruction (mostly) and stood up to climb the hills when requested. The first climb, the first rising from the seat revealed one of those fashion faux-pas moments that really you shouldn't be exposed to. As I stood up and looked 'ten feet in front of me' I noticed that the lady in front had the incorrect belief that wearing black Lycra leggings over the top of silver dollar sized polka dotted knickers would somehow hide the bouncing balls that encased her butt. My dear woman, this was not the case. As I looked forward I was met with the site of polka dot jumping from cheek to cheek encased in their slightly opaque covering. You could excuse this slight oversight if this dear fashion icon wasn't wearing a striped t-shirt - I mean a thin striped t-shirt. Mixing stripes and polka dots? Is the world coming to an end?

For the rest of the class I was left with a quandary as to where to look. If I looked at her butt then my OCD kicked in and I would count dots. Not good! If I tried to look elsewhere then my curiosity kicked in so compromised and played a mental game of Pong with the right cheek playing against the left cheek and the dots becoming a myriad of virtual tennis balls being batted from one side of the crevasse to the other. I know it is strange, but it passed the time when riding up those hills.

So, in closing, if you are going to raise your rear in the air then please have some consideration for those behind you who might be distracted by your fashion choices. If my kids can color match their undergarments at the age of 4 and 6 then please no more polka dot madness at the gym.

Stuff 90X - I Need To Lose Some Weight!!

2010-09-29T23:05:00.000-04:00

So, after a furious bout of writing for my other blog, and a Sunday morning sermon shared with my beautiful wife, I am back in the gym and hitting the cardio harder than ever. I recently blogged about my venture into P90X and to be honest, I may pick it up again. However, I have become one of the millions who started the program and stopped it, but probably one of the few who have stopped because they were not losing enough weight.

When I began P90X I was hoping that it would be the workout that would take me through the end of my challenge and help me achieve my goal. Sadly, even though they were awesome workouts, my weight loss stalled at 40,000 feet. I needed to jumpstart everything again and this week decided that I would increase my workout to a daily 1000+ calorie burn workout with a heavy emphasis on the cardio aspect but still working to include as much weight work as possible.

What a week it has been! So far I am on track with this new plan and so far the weight loss has begun again. Woohoo!! I have a little over 20 days to go and about 29lbs to lose, which, to be honest is not really healthy, but I am going to give it my best shot.

I would also like to re-issue a challenge to all my readers (well both of you) that you consider sponsoring a child through Compassion or, if you already do, then that you would take the challenge to find a sponsor for a child among your friends. I would love to reach my goal of weighing 210lbs by October 20th 2010, but I would even more like to achieve my goal of inspiring the sponsorship of 210 kids.

Next week is the Catalyst East Coast leadership conference in Atlanta GA and there will be approximately13,000 pastors and leaders in attendance. I have volunteered to help out at the Compassion International booth while we are there and I am still hopeful that my story will be told from mainstage during one of the sessions. At this point, my part in this adventure is to continue to work as hard as I can to try to reach my weight, I know that God asked me to step into this adventure and the care of the children and the challenge of sponsorship is something that He can do. I covet your prayers and encouragement for the next few weeks.

If anyone is interested in joining me and Julie on a little celebration meal at the end of this month then start setting some money aside as I have my eyes set on Fogo Du Chao in DC for a night of belly busting food. Just let me know.

'Samuel's Ear' - and an old story

2010-09-25T00:05:00.000-04:00

For a long time I have been fascinated with one particular aspect of a relationship with God - the fact that He is a communicator and that He is always communicating with us. I regularly are drawn to passages of Scripture where God is communicating with His people. There are wonderful stories of God speaking to Abram and Moses, telling them things, showing them things that were vivid and in full technicolor. There was the time when God Spoke to Elijah and He did not reveal Himself in fire, or a mighty wind or an earthquake - no, He chose to speak to Elijah in a still small voice. There was the time when a little boy who was living and serving in the temple was asleep and was awakened by someone calling his name. After three episodes where the little boy wakes his master, he is told to listen to the voice and simply tell the Lord that he is listening.

All throughout the pages of the Bible there is communication after communication from heaven to earth. Jesus himself was the epitome of receptive listening when He declared that He didnt say anything unless He first heard his Father in heaven say it and He didnt do anything unless He saw His Father in heaven do it. Wow! That is communication. That is being in tune with someone, watching their every move and following their lead.

So why do we struggle so much with God speaking to us today?

Where are the hands writing on walls, and the voices from heaven directing and guiding us? Why is it that we seem to wander in the dark so much looking for a direction when all we truly need to do is stop, listen and then move wherever He sends us.

I was reminded tonight of how God showed us that our current house was the house He had prepared for us. I remember the afternoon we first came here. I felt this was our home immediately, but it wasnt what we were looking for. I remember standing in the front yard looking at the house asking God for a huge neon sign to appear that said "THIS ONE!" or "KEEP LOOKING!". The signage angel never appeared.

There wasnt a fire, there wasnt an earthquake, there wasnt a mighty wind. There was a still small voice. That voice told me to go read Jeremiah 29:28. Why that verse? Well the house I was standing in front of was number 2928 - and God knew what He wrote at that reference in Jeremiah.

That evening I read Jeremiah 29:17 - because I am a fallen being who cant remember a house number. I was a little surprised and disappointed when I read, 'this is what the LORD Almighty says: "I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like poor figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.'

Not quite the word of confirmation I was looking for. My wife reminded me of the correct address and I read Jeremiah 2928. It says this, 'He has sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.'

The whisper of God told me that this was where He had brought us to - 3000 miles from our old home - to this address, to be here to serve Him.

I have tried to follow the whispers of God whenever I hear them. I have started new ventures, I have stopped existing efforts and I have made some major blunders, but all of them in the pursuit of listening to the whispers of God.

Last week I responded to the latest whisper I believe God spoke - I stepped down from my positions of leadership at our church. This was not an easy decision to make, but I have learned that when the Lord whispers and calls your name you need to stop and say, 'Speak Lord, for your servant is listening' - just like that little boy in the temple so long ago - little Samuel.

I am not sure where this step will lead to, but I know that I can do nothing but follow the whisper. When Moses led the children of Israel through the desert, he followed the cloud and the pillar of fire - it was that simple. Wherever those objects moved to, there Moses took the nation. A straight line journey from Egypt to the promised land would have taken about 11 days - Moses led the people in the desert for 40 years. An entire generation had to pass before Joshua could cross the Jordan.

I do not know how long we will be in this place before the Lord whispers the next step. One thing I am praying for though is that I will have Samuel's ear - ready to listen for the whisper, and once I hear that sound, then I pray that I would have the courage to go where He sends me/us.

This is an awfully exciting journey for us and I would covet your prayers at this time as we seek His face and listen for His voice. I would encourage you to not listen to speculation or hearsay of what we intend to do or not do. When God shows us His plan for us, I will be sure to share it. If it doesnt come from me, then dont listen to it.

God bless. This is going to be an awfully big adventure.

My Life's Sound Track - According to My Wife

2010-09-24T07:48:00.001-04:00

We were driving to drop our girls off to their schools yesterday morning and this song came on the radio. I had not really heard it before and it sounded like the normal Christian radio station play list. My beautiful wife Julie, who was sitting beside me, looked at me and said, "If there were a sound track playing for everyone's life, this song would be your sound track."

The song was by Josh Wilson and called "I Refuse". You can check it out here."I Refuse"

I was jolted into listening to the lyrics to see what sort of sound track my life would have according to my wife. She is a smart woman and I think that she was probably right.

What song is the sound track to your life?

What's up with that?

2010-08-20T00:04:00.002-04:00

Ok, I have posted pretty much every day this week about my P90-X experiences and have only one more session to do tomorrow before a rest day on Saturday. Then the joy will begin once more. I wont post every day next week unless there is something enlightening or amusing to report, as otherwise it will be more posts with me just whining about how sore I am.

I do have one little issue I think is worthy of some words though. Last week, when I returned home from my vacation, I went to the gym to resume my workouts and weighed in at 244lbs. Pretty respectable if you ask me. I have been maintaining my good eating habits and even added a little more spinach than the previous weeks and so, after a week of P90-X I jumped on the scales to see where we were at. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Instead of 24lbs the scale stood glaring back at me with a number that read 245lbs!! What is up with that?? I am not too sure what is going on, but have you ever watched the Biggest Loser and one of the contestants had been working out all week and never lost a thing? Well, that is me this week. To be honest it is a little frustrating, but I can only think that my body is in shock with the transition to P90-X that it is thinking the world is about to end so it cant afford to shed any more weight as it might need that stuff to get me through this apocalypse.

