Fort Wayne's Smallest Winner

Racing Red Team

Mike is happily married with 3 fantastic children.  Mike lives in a purple 1885 Victorian in West Central.  Truly just an old house nerd, Mike can be found in shorts and sandals walking around in his natural environment, the Old West Central neighborhood.  Although he is a former athlete, Mike hasn't run in 25 years, and until recently, hadn't owned a pair of gym shoes in this century.  That is about to all change.  His goal is to drop 90 pounds in the next 15 weeks.  

Update:  At the halfway point, Mike is now expecting 70 pounds, and pushing for 80.

---

Follow my Blogging Journey

TOP COMMENTS SAID TO ME IN THIS JOURNEY:

"Weight is just falling off of you"

"Mike, you are aging backwards"  (This is my absolute favorite)

"Look how skinny you are!"

"You look 10 years younger"  (By the Marcus who in the beginning asked me my age, and guessed 56, maybe 57)

"You are a speed demon"  (Said while we were racing in the gym by Parker, the fastest person in the contest, I WAS PUSHING HIM!)

"You can't be my landlord, my landlord is a FAT guy!"

"I have Half a Husband"  (Said by my wife)

"I didn't recognize you"  (Said by at least a half dozen people now)

 

Thoughts to blog about:

I put myself in pictures now.  Team standings.  Showing off in Portland.  "Anderson can't do a hike". 

Saturday 7/1/17

Today was the run. HUGE PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT.  One of, if not the biggest, personal accomplishment of my entire lifetime.  A day you lock into your mind, such a huge win for me.  And it is weird.  While it was HARD, and my legs wanted to stop working a number of times, it was also surprisingly easy.  I can't begin to explain that, so I won't try, but in a lot of ways, it was shockingly easy after all the training.  I wanted to give up a couple of times. Not mentally, but the legs just didn't want to take another step.  I kept picturing my 8 year old, standing at the finish line, with the best smile ever on her face.  That mental image got me through a couple of hard miles.  I was running to her.  I could picture her.  I needed to see that happy, beaming smile.  I could see every single detail of her smile, the way her whole face would be full of excitement.  Inch by inch, every detail.  I spent at least a half mile thinking about how I would pick her up and hug her, give the boy a rub on the head, and kiss the wife.  My oldest would likely be standoffish, so I would have to pull her in to me, and then she would say "Ewww" because I was sweaty.  Family...   Family drove me today.  On the day of arguably the biggest personal accomplishment of my life, that was what I wanted most of all.  Family.  I could see my little girls smile at the finish line in my mind, miles before I crossed, and it kept the feet moving.

Just looked through all the pictures from the finish line.  Awesome to see so much support for the runners.  Kids, wives, family.  What a day!

 

Tuesday 6/27/17

Still looking through old pictures.  Here I am on my wedding day:

 Or it is John Candy on the set of Uncle Buck?  I sometimes get confused.  I asked my wife, and she confirmed that I am the smallest she has ever seen me in my life.  She said I was "Half a Husband".  It is not the smallest I have ever been.  Here I am as a Senior in High School.  About 180-185 was my Football weight.  I would drop to 172 for Wrestling.

Amazingly, according to the BMI scale, I was overweight in that picture.  According to my height, the top weight I can be "normal" at is about 165.  Who makes this dumb scale?

Here I am last year at my Niece's birthday party.  I honestly look back at this picture now and wonder if the guy in it is about to die?  Just look at him....

 

Monday 6/26/17

I think I will have a decent weigh in today.  My outfit today is brought to you by size 40 waist shorts!

Insired by Shawn's Blog this week, I went back to look at some pictures.  God I was fat.  But that is not the way a person sees the mental image of themselves.  I always saw myself as a little over weight, but nothing bad.  Look at this picture from a few years ago where I am holding my son.  I've looked at this picture before, but I didn't see the tummy like I do today.

That is a Fat guy.  Now I am going to share the exact moment I decided to lose weight and begin all of this.  It was right at Xmas 2016 just 6 months ago. My buddy Shu was in town, and we were up at Rudy's drinking too much.  I've known these guys for decades, they both stood with me the day I was married.  They would never say an ill word about me.  Shu snapped this picture and put it on a Groupme Chat that includes a bunch of guys all over the country that went to HS with us.  I took a look in the chat, and I was embarrassed.  Completely embarrassed.  Look at that gut.  IT IS LAYING IN MY LAP!  LAYING...   IN....  MY...  LAP....  That was the day I decided something had to change.  I have NEVER seen a worse picture of myself.  THAT was the day I decided to apply.  I had thought about applying in the last 2 seasons, but just didn't get off my ass and do it.  This time it was different.  I was ashamed of myself, and had to make a change.

 

Sunday 6/25/17

I woke up wanting egg salad.  So, let's make some.

An Egg, some no salt Bread and butter pickles from Kroger, and some low salt yellow mustard, and some horseradish.  I had 3 of these romaine lettuce wraps for under 100 calories and 120 Sodium.  Yummy.

My go to protein pack is about 100 calories and 100 sodium as well.  No salt injected chicken, Onions, Green chili peppers, Jalapenos, and some cherry tomatoes with black pepper.

My knee feels GREAT!  Andres will surely release me tomorrow.  I didn't get the Saturday run in, I didn't get a good Friday workout.  I didn't get the tools I needed to drop the weight this week.  I feel this contest slipping away.  I wish we would have stayed on track.  That I didn't eat so much 2 Saturdays ago.  That we weighed Monday night instead of Tuesday.  That the Eddie's dinner was a reward after the last weigh in, and not at the end in the home stretch.  I don't know if I can give enough.  I gave so much in the last month or so.  I want to win.

This is how I am supposed to look:

Instead of putting in the work this weekend, I looked like this:

IT WAS TERRIBLE!

Win, lose, or draw, my life is different.  I can see myself in the 100s.  Sure, 199, but in the 100s. 

I got fired from Chi Chi's Mexican restaurant back in 1992.  I kept the tacky Mexican shirt I wore that day as a reminder.  I tried it on, and it fit with no issues.  I am down to an XL shirt.  All the 2XLs I bought just weeks ago are too big.  I have been pulling out clothes from the early 90s.  God they are tacky, but they fit.  I have taken some shirts back to the store and returned them before I ever got to wear them.  Soon I will be in 40 pants.

I started at 3XLT and size 50 pants.  10 inches off my waist.  Tomorrow morning I am going to try and put on size 40 shorts.  If it works, I will kill the weigh in this week.  I got small person, completely adjustable (No holes) belts.  Now they will just size down as I go.  Very neat.

I have 3 Tuxedos from my former life.  2 are already too big for me, and I am about to fit into the last one.  How cool would it be to be too small to fit any of them?  I have a tailored suit that has custom 39 size pants.  I think I can make it soon.  I last wore in in 1998.  I had it created at a shop just off the circle in Indy.  Not sure if it is still fashionable, but just to be able to get into it! 

When I hit 199, I am showing up in Rick's Driveway in the convertible.  I drove it once in my life.  Many years ago, I drove it home.  I just don't fit in it.  But I will.

My whole life has changed.  I want to win, but either way, my life is different now.

 

Friday 6/23/17

It is the Wife's birthday.  I am saving soo much money on special occasions right now.  Normally we go out to eat today, and then my wedding anniversary is July 3rd.  No dinners for either!  I will save hundreds of dollars!  And I can't get in trouble!  Nice.

Our head maintenance guy is out of town, and I have been picking up the slack this week.  It is the first real work I have done in years.  Today the overhead lights went out in the barber shop.  I grabbed some tools, and started chasing wires.  I had to get in the ceiling, and the easiest thing was to grab was an old wooden step ladder.  After being confused for a long time, I finally discovered that the professional electrician who wired the commercial space actually put a main feed connection OUTSIDE of the junction box, down inside the wall.  And it was just lazy, there was plenty of room to do it correctly, in a safe manner. Of course I discovered it by shocking myself.  Knuckle head electrician did not wire the box to code at all.  So I get it fixed, and I am closing the ceiling back up, and the ladder collapsed under me.  Slammed my knees, bending my left knee backwards.  Oh my god the pain.  I could barely walk.  Big bruises on my legs.

I saw Andres, and he confirmed that I pulled or strained my left ACL.  NO TEAR!  He said if I stayed off it, and iced it like crazy, I could be good to go next week.  I am not missing the half marathon.  I have worked too hard for this.

I did a pool workout Friday.  It sucked.  I couldn't kick.  Exactly what do you do as a workout in the pool when you can't kick?  I should have been in step class.  So I treaded water for a half hour or so.  I don't float as well as I used to, and my arms got a great workout.  This needs to be solved.

I have a local farmer market hot sauce guy commissioned to create no salt hot sauce for me.  I also have the Krazy Pickle guys from the Farmers Market making me no salt Pickles.  If it works, I will be in business.  And it was only about $30 a batch.  I will dominate if I can eat pickles again.  Salt free pickles and Hot sauce.  There will be no stopping me!

With that in mind, I made my own attempt at No salt Pickles and Asparagus and cold canned them.  I hope it works!  I can check them in a week on Tuesday, but surely they will get better the longer they can brine.

 

Thursday 6/22/17

Ran last night.  I hydrated up, and did MUCH better.  Only a little bit of white out.  I sat in my car until everything passed.  Shawn checked on me, but I was so much better.  That is the key, hydration.  I stopped at every water station, and drank.  It slowed down my time, but I was so much stronger.  I need to drink unholy amounts on the day prior to a run.  I know what to do going forward.

New sexy running socks.  These are the best looking ones yet.

 

The biggest change is my food.  That is the very best thing I will take away from this process.  I want to make a cook book, or a sodium free website, something to pass along this knowledge.  I will talk to Tina about making a cookbook for FWSW that could be shared with contestants.  I am really into food this week.  Eddie's inspired me.

Sushi.  That is the food of the Gods.  Rick called it raw fish and just discounted it.  Here is the latest creation:

Heathy brown rice, Jalapenos, Greek yogurt crème cheese, and some carrots for crunch.  A Jalapeno popper sushi roll.  150 calories, and about 50 sodium.  Yummy.  Next time I am going to use Farmers Cheese.  40 Calories and 10 sodium.  You can buy it at Fresh Thyme.

I was shocked when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.  I was a skinny guy.

 Got the wife to come on a workout date with me.  It was AWESOME.

 

 

Tuesday 6/20/17

Eddie Merlots last night.  I got to see the GM Steve for the first time in a long time.  I wanted to do like the old days, and get a burger, a large order of the Lobster Mac, and a Scotch.  The dinner was great, I loved the Tofu the most, but surely it was because of the soy sauce.  I wanted to pick it up and drink it.  So many contestants looked fantastic.

With Father's Day last week, I didn't get back to the blog, and there was a lot I wanted to say. 

The run on Saturday was hard.  Complete White out again.  Somewhere after mile 9 it all fell apart.  I couldn't see.  Completely blind.  The path was wide, so I just closed my eyes and started power walking.  I got a good rhythm, and kept going.  But I was completely blind.  When I got my sight again, I would jog.  I jogged over the finish line.  I will never cross the finish line walking.  I got back and started drinking water.  I sat down.  Tina called for pictures, and I couldn't walk.  I stayed up for the picture, but then had to sit down.  Tina started putting food in me, as we didn't know what it was.  TOO MUCH FOOD.  I was at 850 calories before Shawn drove me home at 10 am.  I spent the rest of the day trying not to eat, and starving.

Steven is an EMT, and he checked my pulse.  Dehydration.  He was very matter a factly.  WOW.  OK, I can fix that.  The entire day was rough.  I didn't get any of my Saturday workouts in.  I ate way, way too much food way to early.  Saturday is when I see and feel the changes, and none of it came.  Then add in a lot of calories at Eddie Merlots, and it was a TERRIBLE weigh in.

This was my chance to put this contest away, and I blew it.  I lost about a pound and a half.  Luckily, the entire top 3 did poorly.  But Berg killed it. It was the time to lock it up, and instead the entire contest is opened way up, with 7 people who now have a mathematical chance to win.  My odds of winning dropped a ton.

About the contest, I want to win.  It is not about the prizes.  I wouldn't care if we got nothing for winning.  I want the title.  I want to spend my life as THE Smallest Winner.

But really, I would come in 25th if it meant my entire family was on this new track.  My life is changing, and I wish we were all in it together.  At least I am filling the house with better food choices.  We spent Father's day at the Zoo.  The whole day, and I had plenty of energy.

 

Thursday 6/15/17

In the pool today.  I have been doing leg kicks off the wall to give my arms the extra workout.  The waters were choppy today, and I kept getting water in my mouth.  I went over to hold the wall again just to keep my head above the water, and of course that hurts your neck.  I flipped over on my back to kick, and oh my goodness.  The muscles that are used when kicking on your back are VERY DIFFERENT than the muscles you use on your belly.  That last 90 seconds of kicking was a KILLER.  I am going to do every other kick going forward on my back.  Very different muscles.

The run last night seemed like it would be easy.  The wind was blowing, and it seemed awesome.  It was also 91 degrees.  I wanted to make it 5 miles.  That was my goal.  Between the heat and mother nature's demands, I made it exactly 4 miles.  Less than my normal distance.

Tuesday 6/13/17

Another 8 pounds at the weigh in.  I have zero belief that I can keep this up.  I am up into 2nd place with just over 35 pounds dropped in the last 5 weeks.  My goal at the start was to get to 216 pounds for a 90 pound loss.  I believe there are 4 weighs left.  If somehow I can continue to average 7 a week, I might get down to 211.  It will NEVER HAPPEN.

I am just now getting to the point where I feel I can move.  I can talk, I can joke.  Everything I thought I would be throughout this entire process is just now starting to surface.  I spent so many weeks just trying to survive, not capable of anything but getting through.  I am pushing.  Parker is a MACHINE!  Chuck has indomitable spirt, and never gives, he never takes a break, he never slows down.  Berg has size, strength, and motivation.  Dan never stops, he never gives, he never surrenders.  Dan takes everything this program throws at him, and asks for more.  And Shawn?  Shawn has so much to give, more fire and passion than anyone, and he has the best level of self motivation.  Well, maybe tied with Chuck.

I go home sore.  Hard to move.  Exhausted.  Now that I actually have the ability to move, I cannot stop.  Parker is a Machine.  Chuck is unstoppable.  When they are walking, I have to run.  When they are driving, I need to be on a bike.  This old man is dying, but I won't lose because I gave up. 

Robert saved me.  Without Robert, I wouldn't be where I am now.  I am competitive.  I am old, slow, short, fat, and always the underdog.  I have spent my life as the underdog.  Anderson's win when others finally give up.  We aren't special, more that we are too stupid to give up, and win by default just constantly moving forward.  But I was ready to concede about 6 weeks ago.  I was hurting.  I wasn't gaining ground.  I was ready to check out.  I admit it, I was weak.  There was a group conversation on Thursday, May 14th that I walked into.  Robert was ranking how the contestants would finish, and I said that I was going to come in around 5th.  I had mentally accepted that 5th or so was my lot in life for this program, and that I was happy with that outcome.  Robert very adamantly told me that I would be 10th at best, and that there was absolutely zero way I would finish 5th.  I went home and circled the date on my calendar.  10th!?, and found !?!  Unacceptable.  I went on to drop 35 pounds in 5 weeks and pull into second.  Without Robert, I would likely have finished 7th, and found a way to justify dropping a couple spots from where I expected to be.  But then Robert said there was no way I would be 5th.  It was game on.  Win or lose, I will never forget what Robert did for me.  He has no clue what a motivator he has been.  I owe him a ton of the credit.

With that said, I need Parker to stay in 1st.  I am stronger chasing than I ever am out in front.

 

Sunday 6/11/17  -  Cha Cha Cha Changes...

I think one of the greatest moments of this whole process is when my former tenant, who I interacted with a bunch, and who just moved out, DIDN'T RECOGNIZE ME.  "My Landlord is a FAT GUY, you are not him"  Wow I am changing.  I ALWAYS wore a shirt.  ALWAYS, doing anything.  Swimming?  Shirt.  Heck, I would have worn a shirt in the shower if I could.  I didn't feel right ever being without a shirt.  Nowadays, I sometimes find myself without a shirt in the house.  It is SUPER WIERD!  My wife touches me all the time.  No matter where I am, or what I am doing, she touches me.  Which is awesome, but sometimes I am actually trying to do something.  My wife commented this morning that when laying in bed, my stomach is actually flat.

