Ok… it’s been a while since my last update on my “25 in 90″ plan. What happened, you wonder?? Well… mostly it has to do with the fact that I have a fractured foot! Remember my previous posts about my left foot hurting… well, I finally gave in to the prodding from Emily and T-bone and went to an orthopedic surgeon. My self-diagnosis of “turf toe” was MUCH closer than anything the podiatrist had thrown out, but that wasn’t quite it. Following x-rays and an MRI, it was revealed instead that I have a fractured tibial sesamoid bone in my foot!

So there is my primary problem. I can’t exactly run on a broken foot. In fact, I can’t do much of anything. With my doctor’s blessing, I CAN still ride horses, and have been as much as possible. But it’s been cold and rainy a lot, too. Can’t ride my bike because it’s hard to get the special shoes on. I can still lift weights, and have been doing that, too… but even that is hard to get motivated to do when you barely feel like walking.

So that’s my sob story, and I’m sticking to it. My weight over the past weeks has fluctuated between 223 and 228. I still hold out hope that I can right the ship and at least lose 10-15lbs by the end of May, but it’s going to take some work and the ability to exercise. Right now, I’m hobbling around in a “boot cast” that comes up to my knee and gives me the all the mobility of a telephone pole. I have to wear it for 6 weeks, and it’s been 3. But I also haven’t been “faithful” to always wearing it, and therefore my foot is still sore. I need to do better on that, because I do NOT want to have surgery on my foot.

So it’s an uphill battle… I could probably slash my caloric intake and see some progress, so maybe I’ll get right on that… on Monday. =)

Happy Easter!

This update is for the week of March 2nd to March 6th.

Weekend Update: I did okay over the weekend, I guess. Better than the previous weekend, though I filled up on leftover lasagna on Saturday and biscuits and gravy on Sunday. I’m really getting tired of the cold weather… you just can’t DO anything outside.

Week In: 224.1 (I forgot to weigh Monday, so measured on Tuesday)

Monday: I was pressed for time, so I barely got my weights in. It’s been a few days since I last did any cardio, so that’s not good. I wasn’t doing bad until dinner. LOL! I had suggested having a “nacho bar” for dinner, and Emily took it from there. Suffice to say, had I eaten any more I’d probably be writing in Spanish right now. =P

Tuesday: Oatmeal/breakfast. Got some cardio in today, finally! Had a very lite lunch, but was still full from the nachos. lol! Emily is making BLT’s as I write, so I’ll try to behave myself. Weighed in… wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be, but will have to work hard to sustain the 2lbs I was down on Friday.

Wednesday: Oatmeal/breakfast. Didn’t get to work out today, but took my son to McDonald’s for lunch while Emily was at an appointment. I actually did well… had a southern-style chicken sandwich and side salad (okay, and just a few of his fries). For dinner I had a piece of leftover lasagna and salad. Later had some corn chips and salsa as a “snack”.

Thursday: Got in some cardio on the bike. Usual breakfast and lunch. The thermometer said 67°, so I went to Troy’s to ride. It felt like 45° to me! But I got in a good ride, so that was some cardio. Had a small fried rice and eggroll for dinner. But hey, I usually eat a large, so that’s progress, right? … right?

Friday: Had a ‘naner for breakfast, usual dealio for lunch (yogurt/fruit/crackers). Worked out on weights and then got in around 20 minutes of cardio. Feeling a bit stiff from riding yesterday, but will try to get out there again tomorrow. if the weather co-operates. It’s Friday, and Friday means pizza… so I probably ended the day in a wash.

Week Out: 223.2 … just a nudge on the dial, but I’ll accept nudges.

Paul Aurandt was born in 1918 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father, a police officer, was killed when he was a toddler. As a boy, he made radio receivers. A high school teacher took note of his distinctive voice and encouraged him to consider a broadcasting career. He started working at KVOO in Tulsa, where he helped clean up and eventually was allowed to fill in on the air, reading commercials and news.