Well, today was legs and shoulders - or lunges and pull-ups day - and the legs are tired and sore and the shoulders are still not speaking to me. I am sure I will feel this one tomorrow, but then I get to jump out of bed and do something called Kenpo - whatever that is. I had better go watch that DVD to see what is in store for me tomorrow.

Until next time when I check my weight again, everyone think 'light' thoughts so I can shed a few more pounds and inspire more people to sponsor kids.

I Have A Vein!! Ewwwww!

2010-08-18T10:57:00.007-04:00

So, blogging a little late, but thought I would jot a quick note about yesterday's P90-X level of misery, I mean exercise routine. Yesterday was Day 3 for me and it was Arms and Shoulders followed by the infamous Ab Ripper impossibility I discussed on Sunday. The day didn't start off so well as my initial efforts at rolling out of bed seemed to be met with complete rebellion from my entire musculo-skeletal system. It seemed that whatever way I wanted to move, every muscle in my body was flat out refusing. This was not good as I had slept through my alarm and was close to being late for the first patient of the day at the clinic.

I eventually restored control over my limbs and forced my aching muscles into action and started my day. I have not felt this sore in, well I don't think I have ever felt this sore. Am I sure this is good for me? Clinic was interesting as I was moving more slowly than most of my patients. I think I may have been going a little quicker than my 90yr old patient, but that is debatable.

The session for today was arms - loads of biceps and triceps stuff with some shoulder work tossed in for good measure. This was another session for Gold's so I loaded up my exercise sheets and headed for the gym. In the DVD that I watched the night before they kept going on about not using too much weight as the repetitions would mount up as the session went on. I selected 15lbs for biceps and 10lbs for triceps. My triceps are not that strong and the left one is still complaining about the tearing incident from earlier in the summer.

The work began, and like a lone sentry I stood swinging from elbow flexion to elbow extension and all the time soaking my t-shirt with more and more sweat. This is why I was doing this at Gold's. Yesterday, when I did plyometrics at home and dumped my wet training gear of in the bedroom it left a rather unpleasant aroma that my wife was not too thrilled about - so there will be no more of that.

To be honest, I was really enjoying this work out. I can do arms. And then I saw it. Oh my goodness. Right there, running from my elbow, across my forearm towards my wrist. This bulging. pulsing VEIN!! I dont know about you, but for me the whole vein popping look is not that attractive. I am not in this to become some muscle bound hulk, but there it was, beating away like a junkie screaming for a fix. The thought did cross my mind that if I ever needed to give blood all I would have to do is 200 biceps curls with a 15lb weight and there would be a vein standing up that the proverbial blind man on a galloping horse could find.

The arm workout was enjoyable, what happened next was just embarrassing. It was time for the repeat of Ab Ripper and so I lay down in preparation for the first of the 11 exercises that were going to turn my beer keg of a belly into a six pack - allegedly. I got as far as the "Wuh...." of "one" and realized that my abs were still on vacation from Sunday night and this whole crunchy frog thing was just not going to happen. I needed to adapt the Ab Ripper to rip them in some alternate fashion. To add insult to injury, my lower back had joined in the pity party and was complaining about being sore or something. Inside my head it was like all the different parts of my body had convened a meeting that I wasnt invited to, but could just hear " Waah, waah, waah, waah..." though the door.

I followed the example of the apostle Paul and sat down and had a donut - well I am sure that is in the Message version somewhere, but I had the NIV so "I beat my body and make it my slave ..." (1 Cor 9:27) and went over to the abs area and punished my core with sets of 25 reps of obliques, crunches, power crunches, Captain crunches and apple crunch - well that is what I was thinking of as I was finishing up.

My work out done, it was time to retire to the solitude of the shower and once more navigate the trickiness of applying shampoo to your head when you cannot lift your arms above your shoulder height. Today was a better day, Yoga tomorrow - yeah, right. I am already skeptical of that one, but we shall see. Oh yeah, that's right - I dont have the Yoga disc, Marty does. I guess I can leave the one piece leotard in the closet for another week. This guy probably should have too. Until tomorrow.

Day 2 - P90-X Is Dante's second level of hell

2010-08-16T11:24:00.000-04:00

In Dante's Inferno he intricately describes his idea of various levels of punishment and pain as he describes different levels of hell. I think Dante was inspired by the fact that he was in the first week of P90-X.

I started this insanity yesterday with a back and chest work out that left me feeling like a T-Rex, short arms and all. I went to bed last night praying for the rapture and woke this morning still in bed, so that didn't work out did it? This morning brought with it the idea that today would be my first 'home' workout session and who knows what that would bring. I decided to do the plyometrics session in my living room for fear of other people at the gym wondering what the strange guy was doing on his own prancing around the otherwise empty and silent exercise studio. My fears were confirmed relatively early into the routine when my 4 year old exercised her gift of encouragement and yelled out, "Daddy, you look like a girl!!"

She was ok when she landed from the drop-kick, and she didnt really travel that far anyway. (joke!) I loaded the DVD, pausing only momentarily to consider watching the Berenstein Bears DVD that was already in the machine. After all, you dont want to rush into this exercise stuff too early. Undeterred though I soldiered on. The DVD began, I strapped on my heart monitor and started mimicking what was on screen before me. My 4yr old and 6yr old 'training buddies' kept up pretty well for the first 10 minutes or so but the little one was done when she did get stepped on for real, and yes it was an accident. There is no need to call child protective services.

The next 45 minutes was filled with squatting, sweating, jumping, panting, sweating, lunging, sweating, panting, gasping for air, jumping, twisting, sweating (did I mention that already?) and more bouncing about my living room. I looked at my heart monitor and by the end of the session I had burned 800 calories, and lost most of the feeling in my feet. But 800 CALORIES IN MY LIVING ROOM!! That was pretty awesome, except for the fact that I was downstairs and my clothes and shower were upstairs. I wasn't going anywhere today, I could just stay sweaty. I struggled upstairs like a man who had just finished his first marathon and who's legs had locked up. This was going to help wasn't it?

I made it to the shower only to be faced by the still present T-Rex syndrome. I tried to squirt shampoo in the air and then get my head under neath it before mashing my head against the wall in an attempt to not have to lift my arms up to my head, but that was unsuccessful. Eventually I was clean, sore and feeling like I could face the world.

Tomorrow is shoulders and arms and, joy of joys, the AB Ripper. I think I will head to the gym for this one. More to come in the next installment of adventures of a Fat Man and P90-X. This is worth it, isn't it?

P90-X - Is This A Result of the Fall?

2010-08-16T01:32:00.000-04:00

So with only a matter of weeks to go until I finish my challenge (according to the calendar) and a number of pounds to go before I finish my challenge (according to the scales) I decided that I would follow in the immortal words of that famous tubby chef and kick it up a notch. My workouts have been going well, but it felt more like a maintenance program than a continued weight loss effort so it was time to go for broke (although not literally).

I recently borrowed a copy of the DVD based home exercise program P90-X and decided that today was the day to begin this final phase. For those who have not heard of P90-X it is supposed to be that perfect exercise program that gives you that perfect beach body by the end of the 90 days of the program - if you believe the hype and PR machine behind the program. For those of you who have done it I really think that you will understand the feeling behind the first question that went through my head as I was doing yet another set of push-ups as per the first DVD.

That question of course was simple and to the point, "Oh dear Lord, what have I done??"

Through the wonders of social media I had announced to the world that today was the day that I would be starting this program, not really knowing everything about the program. So, the world knew, and some even asked me this morning in church how the first session went. Well, my intention of starting early this morning was foiled by my sweet 4 year old having a restless night and keeping the rest of us awake for a large part of the early hours. My plan altered such that I went to the gym tonight armed with my list of exercises and the determination that this was going to help take me to my personal finish line.

P90-X uses pull-up bars and dumb bells to provide resistance for some of the exercises and I had neither at home, nor did I really want to sweat all over my living room carpet for the next 90 days. So off to the gym I went to do P90-X without the smarmy announcer dude showing me what a wimp I am.

I did a quick run on the treadmill to warm up and then began the madness. Push-ups, pull-ups, exotic exercises like 'heavy pants' and lawnmowers and 40 minutes of sweat later I was left laying on the floor of the gym pretty much unable to lift my arms in any direction. Who thought of this stuff? I began to think of things that the P90-X stood for. Things like:

Praying 90 times for the rapture
Person yelling 90 eXpletives
Pain 90 times worse than you have ever felt
Paying 90 times more than the outcomes are worth

On the DVD the first workout takes approximately 1 hour (including warm-up and cool down time) and my first work out only lasted about 50 minutes. The reason for the time discrepancy was my inability to actually do as many reps as they do on the DVD. I will admit that my body has undergone significant change over the past 7 months, but pull-ups, seriously? Were we even designed to be able to do those? But, like the DVD says, you do your best and I reckoned that the lack of strength to actually move my limbs was a good indication that I had certainly done that. The 600+ calories that I had burned and the 40 minutes that my HR was in the zone were also encouraging to me. Even if I cant do a pull-up - YET!