Here is the rub.  I don't feel smaller.  I know I am though.  I actually feel fatter than I did at 323 pounds, and that is 75 pounds ago.  BTW:  I crossed 75 pounds lost at the weigh in last week.  On January 1st, I was 323.  I lost 17 pounds before the contest started.  When I look in the mirror, that stomach still sticks out too much.  I dream about having a flat stomach.  Back in 1998, I got down to 217 pounds.  That is the lowest I have been since High School back in the 80s.  I had a sit up tool that helped me with my stomach.  I just found it in the basement, and cleaned it up.  I am going back to my 200 sit ups a day.  This stomach is going away.  I visualize myself as a smaller person.

So, to celebrate getting down from a 3XLT to a 2XLT, I bought 6 shirts.  4 were pretty plain from Khols, and 2 were company branded with "West Central Properties", these last 2 were VERY NICE SHIRTS.  Can you believe that these BRAND NEW shirts are too big for me.  And they are awesome shirts as well.  I just spent $100s on shirts, and they are too big.  Sigh. I am not quite an XLT, but very soon.  The thing that is killing me is the move from a 44 pant to a 42 pant.  I am soooooo close, but it feels like I have been so close for WEEKS.  44 pants are still in the fat guy range, and have lots of give.  42 pants are getting into the small guy sizes, and have zero give.  I can get 42s on, but they are just still a little too tight.  Can you believe I started at size 50 pants?  I can't wait, very soon my Suits will be fitting again.  I have a closet with a dozen and a half very nice suits from my former life before I retired to Real Estate.  There are 2-3 Tuxedos in the closet.  I am wearing a Tux for the finale when I am up on stage and crowned the season 10 winner.  I already mentally picture it.  I have been the underdog my entire life, this is nothing new.

I brought in another belt notch this week.  I expect a good weight.  I want in the 230 Club.  I need 7.6 to do it.  I want a SNOWMAN!  I REALLY want those damn 42 pants!  I want those stupid pants more than anything I have wanted in years and years.  42.  The answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.  42.

After 30K steps yesterday, I told my wife today I was sleeping in and taking the day off.  Would you believe that I am still at 12K steps today as of 7pm?  And I took the day off!  In the past before this program, I would only get up to 5K daily total a couple times a week.  Unbelievable.  I took the day off.

I added a rack basket and mirrors to my bike.  We took a family bike ride all over downtown.  Dropped off library books, went to Headwaters, and then over to the Old Fort for the Wart of 1812 Reenactment.  Jumped on the River Greenway.  Rode our bikes everywhere.  I can't even tell you how many miles.  How different is this life?  I am actually planning to ride my bike from downtown up to the West State Kroger's to buy groceries.  I see this all summer.  In fact I am STRONGLY considering signing up for the Fort4Fitness Half Marathon in the Fall.  Who just said that?  Certainly not Mike Anderson.

A friend of Mine ran in the GermanFest run.  I reached out to him after the race and congratulated him on his 9 minute mile pace, and that he crushed me.  He said "YOU RAN IN THE RACE?!?!?!?!  I had to tell him to go and find my name before he would believe it.  He just knows me as a Fat guy that would drink Scotch in the middle of the day when we had lunch.  What kind of person am I turning into?  Quite the transformation.

I hit all my winning routines this week, I have done everything I can.  I have done all the things that have proven to be successful to this point.  I need a Snowman to keep up with the big dogs.  It was nice to take the day off, tomorrow I will hit it again.

 

Saturday 6/10/17   - 30K STEPS

We did about 9.35 miles today.  First we did a loop, which has to be 6.55 miles to be able to equal 13.1 if you do it twice.  I ran well.  Again, there is a spot after mile 3, but before mile 4 where everything just becomes EASY.  Like I am floating.  The breathing is working, the legs are working, everything.  It is awesome.  However, getting to Mile marker 4 after you come off of Hadley is terrible.  That is just a LONG, uphill climb, and it kills me.  I did everything I could to stay with the front group for as long as I could.  I hung with them for a bit, and WOW was my pace AWESOME to start.  I made it to the Fire house in 10 minutes.  I remember when it took 20 minutes!  I hit mile 1 at 12:19.  I hit mile 2 at 25:22.  My pace slowed a bunch, without going into every mile's time, I got to mile 5 at 1:08:08, and finished at 1:30:50 for about 6.5 miles.  Again under the 15 minute a mile mark for an extended run.

OH MY GOD, GUMMY BEARS!!!!!!  So, I am a mouth breather.  And what sucks is that my mouth gets dry.  I carry this water pouch that straps to my hand so I don't have to hold it, and I take sips the entire run.  It keeps my mouth from drying out.  I try to remember to breath through my nose, but it doesn't work, I get tired, and forget about it.  The water sack is how I have overcome this adversity.  But GUMMIE BEARS!  So the first week, I took the candied orange slices.  OK, hard to run with chewing, seemed fine.  This week the only option was Gummy Bears.  I grabbed a small handful somewhere after mile 3.  As that incline trying to get to mile marker 4 was dragging, I popped one in my mouth.  AWESOME.  You suck on it, and the flavor is spectacular.  You roll it around all over your mouth, outside the teeth, inside the teeth, everywhere.  As you are sucking, your mouth stays closed, you breath better, and my mouth doesn't dry out!  This rocks.  I wonder if a piece of sugar free hard candy would also be Awesome?  I loved the Gummy Bears today.  And honestly, for my entire life, I hate those things.  They are disgusting.  Gummy anything.  I do not eat them.  But in the middle of the run, it was perfect.  I rewarded myself at every mile marker with another gummy bear.  It helped a ton.

I spent the better part of a half mile with Tina today.  I have to say, that I don't like talking when I run.  I get winded.  Or I did before.  The time with Tina was fantastic.  We talked, we laughed, we got real.  It was very good.  I was able to talk and run, which was the first time that ever happened.  I just wish I wasn't so slow.  Tina could walk as fast as I run.  It was a great stretch, and I got lost in our conversation.  We were both very real with each other.  I can't say that has been our relationship to date.  It was good.  Before I knew it, I was almost at the finish line. 

After the run, I felt great.  Only one little tiny dizzy as I came off, where my body wanted to stay in forward motion, but I wasn't going forward.  It passed in seconds, and no more difficulties.  Drove home with absolutely zero issues.  I got my bike out, and rode it down to Headwaters for the Vision Walk.  When everyone is driving, I need to be peddling.  Whatever it takes.

30 THOUSAND STEPS!  I did 30 THOUSAND STEPS ON MY FITBIT TODAY.  When I first got the Fitbit, there were times I didn't get to 30 Thousand steps in a WEEK!  How unreal is that?  My buddy, who runs, decided to publically state that regardless of this program, he would NEVER allow me to have more steps than him.  And in the beginning, he stayed a head of me.  Then as we started putting up big Saturday runs, he changed it to I would never have more weekly steps than him.  Now?  I am crushing him.  This poor bastard complains to me that he goes home for the day, sees my step count, and has to head out to the gym or put in a ton of miles on the road to get back a head of me.  Crying about it.  I LOVE IT!  Wait till he sees 30K steps in a day!

 

Friday 6/9/17 - MY LANDLORD IS A FAT GUY!

At the German 5K, the leader of the pack ran a lightening fast 5:06 a mile to crush the field.  He rents from me in Sheridan.  I congratulated him after the run.  His response was "it was a great night for a run".  That, that is where I hope to someday be....

You have likely noticed Alex on the Saturday runs.  He is a tall thin guy from the Ukraine.  He was my tenant for over a year in Sheridan.  His unit lead down into the lobby where my office is.  I would see him easily twice a month, we likely had 20 in depth full conversations in the year plus he lived here.  He moved out to live with his girlfriend who is also involved in FWSW.  He moved out like just 45 days ago.  Maybe less?  So he runs with us on Saturday.  As he passes me, I say "Hi Alex".  I can hear him as he asks his girlfriend "How does he know my name?"  Later, after the run, I walk up and ask if he misses living downtown?  He says that he used to life downtown.  I said that I knew, and he asks me who the heck I am, and how do I know him?  I said, Alex, I was your Landlord, you just moved out a couple months ago at most.  He said "No, my Landlord is a FAT GUY, you are not him".  I had to convince him that it was really me!

 

Wednesday 6/7/17   - My Worst Day in 2017

Took my wife up to Parkview North for her procedure today.  It was an emotional day for me all the way around.  First, I am killing myself these last couple weeks.  Pushing at every turn.  If everyone is walking, I have to run.  If they are driving, I need to bike.  I am an old fat guy, and I need every advantage I can get in.  I put the wife and kids to bed at night and ride my bike over to the Y for a workout.  What ever it takes.  I am competitive to the point of a sickness.

I share this because with the wife and everything, I was mentally done Wednesday.  I went in and pushed hard in Extra credit.  Me pushing me physically.  Honestly?  That is kind of new.  My body feels like it is week 1 again.  Sure, I never sandbagged on the stairs, THOSE KILL ME, and I wouldn't say I have been sand bagging through this process.  Did I give every ounce of energy at every moment?  No, but I am trying to do that every second now.  The way I am pushing now, and the way my body feels, it is like I am back to week 1.  Everything is sore.  Everything got hard again, and the crazy part is I am doing it to myself!

So it is an Ab day with Rick.  And I push as hard as I can.  And I did great.  I was very proud to have held those planks for 75 and 90 seconds, and we did it about 4-5 times.  I even stacked my feet on the last 15 seconds of the final plank!  Can you believe that?  And passing back and forth those huge balls?  Forgetaboutit.  By the time the 2 minute plank came during the regular work out, there was nothing left.  I actually held that stupid plank for well over a minutes, and then there was nothing left.  I just couldn't stay up, and I WAS TRYING WITH EVERYTHING I HAD LEFT.  So I was called out for not trying, and I yelled that I was trying.  That was a mistake, and it brought all of the attention on me.  I was dying, just dying, doing everything I could to stay up.  Then I was called out as to why I couldn't do it?  I yelled back because of Ab day at Extra credit.  Then I was questioned why I would even bring that up?  And of course I said because you asked me why.  I was dying.  I felt terrible afterwards, and I pushed myself harder.  During the Burpies it was like I was a Zombie.  There just wasn't anything left, but I pushed.  I pushed Hard.  But I should have kept my mouth shut.  I was mad, and frustrated that here I am giving everything, but still getting called out.

I was doing what I could not to think about my wife.  I thought that getting lost in the workout would be the ticket.  However, as the Workout turned into a train wreck, it just all come to a head.  It was a Dumpster Fire of a workout for me.

As I spoke out publically when I back talked, I apologized publically.  I needed to do that or it would have eaten at me for a long time, and wrecked the relationship with the trainer I did it to.  Then it was time to ask for Prayer Requests, and I knew I was going to ask out loud for my Wife.  It is the first time I have asked for anything, I don't do open and public religion.  That area is very private for me, and praying in public is very uncomfortable.  So I start to talk, and I broke down.  Like really broke down.  Crying.  It has been years since I have been openly emotional.  I did everything in my power to hold it back, but I couldn't.  So I hide behind Aaron, as he is tall, and tried to get my composure.

This process with my wife has been too much.  At times I have felt like a single Dad with 4 children, instead of a couple with 3 children.  That is not close to fair, but it is real.  This has been HARD.  My Wife is beyond awesome, and I love her very much.  It has still been unnaturally hard.

They put her under and supplied her breathing as they went down the throat to deal with the hole in her esophagus where it meets the stomach.  They also got to the Gall Bladder.  There are still Kidney Stones, but we are waiting on that.  I expect more surgery.  She did awesome, and did a great job of drilling the Doctor for info.  I will be ABSOLUTELY KILLED for this picture, but she is a trooper!  Super Cute all passed out!

 

 

Tuesday 6/6/17  -  The Old Man is still in it!

I stayed up all night last night waiting for the response from Rick and Tina.  It never came.  As of about 1 PM, I had read everyone else's blogs from start to finish.  Great insight.  Latoya and I never got a comment.  The same thing happened to me on May 21st.  Both Rick and Tina referenced my blog today, so I know they read it, the Internet likely just ate thier comments.

I made the 240 Club!  Chuck is Killing it.  Another 10 pounds.  Wow.  I have found a stride, and routines that work for me, but wow, another 10 for Chuck?  My math says I have to out perform Chuck by a pound a week, every week to get back ahead of him, and that doesn't even count Parker the Machine.  I need a Snowman this week.  Well, I need 7.6 pounds to really jump back up there with these two monsters.

This week will be impossible.  It is the busy time of the year for all my businesses, my wife is out of commission, the kids are out of school, we got three Challenges this week.  I do not know how to do all of this?

 

Sunday 6/4/17  -240 Club

I WANT IN THE 240 CLUB!  I worked like crazy this week, I want to be under 250.  I don't think I have it.  I've lost over 20 pounds in the last 3 weeks.  There are signs every week that give me confidence.  The first sign that I usually get, didn't hit until today.  Weigh in is tomorrow.  That first sign normally hits around Thursday.  There is not enough time.  I don't see it happening this week, and it sucks.

GOD I WAS SORE THIS WEEK!  The wife saved me with her crunchy oils and potions.  Without her, I would have died on Saturday.

I worked like crazy this week.... and I am just not feeling it.  So sore, pushed hard everywhere, challenged myself.  I don't feel smaller.  Well, that is not entirely true, I do have one indicator of success.  I had to by a new belt, as my old one was just too large and loose even down at it's last hole.  I bought it where I was at the second hole.  This morning I found myself down to the 3rd hole.  I feel it is too little, too late.  I am hoping to just survive this week, and crush it next week.  I don't think it is going to be the big loss I need to climb the rankings.  I really pushed myself physically this week.

Last week I lost over 5 pounds, and I dropped from 6th place to 7th place.  Demoralizing.  I couldn't stand it, and ran some numbers.  So if I had dropped a SINGLE pound more at the last weigh in, I would have been in 3rd.  Two SINGLE pounds more and I would have been in 2nd.  It is so close.  I need this week to be good.  I just don't see it happening.  I just need to not fall too far back.  A HUGE week is coming.  I just don't think it will be this week.

Food is becoming harder.  I find myself wanting to try other things that I know shouldn't be eaten at this point.  My home is full of landmines.  My wife has started to cook again, and there is just yummy things on the stove again.  Last night were these Cheese filled meat balls that were calling to me.  Garlic bread, the works.  Buckling down and pushing through, but it is becoming harder.  I need to do a better job of prepping easy food.  Really?  I just want to eat more flavors and types of foods.

In an attempt to be sated, today I made a HUGE bowl of Cajun Shrimp "pasta".  It worked!  Yummy, and I am so full.  I had a 17 ounce bowl that was only 257 total calories.  Over a pound of food for 257 calories!  Zucchini Noodles in the Spiralizer.  A mountain of tomatoes and Jalapenos to build the sauce.  Wild caught shrimp.  I made my own NO Salt Cajun seasoning.  Here is what I put in it.

The seasoning is 26 Calories a serving.  Paprika has an unbelievable amount of calories in it.  I was shocked.  Excellent flavorable complex heat, it was a rousing success.

I made a new take on my Jalapeno Poppers this week.  Used a low sodium, low calorie farm cheese, and mixed it with Onions, peppers, spices, the works.  Used Jalapenos and mini peppers.  This HUGE plate was 187 Calories!  It did lack the goat cheese bite. I will cut the farm cheese with goat cheese next time to bring back that flavor.

It looks like my wife will have Kidney and Gallbladder surgery soon.  It is nice to believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  If it comes soon, I have absolutely zero idea how I will make everything work? 3 young kids, this program, and recovering wife, and daily operations of 6 businesses.  Absolutely no clue?

Saturday 6/3/17  -Sheep Sweat is your friend

Ran 8 miles today.  I was at 22:42 at 2 miles, that is 11:21 a MILE!  Fastest I have ever done a mile by at least 2-3 minutes.  Lightening fast!  I was at 39:36 at 4 miles.  That is 13:12 a Mile.  Much faster than I have ever run.  I finished at 1:56:50.  That is 14:56 over 8 freaking miles.  Amazing.  I bet the entire reason was these sexy new socks.  Finally, Red Socks!

