Wow, I knew it had been a couple weeks since my last post, but I just looked and realized July 7th was actually my last update. Things have been pretty crazy busy since then, at home and at work.
I am proud to say that since that last update, I've lost another 15 pounds, passing a couple significant milestones in the process. Way back when I started this thing at the beginning of April, I kind of hand August 1st as a goal in my mind to be under 300. Well, weigh-in was August 4th that week, and I came in at 297.
Another milestone that I honestly never thought too much about getting to, mostly because it seemed so ridiculous, was a total weight loss of 50 pounds. Well, official weigh-in isn't until Wednesday, but after weighing in at 293 last week, I "unofficially" weighed in under 292 mid-week.
I really wasn't sure if I'd be getting to some of these numbers, as my brother got married last weekend and of course I had to enjoy in the merriment, which meant lots of calories. And a couple weeks before that was his bachelor party, which meant many calories (especially the liquid kind). Still, with some hard work and a little bit of luck, I actually managed to lose a couple pounds both of those weeks.
So with 50 pounds down, I guess it's time to start thinking about some more goals. 280 is one number I had thought about quite a bit early on, and it's certainly within reach, and probably within the next month or so. 223 is a number I would love to get to, which would mean a total weight loss of 119 pounds. That may be close to a year down the road, but it would be almost too crazy to even think about.
I'm too busy to get too wrapped up in a lot of this long-term stuff, so I'm just going to concentrate on hitting the 2-3 pounds per week, mix in the occasional 5 pound week and see where I can go.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
10% Off
It's official, I've passed the 10% of my starting body weight lost after this week's weigh-in. I didn't lose quite as much as I'd hoped, but the 1 1/2 pounds lost in the last week pushed me over the edge and into double-digit percent territory.
All in all it wasn't a bad week, but I was hoping for maybe another pound or two of loss. At 307.2, I'm getting really close to a couple other milestones: under 300 pounds and 50 pounds total weight loss. I had kind of a "back of the mind" goal to be under 300 by the end of July, and I am in a very good position to accomplish that.
I've started doing some exercise stuff at home in addition to the 2-3 times per week walks I've been doing for a while. I taped a stretching/yoga-type workout on FitTV (thanks Digital Cable) and have done that several times and also downloaded a workout system on my phone called FitDeck. It essentially has a bunch of exercises on cards and you "shuffle" the deck and do whatever is on the cards. Exercises include a number of sit-up and push-up variations, leg raises, squats, lunges, and more. It is the "Bodyweight" series, meaning no weights or equipment is required. To be honest, some of the stuff is difficult for me and it does provide a decent workout.
I've partnered the two things together a few times where I do the stretching stuff and then during commercial breaks I do a few of the FitDeck exercises. Seems to be a good mix and I've worked up a solid sweat. According to the Livestrong program I burn roughly 400-500 calories doing a 30-minute combined workout of the stretching stuff and the Bodyweight exercises.
It's nice to have something to do in lieu of just walking. I was going to try P90X at one point, but I'm not sure I'm in good enough shape yet to do that plus it requires some equipment that I don't have and/or won't be able to use. For instance, there's a lot of pull-up stuff I think and there's no way our doorframes would support a pullup bar with me hanging on it. I may try to do some of the cardio or bodyweight stuff from the P90X program at some point down the road though.
So all in all, a nice milestone to reach, could have been a little better on the weight loss, but still pointing the arrow on the weight chart down, which is a good thing.
All in all it wasn't a bad week, but I was hoping for maybe another pound or two of loss. At 307.2, I'm getting really close to a couple other milestones: under 300 pounds and 50 pounds total weight loss. I had kind of a "back of the mind" goal to be under 300 by the end of July, and I am in a very good position to accomplish that.
I've started doing some exercise stuff at home in addition to the 2-3 times per week walks I've been doing for a while. I taped a stretching/yoga-type workout on FitTV (thanks Digital Cable) and have done that several times and also downloaded a workout system on my phone called FitDeck. It essentially has a bunch of exercises on cards and you "shuffle" the deck and do whatever is on the cards. Exercises include a number of sit-up and push-up variations, leg raises, squats, lunges, and more. It is the "Bodyweight" series, meaning no weights or equipment is required. To be honest, some of the stuff is difficult for me and it does provide a decent workout.
I've partnered the two things together a few times where I do the stretching stuff and then during commercial breaks I do a few of the FitDeck exercises. Seems to be a good mix and I've worked up a solid sweat. According to the Livestrong program I burn roughly 400-500 calories doing a 30-minute combined workout of the stretching stuff and the Bodyweight exercises.
It's nice to have something to do in lieu of just walking. I was going to try P90X at one point, but I'm not sure I'm in good enough shape yet to do that plus it requires some equipment that I don't have and/or won't be able to use. For instance, there's a lot of pull-up stuff I think and there's no way our doorframes would support a pullup bar with me hanging on it. I may try to do some of the cardio or bodyweight stuff from the P90X program at some point down the road though.
So all in all, a nice milestone to reach, could have been a little better on the weight loss, but still pointing the arrow on the weight chart down, which is a good thing.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
30 for 30
After not providing an update last week, I've got some good news to report this week. After a few setbacks early and a strong comeback late, I'm happy to report I lost 7 pounds in the past two weeks.
With these 7 pounds, I'm now down a total of 34 pounds since I began back on March 30th. That also pushes me over 30 pounds lost as of my 30th birthday last week. 30 for 30 baby!
I'm looking forward to what's in store for my next 30 years!