As if this bodily onslaught was not enough for the first session I was then supposed to complete a short series of 11 exercises designed to work the abdominal region in what was called AbRipper X. Are you serious? I barely have enough strength to lift the page of exercises I had printed out and now I am supposed to do abdominal exercises? Aye carumba! Well, if this is what the program calls for then this is what the Fat Man will do.

I started the first two exercises, they went pretty well, painfully, but well and then we came to exercise number 3. Something called a 'Crunchy Frog'. This required me trying to balance on my butt, keep my feet in the air and move them in and out all while synchronizing wrapping my arms around my legs when in the full tuck position. Yeah right! That was just not going to happen. Aside from the recurring back issue that I have had, my abdominal muscles had seen what my back and shoulders had gone through and had taken refuge hiding beneath the soles of my feet. They were nowhere to be seen.

If I want that beach body (which I dont really, but I do have some pounds to lose) then I needed to modify the program and use the gym to my advantage for this one. So I headed up to the abs section of the gym and punished my disobedient stomach muscles for deserting the cause in my time of need. The end came and my sweaty mass slowly made its way to the locker room to pass out quietly in a corner somewhere and wait for the end of time.

There is a reason this is a HOME exercise program - at home you at least might have someone who can help you get your t-shirt off after you finish your workout. I got one arm above my head, tried to raise the second arm but realized that it was still attached to a dumb bell somewhere and of no help whatsoever. So there I stood, t-shirt half off, face pressed against sweat soaked cotton trying to muster enough strength to break free from my clothing. I could only imagine how I will feel in the morning. I think I should move the Advil to a place of prominence beside my bed. Trying to get my clean t-shirt on after my shower was even more entertaining as by this point, neither arm was willing to elevate above 90 degrees.

Eventually I managed to get dressed and left the gym, telling two guys who were on their way in that "It is too late for me, but you guys still have time to run away!" The verse, 'resist the devil and he will flee ...' came to mind, but I didnt use it. My problems worsened somewhat as I opened my truck and realized that I had driven the STICK SHIFT VEHICLE - stoopid, stoopid Jason! I found out tonight how much my truck will actually travel in 3rd gear, and it will even start from a dead stop in 3rd gear - sweet!

So here I sit, like a T-Rex, unable to lift my arms and wondering how I will change for bed, and if I am honest somewhat in fear of the Plyometrics session that awaits me in the morning. I watched it tonight and decided that I will do that one at home. It is one thing to prance around when you are following an exercise routine on TV, or even in person, but when you are the only one in the gym prancing around the room doing all sorts of weird contortions then you get the 'weird guy at the gym' tag.

So, until tomorrow morning when I destroy my legs with Plyometrics, I bid you adieu.

PS - Jesus, if you would like to return tonight to save me from what the morning will bring, I am ok with that.

I'm Back!!! - And there is a little less of me to go around.

2010-08-09T12:49:00.000-04:00

Well it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted but that was not because I didnt want to write - it was a matter of scheduling and simply not having enough time to get online and post my thoughts.

So, a quick update. July began with a week at home with the family completing final preparations for our Summer StreetReach mission week which pretty much took care of the entire second week of July. We had an awesome time and I will write more on my other blog about our experiences there. The third week of July was another one at home with the kids, this time recovering from StreetReach and preparing for the most awesome 2 week vacation with friends and family at Smith Mountain Lake in Va.

So, where has the Challenge been while all of these other activities have been ongoing? Well, I must say that things are going well, but to be honest I think I am just a smidgen behind schedule. The last time I posted I had just reached the milestone of having lost 60lbs - which was awesome. Our mission week, two weeks on vacation without access to a gym and a little indulgence here and there has meant that I at my weigh-in this morning I was at 244lbs - which is a total weight loss of 70lbs.

Now, dont get me wrong, 70lbs weight loss in about 8 months is an awesome achievement, but I really want to reach this goal on the date that I have set myself. So from here on in I have 10 weeks of hard work, sacrifice and self-control to help me reach my target. I believe that I can do it. I believe that I can reach the weigth loss goal that I set, but that is, and always has been one small part of this challenge. I really want to reach my sponsorship target for Compassion. My best count at this point is that my efforts have inspired the sponsorship of between 40 and 50 children. Again, this is not a small accomplishment, but I set myself a target of 210 kids sponsored and that is what I really want to see happen. I know how to lose the remaining 34lbs - I have no idea how to get the rest of these children sponsored.

I need your help. I am thankful for those of you who have taken the challenge and sponsored a child already, but I have one more request for you. Would you be so kind to decide that you will be an advocate for this cause and take it on yourself to find one more person who will become a sponsor? If you have received that first letter from your sponsor child and had that little hand drawn crayon effigy sent to you then you will feel like I feel - that we should be doing everything we can to use the wealth that God has blessed us with to reach out to those who are in need.

I am now 70lbs lighter than I was last Christmas. I know have 4 daughters - 2 biological girls who are here with my wife and I, and we also now have 2 sponsored 'daughters' who live in El Salvador who we write to, and send pictures to and pray for regularly. This has been an awfully big adventure - and somehow I feel it is only just beginning.

For those of you who like those reality TV shows with the before and after pictures then I have included a few of those at the end of the post. For those who are wondering what antics I can get up to next then you need to stay tuned for the next blog entry because I will be starting P90X in the next day or two. I am sure that will be an adventure in itself.

Thank you for your support, and please consider clicking on the COMPASSION links on this page and start sponsoring a child today. If you have already sponsored a child then become an advocate and leave a message on this post to that effect. I am working hard to meet the weight loss challenge, will you help me reach the sponsorship challenge?

Let's change lives together.

The (less) Fat Man

Celebrating 60 today!!

2010-06-14T15:37:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been to a 60th birthday party? The celebration of another birthday takes on a whole new dynamic when the transition of a new decade occurs. It is an awesome thing to be able to celebrate with someone the achievement of them being able to stay upright and breathing for that many consecutive years.

What about an even more rare event - like a 60th wedding anniversary? Have you ever been to one of those? In the list identifying a specific item or gift with an anniversary date, the 60th anniversary is said to be the Diamond Anniversary and this is the appropriate gift of choice for the happy couple. However what two old fogies are going to do with a bunch of diamonds escapes me - so if you are going for this gift then pick something that you might like back and pray that it gets in the will :)

What do you get the guy who has achieved his own personal 60th anniversary? Maybe a soft chair and a good cup of coffee (hint, hint!). Today we are 1 week from my 'Jump Start' beginning of the next phase of my 210 in 2010 Challenge and today was a good gym day. Hopped on the treadmill, 30 minutes of 'fat burn' workout on Level 10 (it doesnt go any higher!!) and the sweat was on good, then off to lift heavy things until my arms went numb, then back on to the bike to play the dragon chasing game I found on one of the exercise bikes.

So was this the 60 day of my adventure? Nope, was this the 60th time I stepped out and tried something new? Nope - so what was the 60th anniversary all about?

I jumped on the scale, looked down and read the number 254lbs - having started this adventure at 314lbs, today is my 60lbs down, 44 to go day! Every drop of 10lbs deserves some celebrating. Every time I dip into a new 10lbs increment I want to scream out loud and fist pump my hands (if they werent so sore that I can barely lift them over my head). Every time I step on the scale and wait for the number to change I am in anticipation at the next achievement.

Life is all about small achievements. Small achievements grow and accumulate to form huge successes. We do not celebrate the small achievements enough. We do not celebrate the tiny steps and the increments that we use as we inch ourselves towards our goals - and we miss out on the encouragement, on the sense of achievement, on the satisfaction of a job well done. We need to celebrate our successes a lot more.

So here is my cupcake - all for me. In honor of me achieving a loss of 60lbs. Sadly this image of a cupcake is as close as I can allow myself to get to a cupcake, but here we are. Celebrating. (Waves flag in air, wearing a party hat and blowing a little blue plastic horn - sitting alone in my office).

Well, I am celebrating - even if you wont.

My goal for this time next week - to be out of the 250's and to step into the twilight zone - the 40's - the 240's.

See you there - bring cake.