A couple of things about  the run. 

1)  I pushed myself this week.  Between the sled challenge, the pool workout where I really pushed the leg kicks where I didn't hold on to the wall, to step class on Wednesday, everything this week destroyed my thighs.  Friday night, my legs were dead.  Thursday I was struggling to even climb stairs.  I had ZERO, ABSOLUTELY ZERO idea how I would run 8 miles?  My crunchy, earthy wife broke out some Lanolin oil for my thighs.  Oh my god what a difference.  I may start bathing in the stuff.  So, the stuff is basically Sheep sweat.  It is the oil Sheep extrude into their wool.  No matter how gross that may sound, THE STUFF WORKS!  My legs felt GREAT by morning.

2)  Somewhere between mile 3 and 4, I hit a sweet spot.  I was breathing correctly, my legs were working, everything was going right.  It was like I wasn't even trying.  I was just floating.  I almost forgot a was running.  I got the same feeling somewhere between miles 5 and 6.  However, I was ABSOLUTELY DYING between miles 4 and 5.  Just dying.  I wanted to give up like no one has ever wanted to give up.  Overall, I just wanted to get in under 2 hours.  Made it by 3:10.  Can you believe it?

3)  In running with Lenny and talking, we both discovered that we actually met each other about 2-3 years ago.  I can now vividly remember talking to him on the corner of Wilt and College a few years ago.  I like Lenny a lot.

4)  The white out came back after the race.  It is surreal.  Years ago I did ton of Grateful Dead shows.  While I haven't touched a drug of any kind since November 3rd 1996, the effect of these white out spells are sort of like Acid.  My entire field of vision was white washed.  As I looked at people, they were just glowing.  Josh in particular was glowing like an Angel.  Think of over exposed camera film.  Well if you remember back to camera film.  Like a whited out filter on your photo software.  I could run my fingers back and forth quickly and it looked like I had 10 fingers on each hand.  Certainly some hallucination.  Absolutely surreal.  I leaned on Mike's car some to get past a dizzy spell.  All in all, I did much, much better with it this time.  I wasn't scared like last time.  The drive home was a bit of a struggle, but it wasn't completely debilitating this time.  I also didn't hyperventilate like after the first 5 mile run.  When I got home, my blood pressure was 99/98, which was weird.  It all settled out.  CeeCee suggested that it might be blood sugar?  It is something I will have to prepare for as we up the miles in the weeks to come.

After the run, everything settled out, and we rode as a family down to the Barr Street farmers market.  The boy did great on the downtown streets.  I think that riding our bikes as a family in and around downtown is going to become a life long tradition for the Anderson family.  After the market, I rode my bike over to the new Electric Works project to do a showing.  I've been buying up property in that area for over a year now.  It is going to be huge.

 

Thursday 6/1/17  -There is a Ball Game?

Tonight as the rest of the world is watching the Cavs Warriors game, I am getting in my second sled challenge.  There are like 5 other people in Spiece, and EVERY single one of them is just sitting on some piece of equipment, barely doing anything, watching the game.  I am pushing the sled.  Carved about 2 minutes off my first attempt.  This time of the year is the Superbowl for my main business, we are busy, VERY BUSY, and I can't figure out another time to get it done.  Put the kids and the wife to bed and came to the gym.  In past years I would be in front of the TV, with a plate of chicken wings balanced on my beach ball of a stomach.  Tonight, I push sled!

 

Wednesday 5/31/17  -Fat head no more!

Rode my bike down to the ball park today to catch a game with my daughter.  It was a School field trip as a reward for reading.  That was the farthest, and in the most traffic I have ridden the new bike.  It was great!  I haven't worn that shirt for years and years.  So, here is the weird one.  I am wearing a fitted Tin Caps hat there.  For years and years now, my hat size has been a HUGE 7-7/8.  In High School I wore a 7-5/8 Helmet.  I have a HUGE head.  Monstrously big.  I can't even wear flex fit hats, they don't fit me.  I broke this hat out, and it spins on my head?!?!?!?  So I go into the shop to look at other fitted caps.  MY SIZE HAT IS TOO BIG!  I got all the way down to a 7-1/2, maybe a 7-3/8.  I have lost weight/size on my head.  MY HEAD IS SMALLER!  I would bet my wife would not say that my head is smaller, more likely that it is swelling....

There was Yummy food EVERYWHERE!  The little girl next to me has a HUGE funnel cake, drenched in powdered sugar, and every time the wind picked up, it would cover me in powdered sugar.  Everyone was eating nachos, and ice cream, and everything.  Everything smelled yummy.  I have no idea how Dan does this every day?  I did see Dan out dancing on the field.  That is him in the middle with a red shirt on.  Good to see he is sporting the team colors during the day!  Go Red.  Dan is a dancing machine.  What was very cool is that he asked me if there was any song my Daughter wanted them to dance to.  She picked Teenage Dream by Katie Perry, and that was the song.  She was able to completely impress her classmates by telling them what the song would be, and that she picked it.  There was a squeal of little girls when the song came on, and Kaitlin's smile was beaming.  It is all about impressing 2nd graders. 

The run Wednesday night went well to a point.  I did get over 4 miles in under an hour, but it wasn't as far as it could have been.  My new sexy red running tights were the culprit.  They did exactly what I wanted, which is to compress the thighs.  I didn't take into account that they would also compress the bladder.  Luckily there is a bathroom at the Fire Station.  I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the Station.  But they do look fantastic on me.  Sometimes it is hard to accessorize this sweet frame.  Red tights help make it easier.

I got Jalapeno in my eyes again.  Two thoughts:  First is that the eyes are no where near the worst place on the body I have gotten Jalapeno oil on......  Second, even with scrubbing on my hands, sometimes I will also get other people.  Good times.....

NEW PERSONAL RECORD!  So, when I got my fitbit, it was set at like 8K or 10K a day goal for steps.  I could NEVER hit that goal, so I lowered my goal to 5K steps a day.  Sadly, I only hit that a few days a week.  As I was wrapping up the Wednesday night run, I looked down at my fitbit....  25K STEPS!  First time ever!

 

Sunday 5/28/17

Lets talk about this weeks weigh in.  I need another 7 pounds to stay on track to try and win this thing.  That would be 3 weeks of 7 pounds.  No clue if I can do it?  But there is a milestone coming.  About 5 years ago I was losing weight and got down to 255 before I broke, gave up, and climbed back up to 323.  That is why I have clothes that fit now.  Everything I am wearing has been boxed up for the last 5 years.  It may not be this week, but very soon, I am going to be the lightest I have been in 15 years.  I lost a bunch of weight in 1999 and was down to 217.  Then I ballooned up to 320.  I dropped to 255 in 2012, and then back up to 323.  When we cross the 255 mark, I have no idea how that is going to feel, but it will surely be euphoric.  I have been counting down the days to 255.  I want, with all of my heart, for that scale on Monday to say anything, anything under the sun, just let it be under 255.  Every pound under 255 is basically the lowest I have been THIS CENTURY.  CENTURY. 

I don't verbally express my intimate thoughts well.  I don't concede control well at all, that might actually be the hardest thing about this process?   Since I can't say it very well, let me put here that this is an amazing process, and I have been blessed to be able to be a part of it. 

 

Saturday 5/27/17

Ran SW outside today.  Now get this:  Before the run I found myself thinking, "It's only 5 miles".  WHAT??!?!?!?!  Where did that come from.  ONLY 5 miles.  Like it was easy.  5 miles?!?!?!?  2 months ago, I would have bet the house against me making it a quarter mile.  Right, run 5 miles....  ARE YOU ON CRACK!?!?!?!  Never...  In....  A...  MILION....YEARS.....   But here I was going into the run thinking, "well, this will be over soon, it's only 5 miles, what should I do afterwards with all the extra time?"  Sweet Baby Jesus, how weird is that?

I hit the 2 mile mark at 27:06 at 13:53 a mile.  The 4 mile mark at 57:26 or 14:315 a mile.  And I finished at 1:11:41 or 14.282 a mile.  The most interesting part is that I ran the last mile obviously faster than I ran miles 3 and 4.  And the last half mile is Uphill, all the way.  At this point my goal is to always be under 15 minutes a mile.  I have been getting it.  Last Saturday, I did 7 miles under 15 minutes a mile, with 3 SECONDS to spare.  This week I did 5 miles with 3:19 MINUTES to spare.  Getting faster.  Slowly, inching along.  I am easily one of the slowest people out there, but I am doing it.

The 3RRC sold me a hand held water bottle that is more of a plastic sack.  It has the compression gloves and a bite top.  This thing is fantastic.  I am still too much of a mouth breather, and my mouth gets so dry.  With this thing, I can get a tiny bit of water to keep my mouth from drying out.  It has made a HUGE difference in my breathing on the runs.  I wish I had gotten a smaller bladder, and may still get a smaller one.  However, this is likely the right size for the half marathon.

My wife surprised me with an early Father's Day gift.  She took me to Summit City Bicycles and bought me a new old man, city cruiser Townie bike.  It has the forward peddles that don't hurt my knees.  This is a perfect bike.  The couple of family bike rides we did today have been great.  And with the construction of the Carriage house just down the alley, I have a place to store it now!  What a wonderful surprise! 

The wife is doing much better today, she only slept a couple a hours in the day, and seems to have more energy.  She even went on a short bike ride with us!  I wish that this would come to a resolution.  She is very sick, and no matter how many specialists we see, no Doctor has a clue.  Being kicked from one Doctor to another every week is getting old.  Each starts the process over, and there just aren't any answers.  I was kind of hoping it would have been the Gall Bladder and some surgery, but that seems to be off the table now as well.  At this point we can deal with anything, we just want to have an answer.  I fear the Mayo clinic is in our future.

 

Friday 5/26/17

Ran outside last night.  It is at the Y way up north around Canada.  Took the girls, and they played on the playground.  The first running set was tough.  I forgot my calf sleves, and man, what a difference.  My calves and shins were screaming.  Did a loop, and the Pufferbelly trail, and then just a little more.  There was an accident on Dupont that backed up traffic forever,  I missed the group picture, and they didn't do one afterwards.  Hopefully the running coaches let Tina know I was there?

After the run, the girls and I jumped into the Y.  They actually have a ton of stuff the kids can be doing there while I run on Thursdays.  I prefer the SW course, but letting the kids play at the Y might over rule what works for me.  Kaitlin had the right shoes on, so she got to tackle the rock wall. 

She is on the right.  This wall is MUCH taller than the wall at the SW Y.  Our home Y downtown really has none of the cool stuff they have up north.

I have started thinking about what it takes for me to win this thing.  A couple of weeks ago, I did the math and figured I have to lose 7 pounds a week from here on out.  At the rate these other guys are going, it might take me getting down to 215 pounds to lock it up.  7 a week, until the end.  So the last 2 weeks I lost 7 pounds.  I am planning on losing that again this week.  I think I am close to done if I can't keep that pace.  At this point, I think I am playing for top 5, but Andersons simply don't give up easy.

My clothes are fitting better.  When we started, I was struggling against my belt, and thinking about punching another hole to let it out.  Now my belt is STILL at it's last rung, and I am thinking about punching another hole....  THE OTHER WAY!  I need a new belt!  One for little people.  I boxed up all my 48 and 46 pants and shorts.  After 15 years in that size range, it was like 40 pair of pants, and 40 pairs of shorts.  WOW!  I also boxed up my 3XL shirts.  Most of them are 3XLT polo's with pockets.  Like 50 shirts.  It got me thinking, we should be helping each other out.  I wonder if there are any guys in the contest or among the Alumni that are still bigger than me and are wearing 46 or 48 pants, or a 3XLT shirts?  There is some extremely nice stuff boxed up that I could pass along.  I am going to awkwardly ask around and see if anyone wants to take some of this stuff.  My 29/30 inseam might be a challenge, but there is a ton of stuff still in great condition.  I found a half dozen expensive shirts still in packaging with tags on them.

I ordered 6 new 2XLT shirts to wear daily, but I am wondering if I should have held off?  Just a normal XL shirt is coming soon.  I broke out all my 44 and 42 pants and shorts from 15 years ago out, and got them on the shelves.  I only have a couple 40 waist items.  As I loose much more, and I will honestly need a new wardrobe.  If I can get down into the 240 range, there are more than a dozen suits that have been in the closet for 15 years that can come out.  If I can get to 210, I can wear the suits that I haven't worn since the 90s.  I Wonder if anyone in the FWSW family could use a suit once I get too small for them?

What I have really been pushing at is to come up with great food I can eat.  I understand the boot camp thing, but I can't eat chicken breast every day for the rest of my life.  Looking at other food journals, I see my teammates eating the same thing every day.  EVERY SINGLE DAY....  One of my teammates has eaten the EXACT same food for the last month and a half, EVERY SINGLE DAY.  How can I do that for a lifetime?  I can't.  I will get bored, and then it all falls apart.  I am trying new stuff all the time.  I have a number of food creations now that I can eat for years to come.  My food journal is a mess, and all over the board.  I try and goofest things, but every so often, I hit on magic.

The newest creation was Cajun Shrimp Pizza.  2 slices together are 218 Calories, with 185 sodium.  I have figured out how to cut the calories and drastically cut the sodium when I attempt version 2.0.  Wonderful heat.  The worst problem of making it a pizza is that I can only eat about a quarter of it, and have to save the rest as my family doesn't eat to the level of spice I do.  The later meals were never as good as the crust didn't hold up well.  Next time I will do mini personal pizzas to order.  I am thinking to use Bagel thins.  I need to run the numbers though.  Very yummy.

 

Thursday 5/25/17

So I went after Jacob again today.  Got up to just over 700 feet, somewhere around 14 and a half minutes, it STOPPED ON ME AGAIN!  This time I was trying to do anything to keep it from stopping.  I was only resting for exactly 5 breaths, and then right back for 30 steps.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  AND IT STOPPED!  No picture, nothing.  I reached out to Rick and shared my complete and total demoralizing frustration.  With the Holiday weekend being the Superbowl for my business, there just wasn't time to try again.  Rick showed great mercy and said that my two attempts counted.  So, my final results were 387 feet in I don't know how much time, and just over 700 feet in about 14 and a half minutes.  No pictures.  Rick was very magnanimous, and I can't express how thankful I am.

I didn't run last night.  Good thing, as it was POURING!  Instead I went to the ARCHIE awards, and won again for the 6th time in the last 11 years!  The ARCHIE is an annual award given to the top Historic Restoration project in the area.  This year we won for the construction of the first Carriage house built in Fort Wayne in maybe 100 years.  We built it behind the Carnahan, and modeled it off the main structure's Second Empire style with the mansard roofline.  It was a spectacular project, creating a 3 car garage just down the alley from my home, and a new, high end 950 sqft 1 bedroom apartment.  2 Years ago we won with the restoration of the Coombs Italianate on West Wayne Street. 

Of course I wore sandals to the awards ceremony.  But I did go with slacks over the shorts I wear most years.  It was cold and pouring down rain.  On a lark, I reached into my suit closet and pulled out a blazer.  IT FIT!  WHAT?!?!?!?!  So I threw it on, and looked the best I have in years.

Just look at that super sexy skinny guy!

 

Tuesday 5/23/17

Monday at the weigh in, I dropped another 7+ pounds.  That is 2 weeks in a row.  I climbed from 6th place, all the way up to....  6TH PLACE.  Spectacular!  As a consolation prize, I did get to see Tom Spiece vacuuming a Lion.  That's not something you see every day...

Tuesday I decided to get the  @#$%#$@  Jacob's  ^$%#$^$#  ladder in after class as with the kids coming out of school, and Memorial Day weekend being the biggest weekend of the year for my main business, I just won't have many opportunities this week to complete it.  I got up to  #@$#@#@%$  just under  #$%$#%  400 feet, took a  $*&$^%*  break, and the  %$##%^#$  thing  $^#%$^#  reset on me.  I went home defeated and demoralized.

Awesome having 4 out of 5 of the Red team at Extra Love.  Our team is killing it, and we are taking back the team title this week.  Those Orange punks can't hold our medals for long.  I plan to do some math and see what team is winning overall.  That would actually be a fun thing for Rick to announce every week.  What are the team rankings for the season?  I bet it is Orange and Red and a bunch of also rans.  Now if Rick will just assign a few more to extra love, we will have the entire BIG RED squad getting that extra love we all so desperately need.  I wonder if Rick has ever had so many volunteer for extra love in any other season?  That would be fun to know as well.