With these 7 pounds, I'm now down a total of 34 pounds since I began back on March 30th. That also pushes me over 30 pounds lost as of my 30th birthday last week. 30 for 30 baby!
I'm looking forward to what's in store for my next 30 years!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Another 5....with a catch
I apologize for the late entry following last week's weigh-in. It was a pretty busy, yet fun and relaxing few days. Nice to settle down a little bit in the summer and enjoy things a little more.
After checking in with a 5 pound weight loss last week (ok, actually almost two weeks ago now), I sported another "5" this week. Unfortunately there was a decimal point in front of the number, as I lost just 0.5 pounds. All in all not too bad. I didn't do much exercise really and while I didn't totally blow my diet, I didn't kill myself for it either. Still stayed under 2000 calories every day.
We'll see how this week goes, but I have been more active (including two walks of over 3 miles; might not seem like much for some people, but that's a good trek for me) this week so hopefully I can drop at least a couple.
After checking in with a 5 pound weight loss last week (ok, actually almost two weeks ago now), I sported another "5" this week. Unfortunately there was a decimal point in front of the number, as I lost just 0.5 pounds. All in all not too bad. I didn't do much exercise really and while I didn't totally blow my diet, I didn't kill myself for it either. Still stayed under 2000 calories every day.
We'll see how this week goes, but I have been more active (including two walks of over 3 miles; might not seem like much for some people, but that's a good trek for me) this week so hopefully I can drop at least a couple.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Ho hum, another 5 pounds
Wednesday morning's weigh-in saw a 5-pound loss from the week before, bringing my total weight loss to 26 pounds since March 30.
It's all about the calories baby!
Then again, with a few more cocktails this week, I'm kind of just hoping for breaking even at next Wednesday's weigh-in. Maybe I'll surprise myself though and lose a few.
It's all about the calories baby!
Then again, with a few more cocktails this week, I'm kind of just hoping for breaking even at next Wednesday's weigh-in. Maybe I'll surprise myself though and lose a few.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Victory is mine!
In a late breaking story, From the Hip with Travis has confirmed what Travis already knew last Saturday: Travis has officially lost 20 pounds since beginning his weight loss program on April 1.
I actually cheated last Saturday because I was kind of anxious to see where I stood, so weighed myself that morning. I came in two pounds lighter than last Wednesday, meaning I had hit the 20 pound mark. Since "official" weigh-ins are on Tuesday night/Wednesday mornings, I had to wait until that time to confirm it. I actually weighed myself Sunday night and Tuesday morning to see if I was still on pace, and sure enough, each registered under the required number.
When Wednesday's official weigh-in rolled around I was actually down another pound, making for a total 8-week weight loss of 21 pounds.
So what next? Well, besides continuing the same program I have been (my next goal is another 20 pounds to get under 300), it is of course to collect on the reward bet I made (unknowingly for her) with my wife. Here is the object of my affection: LG Blu Ray Player
I actually cheated last Saturday because I was kind of anxious to see where I stood, so weighed myself that morning. I came in two pounds lighter than last Wednesday, meaning I had hit the 20 pound mark. Since "official" weigh-ins are on Tuesday night/Wednesday mornings, I had to wait until that time to confirm it. I actually weighed myself Sunday night and Tuesday morning to see if I was still on pace, and sure enough, each registered under the required number.
When Wednesday's official weigh-in rolled around I was actually down another pound, making for a total 8-week weight loss of 21 pounds.
So what next? Well, besides continuing the same program I have been (my next goal is another 20 pounds to get under 300), it is of course to collect on the reward bet I made (unknowingly for her) with my wife. Here is the object of my affection: LG Blu Ray Player
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Almost there
I cheated a bit and weighed myself Sunday night because I really wanted to see how close I was to my 20 pound goal. Sunday night I was down two pounds from the previous weigh-in (Wednesday morning), and maintained that two pound loss at the official weigh-in this morning.
That leaves me just two pounds away from my 20-pound goal!! I should it hit it over the weekend, and it will be hard to resist the temptation to weigh myself every couple days. Maybe I'll try Sunday, but it won't be official until the weigh-in on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
That leaves me just two pounds away from my 20-pound goal!! I should it hit it over the weekend, and it will be hard to resist the temptation to weigh myself every couple days. Maybe I'll try Sunday, but it won't be official until the weigh-in on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Slow but surely, but mostly slowly
It was a bit frustrating; I did a mid-week weigh-in Saturday morning and had dropped two pounds. From Saturday to Tuesday I was under my 1700 calorie goal every day. Saturday I reffed basketball for about five hours, burning approximately 5000 calories according to the Livestrong.com Calorie Tracker. I thought at least another two pounds (maybe even 4) would come off from Saturday morning to Tuesday. Alas, it somehow did not happen. Instead, I barely weighed the same as I did Saturday morning, meaning I lost a total of 2 pounds (barely) last week and would therefore likely miss my goal of losing 20 pounds total in six weeks.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Week 5 Weigh-In
Well, it was Week 5 weigh-in this morning and once again I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'd done better on my diet than I had the previous week when I lost 7 pounds, but hadn't done hardly anything in terms of exercise. I was hoping for four pounds lost, as that would put me in a solid position to hit the 20 pound total next week as I had hoped, and 4 pounds is also what the Livestrong.com planner said I should lose by maintaining a 1700 calorie per day diet without factoring in exercise.
Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed when I stepped on the scale and saw I had lost just 2 pounds, and barely at that. I am now off on my target of May 10th for the 20 pound weight loss mark. I doubt I will be able to lose 8 pounds in one week, nor would it be healthy I'm sure. I am refereeing basketball on Saturday, which should be a good workout and hope to get in several walks between now and next Wednesday. 4-5 pounds should be the minimum I think of what is acceptable for next week.
Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed when I stepped on the scale and saw I had lost just 2 pounds, and barely at that. I am now off on my target of May 10th for the 20 pound weight loss mark. I doubt I will be able to lose 8 pounds in one week, nor would it be healthy I'm sure. I am refereeing basketball on Saturday, which should be a good workout and hope to get in several walks between now and next Wednesday. 4-5 pounds should be the minimum I think of what is acceptable for next week.
Friday, April 30, 2010
High Water Mark for Milwaukee Clubs
The Milwaukee Brewers had some people with high hopes (myself not included) heading into this season, while the Milwaukee Bucks had very few people talking about them as much more than a lottery team before their season began. But in the past couple weeks, I think we've seen the high-water mark for both clubs, although each one carrying a different meaning.
First the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite a lot of holes from last season, many fans were foolishly thinking playoffs this year after the Brewers brought in Randy Wolf and Doug Davis to shore up the pitching staff. Unfortunately fans conveniently ignored the numerous holes elsewhere on the team and the fact that while the pitching staff may have improved on paper, the offense wasn't going to be as good as in the past and there an over-reliance on old pitchers in the pen.
The high water mark for the Brewers so far this year (and likely the rest of the season) came on April 22 in Pittsburgh. The Brewers finished off a dominating sweep of the lowly Pirates by powering to a 20-0 win, the worst defeat in the 124-year history of the franchise. Everything was right in the Brewers' world. Randy Wolf looked great (and added two hits and two runs), Prince Fielder hit his first home run, Carlos Gomez took two walks, and the bullpen trio of Vargas, Parra, and Hoffman (more on him in a bit) didn't allow a run.
But there's an old saying in baseball that momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher. Well, the next day's starting pitcher to open a three-game series against the hated Chicago Cubs was Jeff Suppan. Momentum, meet thy death.
Suppan last just 4 1/3, giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks. Ryan Dempster dominated the Brewers once again, getting his fourth straight win against the Crew and the Scrubbies walked away with an 8-1 win.
Since that 20-0 win over Pittsburg, the Brewers are 1-7. A flukey 17-3 win over the Pirates at home being the lone bright spot. Hoffman blew saves in the next two games against the Pirates and the Brewers were then shut out in the first two games at San Diego (the beginning of a 10-game road trip that will surely squash any doubt as to if this team is really a contender) by pitchers named LeBlanc, Stauffer, Richard, Gregerson, Adams, and Bell. Not exactly a Hall of Fame staff there boys.
It will be a long season in Milwaukee, as this team has some talent, but too many holes in pretty much every area of the team. Add to it an increasingly incompetent manager and general manager and it looks like 75 wins is a high probability.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, the final two minutes of their 91-87 win in Atlanta (and perhaps the fourth quarter in general in which they out-scored the Hawks 30-18) will certainly go down as the high water mark of their season. Brandon Jennings hit big shots (especially free throws), Kurt Thomas took a huge charge on Joe Johnson to foul him out of the game, and Ersan Ilyasova did a little bit of everything to ensure his team would not be beaten.
No matter what, it was a great run that very few predicted coming into the season. The Bucks put together a 46-36 regular season record and scored the 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs when most figured them for a certain lottery team. To do it without Andrew Bogut, who had started to really come into his own, is a testament to this group. Of course the addition by subtraction of Michael Redd being out all year doesn't hurt either.
After that Game 5 win, the Bucks were up 3-2 in the series with a chance to close it out at home in Game 6 Friday night. A 32% shooting night coupled with a 29-11 third quarter advantage for the Hawks did the Bucks in though, and they will now travel to Atlanta for Game 7. The Hawks were 34-7 at home in the regular season, and had won 14 straight games at Philips Arena before the Bucks pulled off the upset in Game 5. With a young team that simply isn't as talented as the Hawks, Atlanta should win easily at home in the deciding game.
So in the last couple weeks we've seen the high water mark for both of Milwaukee's legitimate pro sports teams, although for one it was an outstanding achievement and the other a big-time disappointment.
Speaking of high water marks, perhaps the most famous high water mark in history occurred at the Battle of Gettysburg on June 3, 1863 during the Civil War when General George Pickett led his soldiers on the famous "Pickett's Charge" up Cemetery Ridge, where some southern soldiers broke through Union lines momentarily, only to be repelled, the attack squashed, and Robert E. Lee's army left in disarray. The spot (which is a bit of a source of contention as to where it really is) became known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy, as it was likely the closest the South ever got to winning the war.
The Brewers' 20-0 win and the Bucks' final two minutes of Game 5 were the closest either team will get to winning their "war".
First the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite a lot of holes from last season, many fans were foolishly thinking playoffs this year after the Brewers brought in Randy Wolf and Doug Davis to shore up the pitching staff. Unfortunately fans conveniently ignored the numerous holes elsewhere on the team and the fact that while the pitching staff may have improved on paper, the offense wasn't going to be as good as in the past and there an over-reliance on old pitchers in the pen.
The high water mark for the Brewers so far this year (and likely the rest of the season) came on April 22 in Pittsburgh. The Brewers finished off a dominating sweep of the lowly Pirates by powering to a 20-0 win, the worst defeat in the 124-year history of the franchise. Everything was right in the Brewers' world. Randy Wolf looked great (and added two hits and two runs), Prince Fielder hit his first home run, Carlos Gomez took two walks, and the bullpen trio of Vargas, Parra, and Hoffman (more on him in a bit) didn't allow a run.