Time For a Jump Start

2010-06-08T16:05:00.000-04:00

The past few months have been pretty chaotic at our house. The girls were away for 2 weeks, then a week later, Julie was away for 10 days at her grandfather's funeral and then a couple of weeks after she returned our dog passed away. It has just felt like one thing after another. In the midst of it all I have been trying to maintain my diet, but to be honest, my exercise schedule has suffered. My gym time has been less and less and I need to correct that.

This is a decision of the head and the heart. It is time to jump start this body once more and drive towards my goal.

Are you with me?

Where is your big belly?

2010-06-01T23:06:00.000-04:00

I twittered this recently but thought it was worthy of a full post on my blog. There is something so innocent and wonderful about kids and this past week I experienced that with my oldest daughter. Cara came into my bedroom the other day as I was putting on my t-shirt and she stopped right in front of me, reached both hands out and placed them on either side of my stomach. With a surprised exclamation she shouted out, "Daddy, where has your big belly gone?"

This was the cutest thing I had heard in a long time, however I had a moment where I realized that I needed to make sure my answer was something that would not frighten her, but something that she could handle. You see, about two weeks ago we had to say goodbye to our faithful family dog who, from just before Christmas, had lost a lot of weight due to liver disease. I didnt want to say anything that in Cara's little mind would somehow connect Daddy's loss of his belly, with Ollie's loss of weight. In a moment of inspiration I told her that "my big belly had been mean to me and he wasn't my friend anymore." This satisfied her and she left me in piece to continue getting dressed.

Later that morning, as we were sitting on the sofa downstairs, Cara pointed out her discovery of my loss of belly to her mom. "Look mommy, Daddy's belly is gone.." which would have been perfect had she just stopped there. But, 5 year olds have the amazing ability to say it like it is and, as she leaned down on my now reduced stomach, she realized that there seemed to be more to lose. She grabbed my remaining belly fat in between her two hands and said, "I guess you need to keep going until you lose this part too!"

Great, one moment she is my biggest encouragement, the next she is my biggest critic. I wasn't put off by this latest comment, but struck by the simple honesty and truth of her words. When I set myself this challenge, I didnt set it to get half way and feel so good about myself that I just stop and do complete the task. No, I set myself a goal, and I need to keep my eyes on that goal. I set myself the target of 210lbs. I went to the gym today and weighed in - 256lbs. That is 58 pounds in almost 5 months - a little ahead of my target of 10lbs a month.

The goal is still 210lbs, and with the simple words of my daughter in my ears I will be setting off on the second half of my journey with renewed enthusiasm and rekindled desire for success. 210 in 2010 here we come.

As I have continued to say, the weight loss is only the inspiration to encourage people to sponsor a child through Compassion - I need a lot more people to do that. If you are interested in becoming a child sponsor please follow the links on this site to Compassion and begin to change the life of a child today.

Reaching An All Time Low

2010-05-12T11:24:00.000-04:00

Wow! It has been a while since I was on here telling my story. A lot has gone down since my last post - including my weight. I hopped on the scales this morning and read the number 259.4lbs - I AM BELOW 260!!!

What a great feeling to know that despite traveling to a conference (not eating the best of stuff while there, nor exercising), almost traveling to Belfast (another long story that I will blog about on my other site) and then juggling my girls, my jobs and my life, that I have still managed to continue to drop my weight and reach an all time low weight for me. I dont think I have weighed in the 250's since I was in my 20's. So excited.

In other news: Dione and I traveled to Atlanta for the Orange conference - pretty great stuff, and I had the chance to meet with Ken Coleman from Catalyst and continue to share my journey on this adventure. He is working on a piece for Catalyst 2010 in October where all being well, I will have a chance to inspire more people to step up and sponsor. I also had the chance to hang out with Aaron Foster (one of the Catalyst team) and it was kind of strange to have people say, "Hey, you are the guy from the podcast! How's it going?" Going to check out some supplement stuff that Aaron uses so when we get to the summer and the last push to lose that final 30lbs or so I have all the right nutrients in place.

I met Mr Jinnohara, the father of one of my students, who lives in Hawaii and heard my story through the Catalyst podcast. That was a trip. it really brought home to me that through the power of media, this message is being spread and people are being inspired.

The most encouraging thing that happened recently occurred only a few days ago. I was sitting with some faculty colleagues in between meetings and they asked what my blog was all about. It was great to share with them my journey this far. Very exciting.

Finally for this little update - I received a message from one of our new sponsors who was very excited that she had received her first letter from her sponsor child. She was thrilled, and I was so happy that not only was her sponsor child now being cared for, but that her sponsor was also being blessed through the communication.

I do need some help though. If you go to a church that you think would be interested in sponsoring children and would allow me a short amount of time to share my story and provide opportunity for them to get involved then please, please, please get in touch with me. At this point I think there are somewhere around 70 children who have been sponsored through 210 in 2010, but my goal is to reach 210 by October. It is time to push the boat out and find more sponsors.

Thank you all for your encouragement and your support. This has been an awfully big adventure.

I Dare You To Move

2010-04-22T01:01:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we showed a simple video that we compiled to highlight what 210 in 2010 is all about. We hope that you will catch the vision and be inspired to get involved in sponsoring a child through Compassion International.

I Dare You To Move

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor then please visit http://www.sponsorshipchallenge.org/210in2010 and select the child that is on the left hand side. You can follow the links to find a child that you want to sponsor and then follow the instructions.

I dare you to move.

Major Update - You Dont Want To Miss This!!

2010-04-19T23:09:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday saw the culmination of the twelve week long Gold's Challenge, which I joined back in January to provide some encouragement and accountability for me with my challenge. When we started this adventure they took a series of measurements and a couple of photos. This past Saturday they took more photos and re-measured me. Do you want to know the scores so far?

Ok, so here is where we have come.

Initial weight = 314lbs -:- Present weight = 267lbs -:- total loss = 47lbs

Measurement around stomach = dropped 7 inches in girth

Measurement around waist = dropped 3 inches in girth

Measurement around thigh = dropped 3 inches in girth

You want to see some photos?

Here we go

NOW THE MOST EXCITING NEWS SO FAR!

This challenge has not been a simple weight loss adventure - it has a much more important challenge - to see 210 children sponsored through Compassion International. On Sunday April 18th at Mt Oak Fellowship we had our Compassion Sunday services. I had asked Compassion to send em child sponsorship packets for children in El Salvador who are in need of sponsors. They sent me 70 packets.

We held our two services, with the wonderful David Burke as our guest speaker and through the grace of God and the generosity of our congregation, 69 out of the 70 packets were taken home by people with the intent of sponsoring these children.

THAT IS AMAZING!!!

I am sure that there may be a few packets returned next Sunday, but our congregation has been inspired and they stepped up this past Sunday to rescue children from poverty.

If all 70 of these children are sponsored then I am 1/3 of the way to achieving my sponsorship goal. WOW! That is amazing.

When I started this challenge I set my sights big - lose 100lbs and inspire 210 people to sponsor children. I am nearly half way there on the weight loss and 1/3 of the way there on the sponsorship. This is a time for celebration, but also a time to push through to the end and see both goals met.

If you would like to support this cause and sponsor a child then follow this link (http://www.sponsorshipchallenge.org/210in2010) and take a step towards rescuing a child from poverty today.

The Great Sponsorship Challenge

2010-04-09T12:27:00.000-04:00

So, regular visitors to this site will notice that I exchanged the Compassion International banner from the top of the page with a GREAT SPONSORSHIP CHALLENGE picture. This picture is also a link to my Sponsorship page. How cool is that

The Great Sponsorship Challenge is a new web site that Compassion International have set up where people, like me, who are trying to inspire other folk to sponsor kids can go and register to sponsor a child and know that their sponsored child will count against the appropriate challenge. I set my self a goal of getting 210 sponsors and so far I know of 1 who started already, but many others who are interested in sponsoring children.

If you attend Mt Oak Fellowship then you will have the chance to sponsor kids on Saturday April 17th and Sunday April 18th if you attend our FAMILY FUN NIGHT (Saturday) or church services (Sunday).

If you DO NOT attend Mt Oak, or you know you wont be able to attend either of the two dates in April then you can now go to my Sponsorship Challenge Site and select a child and begin the process of rescuing a child from poverty.

What an amazing opportunity we have to change the world, one life at a time.

So, what say ye?

Is it time to save a life and rescue a child? Sign up today.

"Body Pump" with the "Dopy Bump"

2010-04-06T20:46:00.002-04:00

So I was minding my own business Monday morning when I innocently posted on Facebook that I was heading to the gym later that afternoon. PING! I get an invite to join my buddy and his wife at an exercise class called "Body Pump". Now I have heard a little about Body Pump - most of it involved "lots of reps" and "really tiring". The limited observations I have had of the classes it looked like the spawn of a love encounter between Richard Simmons (step aerobics) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (weight lifting). Being the fearless adventurer I agreed to join them and to take my first "Body Pump" class.