Orange and BIG RED are dominating the top 6 of the contest.  Between us we have 5 of the top six.  Very different dynamics.  Orange is young and alive, full of energy, playful, and youthful.  BIG RED is full of seasoned warriors, both the oldest man and woman in the contest, who have spent years fighting life's hardships and conquering them.  Interesting dynamics.  Orange is over the top and alive.  BIG RED is reserved, stoic, and workman like.  Nose to the grindstone.  It's the Orange Jet Setters vs the BIG RED blue collar trudging. 

After 6 weeks of an unknown disease for the wife, at this point I am just hoping that it's not something with a person's name.  Diseases named after people are the really bad ones.  Another round of ultrasounds and tests maybe it is the gallbladder?  It's something new every week.  Medical is never right, and they don't have a clue.  We've avoided surgery so far, but it is looming.  This whole process is 10 times harder than it has to be with the wife almost completely out of commission and 3 young children.

 

Sunday 5/21/17

I did 7 miles yesterday. My goal was 1:45:00.  I wanted that 15 minute mile for a long period.  I came in at 1:44:57 with 3 seconds to spare.  I sprinted the last 15 yards or so, but I did it!  As I crossed the 3 mile mark I thought that the 3.5 mark would be just moments away.  It was a LIFETIME away!  I swore, on everything I held dear, that surely the mark for either 3 miles, or 3.5 miles was incorrect.  There was no way that another half mile was that far away.  NO WAY!  As I came back from the 3.5 mile mark, the 3 mile mark was simple.  It was right there.  Seemed so far on the way out.  Not knowing where it was ended up completely messing with my mind.

Where 2 weeks ago it seemed like most of my walks were on the downhills, this week EVERY run on the way back was UPHILL.  I worked through them well.  The only one I caved on was the long, LONG climb after the bridge.  I power walked up part of it, and added more run time on the back side to make up for it.  In fact, I added a lot more run time.  After the first 2 sets I slid into 4/6s.  I even ran for 7 on two of the sets without really even realizing it.  I pick an object in the distance and go it it, then check time and pick a new distance.  I was obviously running slower than I thought I would, or I was miscalculating, but twice I realized I was over 6 minutes, close to 7,and just did the 7.  Granted, they were downhill.  It got me thinking about running.  Here I was running more than required on both purpose, and then by accident.  My breathing is there.  Its coming together.

I found an 80s channel to listen to.  What a difference music makes!  When a great song comes on, I can run.  Anything George Michael or WHAM comes on, and my pace falls apart.  Hall and Oats is a mess as well.  Far and away, Oats was the better talent.  Does anyone really like John Hall? Dead Milkmen?  Punk Rock Girl is a song for the ages. I dare you to try and walk to it.  I am virtually sprinting.  Even Depeche Mode was a pace booster.  I Ran by Flock of Seagulls came on, and I was virtually flying.  The Police are also helpful.

I can make the half Marathon now.  I honestly wish we could just do it so it would stop looming.  I can complete it now.  It will take about 3.5 hours, but I got it.  My issue is now leg fatigue.  It used to be breathing, but I have realized that I am rarely struggling with that at all now.  I got Calf compression sleeves from 3RRC, and the Calves are now great.  My thighs are the mess now.  I am going to get compression for them.  Then I expect that my knees will need it.  I already have a bunch of compression socks.  Maybe I can find a full body compression suit...  and then wear it in the suit for those dumb jumping sets where your swim suit falls down to your knees....

This weeks weigh in will be interesting.  Like half and half.  On weeks when I kill it, there are a bunch of signs.  Belt, clothes, the works.  On weeks where I struggle, there are no signs.  About half the signs sort of hit this week.  I am guessing a small loss, but one where I get a clap instead of being told that they love me.

 

Friday 5/19/17

I have to share the Jalapeno Poppers I made today!  Yummy!  Found some small Jalapenos, and cut them in half.  An ounce of goat cheese (read lables, oh my god not all goat cheese is created equal) divided out among them.  In the oven at 350 for 10 minutes give or take (until they are soft and the cheese is melted). The ENTIRE plate was 86 Calories.  Awesome snack.  The little ballerina plate was just a bonus for myself.  You don't have to be a little ballerina to enjoy these.  I look damn good in a tutu though....

I got Jalapeno in my eye again.  Just a special kind of stupid....

I ate a reasonably sized pear today, like 5.5 ounces.  100 Calories?!?!?!?  Never again, pears are banned.

Dizzy came back on and off in the work out.  Still struggling some with it.  On a positive note, I have done, at minimum, everything required of me in workouts.  Ran every second required and then some.  Held every plank for the time required.  Even held every wall sit with only adjustments instead of breaking.  Again, it might not seem like much, to only do the minimum required, but I am still proud of the accomplishment.  I am at about a week and a half of this success.  It's the little things.

An epiphany hit me like a ton of bricks today.  I am the oldest Male contestant in the competition.  I don't know if there has ever been a time in my life where I was the oldest one doing anything?  I believe I am the second oldest in the competition?  When did this happen?  When did I become the oldest doing anything?  It has really rolled around in my head today.  I am the old, slow, sad guy.  I have never been that guy before.  There is always a fair amount of pity extended to the old guy, and thinking back, I can now see where it has been extended to me.  I am not sure where to go with that?  I have never been in this role before.

 

Thursday 5/18/17

We ran in Spiece tonight.  I HATE RUNNING IN SPIECE.  There is no joy in it.  Everyone just laps me.  I was determined to hold Big Sexy off from lapping me a 3rd time, and I did, but only because we ran out of time.  He was absolutely breathing down my neck as time elapsed.  Another 30 seconds and he had me easy.  Even my new running socks, which are damn sexy on these feet, didn't help.

Those feet are damn sexy.  I stopped by 3RRC after the run as they were starting to close.  I stayed well past their closing time just talking about running, the joy of running, and when will it start.  The one thing I most want to come away from this process with is a joy of running.  Maybe even an addiction, and it is not happening.  They shared stories with me, and we talked.  We tried more shoes, and ultimately decided to stay with the ones I have.  I walked in with my hat in my hand just asking for help, and they stayed late just to talk.  They didn't even make a sale tonight.  Just talked to me about the things that are concerning me.  You don't see that much in retail.

Another contestant was pontificating (not annoyingly, but certainly dogmatic) on final rankings today, and slotted me in at 10th.  Grumble.  Game on sparky!  While I want to believe I can still turn it up enough to win, the logical assessment of my chances puts me about 5th.  But 10th?  I will not be 10th.  I am currently in 6th overall, and climbing again.

 

Tuesday 5/16/17

Good weigh in.  I lost over 7 pounds.  I knew it would be a good weigh in.  My belt came in a notch, I dropped down sizes in my pants and shirts.  I was confident.  Even broke out my Wedding Ring, and it FIT.  It is the simplest of bands, and surely doesn't weigh much, but I didn't care about the extra weight it added at the weigh in.  First time I have been able to wear in in a few years.  It feels SO WIERD!

The first day of extra luv was much easier this week.  The first day last week DESTROYED ME for the rest of the week.  My blood pressure seems to be under control, and except for the one day I accidently took the old medicine instead of the new medicine, every day has been strong.  The packages look exactly the same, and I stored them together, and took the wrong one.  That was a rough day of dizziness.

I am now registered for the German Fest 5K, the Vision Walk 5K, and the Hero 5K.  It will be the season of 5Ks.  Kat and I are also signed up for the Bounce House 5K in July.

 

Sunday 5/14/17

I got outfitted at 3RRC for the 6 miles on Saturday.  New socks, and a water sack thing that worked AWESOME.  It comes with a hand piece, and as you drink water, it gets smaller.  It has a bite top.  Wonderful water system.  I also bought some calf sleeves.  OH MY GOD what a difference, and they are damn sexy as well. 

Look at those legs!  Unbelievable sexy!  You could have calves like these if you had spent 4 years in High School pushing a billion miles of sled.  You need a little bald lineman coach to yell at you constantly for the better part of 4 years, but you too can have them.  At this point, I likely have to keep them covered up to stop the throngs of admirers from freaking out at the mere sight.  I was going to buy colorful ones.  I couldn't find any in red.  The only cool color was Orange.  Just couldn't do it, I need to beat those Orange punks, not wear their color.  I might still go get the orange ones, they were sweet.  I can't find anything in Red.  No socks, no Calf sleeves, nothing outside of headbands.  Going to jump on Amazon.  Go Big Red.  I can tell that I am starting to feel like myself again.

I still need an arm strap for my phone that actually fits around my bicep.  Big Sexy has one that fits around his bicep.  I should ask him where he got it.

I ran great on Saturday.  5/5s.  Again, I thought about 6/4s, but didn't go for it.  I did push at the end, and I came in at 15:20 a mile for 6 miles.  I was at 14:20 a mile after 2 miles, but it kept sliding away from me.  I got lost with a group at the 3 mile mark and we wandered around looking for the mark.  We finally found it on the other side of the street.

At about mile 4, my legs started chaffing.  They HURT, and were rubbing together.  I hiked up my shorts like Ed Grimly and continued to run. 

I made it through.  I kind of forgot about it until later in the day on Saturday, and oh my god, here came the PAIN.  My Wife owns a baby business called Snuggy Baby.  www.SnuggyBaby.com.  My wife is "crunchy".  When our children were born, she knew she wanted to use cloth diapers, wear our children, the works.  She couldn't find anything in the Market that was of the quality she desired, so she made her own.  It has grown into an International business, with seamstresses, a production facility, the whole works.  Please click the link to her website if you have babies in your life.  Well, one of her products is an awesome diaper rash rub.  I grabbed some and rubbed down my "diaper rash" and it cleared up by morning.  God I was happy to have her last night, I needed that Diaper rash cream.  Incredible stuff.

So, Extra Love.  I thought I would own it.  We walked in on Tuesday and did this ball thing where you pass it back and forth between your arms and legs.  DEAR GOD, that was the end of my week.  By Thursday, EVERY single inch of my body hurt to move or do anything.  Rick killed my stomach.  CeeCee killed the arms.  Everything, everywhere was sore.  I feel good tonight.  I will kick Extra Love's ass this week.  Last week Extra Love kicked my ass.  I haven't been this sore in....  Well, maybe High School...

So, I am wearing 44 waist shorts today.  I am in an 2XL shirt.  When I started, I was stretching out size 48 pants, and filling out the 3XLT shirts.  My pants were virtually screaming to be let off the torture rack that was my waist.  All my 48 pants have buttons about to fall off as they were stressed to the point of breaking.  I got really good at sewing buttons back on.  My already HUGE belt was so far out, I was trying to decide if there was room to punch another hole down at the far tip of it.  Today I was easily able to take in another belt hole.  That is 3 belt loops smaller from where I was week 1.  My belt may become too big for me soon.  I haven't been able to wear this shirt in the picture since the year 2000.  This thing has hung in my closet for the last 17 years.  It was my golf shirt for the club.  It even feels loose on me.  I am going to kill it this week.  This is my weigh in.  I am going to break back out my wedding ring.  Don't be shocked to see it on my finger at the weigh in.  I haven't worn my wedding ring for years.  I lost skin on my finger when I was finally able to force it off a few years ago.  I also rolled the seat back in the convertible, and my stomach fit without rubbing against the steering wheel.  When I hit 199, you are going to see me out driving it.  I have driven it only one single time in my life...  To take it home.  It sits in the garage.  This is my week.

Alright, personal embarrassment time.  I accomplished a MAJOR task for myself this weekend!  This is sad, but I haven't trimmed my own toe nails in YEARS.  I carry all of my weight in my stomach.  When I sit down to try and clip my toenails, my stomach becomes a huge ball, and I can barely get my feet in a position where my hands can reach them.  My wife has been trimming my toe nails for as long as I can remember.  I go and get the clippers, and sheepishly bring them to her, pretty embarrassed.  My toe nails will sometimes get way too long, and I needed help.  When I did try and cut them myself, I would curl up into a ball, struggle to get to them, and get winded.  Seriously, I would be breathing hard just trying to clip my toe nails.  I CUT MY OWN TOE NAILS on Saturday!  Granted, I cheated, and sat on the stairs, but I did it all by myself, and my wife didn't even help me.  It's the little things....

 

Thursday 5/11/17

Ran for 50 minutes last night doing the 5/5.  I thought about doing 6/4, but it didn't happen.  Home was a mess with the girls trying to get to Roller Derby practice, and then I couldn't find ANYTHING I needed.  It was hot, and I needed the arm strap for my phone most of all.  I will not make this mistake again.  On a side note, when do I get small enough so that the arm strap actually fits around my bicep?  I have to wear it down on my forearm.  I have shopped a bunch of them, and they are all too small to go on my bicep.  I wish I could say the reason was my Adonis like, chiseled body, and massive biceps, but we all know that isn't the case. 

So I showed up late to the run.  As I was pulling in, the group was leaving.  I threw myself together as fast as I could.  I then realized that I didn't even have pockets in my shorts.  Everything that could go wrong went wrong.  I was last, running to catch up.  Thank god it was a time requirement, and not a distance.  I did poorly.  I performed the worst I have performed since week 1, and dragged the entire time.  I never got in a rhythm, and it was terrible.  I am changing this.  Not even these sweet new socks could help me.  It was terrible.  No time to prepare, just being reactive, not proactive.  I don't operate well that way.

Those really are some sexy damn feet....

So, I can't do one single real Burpie.  Don't get me wrong, I have done more than a thousand of them in my life.  They were called Bruin Sprints.  Here is how it worked.  In full pads, you ran out 10 years, did a Burpie, yelled "BRUINS", ran another 10 yards, and did it again.  It sucked.  Certainly on days where practice was in the rain.  Your pads were so weighed down, and so heavy.  Normally you would get 100-200 yards of bruin sprints.  So running in between, you would do 10-20 Burpies.  If the Coach was especially frustrated he would call out a bigger number.  The most I remember at one shot was 500 Bruin Sprints.  That was 50 Burpies with sprinting 10 years between each.  Now, it full pads, you could just throw yourself on the ground and not get hurt, so that was likely easier.  I can't do one now.  I tried and face planted on the gym floor at Spiece, luckily, no one really saw me do it.  I have to make sure my feet are under me each time.  It sucks to be old and fat.  I am struggling today.

 

Wednesday 5/10/17

Got Jalapeno in my eye again last night.  I am a knucklehead. 

Our house just doesn't run right anymore.  My wife is on her 4th week of a simply unknown medical issue.  They have ruled out about everything under the sun.  We thought we she was having surgery a week or so ago, but that wasn't the problem.  At this point medical is just throwing darts at the dartboard hoping to get lucky.  She has missed so much work.  She sleeps for entire days.  I bring this up because I love her, and I understand that things are not right, but sweet baby Jesus these people in my house are killing me with the food.  It was one thing when I felt strong, but I have been down for 2 weeks battling my blood pressure, and I am not strong right now.

There is pizza here every day.  Or Taco Bell.  Or Wendy's.  Or Macalister's.  Something yummy from a fast food take out Every....   Single.....  Day....  I try to cook for the family.  But my Chili is too bland.  Well, that is because I can't put in all the hot peppers because no one else can eat them.  The boy will eat Chili with me.  No one is interested in no Salt added chicken with Mrs. Dash as seasoning.  "It's too bland".  "Green Beans again Dad???"  I got Edamame to try and solve it. 

So Kat makes homemade DOUGHNUTS.  And they look GOOD.  Again, I didn't eat any.  She was disappointed, but if I cave right now, it's going to be ugly.  There is just too much around the house.  For the love of God, could all the Chinese take out be eaten soon.  Middle shelf, right at eye level in the fridge SUCKS.  Egg Rolls, just staring me down for days with that "I know you want me big boy" look in their eyes.

Tuesday 5/9/17

I thought I was going to be late to the weigh in.  Got out to Illinois Road, and realized that I had left my wallet at home.  Turned around.  No one at home would answer phones, so I couldn't have it run out as I pulled up.  Grabbed it as fast as I could, and got moving again.  I had forgotten how much I HATE South West traffic.  In my former life I lived off Liberty Mills Road right by Homestead High School in Kekeonga Shores on the lake.  The God forsaken burbs, where no one knows their neighbors, and everyone rushes home, only to get stuck in traffic, and then hide within their air conditioned house behind their un-neighborly 8 mile tall stockade fences.  I love living in God's country, downtown, where everyone knows everyone.  I was happy to reclaim my soul when I moved downtown.