But there's an old saying in baseball that momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher. Well, the next day's starting pitcher to open a three-game series against the hated Chicago Cubs was Jeff Suppan. Momentum, meet thy death.
Suppan last just 4 1/3, giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks. Ryan Dempster dominated the Brewers once again, getting his fourth straight win against the Crew and the Scrubbies walked away with an 8-1 win.
Since that 20-0 win over Pittsburg, the Brewers are 1-7. A flukey 17-3 win over the Pirates at home being the lone bright spot. Hoffman blew saves in the next two games against the Pirates and the Brewers were then shut out in the first two games at San Diego (the beginning of a 10-game road trip that will surely squash any doubt as to if this team is really a contender) by pitchers named LeBlanc, Stauffer, Richard, Gregerson, Adams, and Bell. Not exactly a Hall of Fame staff there boys.
It will be a long season in Milwaukee, as this team has some talent, but too many holes in pretty much every area of the team. Add to it an increasingly incompetent manager and general manager and it looks like 75 wins is a high probability.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, the final two minutes of their 91-87 win in Atlanta (and perhaps the fourth quarter in general in which they out-scored the Hawks 30-18) will certainly go down as the high water mark of their season. Brandon Jennings hit big shots (especially free throws), Kurt Thomas took a huge charge on Joe Johnson to foul him out of the game, and Ersan Ilyasova did a little bit of everything to ensure his team would not be beaten.
No matter what, it was a great run that very few predicted coming into the season. The Bucks put together a 46-36 regular season record and scored the 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs when most figured them for a certain lottery team. To do it without Andrew Bogut, who had started to really come into his own, is a testament to this group. Of course the addition by subtraction of Michael Redd being out all year doesn't hurt either.
After that Game 5 win, the Bucks were up 3-2 in the series with a chance to close it out at home in Game 6 Friday night. A 32% shooting night coupled with a 29-11 third quarter advantage for the Hawks did the Bucks in though, and they will now travel to Atlanta for Game 7. The Hawks were 34-7 at home in the regular season, and had won 14 straight games at Philips Arena before the Bucks pulled off the upset in Game 5. With a young team that simply isn't as talented as the Hawks, Atlanta should win easily at home in the deciding game.
So in the last couple weeks we've seen the high water mark for both of Milwaukee's legitimate pro sports teams, although for one it was an outstanding achievement and the other a big-time disappointment.
Speaking of high water marks, perhaps the most famous high water mark in history occurred at the Battle of Gettysburg on June 3, 1863 during the Civil War when General George Pickett led his soldiers on the famous "Pickett's Charge" up Cemetery Ridge, where some southern soldiers broke through Union lines momentarily, only to be repelled, the attack squashed, and Robert E. Lee's army left in disarray. The spot (which is a bit of a source of contention as to where it really is) became known as the High Water Mark of the Confederacy, as it was likely the closest the South ever got to winning the war.
The Brewers' 20-0 win and the Bucks' final two minutes of Game 5 were the closest either team will get to winning their "war".
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I don't know who to believe
Ah, the joys of technology. When I began my weight loss program (if you want to call it that) four weeks ago, we had an old, rickety dial-type scale that "started" 2-3 pounds +/- of 0 until you gave it a little knock and it would even out. With that scale on Tuesday, March 30th I weighed 340 pounds (that's the first time I've said that out loud to anyone but my wife, and it's kind of scary for people to know to be honest). For the next two weeks I continued weighing myself with that old beater of a scale.
It was in the middle of April that my wife bought a new-fangled digital scale with memory settings for up to four people, an ability to track your weight, an ability to set a weight goal, and more. It was actually labelled a "health-o-meter". On Tuesday April 20 I weight myself with the old scale and it read 335 (up one pound from the week before). The new high-tech scale read 337. This meant the old scale was two pounds off from the new scale, meaning I actually started at 342.
Well, tonight was the Week 4 weigh-in and I was nervous. I had gone over my 1500 calorie goal four times the previous week, with all four days being 500 calories over. The past three days I had really cut down and had stayed under, well under yesterday in fact after being too busy to even eat lunch (aka drink my Slimfast shake). The only day I had exercised was tonight when we went on about a 2.5 mile walk.
I was half expecting to come in at 338, and half expecting to maybe lose 1-2 pounds. I literally did a double take when I stepped on the scale and read 330 pounds!! How in the hell is that possible!?! I didn't eat great, didn't exercise much, and lost 7 pounds? Surely it was a mistake, and I stepped off the digital scale and re-weighed myself. Sure enough, within .5 pounds of where it was before. I tried two more times and it still read 330. I was nervous our fancy piece of technology had broken already, so I pulled out the trusty (and rusty) old school dial scale. It read 330 as well!!
I'm not sure what I did or what the secret was, but I can tell you that if I knew I would sell it and make millions of dollars. The only possible thing I can think of is that I somehow caused a bit of a malfunction last week when I weighed in at 337 on the new scale and should have weighed myself twice to be sure. Who knows.
To be honest I had been getting frustrated lately with some bad food decisions, a lack of exercise, and just the overall direction of my weight loss. This however totally lifts my spirits and really makes me want to continue on kick ass even more. Accounting for the variance between the old scale and the digital scale I'm at 12 pounds lost since the beginning and 10 pounds if you don't take into account a variance. Considering the strange things I've seen on both scales lately, I'm not sure which one to believe.