How short my memory is when it comes to classes with the name 'Les Mills' associated with them. I should have read the first blog I wrote after taking my first RPM class - it would have helped prepare me. So let me give you the run down.

We set up our 'steps' and laid out our mats - one for you to lie on (this was certainly an attractive idea) and the other was for your barbell to rest on. If the weights need their own mat to rest on, this can only mean bad things are about to happen to my muscles. Why do the weights need to rest - they aren't doing any of the work - are they?

Our instructor arrives and she is ready to go. She looks like she has been mainlining Verve or some other 5 hour energy drink. She reminded me of some of the stuffed animals my kids have where you pull the string in their back and let them go. Well, someone had pulled her string and she was off. This however is not a bad thing - if you are about to put people through 60 minutes of misery then you should be excited about it - it is the only way to get everyone to stay with you.

So we started with the music pumping and the instructions to follow the leader coming across the microphone. Here is where 'Body Pump' met the 'Dopy Bump' - ME! I am a relatively coordinated individual but now I was trying to follow the instructor moving arms and legs, check my 'form' in not one, but two mirror walls and all the time not drop the weighted bar in my hands. I was going up, when she was going down. I was curling while she was rowing. It was all a little confusing. The worst thing that I think that crossed my mind was that the class participant in front of me was only 5 feet tall and really didn't provide much cover for my unskilled maneuvers to hide behind.

The warm-up ended - yes, that was just the warm-up. In true sadistic Les Mills fashion, the following 55 minutes was a whirl of weights, steps, reps and muscles pumped full of lactic acid. So that was what this was all about - pumping up my muscles with a waste product - nice.

The most difficult part of the class for me was not related to the weights or the timing, it was trying to balance my delicate frame on the aforementioned step that we had laid out before we began. We were instructed to lie down on the 'step' to perform our triceps routine. I lay down as instructed and my head fell off the end of the step, practically hitting the floor. In my attempt to slide down I found one little issue. We had placed exercise mats on our steps for comfort. What I soon learned was that these mats don't slide too well on the steps, and the human body (at least mine) didn't slide too well on the mat. Long story short, in an effort to reposition myself along the step so my head was actually resting on something other than the floor I skootched (yes, skootched) down the step, and my shorts, for some reason known only to themselves, decided to stay where they were. So, here we all are, lying on our steps, pushing our weight bar over our heads, and I am the only one in the room with a self inflicted wedgie - oh the joy.

Finishing the track we rolled up off our steps, some with more grace than others - well, than me, and everyone stood up preparing for the next track. As surreptitiously as possible I retrieved my drawers from their new storage location and continued as best I could with the class.

I must say, the class was fun, if not a little difficult to follow along with, especially with my lack of coordination. The one thing that did surprise me was the after effects. I left the class feeling like I had worked out but not completely exhausted. I decided to jump on the treadmill and do 20 minutes of fast incline walking. I finished that, stopped at the grocery store and headed for home.

After sitting down for 30 minutes or so to eat dinner I tried to stand up. That is when I realized that the long stumps attached to my hips no longer worked. My legs were doing their best Elvis impersonation - they left the building. So I pretty much stayed on the sofa for the remainder of the evening and having contemplated sleeping there too, I dragged myself upstairs and collapsed. I guess there is something to this Body Pump stuff.

I guess this Dopy Bump will just have to go back to another class for more punishment.

Someday.

O Blog, How I have Missed You

2010-04-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

Well, it is about time! It has been a very busy two weeks that have kept me away from my blogs - and there are so many things going around in my head that I hope I have the strength in my arms to put down here in print.

Now where were we when we were last together? Ah yes, I had just made it into the 270's region and had stepped into a new frontier. Well, my progress has continued and I have reached the last bastion of the 70's with my most recent weight reading as 270.2lbs. Only a day or so before I will cross that new frontier and enter the 260's. Wow, haven't been that slim since some time last century.

Ok, so news updates. I received 60 packets of information on children that are in need of sponsorship through Compassion International. If you are seriously interested in sponsoring please drop me a not back on this blog - I know that Heather couldn't wait and has already begun sponsoring her child. It is going to be an amazing next few weeks as the reality hits the road and people step forward to rescue a life. It is going to be an awesome month.

Saturday April 17th will be our FAMILY FUN NIGHT at Mt Oak when we want to invite everyone to come out and have a good time playing carnival games and learning more about child sponsorship. On Sunday April 18th at our 8:45 and 10:30am services we will spend our time together hearing more about Compassion and of course, there will be an opportunity to sign up and sponsor a child.

This is the time when I really want to encourage people to step up and talk about sponsorship to their friends and lets get these kids taken care of.

I will write a new blog about a new training experience that I took on tonight - Body Pump! I have never met Les Mills (the guy who came up with Body Pump and RPM) but after this evening's session I am sure that he must be wanted in many countries for crimes against people's muscles. I ache - but you need to check back tomorrow to read about that.

This quick post - a reminder to get the kids sponsored.

God bless

Living in the 70's

2010-03-24T14:50:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-23T10:50:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-19T09:56:00.000-04:00

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?

2010-03-17T15:52:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-16T00:48:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-11T16:10:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-03-10T11:57:00.001-05:00

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!!

2010-03-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

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.

Being Sick Stinks

2010-02-28T00:21:00.000-05:00

Been sick since Friday - woke up with my head full of gunk and feeling like a bus ran me over. No exercise since Thursday. I would feel happy about that if I didnt feel so yucky. Apparently the internet doesnt believe that you burn any calories when you blow your nose - I beg to differ.

Maybe by Monday we will be back to the gym and on with the weight loss.

Those count as freebies

2010-02-25T15:37:00.000-05:00

So, last night saw my return to that wonderful small room full of sweating pedaling maniacs in the Gold's RPM class. The previously mentioned sweaty-cheeked person was there, the noses only inches from buttocks was the same, the bass thumping music was present and the energetic instructor had thankfully returned from a brief stay in hospital - not RPM related but I think they were checking insanity levels.

'Tonight', I told myself, 'was the night I would stay in time with the music, I would keep up the pace, and ultimately put myself close to some sort of cardiac event, but not to worry, tonight was the night for going all out.' I strapped on my trusted heart monitor to continue my scientific investigation of exercise alternatives (see previous post about shoveling snow) and off we went, pedal, pedal pedal.

Things started well. I was staying in time (mostly), feeling good (despite already having worked out earlier in the day) and my monitor began to report rapid calorie loss. Things were going well, and then it happened - the peppy instructor encouraged us to 'turn it up' and shouted other things like 'add in more resistance' and 'give me another gear'. Then the instruction came from the front that we were to climb the next hill. Up we stood, pedaling furiously and 'climbing' the hill. At this point my mind shifted from the burning in my legs to the reality that although I was 'climbing' I wasn't changing altitude.

I then spent the next 3-4 songs of exercise trying to calculate how high we actually did climb during these songs. Then it struck me. Every time I ride a bike outside and I encounter a hill, there is one thing that is sure to happen - what goes up must come down. Where were the downhill sections in this class? Why were we always climbing and never descending? Were we attempting to ride to the top of Everest? With all this climbing when do we reach the point where the air is so thin that we pass out and fall off the bikes.

CRASH! (- this time not literally, only mentally)

Reality snapped back in to play as I noticed that in my absent minded exertions I was still pedaling this insanely high gear and my heart was doing its best to explode out of my chest. I looked at the heart monitor on my wrist to see my heart rate was 180. I glanced over to the poster on the wall and saw that for my age group 180 was the very top of the INTENSE EXERCISE band and the shortness of breath was not from a lack of oxygen in the room due to altitude, but just a lack of oxygen in my system from being out of breath.

Finally, the beat slowed, as did the pace, and my heart rate. Fifty minutes of leg pedaling fury was complete and it was time to try to regain my land legs. Shakily I stepped off of the bike - another RPM session complete, and me still being alive.

As for my calorie count - 1026 after the class. Not bad for an hour of sweat. I decided to leave my heart monitor on for a while to see how my calorie count would change. By the time I took it off (about an hour later as I had to pick up my kids from AWANA) I had burned 1556 calories. WOW! 500 calories burned just in the hour immediately after RPM. Those count as freebies - calories burned without any exertion.

Today is the day after. I must admit that last night I was so tired I fell asleep on the sofa, went to bed before 11pm and walked around this morning like I had been kicked by a horse - but still, you got to love those freebies.

Now if only our instructor would find a song that goes downhill - is that possible?