Terrible weigh in.  Thank god we weren't in the group setting, I would not have gotten a clap.  I knew it was going to be bad.  Nothing felt right, nothing changed, I was struggling with food, felt weak.  Honestly?  I was happy to have lost.  I was concerned it would actually be a gain.  The worst part is the feeling of letting down your team.  We need Big Red to take home those medals for the week.

So, here we go again.  Now I have to win this week.  I hope no one else was planning on winning this week, because this week is mine.  Whatever it takes.

I enjoyed the walk in the grocery store.  I have the groceries and the labels down pat.  I am a Grocery Store NINJA at this point.  Fear the NINJA, you never see him coming.  I spend hours and hours in the grocery store.  My wife will call concerned as I have been gone forever...  I am just aimlessly wandering around the store, putting 1 item every 30 minutes into my basket.  I have found so many cool things walking down isles I would have never walked down in the past.

Grocery Stores.  You have the vegan section, the Organic section, the section for hippy dippy can't eat anything yummy people.  You will make a MINT on this idea.  WRITE THIS DOWN....  A zero/low sodium section.  YOU ARE WELCOME.  I expect my royalties in a timely fashion.

AJ turned me on to the no salt added Beans.  That is where it is at.  10 Sodium for a half cup is absolutely a fair trade not to have to soak beans over night.  You can get Red Kidney and Black no salt beans in the Kroger Brand.  If at Meijer, it is an off brand, on the top shelf, but they have Red Kidney, Black, and Garbanzo beans with no salt.

I was INVITED to the extra love.  Not sentenced as a punishment.  I clarified that I wasn't being required to go before I happily accepted.  I am going to grab that love, wrestle it to the ground, and own it like a Rock Star.

 

Saturday, 5/6/17

Chad Bohnke pulled me aside last night and gave me some great encouragement.  Chad, as you read this, thank you.  When I am allowed to eat out again, we need to get the families together again for dinner.  Between you and Eric Heffley, the encouragement has been great.

I got jalapeno in my eye again last night.  This time it was only 1 eye at least.  Just seriously dumb.  Going to have to bubble wrap my head.

We did 4 miles today.  At the 2 mile turn around spot, I stomped all over that "2M" painted on the sidewalk.  Stomped all over it.  I owned that 2 miles.  We were set to do 6/4s today.  I am feeling stronger and stronger now that my BP is climbing.  I decided I was going to keep up with Shawn today.  So I got behind him, zeroed in on the back of his head with that sweet new shaved head do he is sporting....  and watched him get further and further away until he was a little Orange speck in the distance....  Frick.  Double Frick.  However, in the attempt to catch up, I did 5/5s instead.  Half way through the first 5 minutes, I wondered what dumb thing I had done to myself mentally committing to the 5/5s.  Just get through this one and forget this nonsense, just settle back into 6/4s.  Then the second period came, and I started on the 5, because, well... Honestly I was still trying to catch Shawn.  I went the full 5 minutes.  I thought to myself, "Anderson, you knucklehead, stop that".  Then the 3rd period came, and at that point, it was a personal challenge.  Can I actually do the 5/5s all the way to the end without surrendering?  Well....  I could.  Finished it all, and did 4 miles at 59:21, that is under 15 minute miles, outside roadwork, for multiple miles.  Absolutely the very best I have ever done.  Feeling stronger today.  Should get a good second workout in as well today.

I did the traditional walk around Kroger for 2 hours and only buy 12 things after the run.  I spend so much time in grocery stores now looking at Sodium on labels.  I see food labels in my sleep.  I really have got this salt thing pretty well under control.  At this point, I am far more in danger of taking in to little sodium than too much.  HUGE CHANGE!  And really?  It hasn't sucked.  I have found a number of gems that I can eat that I would have never considered before.  Seriously, I spend hours, and HOURS, and HOURS in the grocery store.  I can get some great products if I shop at Kroger, Fresh Thyme, and Fresh Market.  I really can't find anything special I can eat at Walmart.  I am really shocked at how good Kroger is on so much of this stuff.  I am impressed.  The only thing that sort of sucks with Kroger, is that each Kroger carries different things.  What I can get at one Kroger, I can't find at another.  I visit all three of grocery stores at least once a week, I am in Kroger more like 3-4 times a week.  I buy under a dozen items each time.  It used to be roll out to Walmart/Costco/Sam's Club and buy $500 worth of groceries every time.  It was easy to do as all of that food has a long shelf life.  It has a long shelf life because it is FULL of sodium.  I can't eat like that anymore, so I make 5-10 grocery store runs a week.  Creative meal planning is what I really work at.  Today I am going to make some no salt turkey chili.  I have a no salt Shrimp jambalaya pizza coming tomorrow.  A ton of my time is now filled with food prep, but I am enjoying the challenge of avoiding salt.  Not an easy task at all.

I had a 98% lean ground chicken taco with homemade salsa for dinner to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  I offered to share, but the rest of the family ate Chinese carry out.  At least they cleaned it up and didn't leave it sitting out.

I am overly concerned about the weigh in on Monday.  I want to be able volunteer for the Extra Love sessions.  I have felt so weak, that I haven't volunteered yet.  I don't want to embarrass myself.  I am concerned that the scale will not be kind this week, and I will get Extra Love as a punishment, not as something I sought out, wrestled to the ground, and owned.  There is so little time left before the weigh in.

Pushed the sled back and forth for the Challenge this week.  I did it with Marcus, and we timed the both of us as together.  16:09.27.  Not bad.  I certainly did better this week than if it had been the challenge last week.  I believe Marcus could have done it faster, and he was kind to sacrifice his time to help pace me.

 

STAR WARS DAY, May the 4th be with you....

Today marks 1 month where the only thing I have drank is Water.  Period.  Just water.

Pool day today.  It was a good workout, and got the blood pumping.  For the first time, I couldn't understand Mari.  I never understand CeeCee.  My ears are old, and the high pitch voice, yelling into a microphone just becomes a muffled mess to understand.  I just watch other people to try and see what they are doing.  Dan is an excellent CeeCee interpreter.  I am constantly asking him what we are supposed to do.  Tina is clear to my ears.  Her voice is not as high of an octave, and I can hear her easily. 

I was ready to be done with the wall kick today.  Done.  NO MAS.  Then Tina looked right at me and said "2 Minutes".  I can do anything, even stand on my head, for 2 minutes.  2 minutes it is.  Powered right through it.  It was awesome knowing where the light at the end of the tunnel was.  CeeCee did the same thing for me in the run yesterday.  On the 3rd running set, my feet just wouldn't rise off the floor, I was ready to give.  Which would SUCK, as I haven't given up on any running section in maybe 2 weeks.  I am pretty proud of that accomplishment.  It doesn't sound impressive, simply that I have run every required second for a couple weeks, but internally, I am pretty damn proud of it.  I was ready to give, the ONLY thing stopping me was that stupid streak.  CeeCee looked back and called out "1 Minute".  I can do 1 more minute.  I decided that I was running until the bridge, come hell or high water.  It actually took an extra 5 seconds or so to make the bridge, but I did that minute and then some.  She has no idea where my head was, but without that call out from CeeCee, I might have lost that two week streak.

I discovered that the vitamins I have started taking have calories.  The biggest one is the Fish Oil that was recommended to us a few weeks ago.  The Magnesium that I take to offset the muscle spasms from my Statin cholesterol medicine also has Calories.  (Man, I would like to get off the Statins).  I take in more calories a day in vitamins and medicines than you would ever guess.  Need to start tracking those numbers.  Your Daily dose of Fish Oil is basically a Cutie in terms of calories. 

I came home to take a nap again.  I am tired.  My Blood pressure is up to 104/68 at the moment, and my heart rate is only 70, so I doubt I will have any real issues today?  As you know by now, that is actually pretty high for the course of the last week.  Over all it is still too low.  I need to really watch my food for the rest of the week, I am hungry all the time since the event on Saturday.  Of course there is Taco Bell left over from the families dinner last night.  I see a big cookie (likely from Qudoba) sitting in the living room, still wrapped up.  There is a pot of Chili, full of salt, on the stove.  This place is full of land mines.  I do know my wife is really sick, and she desires comfort food, I understand and accept that, but there are a lot of land mines laying around here.  I haven't stepped on a single one.  I also need to get in more workouts.  I am extremely worried about the weigh in on Monday.  Extremely worried.

 

Wednesday 5/3/17

This morning was Jacob's Ladder.  I was the very first of season 10 to meet Jacob.  Jacob is kind of an asshat.  Not really my friend at all.  I survived.  I felt really weak, but I did it.  Much stronger for the rest of the workout.  I even pulled off 25 straight, full force Jumping Jacks.  Also a personal best.

Last night my pulse was racing again as I tried to go to bed.  It was like I was spinning while laying in bed.  It took a LONG time to finally fall asleep.  The Doctor says that when your BP is too low, your heart will compensate by pumping blood faster to keep oxygen to everything.  That is why my feet, hands, and nose are soooo cold.  They aren't getting enough blood.  My feet were hard to raise at the run tonight.  I just don't have any spring in my step.  I had to actually sleep with covers last night.  A first in as long as I can remember.  I sleep in shorts and short sleeves, with no covers.  Even in the coldest stretches of winter.  I am never cold.  It sucks being cold now.  I am ready to be off this BP poison.

I really struggled with food yesterday.  The wife is massively under the weather, and has been for weeks.  She has missed a lot of work as medical keeps trying new things.  We are in an episode of House.  So, Monday I come home from the weigh in, and there is Pizza everywhere.  One daughter (who was also home sick) had made cheesy shells, and left them on the stove.  The other daughter is just starting to explore some cooking, and had taken egg roll wrappers, and filled them with BACON and cheese to make her own version of a hot pocket where she fried them on the stove.  So the entire kitchen is filled with easy comfort food, and I feel like crap, and so very weak.  I had to send myself to bed.  So the next morning, I am up at 5 and the only one awake.  None of it was removed from the kitchen.  I open up a second pizza box to peak, and it has brownies.  Did I mention that there was still fried BACON sitting there?  DUDE, FRICKEN FRIED FRICKEN BACON, JUST SITTING THERE...  The struggle is real.

Soooo....  I didn't eat any of that, but I did eat too much on Tuesday.  I don't feel good in general  Slow, weak, embarrassingly weak.  It was all good food, just more of it than normal.  We were given a range to keep our calories in.  I normally run at the low end of that range.  Yesterday I not only hit the top of the range, I smashed through it for another couple hundred calories.  I feel stronger and better today, maybe because my body needed some food to help heal itself?  It did seem like the entire cosmos was aligned against me yesterday.

Honestly, I am at the top of the range again today.  It is still in the range.  My body is likely trying to tell me something, I need to learn to listen.

Did almost 3 miles of road work tonight.  It didn't go as well as Saturday, but I was strong, I didn't falter, and ran for more than just the minimum.  I can't see ever crossing the finish line walking, so I ran out the final stretch.  Just shy of 6 straight minutes of running.  It HAS to be the fancy running socks.  Check out this new pair.  Those are some sexy feet!

One of the pitfalls of chopping and eating maybe 5 jalapenos every day, is that you sometimes forget to wash the oil from the peppers your hands afterwards.  You are hungry, you get distracted, something.  I just had another one of those awesome experiences.  I rubbed my eyes.  Took at least 5 minutes of blinking to really be able to see again.  Must remember the oils are on your hands.  The really bad one is when your jalapeno hands come into contact with something only men have to hold.  You would think I would remember to wash the oils off my hands every single time after an event like that....

 

Tuesday 5/2/17

I lost 5 pounds.  I was far happier with that than the 8 pounds the week before.  Lenny missed out, he would have actually gotten a reaction from me last night.  He was less than amused with my stoic reaction to the 8 pounds in the prior week.  But last week I knew I was going to kill it.  Belt loops, that is the tell.  It is like the John Malkovich playing the Russian with the Oreos in Rounders.  If the belt goes in, I am going to crush it.

Alright, settle in, the tale about to be told is one of intrigue, mystery, pain, complete defeat, and redemption.  It has its ebbs and flows, and its highs and lows, but in the end the Hero of the story survives to fight another day. 

EXPOSITION:  I came out of the run on Saturday feeling like a CHAMP.  I had a hard week.  A very hard week.  Like I was running in quicksand all week.  Weaker every day.  To the point that by Friday I could barely lift my arms throughout the day.  I was back to taking a daily nap in the middle of the day, and I found that if I wasn't paying attention, I would nod off in my car at long stop lights.  I felt puny, unable to do much but survive.  I pushed through workouts, as anyone that knows us, knows that Andersons may not always win, but we don't give up easy, even though we are often the underdog. 

RISING ACTION:  I head over to Scotts like I do every Saturday to buy some Jalapenos and other various lessor foods.  Nothing can really compete with the Jalapeno super food.  I am working along the back of the store, and the whole field of vision turns white.  I can't really see.  I am only standing because I had a shopping cart.  It just came up and overwhelmed me.  I would not have been still standing without that cart.  My heart is racing.  I didn't think to look at my Fitbit at the time, but my heart is racing.  I start working my way to the front of the store, and it all settles down.  I pay and head home.  Right around Jefferson Pointe, everything goes white again.  I am gripping the steering wheel.  Luckily I was sitting.  I get off to the side, and wait until it passes.  I hadn't eaten well that morning before the 5 miles, like a small banana, and I was thinking my blood sugar was likely off.  I just needed to get some food in me, that was the working thought.  I limp the car home.  Once home, I get some food in me, and start cutting peppers to freeze for the week.  My heart starts racing.  I mean racing. Luckily, I am sitting down.

CLIMAX:  I look at my fit bit, now I haven't exerted a bit of energy, my sitting heart rate was 147.  My hands, feet, and nose are FREEZING.  White dots clouded my entire field of vision, I could make out where things were, but I could barely see anything but white dots.  At this point, I am strongly questioning if I am having a stroke?  I remember something about chewing aspirin and getting it under your tongue for a stroke.  I start searching the house for aspirin.  I can barely stand.  I stand up to the cabinet, and search about 5 bottles, and then need to sit down.  This process happens 3 or 4 times.  I find every form of Tylenol that exists in the known universe, but no true aspirin.  My heart rate is climbing and won't settle down.  I have not exerted myself at all, and my heart rate, just sitting there, was now north of 150.  I am breathing like I just ran a marathon.  I can't speak, all I can do it breathe.  I found that I was unable to call out for help, as I was breathing so hard that I couldn't make a sound, I needed every millisecond of mouth time just to inhale and exhale.  My Wife, (Who has been seriously ill, like a patient on an episode of House kind of sick) hears all this and comes down to me breathing HARD, just trying to take off my shoes because my feet were tingling so bad, I just needed those shoes off.  At this point, the whole scene explodes.  Children are moving around, my Mother is involved, medical comes into play, the works. 

FALLING ACTION:  As I am telling this story, you can assume I didn't die that day.  I just wondered if I was going to?  It turns out that I now have HypOtension.  Not the Hypertension I have been dealing with for many years, but Hypo.  It is when your blood pressure is too low.  My wife ran in my blood pressure cuff and my BP was 95/55.  It dropped down to as low as 85/50 on Saturday.  Relaying that info to medical, it was advised that I find a way to move.  To get blood moving.  So I ran around the house as best I could and I started feeling a little better.  My DOCTOR told me to get Salt in me.  NOW WE ARE TALKING!  There is no way our nutritionist can argue with Doctors orders!  OH GLORIOUS DAY!  SALT!  I ate a pickle, and drank the pickle brine straight from the jar.  That seemed to help some as well.  I slept for most of the rest of the afternoon.  The worst part is that what should have been a glorious salt revival really didn't taste as good as it could have, and it kind of made me feel like crap.  Sigh.....