Whether its 10 or 12 is kind of irrelevant. I'm moving forward, feeling better, and ready to kick butt even more. And I'm at least halfway to my 20 pound weight loss mark which would kick in the automatic Blu-Ray Player (not a moment too soon either as our DVD player skips badly and is really annoying when trying to watch movies). I intend to blow past that mark and set my sights on 300 pounds next. End of summer maybe?
It was in the middle of April that my wife bought a new-fangled digital scale with memory settings for up to four people, an ability to track your weight, an ability to set a weight goal, and more. It was actually labelled a "health-o-meter". On Tuesday April 20 I weight myself with the old scale and it read 335 (up one pound from the week before). The new high-tech scale read 337. This meant the old scale was two pounds off from the new scale, meaning I actually started at 342.
Well, tonight was the Week 4 weigh-in and I was nervous. I had gone over my 1500 calorie goal four times the previous week, with all four days being 500 calories over. The past three days I had really cut down and had stayed under, well under yesterday in fact after being too busy to even eat lunch (aka drink my Slimfast shake). The only day I had exercised was tonight when we went on about a 2.5 mile walk.
I was half expecting to come in at 338, and half expecting to maybe lose 1-2 pounds. I literally did a double take when I stepped on the scale and read 330 pounds!! How in the hell is that possible!?! I didn't eat great, didn't exercise much, and lost 7 pounds? Surely it was a mistake, and I stepped off the digital scale and re-weighed myself. Sure enough, within .5 pounds of where it was before. I tried two more times and it still read 330. I was nervous our fancy piece of technology had broken already, so I pulled out the trusty (and rusty) old school dial scale. It read 330 as well!!
I'm not sure what I did or what the secret was, but I can tell you that if I knew I would sell it and make millions of dollars. The only possible thing I can think of is that I somehow caused a bit of a malfunction last week when I weighed in at 337 on the new scale and should have weighed myself twice to be sure. Who knows.
To be honest I had been getting frustrated lately with some bad food decisions, a lack of exercise, and just the overall direction of my weight loss. This however totally lifts my spirits and really makes me want to continue on kick ass even more. Accounting for the variance between the old scale and the digital scale I'm at 12 pounds lost since the beginning and 10 pounds if you don't take into account a variance. Considering the strange things I've seen on both scales lately, I'm not sure which one to believe.
Whether its 10 or 12 is kind of irrelevant. I'm moving forward, feeling better, and ready to kick butt even more. And I'm at least halfway to my 20 pound weight loss mark which would kick in the automatic Blu-Ray Player (not a moment too soon either as our DVD player skips badly and is really annoying when trying to watch movies). I intend to blow past that mark and set my sights on 300 pounds next. End of summer maybe?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Two steps forward, two steps back
Good news and bad news, Suppan is finally being yanked from the rotation. However, he's still going to the bullpen where he can do damage and Narveson is going to start. Narveson's first start will be Wednesday against Pittsburgh I believe.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/92047604.html
It's quite obvious that Suppan is a great person, but at this time a terrible pitcher. Sending him to the bullpen reduces his impact, but still leaves a bad pitcher down there. They need to just admit their mistake and cut him altogether.
And Narveson starting makes no sense to me. He's got a 7.20 ERA and was just tagged for 2 runs yesterday. As I've said over and over, he is a AAAA pitcher and not one that should be in a big league rotation if you want to be successful. Meanwhile, my whipping boy from last year Manny Parra has actually pitched well this year, giving up 0 runs in 7 2/3 innings with a 1.04 WHIP. Why not give him another chance? He's got better stuff than Narveson and has pitched better.
So while we at least got Suppan out of the rotation, we're still left with a pair of bad decisions from the whole mess (1. not cutting Soup, and 2. putting Narveson in instead of Parra). Two steps forward and two steps back?
What do you think?
Meanwhile, it's been one step forward and two steps back for me in terms of weight loss as well. Lost 5 pounds the first week, 1 pound the second week, and gained 1 pound the third week. And this week (weigh-in on Tuesday) hasn't gone much better. Still not doing much (ok any) cardio or exercise to speak of, with such little time due to work, home, commute, time with family, etc.
It's been frustrating the last couple weeks but I have no one to blame but myself.
The title of this blog is not to be confused with a song by the critically acclaimed singer Paula Abdul:
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/92047604.html
It's quite obvious that Suppan is a great person, but at this time a terrible pitcher. Sending him to the bullpen reduces his impact, but still leaves a bad pitcher down there. They need to just admit their mistake and cut him altogether.
And Narveson starting makes no sense to me. He's got a 7.20 ERA and was just tagged for 2 runs yesterday. As I've said over and over, he is a AAAA pitcher and not one that should be in a big league rotation if you want to be successful. Meanwhile, my whipping boy from last year Manny Parra has actually pitched well this year, giving up 0 runs in 7 2/3 innings with a 1.04 WHIP. Why not give him another chance? He's got better stuff than Narveson and has pitched better.
So while we at least got Suppan out of the rotation, we're still left with a pair of bad decisions from the whole mess (1. not cutting Soup, and 2. putting Narveson in instead of Parra). Two steps forward and two steps back?
What do you think?
Meanwhile, it's been one step forward and two steps back for me in terms of weight loss as well. Lost 5 pounds the first week, 1 pound the second week, and gained 1 pound the third week. And this week (weigh-in on Tuesday) hasn't gone much better. Still not doing much (ok any) cardio or exercise to speak of, with such little time due to work, home, commute, time with family, etc.