The Journey of 1000 steps ....

2010-02-22T10:56:00.002-05:00

should really be done on a bicycle. (Jason's proverbs)

You know, our society screams at us everyday. Most of those screams we ignore or tune out in the hope that insanity will not beset us, but there are some screams that are louder, more attractive, and packaged more prettily than others. Those screams are the numerous weight loss advertisements and pitches for the right product for you.

I wonder as I watch the latest celebrity to strut their stuff on 'Jenny Craig' why we never see them sweating their butts off (literally) in the gym. Why we don't see the camera shot cut to a sweating blob attempting to get one leg in front of the other before the treadmill ejects him (or her) off the back of it and into a wall. You know you would laugh at that, but would it sell you the idea of what weight loss and good health is? I doubt it. It is much better to think that we can write a check, wait for the mail carrier to deliver a box of food to our door that we are then rationed on until the next delivery. Didn't something like this already happen during the great wars? The only difference in these rations is that of course you need to go and buy the main ingredients for your newly acquired diet before you assemble the pieces.

Why is it so difficult to limit the amount of things we put in our mouths? Is it really more difficult than that? Isn't there a simple philosophy that is you want to lose weight then don't eat more than you are willing to burn off. Before anyone gets their knickers in a twist and explodes over their keyboard about the importance of balancing the major food groups accurately (coffee, chocolate and cake - any type of cake) I understand all that stuff - even the conflicting information which Al Gore's invention provides into our homes.

What I have noticed is that the self-discipline of restricting calorie intake seems to be too difficult for many to cope with as they abdicate responsibility to Jenny or others to package their food, prepare it and eat it. This abdication allows us to blame someone else when it doesn't work - when our results are not what we see on-screen but are much more typical. We follow someone else's plan so we can blame them for our failure. It's the American dream.

So let's flip this thought of taking responsibility to the whole point of my endeavor this year - to see children rescued from lives of poverty and given a chance to have access to food, shelter, basic healthcare and to build up and support these families as they raise these precious little children.

Have you considered sponsoring a child through Compassion International? What has stopped you? What argument have you used to abdicate your responsibility of being in the top few percent of wealthy people in the world and yet not willingly sharing some of your wealth to support a child who struggles just to eat every day? Check out Compassion International's web site and see what this group is all about. I am supporting them because they work with local organizations to support entire families as they support these precious children.

Are you willing to sponsor a child and make a difference? Are you maybe not in a position to support a child long term, but maybe could give a one time gift to support the work of Compassion? Don't listen to the arguments that will rationalize why you need to spend your money on food that your diet says you shouldn't have anyway. Take some time and make a donation. GO TO THE DONATE LINK ON THIS BLOG AND HELP THE CAUSE!

Move Over Static Bike - Hello Snow Shovel!!

2010-02-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

So, followers of this blog will have recently read of my exploits on a bicycle in an R.P.M. class. Well, it is official. There is an easier way to burn 800 calories and, barring any tragic accident, you will not come away walking like you have been on a horse all day. Just think, exercise, calorie burn, and the ability to sit down comfortably afterward.

What can it be? Is it possible?Could there truly be such an activity?

Yes there is - shoveling snow!!

I mentioned this the other day, but I knew as soon as I posted it that there would have been some haters out there, so in true Mythbusters fashion I designed a quick test and the results are in.

Thanks to a Polar heart monitor (aptly named) I got myself ready, picked up my trusted shovel and headed to the blizzard. Click "START" on the wrist watch and begin. Steady pace, nothing fancy, no stopping for breaks until the worst thing possible happened. Driving the shovel into the icy stuff at the bottom of the driveway was all going well until that final thrust.

Thrust!

craCK!

SNAP!!

There stood I. Handle in hand, shovel buried in icy mess. NUTS! My shovel broke!! Ah well, nothing left to do but go into the house and check the results. SO here is what I found:

Time Shoveling - 57:19
Time in HR Zone - 53:18
AVG HR - 134
MAX HR - 150
CALORIES - 776

Time for a cup of tea and a cookie. I think I may have earned it.

So if you are missing the gym, get out there and shovel. If you have completely shoveled all your driveways and sidewalks yet still want that work out then come over to my house - I will let you shovel my driveway. Might even let you wear the heart monitor too. Now I know you want to come over.

Did You Know You Can Burn 800 Calories an Hour Shoveling Snow?

2010-02-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

So for those of you who are not in the metropolitan DC area, I wanted to let you know how the weekend has gone so far. Usually I would be in the gym on Saturday morning doing my thing and trying to drop those love handles one at a time, however this weekend was a little different.

On Friday afternoon the mid-Atlantic east coast was visited by a most unwelcome guest - Snowzilla 2010, Snowmageddon 2010, or a load of snow dumped on our area. As we sat inside eating low fat, low taste cardboard like cereal, we could see the world as we knew it transformed as a layer of some 30inches or so of snow covered the land. Wow! this was quite the storm and quite a spectacular change of view from our living room.

So with passage to the car blocked, and passage to the street nigh impossible, there was nothing to be done but to figure out how to burn those calories without the treadmill. It didnt take long to see the solution - there beside my from door was a trusty snowshovel, and beyond that 30 inches of rather wet snow blocking me from my car, and my car from the street.

According to this web site a 300lb man (me) could burn 800+ per hour shoveling snow. If this were true, then I spent approximately 12-15 hours this Saturday, Sunday and Monday shoveling snow - that is a lot of calories. To add to my work out I did a small re-enactment of Rocky Balboa from Rocky IV when Rocky went to Russia to train in the snow. That great scene of him running knee deep in snow was great. My re-enactment was only over a distance of 30 feet (you have to start somewhere) and was more of a rescue than a training run. My two snow angels were out the back playing when I heard a scream and looked up to see Emma (my 3 year old) sitting on top of a pile of snow with only one snow boot on. The other had apparently gone down in the hole she created when she stepped out, but never returned with her foot when she took her next step. So a run through 30 inches of snow (not graceful, trust me) and quick dig around and the boot was returned to its rightful place one her left foot.

So no chance of getting to the gym, but some strenuous shoveling and a little scamper should keep the metabolism ticking over. Maybe back to the gym tomorrow.

Who knows?

Bike vs Buttocks - Round 2

2010-02-03T23:05:00.000-05:00

Ok, so having recently returned to a normal walking pattern after my initiation into the world of Les Mill's R.P.M (Rectal Pain Management - apparently the more you ride a bike the less your butt hurts, but I am skeptical). This evening I returned to the scene of the original crime with a a dogged determination that this time I would remain on my ride and would even be able to stand and pedal at the same time.

As we sat there awaiting our appointed muscular death sentence, I was strangely intrigued by the number of people who had already started pedaling. Were these people unaware of the reason they were strapped to these machines? Did they not realize that moment the instructor at the front had his string pulled he would be off to the races like the energiser bunny on crystal meth leaving a wake of sweating panting roly-polies trying to figure out if the 'tension' he kept yelling about was the tension of their bikes or the tension in their chest as their hearts attempted to keep pace.

Well, the appointed time came, there was no call from the governor to reprieve the condemned and the pedaling began in earnest. This session went much better than my first session and there were moments when I thought I could actually keep up with the beat, until I realized I was listening to my own heartbeat pounding inside my head.

I did learn something vitally important this evening through all of the sweat and calorie burning activity. I learned tonight that there are appropriate RPM clothes which should be worn, or more importantly, there are clothes which should not be worn under any circumstances. The first necessity is a light colored t-shirt, or at least a t-shirt that will change color with every bead of sweat that is expelled. The reason this is important is for that moment when you walk out of the RPM room and into the main gym. With the right sweat soaked t-shirt on the avid lip-reader can clearly see people on treadmills and step machines mouthing their amazement at how much you must have been working in that darkened noisy room to the left. That just makes you feel better, as you try to put one foot in front of the other in a coordinated fashion and head to the locker room.

The second item of clothing is one that you MUST not wear. This may be a little gross for some, but it needs to be shared. Please, please, please, when you pick your outfit for Really Painful Muscles you cannot wear gray or light colored shorts. There is a simple reason for that - and it is the same reason that brought you adoration from the hamsters in the main gym - sweat shows up. In the middle of one painful 'hill climb' with everyone standing pedaling like mad, I looked up and there before me was a perfect seat shaped sweat pattern on a rider ahead of me - and where was it? Yup, right where the seat goes. The last time I saw a wet patch like that I was being told by my 3 year old how she was just too late to get to the potty and accidents happen.

So lesson from tonight - gray shirt for 'wow!' factor from other exercising hamsters in the main gym, dark colored shorts to hide any trace of sweat leakage from rectal regions. So, with another session of Rectums Producing Moistness behind me, I am going to bed in the hope that the leg fairies come and replace mine with ones that will work tomorrow.