RESOLUTION:  I have been on 3 blood pressure medicines for over a decade.  I take them religiously every day.  Although I have lost some where in the 20s of pounds in the program, I started before the season began, and came in down 17 pounds from where I was.  My Doctor noted that I have lost 44 pounds according to his records.  We talked about my new 1500 (or so) mg of salt a day, where even just 4 weeks ago I was putting down about 8000+ mgs a day.  I have also given up caffeine, and soda, in fact Star Wars Day will be the 30 day mark.  I was taking too much blood pressure medicine, and I don't need it any more.  That is why I have been so unbelievably week.  That is why I questioned if I was dying on Saturday.  My BP was way, way too low.  The Doctor dropped 2 of my 3 BP meds.  He might drop the last one, but he wants to see how everything is going first.    I have to give him my BP readings on Friday so we can check again.  He told me to go slow for a bit, but that is really not in my nature.

So, once my BP started climbing, I am feeling much better.  I still feel weak and tired, certainly more than I should, but my BP is riding a roller coaster now.  Today I finished 7 sets of the party train on the stairs.  7 LOOPS, NO STOPS!  Best I have ever done.  My old record was 5.  And THEN, I did ANOTHER 4 LOOPS on the train.  I feel so embarrassingly weak, I need to straighten all of this out.

So ends the story of how our protagonist ( in his damn sexy socks ) survived, and grew stronger.

 

Monday 5/1/17

I "ran" 5 miles on Saturday.  Can you believe it?  It was surely all about these fancy new running socks.  They even have a right and left foot.  I am like my youngest boy with R and L on my feet.  I was strong on the 5 miles, actually helping others.  I actually think it helped my mental game to concentrate on another.  It also slowed my pace some and made it mentally easier to survive.  Just look at these socks!  JEALOUS?  You know you are.  Those are some damn SEXY feet...

I am concerned about the weigh in tonight.  In the weeks I have done well, my clothes fit better, my belt came in a notch, everything just seemed to work.  This has been a hard week.  I felt weaker and weaker all weak long.  Like unable to raise my arms weak.  I had an event on Saturday, and have been under the Doctor's care.  I don't feel like this will be a good week.  I need 1.6 pounds to get into the 270s.  I know I won't get a clap, but I just hope to get into the 270s.  Although my 1st weigh in was at 306, I was 323 when I started this journey and decided to apply.  273 is going to be a big number for me, as that will be 50 pounds.  I am getting close.  Hopefully I don't gain.  It has been a very hard week.

 

Friday 4/28/17

This morning I lasted for 2 minutes on the planking!  OK, it was only 1 of the 3 attempts.  Ok, OK, so I was on my elbows and knees.  But dammit, that was the very first time I made it to the end on the planking!  Very first time.  And yes, elbows and knees, but I actually made it the full 2 minutes.  And it was not easy at all.  At the end, with just seconds left to go, everything shaking, I actually heard myself say "Please" out loud.  No clue where it came from?  I just wanted to make it.  Yes, elbows and knees.  Next time I am going to try and make it all 3 sets.  Yes, elbows and knees.

I was next to Parker on the wall sits this morning.  I made it further than I have in the past.  I'm not 23.  I break easy.  I still can't do Jumping Jacks for 2 minutes, but I tried a few full open Jumping Jacks today before reverting to a less jumping style.  Sitting next to Parker definitely made a difference.  I am far too competitive to just let it go when another is holding so strongly right next to me.  I wish I were 23.....

I realized how I know Shane today....  We have met before.  It is actually a pretty small world.  Shawn was telling me that his kid's day care is run by the mother of a girl that used to rent from me.

Stair Challenge:  Let's tell the truth.  I waited until today because....  I was absolutely dreading it.  dreading.  100 flights?!?!?!?!?!?  Would you like me to build a ladder to the moon as well?  Could I empty the ocean right after that?  Perhaps dig a hole to China?  All of those things are preposterous.  I expected to get to 10 flights and that would be the end of that.  It was even after a workout where you are tired to start.  Completely going to fail, in every...  single...  way...  10 floors, tops.  However, the instructions were that you had to get on, and you couldn't get off until you hit 100 floors.  So, I figured sometime around dinner, someone would take pity on me, and I could get off after just standing there for hours unable to climb.  The unthinkable happened.  10 flights came and went.  Then 20.  And 50.  Sweet baby Jesus, I might actually do this!  100 Flights.  49 minutes and 52 seconds later.  I seriously still don't believe I made it.  And I actually made the entire 120 seconds on the planking, even if it was on my elbows and knees.  Some pretty HUGE wins today. 

I have to admit I am dreading the 5 mile run tomorrow.  I bet it takes every bit of 90 minutes.....  Finishing that will be another huge accomplishment.

 

Thursday 4/27/17

I got very lucky today.  It seems that the morning workout was cancelled.  Speice lost power in the storm, and they called it off.  I had no clue, and went to Speice for a pool day.  I had found an old suit that seemed to fit me now, that was far more streamlined.  Less pockets and such to drag the water.  Maybe it would help with keeping my shorts on?  As I walk up to the locker room, Rick tells me that the workout is called off, and suggests that I go a head and work out in the pool in likely a self guided way.  I just figured I would go and swim laps.  So, I head into the locker room, put on these old swim trunks, and....  THERE IS NO DRAW STRING!  If we had class that morning, there would have been no way to keep my shorts on outside of finding some duct tape up at the front desk.  Then there would have been a bunch of embarrassing questions to answer, and certainly harassment.  I dodged a bullet!  I ended up taking the longest, hottest shower that I have had in a very long time.  No distractions, no kids, just shower.  It was AWQESOME!  I will need to apologize to Tom Speice for all the water I wasted.... 

This week we head into 7/3 on the running, and I was dreading it.  I can't seem to catch my breath, and really struggled with the 8/2s.  I ran with Rose up at Solomon Farm, and surprised myself.  I made every single second of the 3s, and short of one stretch where I FOOLISHLY tried to talk during the running part, I came away able to breathe.  That is a real change.  I am not feeling the change in my body this week like I did last week, so I suspect that this weigh in is going to be a difficult one for me, but there was a real change in my endurance last night.

 

Saturday 4/23/17

The first week of the contest, I didn't feel much different, and was embarrassed in the result.  The second week felt great.  I brought in my belt by a notch, clothes felt loose.  Week 2 I won the week for the Men, and maybe overall?  Week 3 nothing felt different, and it was a pathetic 2.6.  This week things feel different.  My shirts are getting big.  I am actually in a 2X shirt today instead of the normal 3 X shirts.  My belt has come in another notch.  If I get another 2.6 this week, you will see the face of a truly demoralized man.  I think this will be a strong week on the scale.

5K today, and Kat came along.  She finished 3rd in her age group and took home a medal.  I finished 205th overall at just under 50 minutes.  I'll have to do the math, but that is likely between 15 and 16 minutes a mile quickly in my head.  A flat course would be much preferred.  I could see doing more 5Ks.  As it was just a mile or so from our house, I wish I had understood how these things work.  My middle daughter could have ridden her bike over and peddled with us.

In my attempt to have no salt, the calories are becoming easy.  Almost too easy (he says foolishly).  I set a limit on sodium at 140.  If it has more than 140 sodium in a serving, I cannot have it.  Everything with sodium has a billion calories.  I am eating things without sodium.  I eat pounds and pounds of food every day, and my calories are still low.  Maybe too low at times, but I can't see forcing myself to consume calories when I am not hungry.  Literally, I eat so much more food than I used to, and the calories just aren't there.  I am at the point where the first thing I look for on the label is sodium.  Low sodium = everything else works.

A pitfall I fell for.  Look at the generic entries for your foods on MFP.  A number of them are off.  It is one thing to do the bar code, but when it is a fruit?  I have learned that the most popular entries that come up in MFP first are the ones everyone uses.  Because if this, if someone wants to have inaccurate info to look better, it can get used a ton and move up the list.  We are guilty of it as well.  If you put in banana, the top three entries might be 100, 105, and 120 calories.  You are inclined to use the 100 calorie one as it is lower.  Then you cheat yourself by using it over and over.  There are tons of cases like that.  The most popular "strawberry" entry was just the one at the top.  I have used it a ton.  Recently, I put in 6.8 ounces of Strawberries and it came to 5 total calories.  I was very pleased.  About 20 minutes later, it still wasn't sitting right in my head, so I did the research and the math, and discovered that the entry in MFP was way, way off.  I have since gone back through all my generic foods and found a bunch of problems, often that the nutrients are missing, but some where the calories are way off.  Thought I would pass it along.

I hope for a good result tomorrow.

 

Thursday 4/20/17

Today is my Son's 5th birthday.  It has always been a tradition to let the kid pick where they wanted to eat on their birthday, anything they want.  For the Boy that would mean Takaoka or Coney Island.  While I am confident that I could eat out successfully by picking the right restaurant and analyzing the menu ahead of time online, I can't eat at Coney Island.  One single Coney Dog is 331 Calories.  I used to eat 4-5 and a bag of chips every time I went in there, and I was generally still a little hungry.  That is roughly 1,500 calories in that single meal.  Interesting to contemplate.

To put it in perspective:  This morning I ate a metric ton of food for Breakfast.  A HUGE egg white "omelet" with green pepper, onion, jalapenos, and goat cheese.  A tomato with cottage cheese.  And a quarter of an entire cantaloupe.  220 Calories.  I couldn't put another bite in me if I tried. 

Two takeaways:  1)  I could eat 1,500 calories in a single meal and still be hungry.  I just ate 220 Calories in a single meal, and I am stuffed.  2)  Dear god, how yummy is a whole tomato, 1/4 cup Cottage Cheese, and Mrs. Dash's extra Spicy?  So unbelievably delicious.  Where did that come from?  I threw it together on accident just working on getting a cottage cheese container empty to have more room in the fridge.  It might be my favorite flavor combo right now.

As for the boy's birthday, I have to run tonight.  Looks like it will be at Spiece due to weather.  My wife went back to school for her Masters, and has class on Wednesday night during the run out SW.  No way to avoid "missing" this birthday.  I am strongly considering taking the boy and my oldest daughter to the run tonight.  In an enclosed environment, he could sit on the bleachers on the side of the far gym if he get tired and be just fine.  Thinking about trying it anyway.

The pool is great.  It is a nice break.  What I will say is that the whole jumping up and down with your hands in the air just doesn't work.  My stomach is the widest part of me, and my hips are much smaller.  You start jumping up and down, and your shorts come off.  With your hands in the air....  well, it is a bad combination.  Maybe one of those old timer suits that comes up over the shoulders?  I suspect that would be preferred over just going commando?  I doubt I will ask.....  I need some swimming suspenders.

It still would be wonderful to have any indication of a count down while doing endurance exercises.  I would be much more successful if I knew there was a minute left, or 30 seconds left.  Not knowing gets in my head.  That it is going to last forever, and then doubt sets in.  Once doubt sets in, I break.  If I knew there was a minute left, I could zone in on that and last longer.

We get to sleep in this Saturday.  I signed my oldest daughter and I up for the 4-5K run at Saint Francis this Sunday.  The boy is singing in the 10:30 church service.  No way to get out of church at noon, and be at Saint Francis at noon.  My daughter and I will have to miss the service, which is a shame as it is his final singing of the school year.  Very cute to see a group of 4 and 5 year olds sing a few songs up in front of the church.  I thought about going and leaving right after the songs, but we sit in the first few rows, and to have a family of 5 get up and leave wouldn't be the best of appearances.

I have been dragging for the last 2 days.  Yesterday I almost couldn't lift my head at a few points.  My body was so sore.  We did what seemed like hours of wall sits in the work out.  My legs were just shaking wildly as I sat on the wall.  Have I mentioned how awesome it would be to get countdowns?  Like 1 minute, 30 seconds, and then count down from 10 to the end?  It would be awesome.  I broke many more times that I wanted to.  A countdown would be spectacular.  I could gut it out longer knowing where we are.  We also had the boxing gloves on, and punched forever.  My legs and arms were toast.  TOAST.  I was a blob all day yesterday.  My "second workout" was just getting up every 30 minutes and walking around the building.  It is about all I could do.

Then I couldn't get to sleep last night.  I kept checking the clock, and the time just kept going.  I finally fell asleep somewhere just before 1 am.  Then up at 5 am to head to the gym.  I am going to head home after lunch and take a nap.  I get the kids at 3, have appointments at 4 and 4:30, have to be at Spiece at 6, the wife is at work, and the sitter called off sick.  I might take all the kids to the run tonight?  $5 a head to Spiece at the door is likely still cheaper than the sitter.

 

Tuesday 4/18/17

I didn't feel like there was much of a change in my body going into the weigh in last night.  My stomach didn't seem smaller like the first 2 weeks, I didn't seem to have much more energy, My belt didn't come in a notch like other weeks, it just didn't feel like a win was going to happen.  I was correct.

2.6 .....  Terrible.  However, I didn't feel the overwhelming embarrassment immediately after the weigh in like I did in week 1.  I was truly devastated after that first weigh in.  Admittedly, I heard 2.9, but still, that would be terrible as well.  Just terrible.  Perhaps I should have felt embarrassed?  When I was completely and utterly disappointed in myself after week 1, I came back to win week 2 for the Men.  My goal is now to win week 4.  Again, embarrassment was a powerful motivator last time, I actually wish I had that kind of a fire right now, it was an intense motivator for week two.  I have dropped to 15th place overall.

Funny how I was just talking about special running socks, and then they were mentioned today after the work out.  I need to get up to 3RRC for a better way to carry water as well.

My digestive track is having fits this morning.  Yesterday I did an all Vegetarian day.  Meatless Monday if you will.  So an unholy amount of Vegies, and added in Beans which have not really been a regular part of my diet.  So far it has been an interesting morning.  Given the digestive track events so far, I wish we weighed today.  I would have been a lot lighter...

The kids were off school yesterday, so I took them to the Junction Playground out SW at the Jorgensen Y.  I let them play, and just circled the playground.  When it was time to run, I shot down a long stretch, and then walked back.  I can be successful running if I pick a spot I have to get to and just zone in on getting there.  I really need a goal, a point, something to get to.  I need a countdown, I need to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I would do SO MUCH BETTER at things like wall sits if they would call off "1 minute left", "30 seconds left", and then do a countdown from 10 to 1.  I can force myself to just endure, but only for so long.  Not knowing how much time is left psychologically messes with me.  Even if I just knew how long the period of endurance is, I can figure out the rest.  Call out that it is a 2 minute wall sit.  That would really help me.  Running was a TON easier setting a point to get to.  Once there I would look at my timer and pick a new point based on much more of the 2 minutes was left to go.  Then I would count down the last seconds.  Interestingly, on the 2nd and 3rd running periods, I got much further each time.  I was about to run out of sidewalk.  That felt good.  On the 4th and 5th, I didn't make it as far.  We were scheduled for 40 minutes.  I did 5 sets for 50 minutes, with a total time of about an hour.  That kind of surprised me.  I cut a few of the 2 minute run periods short on Saturday, and Andy got on me.  Not looking to fall short next time.  Much better performance in the 2 minute runs on Monday.

Rick called out to run the long stretches this morning during warm up.  Knowing exactly how far I had to go was exceedingly helpful.  I opened it up, and ran faster than I have ever run so far in the program.  Interestingly, Walking, jogging, and Running all have an extremely different feel.  Open running and walking seem to be much easier than jogging.  Too much body wiggles, jiggles, and bounces in jogging.  It is more painful to do a light jog with my stomach bouncing around.  Jumping up and down in the pool hurts as well with this huge stomach.  I need to figure out how to open my running up more, as it hurts less.

I really just want my shins to stop being on fire.  I want to be able to come away from this process with the ability to run.  Enjoying it would be a massive win.  When does that happen?  When does the sheer pain in your shins finally go away?  They are on FIRE.

Did stairs today with Tina.  Oh my god, my body just gave up.  Mentally I wanted those stairs, but my legs wouldn't move, I wobbled some coming down on the 4th lap of the second set.  I wasn't going to fall, but my body just failed me.  Jumping Jacks also took a ton out of me.  Jumping...  Jacks....  I was a 3 sport athlete in High School, and could do about anything.  I can't even climb stairs now.  We used to have to run stadium laps, up and down a billion stairs.  This is sad.  After Tina pulled me off, I got back on and finished my stairs.