It's been frustrating the last couple weeks but I have no one to blame but myself.
The title of this blog is not to be confused with a song by the critically acclaimed singer Paula Abdul:
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Good but not great
Last night was the official two week weigh-in since the start of my weight loss challenge. After losing 5 pounds the first week but not having the greatest second week, I was hoping to be down 7 pounds total since I started.
We have a crappy non-digital scale that likes to get stuck plus or minus 3 pounds from zero to begin with, so after a bit of tapping I was able to get it zeroed out. Stepping on slowly I saw the dial go around the circle.
The result? 6 pounds lost. In two weeks without a whole lot of exercise that's doing pretty good. But it's certainly not what I was hoping for nor will it get me my Blu-ray player any quicker.
It is date night tonight, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out and walk tonight like I'd ideally like. Thursday night I plan on kicking it down and making a 3+ mile walk. I really want to lose 4 pounds in the next week which will mean some more sacrifices on the diet and some more sacrifices on getting off my ass and doing stuff. I'm shooting for May 11th as the 20 pound date, which would be six weeks from the start of my campaign. If I get real dedicated I think I could even hit May 4th.
We shall see...
We have a crappy non-digital scale that likes to get stuck plus or minus 3 pounds from zero to begin with, so after a bit of tapping I was able to get it zeroed out. Stepping on slowly I saw the dial go around the circle.
The result? 6 pounds lost. In two weeks without a whole lot of exercise that's doing pretty good. But it's certainly not what I was hoping for nor will it get me my Blu-ray player any quicker.
It is date night tonight, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out and walk tonight like I'd ideally like. Thursday night I plan on kicking it down and making a 3+ mile walk. I really want to lose 4 pounds in the next week which will mean some more sacrifices on the diet and some more sacrifices on getting off my ass and doing stuff. I'm shooting for May 11th as the 20 pound date, which would be six weeks from the start of my campaign. If I get real dedicated I think I could even hit May 4th.
We shall see...
Monday, April 12, 2010
Tomorrow is weigh-in day
So tomorrow will be two weeks since I first weighed in on this little weight-loss program. I'm anxious to see where I come in, as the last week hasn't been that great in terms of my diet. First there was the Denny's Heartland Scramble disaster Wednesday night and then of course there was the buffet episode Thursday night, and I have just felt like I ate too much a few other times. According to the Livestrong.com calorie counter I've stayed under 1500 calories all the other days, but I just don't feel as good as I had the first week. I guess it makes sense, but I'm hoping there is some progress there.
I lost 5 pounds the first week, and hope I'm down at least 2 more in this last week. 7 pounds in two weeks I would be happy with, but need to kick the exercise in the butt. Went on a nice long walk Friday, but haven't done much since. The weather is supposed to be better, so a good week could really get me closer to the 20 pound goal.
I lost 5 pounds the first week, and hope I'm down at least 2 more in this last week. 7 pounds in two weeks I would be happy with, but need to kick the exercise in the butt. Went on a nice long walk Friday, but haven't done much since. The weather is supposed to be better, so a good week could really get me closer to the 20 pound goal.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Apparently "vacation" means vacation from diet too
After a long winter sports season culminating in a long two week basketball state tournament run, I found myself in a position that very rarely happens: being sick. About the only time I do get sick is when I'm stressed or extremely busy, and both those things occurred as we wrapped up the winter sports and tried to get ready for spring sports. It was time for a vacation.
Through some contacts at the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau we were able to get an outstanding rate at the Chula Vista Resort. It is one of the bigger resorts in the Dells with everything you could imagine, including an indoor waterpark, 8 different food places, spa, and more.
We went over Thursday and enjoyed the waterpark for a couple hours in the afternoon. Afterwards we debated going into town to eat, ordering pizza, or eating at the buffet they have at the hotel. We decided on the latter, and I knew I would probably regret the decision.
Sure enough, the food was too good to pass up. I had a little bit of many things; crab legs, baked fish, pork, mashed potatoes. It wasn't exactly a meal designed for a person on a diet. After seeing the bill afterwards though (of course they don't post prices anywhere), I'm glad I got my fill however. It was $21.99 per person for the buffet.
Probably the worst part however was I figured since I'd taken in all those calories, I might as well have a little dessert. I went for a small piece of cheesecake, and it was delicious.
My Livestrong.com calorie counter didn't have "Chula Vista Resort Buffet" in the calorie counter section, so I marked myself down for 1800 calories and called it a day. Easily my worst day since embarking on this little adventure (combined with the 600 or so calories I had earlier in the day, it put me well over the 1500 limit I'd been following).
The next day we spent some time in the waterpark once again before heading into the Dells to eat. I tried to stay with a good choice and had a grilled chicken sandwich with chips instead of fries. With a supper consisting of one brat and bun and a baked potato, I managed to come in just under 1500 calories.
To try to make up for the bad choices of the day before, we also went for a nearly 4-mile walk, which according to Livestrong burned about 400 calories. I'd had trouble with shin splints the first few times we'd walked, but I've felt better the last couple times including yesterday. Aerobically I felt really good. I'm obviously still not in good shape, but hopefully taking positive steps in the right direction each time.
Now I just need to avoid the buffet line.
Through some contacts at the Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau we were able to get an outstanding rate at the Chula Vista Resort. It is one of the bigger resorts in the Dells with everything you could imagine, including an indoor waterpark, 8 different food places, spa, and more.
We went over Thursday and enjoyed the waterpark for a couple hours in the afternoon. Afterwards we debated going into town to eat, ordering pizza, or eating at the buffet they have at the hotel. We decided on the latter, and I knew I would probably regret the decision.