Keep following the cause - and please continue to position yourself so you can begin to sponsor a child through Compassion International when we get our region identified.

R.P.M - Really Painful Muscles (and other softer parts too!)

2010-01-30T15:23:00.001-05:00

So a little update for the faithful 210 in 2010 followers. Today I ventured out into the anticipated snow storm to engage in a new activity - a spin class, or more appropriately an R.P.M class devised by Les Mills.

Dear Lord, why are these things not illegal? I mean, really, there must be a law against strapping fat people onto bicycles that have only two purposes:

to suck the very life force and will to live out of your body through your legs and,
to wedge a very narrow bicycle seat into places where only liberal applications of cooking grease allow for easy extraction.

If you have not participated in such an endeavor let me describe the scene to you. Imagine a dimly lit 30'x40' room with more bicycles per square foot than the streets of Beijing at dinner time. All the bikes are positioned to face forward - into the back or should I say, the backside of the rider 5 inches in front of you. My sincerest apologies to the lady behind me - what a sight she must have had!! Once you have identified your 'ride' (official lingo for your static bicycle which doesn't go anywhere and therefore is not really a ride, but I digress) - adjusted seat, handlebars, pedals and foot-straps and began the process of eternally losing the aforementioned knife like seat, the music begins and the perky group leader begins the process of herding the cats before him to somehow become a collective mass of sweat producing, pedal-pushing maniacs.

The music starts, the beat begins to dictate your pedaling rhythm and the seat reaches your colon on its incredible journey ever northward. The next 45 minutes becomes a blur of sweat, pain, driving music (which up until this point was reserved for the car and much more relaxing), vocal encouragements from the group leader, thoughts of "Does my bum look big in this?" and yet more energy draining, leg pumping exhaustion. There were hills, even though we never altered our gradient and one failed attempt (by me) at standing on the pedals to apparently reach the top of the hill we were climbing even faster than we were getting there. As I stood up and pushed down on my right foot it slipped out of the pedal stirrup and off the pedal. I just pushed my 'ride' to the top of that hill and prepared to freewheel down the other side, but learned there are no free gears and if you stop pedaling then your wheels stop spinning. It was then I realized that I was atop a new fangled big wheel - without the big wheel.

A number of songs later, my shirt had changed in both color and weight as stuff that was formerly inside me now was absorbed by cotton. There was a lump in my throat which I realized was the previously mentioned narrow seat, which had completed its journey through my digestive system and was waiting for a small cough from me to release it to the fresh air once more. By this stage my legs were burning, my heart was considering moving to another state until October and my clothing was carrying pounds of sweat, but I also had a strangely satisfying feeling of being able to walk out of the class having not fallen off the bike (at least not completely), having given everything I could of, but also very proud of my friend who was leading the class for the way he has taken to this new passion and has made such a difference to the regulars in his class. It was easy to see the way that the participants engaged with him that he was inspiring them - and he inspired me too.

So, this was not the last Rapidly Pedaling Maniacs session for me. Just my first - thanks Brad.

A Milestone is Reached - Many More to Go

2010-01-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

So we are well on our way with our challenge and I have some very important news to announce - I am working with Compassion International to identify a country and a region where we can sponsor all our children from. Why is this big news? Well, if we sponsor a number of children from one region then we could potentially plan and take a trip to help serve these children in a real practical way.

Now that would be awesome!!

Can you imagine the joy that we could bring to just one child by sponsoring them? Now let's magnify that to sponsoring that one child, and their best friend who lives next door? Now add the little girl they play with who lives down the street. Pretty quickly as a group, we could sponsor a lot of children from the same village or town, or even region. Now, keep that imagination going and come with me on a mission trip in a summer or two when we go to that region to visit our sponsored children and build them a new church or well, or whatever they need. Now that is a vision I can give towards.

So, I want everyone who reads this to seriously consider sponsoring a child, but dont do anything about it yet. I am working to set up a Compassion International Sunday event in April and by that stage we will have a region identified, a group of children in need of sponsorship and we can collectively take the plunge to serve and reach out to those who need our help.

O yeah, I almost forgot. The milestone reached today was I now weigh 299lbs - I am under 300 and steaming ahead.

My desire is to inspire.

(Stock photo - these are not my feet!)

Please Dont Eat While You Read This.

2010-01-21T00:20:00.001-05:00

I want to begin this post with a government health warning. There are pictures at the end of this post which will seriously make you ill. Please be advised, if you are eating, or have a queezy stomach, better leave this one and come back to it another day.

Anyhoo, for the brave of heart and strong of constitution, this week has seen an increase in the aches in the old body - I knew exercise was bad for me - but also a steeling of the determination to try to inspire as many people as possible to reach out and help children who are living in poverty.

The earthquake in Haiti has heightened the world's awareness of how those living in poverty truly live. The images from the devastation have shown the reality of life for so many children. There have been heart warming stories of rescue and survival, but the overwhelming heartache has been the thought that hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives - and hundreds of thousands of families have been affected, and an already incredible orphan issue has been magnified multiple times.

Derek Torsani, a gifted young man from Mt Oak designed a t-shirt with the simple, but inspirational message of "MY DESIRE IS TO INSPIRE" emblazoned across the front. I bought two of these shirts from Derek. One that fits me now, and one that will fit me in a few months time. I am struck this week by the longevity of the challenge I have set myself, and the determination it will take to achieve it. But, with the images I have witnessed on the tv this week, I am reminded of the fact that for me, there is an end point, a goal, a finish line. For those living in poverty, there is no end in sight.

Well, for a small number of children, we can give them an end point to their suffering. We can give them a brighter future, where their needs are taken care of. We can be the difference in their lives.

Are you ready for some horrifying images? I show you these as a sign of my dedication to this challenge. I have posted these pictures as a humbling declaration that I have lived my life for me, and now it is truly time to make a difference. The British band Delirious? have a some which contains the line, "I'm going to be a history maker in this land..." and this week the cold reality of my challenge has struck me that I want to live out that lyric. I want to be a history maker in this land, and by doing so create a new future for hundreds of children in other lands.

Will you join me? Will you give what you can to end poverty in the life of a child?

Join my cause, sponsor a child, save a life. JOIN AND DONATE HERE

The following pictures were taken on Saturday January 16th 2010. I post these as a reminder of my excess and as an inspiration to the change that can occur in one life, and the change that can multiply in hundreds of lives, because of that one change.

Does Beating Your Children Count as Cardio?

2010-01-18T09:44:00.001-05:00

So, our week of prayer and fasting is complete, there is food in my body again and my weight rose a little from my fasted weigh-in last Friday. One thing that I have noticed over the past week or so with this challenge of mine is that while I am not focused on my weight, never a healthy thing, I have become more aware of any sort of exercise that I am involved in, and more importantly how it affects me. I have become more conscious of things like heart rate, not just to make sure I have one, but how quickly the old ticker is ticking. I haven't put the title of this post to the test by the way, in case anyone calls child protective services. But I have noticed that I have become more careful with my food intake, with my exercise activities and with scheduling my week to try to include some form of exercise - all good things.

What has been eye opening to me is that while I set myself this challenge and wasn't sure how I was really going to attempt it, I have made choices. Choices that will ultimately over time help me achieve it, or choices that will ultimately help me fail in my quest.

Why does everything in life come down to choices? Why does everything that we say, do, achieve, fail at come down to the choices that we make? Why do we not understand that simple fact? If we make better choices then we put ourselves in a better position to succeed. Now I know that things outside of our control can occur, and we cannot choose for them, but here is the kicker, when the unexpected happens, the important thing is how we choose to react to the unexpected.

I chose to exercise this morning. I chose how hard to push myself. I chose when to stop. I chose what to eat and drink when I returned home. Did I choose wisely?

My 210 in 2010 challenge is not ultimately about my weight loss, that is the vehicle I have chosen to try to inspire people. My challenge is about inspiring people to help those who, by no choice of their own, are unable to support themselves or their families.

You have a choice too. You can choose to help me reach my goal and choose a new path for a child somewhere by going to Compassion International and following the process of sponsoring a child. Or if that is too big a choice at this time then you can join my 210 in 2010 Cause and DONATE to Compassion International by clicking the DONATE button and following the information there.

While I would love for you all to choose option A, or even Option B, there is a third option which is equally as valid. Option C is that you choose to tell one of your co-workers this week about my Cause and about the work that groups like Compassion International are doing.

What do you choose?

P.S. if you really want to count beating your kids as cardio you need to do it for at least 30 minutes - and that is wrong, isn't it?