Over the years — 57, to be exact — his distinctive voice, calm demeanor, and keen insight entertained millions and quite likely sold as many Bose Wave Radios. Even as a young boy, one of my distinct memories was climbing in my grandpa’s old blue truck and tuning in his show on the crackling AM radio. I would sit and listen with patience and growing anticipation for the end of his story… for that “wow!” moment that he so cleverly devised. And I would listen as he pitched various products, knowing now they were paid advertisers but thinking then that they must be the best thing ever if he thought they were worthy of mentioning. He was a man of faith, and greeted us daily with a bold “Hello, Americans!”

So it’s with some sadness that we let Paul Harvey go… but with a smile as well. For now HE knows the rest of The Story.

Rest in peace, Paul.

This update is for the week of February 23rd to February 27th.

Weekend Update: It turned out to be a “long” weekend for me. I took my son for a haircut and McD’s on Saturday, and had a burger and salad. Additionally, we spent Saturday night and Sunday at my wife’s parent’s house, where I ate waay too much. Taco’s Saturday night, cereal/donuts Sunday morning, barbeque Sunday night (see previous entry) followed by pie.

Week In: Was unable to weight since I was not here… (scales at home are worthless)

Monday: Didn’t do bad, food wise… had a foot-long veggie sub. May have gone overboard with the dill pickle pringles and bowl of ice cream with strawberries and thin mint cookies. lol! Still, that was pretty much all I ate all day. Did not exercise. Tuesday: Did not exercise again. My foot is still sore, so on cold days that I’m not at work, I’m a bit at a loss. Had oatmeal for breakfast, Arby’s for lunch, and red beans and rice for dinner. I don’t think I went overboard, which is a good thing. But it’s just SO hard to avoid fast-food.

Did not exercise . My foot is still sore, so on cold days that I’m not at work, I’m a bit at a loss. Had oatmeal for breakfast, Arby’s for lunch, and red beans and rice for dinner. I don’t think I went overboard, which is a good thing. But it’s just SO hard to avoid fast-food.Wednesday: Oatmeal for breakfast. Worked out (weights) and weighed… 223.8! Somehow - I’m not sure how - I managed to drop 1.5lbs. Of course, that could’ve been water weight. Had yogurt for lunch, soup and sandwich for dinner. I’m hoping I’m still down on Friday, but the lifting probably pumped me back up after being off for four days. I REALLY need to lay off the fast food and chips/crackers. I did successfully avoid the donuts at home, though (and yes, I saw them)!

Thursday: Oatmeal for breakfast, no lunch, lasanga for dinner (thanks Cindy!). Lots going on at work, so did not work out.

Friday: Oatmeal/coffee for breakfast, sandwich/apple for lunch, hotwings/beer for dinner. Managed to work in my weights.

Week Out: 223.4

I managed to lose 2lbs since my last “official” weigh-in, so I’m on track. Hopefully I can sustain it through the weekend!

No, that was NOT my nickname in high school. It was what I ate WAAAY too much of at Emily’s parents house this afternoon. Pork barbeque, two kinds of tater salad, homemade mac-n-cheese, and two kinds of pie. I’m still full, and I ate over 6 hours ago and have sat the throne twice! I won’t be at work tomorrow, so I guess I’ll have to wait ’til Tuesday to see what kind of damage I did on the scales. And that’s not accounting for Saturday night’s taco dinner. Props to my mother and father in-law for such good meals this weekend. =)

Now it’s time to get serious. I just put $30 down on a tux rental and bought some new Wranglers. It would REALLY suck if neither fit me come May. I’m sticking to my 25lb goal, but I think I made it a tid-bit harder on myself this weekend. I DID get my hair cut, though, so that should account for at least a pound. lol! Maybe I’ll fast tomorrow to balance it out. Think I can make it through a whole day on nothing but Coke Zero?

This update is for the week of February 16th to February 20th.