Got to do the sled for the first time since the 1980s.  Felt perfect.  Everything came back to me.  I grabbed it and sprinted down and back, felt GREAT!  Then I got up from the sled, and sweet baby Jesus, it was tough to stand.  I've pushed a sled around for thousands and thousands of yards in my life, I am not a 10th of the man I once was.  I just need to find a way to catch my breath.

 

Monday 4/17/17 (effectively)

It's late Sunday night, effectively Monday.  The biggest thing from the weekend were blisters.  I took the second Friday workout too far, did just short of 5 miles outdoors between Swinney and Headwaters Parks, and my toes were destroyed afterwards.  I wrapped them in bandages Saturday morning.  I had 5 of my 10 toes all wrapped up, and just hoped for the best.  It WORKED!  I was able to go Saturday am on the run with virtually no difficulty.  I spoke with Mike over at 3R Running Company, and he suggests special running socks.  I am going to try and get over there this week.

"Ran" with Andy on Saturday morning.  It was actually pleasant, and it helped.  I slowed him down, and surely he would have preferred to do more/better, but it was the first real time that having another person in the picture was productive instead of counter productive.

I don't feel good about the weigh in this week.  Last week I was focused on redemption.  I have done the same things this week, but it just doesn't feel the same.  We will see what the scale says.

 

Friday 4/14/17

I work to find a zone put space when we are working out.  It is working for me.  It is actually surprising as I expected to be more vocal, to laugh, to play around more.  Really just trying to breathe.  Once I get into the space, I can endure.  Now, I understand the trainers and others are trying to be encouraging, but when they come by and interact, it throws me out of that space.

I want my salt back.  I am not currently using food in the way God intended....  As a Salt delivery Vehicle.  When the urge is just too much, I literally eat a raw Jalapeno.  There is a small village of Jalapeno growers somewhere in South America or Africa that I might be solely supporting by now.  I am also helping put Mrs. Dash's kids through college.  I'm eating sushi without Soy Sauce like a Heathen.  The struggle is real.

Day 11 without a touch of Caffeine.  Water is the ONLY drink I have had.  I no longer want to wipe out and eliminate all Humans.  I am going to dump out the rest of my bottle of Diet Pepsi soon.  I don't need to hold on to it like a crutch, and by now it has be very flat.  While I am thinking about it, I quit Cigarettes right around now 5 years ago.  My last half pack is still in the deep freezer.  Maybe I can let that go now?

There are things I want to fit into.  Size 42 pants.  A car that just sits in storage.  The car comes out at 199 pounds.  I will actually be able to fit in it by then.  Maybe I'll race a powder blue Lambo for pink slips?  Right now, the Main goal is to fit back into my wedding ring.  I took it off so long ago that you can't even see the indentation in my finger any more.  Getting it off took about 15 minutes, and I lost skin in the process.  Wearing it again will cost me a few ounces at the weigh in, but I am looking forward to fitting back into the representation of our family.  How awesome would it be to get too small for it and have to size it down?

I've gotten both guys who stood with me at my wedding back on the fitness kick.  All of the sudden they noticed that the old, slow, fat guy was out stepping them on Fitbit.  Now I need some 15K steps a day just to keep up.  Taunting them has worked out perfectly.  The wager with one of them is that the first guy to 199 pounds gets a Harley.  I don't even want a Harley, but the extra pressure will help.

Newest Sushi Bowl!  I used Cauliflower "rice" instead of rice.  Salmon, Jalapenos, Red and yellow peppers, chopped Onion.  This huge bowl is 200 calories!  The picture doesn't do it justice.  These bowls are massive (although I used to consider it a standard size, but put a cup of cereal in it, and the bowl is huge).  I should have put a hand or something in the picture to show scale.  Very happy with Cauliflower "rice".  Just Sautee it up with a half tsp of olive oil in a pan.

 

Thursday 4/13/17

Outside "running" is slower than inside "running".  I worked 14.58 minute miles inside last week.  Today, outside in the wind and hills it was 18.18 minute miles.  I believe I am faster walking than I am running.  To complete the half Marathon in 4 hours, you need a minimum average pace of 18.32 minute miles.  Curse these stumpy hobbit legs.

 

Tuesday, 4/11/17

I took the week off from blogging, so there is a lot to catch up on...

I didn't want to blog.  I had a substandard showing at the weigh in, and didn't want to share.  I was beyond disappointed after the first week weigh in where I came in 14th out of 15 guys, and in the bottom 20% overall.  4.6 lbs.  Now, I do understand that I had already dropped about 17 lbs. before the contest started, and didn't have those super easy pounds to drop.  I get that.  It doesn't matter.  I was embarrassed.  So I made some changes.

First, beginning a week ago on Tuesday, the ONLY thing I have drank is water.  Period.  Only water.  That means no caffeine  I haven't gone without caffeine for a week since the 1970s.  Even then you would have to ask my parents, as what was given to kids back then was very different from what we give them now.  NO CAFFEINE for a week.  At one point in the middle of last week all I wanted to do in life was KILL ALL HUMANS!

I also lowered all my salt intake.  I spent hours working on the salt issue.  I crave it sooooooo badly.  Most days I just want to get a jar of pickles and drink a half gallon or so of pickle juice.  My mouth is literally watering as I type this.  I want my salt back.

So last night at the weigh in, I lost the most weight of the men % wise.  It wasn't announced at the time, and I was disappointed in myself because I thought I had failed in my goal of winning this week.  This morning Tina came up to me and told me that I had actually won the week.  I wish it had been announced at the time, but what an awesome feeling as I was doing dead bugs for her to say that.  Incredible feeling.  I am in 8th place now.

Jalapeno Peppers are my saving grace.  That is my salt substitute.  I eat 2-3 of them raw a day anymore.  Sushi is still the name of the game, however I have had to start making it with vegetables only.  The Tuna and other fish have too much sodium.  And I have to eat it like a HEATHEN without soy sauce.  I found an online Salt alternative website that claims to have a soy sauce substitute that I plan on trying soon.

I have been trying to get the family to come out with me on the weekly walks.  My daughter Kat came out last Thursday to Spiece.  It was fun.  She must have just skipped a mile.  When she was born we were the over the top parents who watched everything she ate.  Because of that, she loves vegetables, lean foods, and eats well.  I cheated the other children by not being diligent.  At this point, the rest of the kids eat crap.  I need to fix that, but what a fight to break those habits.  Easter will have very, very little candy this year.

So Kat came with me.  She had a BALL!  She and Tina got along well.  Kat has a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is a Roller Derby Girl.  At 10, she is 5 feet tall.  If I can direct her, she will be physically spectacular.  My wife's family are giants.  The middle school aged kids on her side loom over my 5'10" frame.  (I am 6'2" in stilettos, it is fabulous).  We were working all the way around the basketball courts.  I believe that the "track" is about a quarter mile.  Kat decides she is going to lap me.  I was moving pretty fast, and then started going virtually as fast as I could.  Kat lapped me, making up a quarter mile on me at my best speed in 8 minutes.  The girl is FAST!

She said she had a ball.  She liked talking to Tina and Rose.  I didn't even know she spoke with Rose, it must have been when she was away from me.  So, my best speed, she picked up a quarter mile in 8 minutes on top of my speed. 

I tried to get Kat to come on Saturday morning, but she wasn't coming out of bed.  But my wife was ready to go, which was awesome.  With a 4 year old, and an 8 year old (who won't put in effort), I don't know how taking the family is going to work?  I would have to slow my pace dramatically to have the rest of the family with me.  Kat can go much faster than I, but I suspect that the rest of the family can't keep my pace.  Do I go slow to not leave my family somewhere behind me?  That doesn't allow me to do my best.  I WANT THAT MILE MARK!  I got just barely short of .9 miles out last Saturday.  I want to hit the mile out mark.  Do I push past what I believe the family can do and leave them behind?  I don't think that will go well.  However, we need to do more moving as a family.  That means slow my pace, to be with them, and then add an extra pushing workout every week.  I believe that will have to be the final solution.  I will contemplate this more.

My family needs to throw away or put away their food.  I did go through a period of food insecurity in my 20s barely working, trying to figure life out.  I won't blame it on that, it is just simply the case.  I cannot, under any circumstances, leave food on my plate.  Not only that, I can't leave food on my children's plates.  I have spent years as the human vacuum taking in all extra food.  I can't fathom throwing it away.  On Sunday Kat made cheesy shells, and left them on the stove. Come Monday morning, my old routine was to simply eat whatever was left on the stove for breakfast.  This was a good plan, as it wasted nothing, and didn't get out new food.  I just ate whatever was left.  I can't tell you how badly I wanted those cold, drying up cheesy shells.  I forced myself away, but god did I want them.  Then we weigh in last night, and I come home, Kat made homemade cheese pizza, and 3 slices were still sitting out.  I WAS NOT HUNGRY.  I ate a great meal after the weigh in.  But I wanted these cold, dead chucks of pizza.  I had to throw them away.  Then I ran water over the pan so there would be zero temptation to eat the now cold, once melted cheese.  This morning I found a half eaten piece of pizza on a plate in the dining room.  I had to throw that away as well.  In the past, that would have been breakfast.  I cannot, under any circumstances, stand to see food wasted.  Mom came over this morning to get the kids started for school.  I wish we started at 5:15 am, she wouldn't have to roll out of bed every day and come over.  I could be home before the wife left.  Now in her 70s, Mom is a trooper.  So I walk in the door, and Granma has a pile of eggs, a ton of hash browns, banana, a full English muffin with jam, and a huge glass of milk for each kid.  All I could think about was how much wasted food was going to be left, and how much it was going to drive me crazy.

My mother is from the south, and my wife was raised on a dairy farm.  WE MAKE TOO MUCH FOOD.

From the day I decided to apply for the contest, I am down just over 30 pounds!

 

Monday, 4/3/17

Having not posted anything yesterday, there is a lot to get through.

Tonight was the weigh in.  I lost 4.6 pounds.  That would be the lowest on my team.  Very likely the lowest of any guy, and perhaps in the bottom 3 of so over all.  Tonight I find myself completely embarrassed.  The Red team came in last, and I was the veritable albatross around it's neck.  I am sure it will be better in the morning when I am done brewing and stewing, but tonight I feel terrible.  One of my greatest struggles is throwing food away.  Certainly food with use.  I often finish the kids left over meals as I can't stand to see them thrown away.  In this process, I have been asking the family to throw away their small leftovers, after having spending years berating them for wasting perfectly good food.  I have been excellent with that since we started.  Where I found myself struggling this week was with perfectly normal things in the fridge that I know will go bad if I don't eat them.  Not that they are bad things, just that I could have eaten that 2% piece of cheese, or better yet no cheese at all, but I ate the normal cheese because it needed to be used.  Yesterday I took on 2 ounces of regular cheese that I didn't have to simply because it had been in the fridge forever, and it was 2 ounces to just finish it.  I am going to have a trash can party with the fridge tomorrow.  I assure you that it will be painful.  I don't want to feel this embarrassed again. 

In the words of the old song, "I think I am turning Japanese, I really think so", I am embracing the Sushi lifestyle.  Killer vegetable sushi in tapioca wraps.  Avocado, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, the fake crab stuff.  As for the song, look it up, 80s music is God's music.

So, now lets talk about salt and this fake crab stuff.  It is SEAFOOD.  It is a snack.  80 calories.  I ate one tonight after the weigh in.  All should be good....  So, this package is 20% of your MAXIMUM sodium intake. and say 1/3rd of the daily salt intake I should likely be on.  I can't find an easy food that is not full of salt.  I love salt.  This is a seafood....  Which creates the dilemma again.  No one in my family will eat them.  I just bought them for sushi, and have 3 packs left.  Do you throw away perfectly good, brand new food because you just realized it has too much sodium?  It is great low carb food.  I get not buying more, but I this is already in my fridge.  The struggle is real.....

Along the lines of turning Japanese, Tonight after the weigh in was a sushi bowl.  Brown rice, 3 ounces of WILD CAUGHT salmon (there is huge difference to farm raised) broken up and mixed in.  Avocado, Cucumber, Asparagus, the works.  I spent a few calories on a new twist on the traditional spicy sauce.  Canola oil mayo. sesame oil, and Sriracha.  I used the teeniest, tiniest of that, and there just wasn't enough to flavor.  I didn't dare take on any more calories from the spicy sauce, and was becoming thoroughly disappointed....  then I picked up the bottle of Sriracha, and the heavens opened up.  Angels were singing, the entire heavenly host band started up.  80 Sodium per ounce serving!!!!!!!  Like no calories!  That is a win.  The homemade "Clear soup" that has been steeping today was a swing and a bunt.  It is in play, but so bland.  A cup is 15-20 calories tops, you actually remove all the ingredients to just have the nutritional water (Clear soup) and then add a couple mushrooms and some green onion.  It would have been a huge win if I had dumped a wheelbarrow full of salt into it.....  Really bland.  I mixed some Sriracha into it.  Still needed salt, but the heat gave it something.  Finding and/or creating salt alternatives are the name of the game this week.

Finished the day with 7,163 steps, 3.27 Miles, and 11 flights of stairs.

Totals	1,351	121	60	78	3,943	25
Your Daily Goal	2,404	301	80	120	2,300	98
Remaining	1,053	180	20	42	-1,643	73
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g

 

Sunday, 4/2/17

And on the 6th day, He rested....

 

Saturday, 4/1/17

Life got in the way yesterday, My legs are dead.  Friday coming home from the class, all I had to do was go up 2 steps to the back porch of our home.  My mind and body were not in sync, and my foot didn't come up high enough.  I laid on the deck for a little bit before I went to relieve my Mom with the kids.  I really wish that the class was from 5:30-6:30.  If it was just a half hour earlier, I wouldn't have to put Mom out.  She wakes up every morning and comes over to get the kids going as the wife heads off the work.  I am home in time to take them to school.  We may also try morning care at the school, but it is less than optimal to have them just sitting at school in the cafeteria for an extra 1:15 minutes every day.  At one point Rick said that class used to run from 5-6 am.  That would be sooooo much better for our family.

I HAVE A HUGE SALT RANT COMING.  Anticipate it....

Sushi.  The Japanese are brilliant.  I could live on the stuff.  The calories work.  Below is a brown rice, all vegetable for under 200 calories for that huge plate.  And if you eat it like a Heathen without Soy Sauce, the sodium is nothing.  You could also give up the wasabi for more sodium reduction, but lets not get crazy here.  Tuna Rolls for the Win.  Sushi is going to be a big part of the new life style.

Did I mention that there is a sodium rant coming?  Not today as I am still pulling data and contemplating, but basically EVERYTHING YUMMY is full of sodium.  Really, EVERYTHING has a ton of it.  You cannot eat anything short of a Caveman diet and stay under the sodium limit for the day.  So I love pickled jalapenos.  Like bathe in them love them.  The sodium in pickled Jalapenos is 25% of your daily allotment for a half dozen little slices.  So I built my own Roasted Jalapenos to substitute.  I used a Olive Oil to marinate them, and baked them off.   How in the heck do you track a marinade?  You don't eat all of it.  In this case, I built a recipe in MFP, and once the oil was added, these Jalapenos have a BILLION calories.  Like 4 calories a little tiny slice.  I can't win for losing.  I need to figure out a fair way to count any and all marinades.  I will eat these (The big ones are Pablano peppers) but the next attempt will be in the food dehydrator.  Although I could see doing them in an egg white bath with a light dusting a wheat flour, instead of a panko, then baking to get them crispy

I was good on the Friday class.  The part where you lay on your side and lift or hold your leg was intense, and I did have to drop a number of times.  But 4-5 big breaths and that leg was back up.  Not a surrender, but a break.  Extremely tough though.  The wall chair sitting thing.....  I just couldn't hold it.  I looked down at my legs and they were vibrating uncontrollably at least a half inch in every direction.  The only reason I didn't fall down is because it's barely possible given your position.  I climbed back out of it a couple times, but went back to the chair as soon as I humanly could.  It destroyed my legs.  I fell down on my back porch at home because although my mind lifted that leg up the step, my body didn't.

I really wanted to get to the mile mark on the walk this morning.  On Wednesday, I started out in the front of the pack, and was able to get around the corner of the Firehouse to the entrance drive way.  I pushed to get there.  I got to the same point today.  I could have gotten further, but I started towards the back of the pack, and there were just so many people to pass, I couldn't keep the pace.  I need to make sure to get out in the front of the pack before we start if I want to get that mile next time.  My team mate Joy is a walking machine.  She has shorter legs, but she moves them.  I kept trying to catch her today, but it wasn't going to happen.  Every time I got close, I was blocked, or she would pick up the pace.  She and I are the same age, and she has so much "no nonsense, get it done" drive.  She carries herself very well, and seems so much stronger than I see myself.  Color me impressed.  I perceive that we are wired in much the same way. 