Sure enough, the food was too good to pass up. I had a little bit of many things; crab legs, baked fish, pork, mashed potatoes. It wasn't exactly a meal designed for a person on a diet. After seeing the bill afterwards though (of course they don't post prices anywhere), I'm glad I got my fill however. It was $21.99 per person for the buffet.
Probably the worst part however was I figured since I'd taken in all those calories, I might as well have a little dessert. I went for a small piece of cheesecake, and it was delicious.
My Livestrong.com calorie counter didn't have "Chula Vista Resort Buffet" in the calorie counter section, so I marked myself down for 1800 calories and called it a day. Easily my worst day since embarking on this little adventure (combined with the 600 or so calories I had earlier in the day, it put me well over the 1500 limit I'd been following).
The next day we spent some time in the waterpark once again before heading into the Dells to eat. I tried to stay with a good choice and had a grilled chicken sandwich with chips instead of fries. With a supper consisting of one brat and bun and a baked potato, I managed to come in just under 1500 calories.
To try to make up for the bad choices of the day before, we also went for a nearly 4-mile walk, which according to Livestrong burned about 400 calories. I'd had trouble with shin splints the first few times we'd walked, but I've felt better the last couple times including yesterday. Aerobically I felt really good. I'm obviously still not in good shape, but hopefully taking positive steps in the right direction each time.
Now I just need to avoid the buffet line.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Brewers Win, I don't lose
I attended my first Brewer game of the season yesterday with my wife and son. We got the tickets on St. Patty's Day as the Brewers had a special promotion that day that allowed you to buy tickets for $3.17 apiece to the April 6 or 7 games against the Rockies. With a price like that, how could we pass it up?
Our little boy has gone to a Brewer game for three straight seasons now (just one each year so far), and he was pretty good on this trip. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house to Miller Park by the time you factor in traffic in Milwaukee. We stopped in Waukesha and picked up some friends who had also bought tickets on the promotion. We both had four tickets, but decided to sit separately as our son and his toys and bag would take up a good amount of room. It was a pretty crappy day outside, with temps in the mid- to upper-40's and rain in the forecast.
Thank God for the Miller Park roof, as it meant no matter what baseball would be played. We got to the stadium and got inside, and headed to the concession stand for lunch. Ballpark food isn't exactly diet friendly, but I did the best I could under the circumstances. I went for the Polish Sausage, with no condiments. Also added a 20-ounce Miller High Life, because you can't go to a Brewer game and not get a sausage and beer. Since I only had an apple for breakfast (went light knowing it would probably not be a good food day), the 650 calories from the beer and brat (and a couple waffle fries stolen from the wife) were a little more tolerable. I managed to stay with just that and not add a second brat or anything else.
The game started out rough, as new old pitcher Doug Davis allowed the first five guys to reach and gave up 3 runs in the first inning. Things settled down from there and the Brewers ended up winning 5-4.
Between innings (I think the 3rd and 4th) Ryan Braun lofted a ball he had used to warmup into the stands. My wife and son had gone to the bathroom, but it was coming right at our seats. I had never caught a ball at a game in my life, be it batting practice, home run, foul ball, or thrown in by a player. I certainly wasn't going to miss this best chance, especially wanting to get one for my little boy. I reached out with one hand and snatched it; no glove, no bobble. Ah, I still got it (all-conference 1st baseman in high school, plenty used to catching errant throws over to 1st). A couple guys behind me gave me a bit of a hard time for not letting the kids behind me have it, but they apparently missed the part about me having a 1-year old coming back in a couple minutes.
After the game I was starving, as despite the high calorie count, I had gotten little in the way of decent food during the day. We decided to stop at Denny's on our way home, and since I had gone light earlier in the day, I decided I'd eat a little bigger supper. I went with the Heartland Scramble, which consisted of two eggs, peppers, potatos, and cheese in a skillet scramble, two strips of bacon, two sausage links, hashbrowns, and pancakes. A lot no doubt. I subbed wheat toast for the pancakes though to save some calories there. Apparently I should have looked it up beforehand though, as even with the savings on the toast it was still a 900 calorie meal, putting me about 160 calories over my 1500 calorie goal.
1650 calories is still less than I would normally require and isn't terrible, but its the most I've gone over my goal since I started and not the way to lose the weight I want. So, the Brewers win, we had a good day, but I didn't lose much. All around a pretty solid little Wednesday. About the only thing that would have made it better would have been a Brewer home run, and getting to listen to Uecker's voice trickling into the seating area from the speakers in the concourse level and hearing his home run call, something like this (not the best quality, but for the life of me I can't find a decent version of the call):
Our little boy has gone to a Brewer game for three straight seasons now (just one each year so far), and he was pretty good on this trip. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our house to Miller Park by the time you factor in traffic in Milwaukee. We stopped in Waukesha and picked up some friends who had also bought tickets on the promotion. We both had four tickets, but decided to sit separately as our son and his toys and bag would take up a good amount of room. It was a pretty crappy day outside, with temps in the mid- to upper-40's and rain in the forecast.
Thank God for the Miller Park roof, as it meant no matter what baseball would be played. We got to the stadium and got inside, and headed to the concession stand for lunch. Ballpark food isn't exactly diet friendly, but I did the best I could under the circumstances. I went for the Polish Sausage, with no condiments. Also added a 20-ounce Miller High Life, because you can't go to a Brewer game and not get a sausage and beer. Since I only had an apple for breakfast (went light knowing it would probably not be a good food day), the 650 calories from the beer and brat (and a couple waffle fries stolen from the wife) were a little more tolerable. I managed to stay with just that and not add a second brat or anything else.