Weekend Update: Overall I didn’t do bad… not as bad as some weekends. lol! We went to my parent’s house for lasagna dinner on Sunday, so I had more than my fill. No real exercise, as I’m still fighting my foot problems. It was a good “last meal” to get back on the right track, though. =)

Week In: 225.3

Monday: This week is, of course, my “rededication” week. Today I went down to the gym and did my usual M/W/F weights and light cardio workout. Had a light lunch and dinner. Put away the last of the strawberry pretzel “salad” my mom made on Sunday (at least, my share) and two “miniature” cupcakes, un-iced. The sugar in the redhots I got for Valentines Day is probably going to kill me for a week. LOL!

Tuesday: Hit the fitness center for 30 minutes on the bike. Did not eat so well today, though I didn’t eat a lot. Just not quality stuff. Avoided the cupcakes. =P

Wednesday: Had a big meeting today, so had the “turkey sandwich, chips, cookie” boxed lunch deal. Hit the weights per my normal M/W/F routine. Had to work late, so we ended up with pizza for dinner. That didn’t help… but still avoided the cupcakes! lol!

Thursday: Despite my best efforts, I’m still not doing as well as I’d like with my eating habits. I’m not snacking, but I’m having a hard time getting in good meals. Of course, given that it was free, I had a bigger lunch than usual yesterday. I almost did today, too. Someone had leftover pizza from meeting… lots of big ‘ol slices with everything. I was about to put a couple of slices on my plate, but decided instead to pass. That’s progress! lol! Instead, I had my usual “yogurt, fruit, and crackers” lunch. Went to the fitness center for some more time on the bike.

Friday: I lifted a few weights really fast just to keep the motion and burn steam, but I didn’t change clothes or break a sweat. I also had a crappy lunch… someone here had a birthday party and there was a ton of food in the break-room (sandwhiches, cheese/crackers, eggrolls, chips/dip, etc.). It was just a sucky day for many reasons, which I won’t get into right now.

Week Out: I did not weigh in today. Just a guess, but I’m going to call this week a wash. I actually didn’t do bad this week. There is a lot of room for improvement, but I didn’t hog-out either. I found myself making good decisions (passing on pizza, cupcakes, etc.) and bad ones (eating eggrolls, etc.). My foot is feeling a little better, so I’m hopeful by next week I’ll be able to pick up the pace a bit. I’m out on Monday, so I’ll weigh-in on Tuesday next week.

Time for a little status update! As of my last post on this matter back in October, I had dropped my weight a total of 32lbs to 228 (12.5%). That was from my mid-June high of 260lbs. Following that post, I went on to win my weight challenge at work, having dropped a total of 29.6lbs from the beginning of the challenge (late June) to the end (Jan. 9th). Though I got as low as 223 before Christmas, my final weight was 226lbs for an 11.6% total reduction. Not bad!

I admit that since the challenge ended, I’ve “cut loose” a bit. I have NOT stopped exercising, which has held me generally steady, but my eating habits have gone a bit off course. Since January, my weight has fluctuated between 224 and 228. As of yesterday, I am at 225. I’m happy with that, but not satisfied. I am lifting more weights (currently benching 205), so that accounts for some weight-gain. But when I started this mission, I stated that my goals were to weigh 215 by Thanksgiving, 210 by the end of December, and 200 by the end of May. Unfortunately, I missed the first two goals, and that frustrates me. Granted, it’s hard to lose weight over the holidays. But I can do better. I’m not done.

So this post is my “reaffirmation” of my stated end-goal. I fully intend to hit 200 by May 31st. Starting at 225, that means I need to lose 25lbs in 105 days (starting yesterday). That’s roughly 8.5lbs per month. I can do that! Again, I am still excercising as much as I can (despite continued foot problems). And soon, I hope, the weather will break and I will be able to start riding horses again. That means my primary obstruction is my eating habits. I have “behaved myself” before, and I can do it again.

At this time, I plan to post an update each Friday to this site that outlines my weight beginning the week (”In”) and my weight exiting the week (”Out”). I’ll also update any highlights, such as days I’ve fallen off the wagon, or any other significant changes. Please check back, and pass the word! I need all the support I can get! =)