I continue to find that this is nothing like I expected it would be.  I doubt any of the other contestants would believe it, but I am a social creature throughout the day.  I expected that I would be out there talking and teasing.  It turns out that so much of this is internal.  When we get going, I can't yet find the energy to talk.  The alumni are constantly wanting to talk, to encourage.  I recognize it, and I do understand they want to be awesomely helpful, but most of the time I can only get out a "thumbs up".  I expect that I am perceived as anti -social.  For the most part, I am just trying to breathe.  I forget who said it, likely CeeCee, but if there is breath in me to chat, then I am not pushing hard enough.  I want 90 lbs. in 15 weeks.  I need 6 pounds a week.  That doesn't happen by coasting.

Dinners are my easiest meal.  I want to eat throughout the day, but at night, a single decent meal full sates me.  My new strategy is a snack before class, a strong breakfast, 2 lunches, and a dinner.  I did a Caribbean Jerk Pork Loin Thursday night.  Yummy.  The prepackaged mush vegetable was terrible, and full of salt.  Wish I hadn't bought 2 of them, but I was looking for quick and easy.  None of the food that seems to be right is quick and easy.  I need more vegetables to just sauté myself as needed.  Food prep is becoming time consuming.  I need to ponder more time saving moves.

In this first week, I am not eating with the family.  By the time I get home, and with the Wife in class at night, and that I am still learning what works, I am just not finding the time to get something the kids will eat together fast enough.  We made a YUMMY white bean chicken chili today, enough for a couple of meals.  Going to try and prep up some easy, already made meals for this week.  It would be nice to be able to eat with the family again, but more importantly, I need them eating better as well.

 

Friday, 3/31/17

Tried a take on eggs benedict for breakfast.  Honestly, the English Muffin added nothing for me, but we need the carbs.  I wanted to dump hot sauce on it, but that would wreck your sodium for the day.  As you can see, my sodium was wrecked anyway.  The sodium level that MFP has is simply not realistic.  Thought about having Special K cereal for Breakfast.  A single cup of Special K is over 10% of my sodium for the day.  A cup of cereal.  A cup of canned black beans?  Like 17% of my sodium for the day.  There is a salt rant coming.  Everything has salt.  EVERYTHING.  You have to be a caveman to avoid it.  Anyway, this was a bland breakfast without hot sauce.  Next time I am going to whip up a Hollandaise with egg yokes, lemon, and butter.  Yes....  Unsalted butter.

Intense workout on Friday?  Yes.  It was almost surreal, out of body like.  I was virtually hallucinating when I left Speice.  I sat in the parking lot for awhile before I could head out.  I got out the end of the drive on the south side of Speice, and although I feel like I looked everywhere and didn't see anything, when I pulled right out into traffic a car narrowly avoided hitting me.  I was fortunate that the other car was paying attention.  I just didn't see them.  Like a bubble around my head.  Then as I was heading south on Wells street, I just wanted to put my head back and close my eyes.  I rolled down the window, and put on loud terrible music.  (That would be anything country, truly horrible music)  I can't begin to express how much effort I am putting out just to try and keep up in this first week.  I have had to take time out and lay down every single day.  I wish I didn't have to go home so quickly to get kids to school.

Finished the day with 9572 steps, 3.76 Miles, 7 sets of stairs.

Totals	1,243	163 46	35	115	3,726	32
Your Daily Goal	3,247	406 50	108	162	2,300	130
Remaining	2,004	243 53	73	47	-1,426	98
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g

 

Thursday, 3/30/17 - Day 3

Laid in bed the extra 5 minutes again today.  Decided to tackle food a little different.  Before the work out was just a handful of tomatoes, Ham, and stick of light string cheese that was torn into smaller runs.  125 Calories.

I was perfectly fine.  Once the workout kicked in, Food was the last thing from my mind.  Nicely took the edge off.

Water was good.  I was on a swim and dive team for most of my youth, and a Lifeguard in the summers when I was a teenager.  Over the years I worked at a pool, on a lake, and on a river.  For the first time in a few decades I found myself in the regular public without a shirt.  It was one thing to weigh in a room with brethren, kindred spirts, and other fat guys.  It was another entirely today in public where any little thin person could walk in.  I did think about wearing a tee shirt, but it turned out fine.  I was surprised by how much arm work we did.  Towards the end. we had to swim a lap.  So...  I have a huge belly.  I look like I am in my 4th trimester.  With the swim trunks, they are WAY out over my belly.  My belly is much larger than my hips.  As I was racing trying to do well on the lap. my swim trunks slipped...  and they had nothing to hold on to at the hip...  There was a full moon in the pool this morning.  It is hard to swim with one arm trying to pull your trunks back on....  At one point I had some difficulty breathing, but it passed.  I wish I hadn't forgotten my towel laying on the dining room table at home.

Started getting a little hungry around 8:45 after dropping the kids at school, and had my real breakfast.  Huge Egg muffin with green pepper, onion, ground pepper, and turkey sausage.  Hot peppers and tomatoes on the side.  224 Calories for a ton of food!  (would have been 164 calories for a metric ton of food if Franks didn't lie - see below)  I really want to find a low calorie cheese to melt into the egg.  That will be a grocery store mission very soon.  Frank's ripped me off!  The label says ZERO calories per serving.  However, when you enter it into MFP, it comes up as 30 per serving.  There are 60 Calories I can never get back....  NOT ONLY THAT, but those 2 little ounces put me up to like 200% of my daily sodium goal!  I can't win for losing on Salt.  I have decided to be happy with figuring out how to stay full this week.  Maybe I will worry about salt starting next week.  I am done worrying about it this week.  Baby steps.

 

At the moment, I feel good, believe that the food plan for today is solid with effectively 2 more lunches, and then a dinner.

My body is sore.  I am looking forward to a night to recoup some. 

Finished the day with 8195 Steps, 3.06 Miles, and 13 sets of stairs.

Totals	1,209	134	37	103	4,906	42
Your Daily Goal	2,972	372	99	149	2,300	119
Remaining	1,763	238	62	46	-2,606	77
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g

 

Wednesday, 3/29/17 - Day 2

8:30 PM Update:  Huge salt cravings today.  I was the leader of the band, beating the drum on sodium intake.  At one point, I decided enough was just enough, I was going with the nuclear option, and poured some pickle juice into a juice glass.  That seemed to finally settle the craving.  I don't know how to track pickle juice, but lets just say I went WAY over my sodium intake for the day.... 

I find myself absolutely full again at the end of the day with 1243 Calories consumed.  Used WAY to many at breakfast.  I had no clue how many calories were in 1% milk.  I need to cut that intake WAY down.  I spent 20% of my total calories today on 2 cups of milk, foolishly thinking milk wouldn't hurt me.  I mean, it's milk...  I tried having 2 breakfasts today to see if it would help with mid day hunger.  One before the workout, and one after.  Used up a ton of calories, and still found that I was hungry during the day.  Then I scrimped on lunch again (although not as bad as yesterday), because I am still worried about not having enough calories for dinner, being out of calories, and hungry.  I will try breakfast early tomorrow, and then effectively eat 2 lunches in the day and see if that plays out better?  Here was lunch today.  A seemingly metric ton of field greens, onion, 2 ounces of Chopped ham, some tomatoes, and 14 chips.

The "run" was good tonight.  As with most of the physical work, it waffles between more than my body wants to do, and absolutely horrible...  For about 10 minutes.  Those first 10 minutes have been rough, real rough...  But not too long after that, my body finds it's grove.  After both workouts today, I finished with a feeling of euphoria, on a natural high, and feeling ZERO pain.  It is both a great, and an interesting feeling.  After the "run" tonight, I will say that in that moment, I honestly felt the best I have felt in a very, very long time.  Had a good moment with Tina tonight on the course.  I look forward to continuing to develop that relationship.

For the second day in a row, I took an afternoon nap.  I was VERY lucky that the sitter came at 5 to take the girls to Roller Derby practice and they woke me up in the process.  I had fallen asleep on the couch, with no alarm.  I am an early-to-appointments person by my nature, and these first few days are testing that.  I continue to lament that some alarm won't go off, or my body will just shut down, and I will miss a session.  The embarrassment would be devastating.  Although at this very second, I FEEL LIKE A CHAMP!  My body is beaten, and I am exhausted, but here in this space, in this second, I feel AWESOME!  We did more today than I ever do in a week...  Going back decades...   My sedentary lifestyle is certainly on display right now.  Today my mind didn't want to stop after either workout.  Mentally, I could have gone another hour each time.  Shear Euphoria.

Finished the day with 16K steps, 6.7 miles, and 17 sets of stairs.  Food notes below.

Totals	1,243	182	28	80	3,697	47
Your Daily Goal	1,600	200	53	80	2,300	68
Remaining	357	18	25	0	-1,397	21
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g

Wednesday, 3/29/17 - Day 2

I struggled more to sleep last night.  Likely because I was literally unconscious for a couple hours in the afternoon on Tuesday.  I woke up about every hour on the hour throughout the night.  I obsessed for a good while about whether my alarm would fail, and how poorly that would play out.  At one point I wondered if I was getting sick, but we won't be down that path.  No sickness.  I did lay in bed an extra 5 minutes this morning.  Need to get that under control before it can become a habit.

The warm up this morning was far more leg aggressive than the stretching yesterday.  We were constantly moving.  I got to the point where my legs were just about done, and looked down at my watch....  we were ONLY 6 MINUTES INTO IT!  My mind is so into this.  The flesh is currently so embarrassingly weak, but it is willing.  We did a timed Mile today.  THE LAST TIME I RAN A MILE WAS 1988!!!!   I didn't get the final time, but I am guessing about 15 minutes.  Basically half was running and half was walking.  I surprised myself, and kept up with most of the youngsters.  I thought it would be about watching others and working to stay with or pass them.  That wasn't it at all.  It was about finding a space in my mind where I could zone out.  Not really strategy, but will power.  I was surprised and will have to ponder this.  I felt like I was going to fall down a couple times in the mile, but I stayed on my feet, kept them moving.  I surprised myself.  I didn't think it would go as well as it did.  I will say that Rick being with the group helped me a lot.  The guy is just full time positive energy.  I need that. 

So I have a Fitbit.  It comes with a factory settling of 7.5K or 10K steps a day (I can't remember exactly).  Since I was always failing to achieve that many steps, I lowered my goal to 5K steps in a day so I could be more successful.  Right after the mile, my watch starts buzzing.  Would you believe that I hit my 5K steps this morning at about 40 minutes into class?  That is my goal for the day, that I don't always even hit, and I hit it before class was over!  I think I need a new daily goal....

Still coasting on the food part (he FOOLISHLY says on day 2!).  The food is strategy and planning.  I am strong in those areas.  Not concerned.  I did increase my morning calorie intake a ton today to see if it will play out better?  Still have a fear of getting to the end of the day and not having enough calories left to feel full.  We will see how this adjustment plays out?

Tonight we run.  Well, seemingly, we walk.  Although I expect it to be a brisk pace, the pressure came off a ton when it was announced that it would be a 30 minute walk.  I plan to be in the Thursday running class on a regular basis, but I have a meeting, that has already been rescheduled once, that must be attended this Thursday.  With the wife in class tonight, I lined up a sitter to take the girls to Roller Derby practice, and the boy will be with Granma.  I believe that the "run" tonight will go well.  Still struggling with how to dress, and the best way to ergonomically carry water.

 

Tuesday, 3/28/17 - DAY 1

I woke up easy this morning before my alarm.  I did have some concern that I wouldn't get any sleep, or would struggle to get up.  Pleased that it was really no big deal.  Showed up at Speice about 30 minutes early.  Honestly, I was a little winded just walking around the gym a half dozen times before class.  The physical aspect of the training went well.  I broke a real sweat on mostly just walking, stretching, and calisthenics.  At the end of the class, My mind had another hour in it, mentally I was ready to go, pumped up and in a zone..  The legs however, were DONE.  At one point towards the end I could barely lift them off the floor.  I gave virtually everything I had at the end with my eyes closed and a forced smile on my face.  Destroyed, wiped out, and breathing super hard at the end, and here is the thing... it was JUST BASIC CALISTHENICS!  I find myself far more out of shape than the mental image I have allowed myself to create.  I didn't check at the intense height of everything, but my standing heart rate was 127 right after class.  I looked at the Miles walked after class.  2.5 MILES!?!?!  That is more than I normally walk in an entire day.  As an example, I am finishing the day at 4.5 miles.

I was beat today.  I kicked off work at Noon to grab a lunch, and blew off the rest of the day.  After I picked the kids up from school, I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I went upstairs just to lay down for a few minutes.  I sort of remember my wife asking me a question when she got home from work, but that might have been an hallucination?  Somewhere around 7 pm. the kids are roller skating around the living room, and their playful squealing wakes me up.   If they hadn't, I don't believe I would have woken up before tomorrow morning.  Just completely wiped out, basically fainted into bed.  I come down to kids skating everywhere and the house smelling like Pizza.  The wife was working on a paper for her Masters, didn't have time to cook, and I was asleep.  At the time I had only used about 600 calories for the day, and had a grand to give and still be at 1600.  I have to admit that I almost started looking up the nutritional information and calories for Dominoes Pizza!

I have spent a TON of time battle planning my food.  At this point I have been in Scotts so much in the last two weeks, that they think I am an employee.  I will go and just get lost in the aisles, the next thing I know, 3 hours have gone by, and the wife is texting asking if I got lost?  I was a little intimidated by the 1600 calories.  I understood we were going to be working with calories in/calories out, but I didn't understand 1600.  I didn't know how to gage, so I went light, and was hungry at times during the day.  My goal, and strategy coming into this is simply to not be hungry right now.  I'll worry about adding more things once I am just not hungry.  DON'T BE HUNGRY.  If that can be conquered, I've got this.  I have to say that my planned SECRET WEAPON, the ordinary dill pickle, ended up not being the secret weapon I thought it would be.  I bought a huge jar, as they are ZERO calories in My Fitness Pal.  I was going to eat pickles all day to keep a full feeling.  The serving size was 1/4 of a large dill pickle.  I grabbed 1.5 large pickles for a snack, ate them, and was really pleased with myself for the planning and strategy.  Put in 6 servings of dill pickles, and it was ZERO calories.  SCORE!  Then the warning popped up that I had eaten about 90% of my Sodium intake for the day.  Heart breaker.  I don't plan to kill myself on Sodium yet, but I want to stay under the limit.  Salt is a huge one for me.  I have said for years now that all food is simply a salt delivery system.  Love salt.  Not salty snacks, literally just salt.

Sine I was worried about the 1600 calories, I stayed light all day.  I used about 600 calories before 4:30 pm when I passed out.  My plan tonight was Ground chicken tacos.  A huge one with all the stuff comes out to about 300 calories.  Ground Chicken, Onion, Various peppers (used red and orange tonight), made enough for 4 tacos.  I didn't know it would be so manageable before I built the recipe in the software.  So, I was hungry a few times today, and then I find myself at dinner, certainly full enough, with just 900ish used calories in the books.  I would normally think that was great, and just stop.  However, Rick cautioned that going under 1200 calories in a day stops the furnace from consuming fat.  So, I had another taco.  Here at 9:45 pm, I am STUFFED.  REALLY STUFFED.  I will need to do a better job of using calories during the day, but again, there is still a fear that you get to the end of the day and not have any calories left and you are still hungry.  I used 1226 Calories today, and currently couldn't eat another bite.  The goal for tomorrow will be to NOT BE HUNGRY during the day.  If I can just feel full, I got this.

Dinner was 2 huge Ground Chicken tacos, Romaine lettuce (Which has more calories than you would think!), Onion, Red and Orange peppers, with salsa.  Next time I am going to add Rotell/Green chillies right into it.

Food notes below

Totals	1,226	128	50	108	5,450	27
Your Daily Goal	1,600	200	53	80	2,300	68
Remaining	374	72	3	-28	-3,150	41
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g