The game started out rough, as new old pitcher Doug Davis allowed the first five guys to reach and gave up 3 runs in the first inning. Things settled down from there and the Brewers ended up winning 5-4.
Between innings (I think the 3rd and 4th) Ryan Braun lofted a ball he had used to warmup into the stands. My wife and son had gone to the bathroom, but it was coming right at our seats. I had never caught a ball at a game in my life, be it batting practice, home run, foul ball, or thrown in by a player. I certainly wasn't going to miss this best chance, especially wanting to get one for my little boy. I reached out with one hand and snatched it; no glove, no bobble. Ah, I still got it (all-conference 1st baseman in high school, plenty used to catching errant throws over to 1st). A couple guys behind me gave me a bit of a hard time for not letting the kids behind me have it, but they apparently missed the part about me having a 1-year old coming back in a couple minutes.
After the game I was starving, as despite the high calorie count, I had gotten little in the way of decent food during the day. We decided to stop at Denny's on our way home, and since I had gone light earlier in the day, I decided I'd eat a little bigger supper. I went with the Heartland Scramble, which consisted of two eggs, peppers, potatos, and cheese in a skillet scramble, two strips of bacon, two sausage links, hashbrowns, and pancakes. A lot no doubt. I subbed wheat toast for the pancakes though to save some calories there. Apparently I should have looked it up beforehand though, as even with the savings on the toast it was still a 900 calorie meal, putting me about 160 calories over my 1500 calorie goal.
1650 calories is still less than I would normally require and isn't terrible, but its the most I've gone over my goal since I started and not the way to lose the weight I want. So, the Brewers win, we had a good day, but I didn't lose much. All around a pretty solid little Wednesday. About the only thing that would have made it better would have been a Brewer home run, and getting to listen to Uecker's voice trickling into the seating area from the speakers in the concourse level and hearing his home run call, something like this (not the best quality, but for the life of me I can't find a decent version of the call):
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
You're gonna do what?
Yes Merlin (Tim Robbins in Top Gun), I'm going to give blogging a try again. Why not, it's getting to be summer, and I need somewhere to rant and rave about the Brewers. Besides, if I complain here theoretically I won't complain to Christa as much.
The other reason I wanted to start blogging again was to have a chronicle of my attempt at losing weight and getting back into some kind of decent shape. It seems like eons ago since my high school days when I played three sports and felt fat when I graduated at 185 pounds. I put on my 'freshman 15' and seemed to do so every year since. The thought of staying the way I am now, or getting worse, as our son grows up was kind of scary. Playing ball, being active, and living late into life seemed like much more difficult things to attain.
I had some additional motivation as well. Here's the deal I made with my wife without her knowing about it: when I lose 20 pounds I can get my Blu-Ray player and she can't say anything about it. My plan: no chocolate, no soda, no sugar; reduced portion sizes; healthier food choices; limited fast food; 45 minute walks with the dog after our son goes to bed, and more.
I downloaded an application for my phone from Livestrong.com that has calorie and nutrition information for all kinds of foods, including restaurant food. I'm limiting myself to between 1200 and 1500 calories per day and eating more fruit and veggies than I have at any time in my life. So far, so good. From last Tuesday night when I weighed myself (started the 'diet' on Monday actually) to Saturday morning I had lost 3 pounds. I see no reason I can't lose 3-5 pounds per week, meaning in about 1 to 2 months I'll be enjoying my new Blu-Ray Player. I don't plan to stop there however. I have a goal I'd really like to get to, but I'm not quite ready or comfortable to share it yet.
I hope to keep taking the weight "From the Hip", although whether I'm talking about the Brewers, the weight loss efforts, or whatever else, it'll be "From the Hip".
In honor of Merlin, Goose, Maverick, Iceman, and company, here's a little music to get things started:
The other reason I wanted to start blogging again was to have a chronicle of my attempt at losing weight and getting back into some kind of decent shape. It seems like eons ago since my high school days when I played three sports and felt fat when I graduated at 185 pounds. I put on my 'freshman 15' and seemed to do so every year since. The thought of staying the way I am now, or getting worse, as our son grows up was kind of scary. Playing ball, being active, and living late into life seemed like much more difficult things to attain.
I had some additional motivation as well. Here's the deal I made with my wife without her knowing about it: when I lose 20 pounds I can get my Blu-Ray player and she can't say anything about it. My plan: no chocolate, no soda, no sugar; reduced portion sizes; healthier food choices; limited fast food; 45 minute walks with the dog after our son goes to bed, and more.
I downloaded an application for my phone from Livestrong.com that has calorie and nutrition information for all kinds of foods, including restaurant food. I'm limiting myself to between 1200 and 1500 calories per day and eating more fruit and veggies than I have at any time in my life. So far, so good. From last Tuesday night when I weighed myself (started the 'diet' on Monday actually) to Saturday morning I had lost 3 pounds. I see no reason I can't lose 3-5 pounds per week, meaning in about 1 to 2 months I'll be enjoying my new Blu-Ray Player. I don't plan to stop there however. I have a goal I'd really like to get to, but I'm not quite ready or comfortable to share it yet.
I hope to keep taking the weight "From the Hip", although whether I'm talking about the Brewers, the weight loss efforts, or whatever else, it'll be "From the Hip".
In honor of Merlin, Goose, Maverick, Iceman, and company, here's a little music to get things started:
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