So what's your choice?

One Week Down - So Where Are We?

2010-01-14T14:18:00.000-05:00

Greetings FAT man followers. We have reached the second week of my challenge and things are progressing pretty nicely. This week however has been an upside down food week as our church has been fasting all week and I have been drinking water since Saturday night. I have had a little honey in hot water, cos lets face it, hot water is nasty on its own.

When you restrict your calorie intake the body searches for sources of fuel and you burn fat, when you obliterate your calorie intake your body goes into starvation mode and actually stores fat. However, spending the week fasting and praying was much more important that worrying what fuel source my body would choose to burn.

This phase of 210 in 2010 is all about publicity - at least all about reaching out to as many people as possible to try to inspire them to either sign up to sponsor a child or to pledge $100. I have been blessed by the numbers that have joined the cause at 210 in 2010 Cause and even more blessed by the $225 that have been donated already. I know it is early days yet but I am urging all of my friends to inspire their friends to not just join the cause but to participate in it.

Next week begins a lot of very hard work for me as I begin to drop the pounds and hopefully a little work for all of you as you recruit more people to join the cause. You can add the link to this blog and the link to the cause at the bottom of your e-mails as part of your signature. So every time you send an e-mail the people you write to have a link to see how they can make a difference.

Thank you for joining, lets go get some more.

Ways to Lose 100lbs

2010-01-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

So today began with a 9am gym session. Started on the treadmill, moved to the machines, finished with the recumbent bike and then sat back and waited for the delayed muscle soreness to begin. It didn't take long before it began, and I am really not looking forward to tomorrow, but the presence of this type of pain is actually a beneficial thing. My PhD used exercise to exhaust people's biceps muscles and then measured them every day to see what happened. Typically people had pain from 24-72hours following exhaustive exercise. We also had a few who lost 1/3 of their range of motion of their elbow for a few days and approximately 3% of people we tested ended up with swollen arms - up to a 4cm diameter increase.

So you see, I know what is to come with this whole exercise thing. However I also know that if you persevere through the discomfort that you will have these symptoms less and less. Knowing what is coming doesn't inspire me much, but at least it does prepare me.

As I was thinking about my quest I contemplated alternate ways to lose 100lbs. The quickest way would be to amputate one arm and one leg - never use that expression, it'll cost you an arm and a leg - other ways would be drastic dietary supplements - i.e. poo it away. The potential for leg numbness and toilet induced lower limb palsy doesn't inspire.

I did find this infomercial that certainly looks promising - for home liposuction. Now there is an idea. Get the Dyson out and lets get skinny.

I guess I will just do it the old fashioned way - sweat it out all over gym equipment.

I hope I can move in the morning.

Do You Smell Cheese?

2010-01-05T23:07:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with a personal trainer. I do not know who it is, haven't met him, have no idea what his qualifications or experience are, but I am already skeptical of him. It is an odd thing that having been a PT for nearly 17 years now and having worked with athletes of all abilities (weekend warriors to Olympians) I have gained a certain amount of knowledge of the human body and how it works. I understand exercise, the pros and the cons, and I have met my fair share of personal trainers along the way.

It is a bizarre thing about the healthcare profession (regardless of which branch), we may understand the best way to do things an the benefits of certain behaviors, but we don't always follow our own advice. Have you ever noticed how many doctors and nurses smoke? I rest my case. Knowing what to do is only half of the battle - and actually the easy half.

Doing what you know you should do is the most difficult part.

Tomorrow morning when I meet my personal trainer, I have a choice to make. I can choose to be Dr JAson A Craig, PhD, MCSP with a PhD in muscle physiology and a long career teaching orthopedic physical therapy who knows what he should do and doesn't feel that he needs the help, or I can set my resume aside and submit to him and seek his help and assistance. I feel the outcome of clinging to my credentials and resume will ultimately result in a fail in the challenge I have set. Following the second option, submission and acceptance of help from wherever it comes, will not guarantee success, but it will certainly help.

So here we go. My FAT in his hands - literally, as we take all the measurements. I think I will take some 'before' photos to remind me of the FAT man who ate the skinny guy inside.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

P.S. - Note to self, wear clean ...... (inside voice, inside voice)

So It Begins

2010-01-04T09:18:00.000-05:00

So this weekend we launched "210 in 2010" - there is no going back now. The response has been great. From supportive friends and family wishing me all the best, to generous friends donating hard cash already - you can do so at the 210 in 2010 Cause location on Facebook (click here) - to promises of over $1250 if I reach my target of 210lbs by October 20th 2010.

Now the realization sets in that there is no turning back, there is no 'mulligan', there is no do-over. And to be honest, that is the way I wanted to set up this challenge. How often do we set ourselves challenges in life only to build in such a safety net that failure is an option. In fact, how often do we set ourselves a challenge and plan things in such a way that failure is actually a goal!!

As I thought about this challenge I fought between my academic head, and the passion in my heart. I can show you through research that exercise is bad for you and the potential pit-falls of exercise. I can also show you the research that tells me how long my muscles will hurt for as soon as I begin to exercise - my entire PhD covered that marvelous subject. as I look ahead at the next 287 days and see the finish line, I can see all of the mountains, all of the set backs, all of the problems that potentially will de-rail this challenge.

BUT (thats a big but - however it too will get smaller :))

When I see the response that this challenge has already brought to people - the awareness of hurting children who need loved and cared for, the promise of financial donations, the encouragement that others might be able to achieve their goals then all I can do is smile. I will endure the pain, the denial of donuts - as I write this I am in Panera bread smelling the fresh bagels, thankfully there is no calorie intake through smell - I will endure the low points and the difficult times and press on towards the end goal. As I do so I know I will be encouraged all along the way, but more importantly, I will be joined in this cause by many wonderful people.

So here we go, big me becoming less, great God becoming more and children of the world being cared for. What a year this will be. Food intake is under control, just need to persevere until the adaptation becomes normal. Today we head to the gym - haven't been in one of those outside of a professional capacity in a long, long time.

the FAT man.

I Am a FAT Man!

2010-01-01T13:28:00.000-05:00

I am a fat man. I am fat in the physical sense of the word. I am fat in the spiritual sense of the word. I am fat in the economic sense of the world (especially when you look at global economics). There is no getting around it, I am a FAT man.

So what can I do about that?

In early December I was consumed with a thought, a thought that to be honest I really didn’t like the thought of. I have been struck by how FAT I am – in all senses of the word and how much of a difference I could make by becoming a little less FAT. I thought about how many people I may be able to influence to join me in decreasing their FAT-ness too. That is when 210 in 2010 was conceived.

Recently my wife and I have been reading through Compassion International’s web-site and considering sponsoring a child who is most definitely not FAT, by any definition of the word. I have been struck by the thought that me decreasing my morning coffee and donuts would be sufficient to provide care, education, health and really a new life for a little child somewhere on this earth. If I were to become a little less FAT, I could actually make a difference in the life of a child, who would grow into an adult and bring their own children into the world. I could affect a generation or more of one family, by simply becoming less FAT.

So sponsoring a child as a family was step one, but step one was not the only step. Step two was a challenge – a personal challenge that I am undertaking but hopefully an inspiring challenge that will grip your heart so much that you will join with me and make a difference too.

THE CHALLENGE
The first part "210 in 2010" is my personal part of the challenge – the second and/or third parts are your parts, should you be inspired to join me:

Part 1:    By 20-10-2010 (20th October 2010) I aim to weigh 210lbs (which will be a drop in weight of approximately 100lbs).

Part 2:    If 210 people promised to donate $100 (essentially $1 per pound of me lost) to help the work of Compassion International that would be a gift to them of $21,000.

Part 3:    If 210 people promised to sponsor a child from Compassion International then that would be 210 lives that would be transformed, 210 families that would be rescued, 210 new generations of people who would be lifted from abstract poverty     and provided the basic essentials of health care, education, food and shelter.

If we collectively sponsored 210 children and donated $100 by 20th October 2010 then what a tremendous impact we could have globally.

So, there are 291 days until 20th October 2010.

Are you up for the challenge?

Here is a video of a child who was sponsored for a number of years getting the chance to meet his sponsor recently at a conference in Atlanta Georgia. There were 10,000 people witnessing this event that day and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. What a gift this would be for someone.

Jimmy's story - it could be yours

Here is the Compassion International web site. Please go through and review their policies and practices and make sure you are comfortable with their work before committing. Once you are ready to commit then the process for sponsoring a child is easy.Will you make a difference today?

Compassion International

"210 in 2010" – that is my challenge.

Will you join me?

Details of how you can join me for "210 in 2010" will be posted soon.