Sigh....

Had to go back to work today. Ugh!!! It was good to be back around some friends but man, did I get tired! The day was very long but I got through it. I did a lot of work and there's still lots of work to be done over the next 2 1/2 weeks. And by the way, did I mention it's really cold out there? Dang!!! Oh well though, we have to put up with it for a couple of months now. I watched 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' tonight and it's still AWESOME! I still enjoy seeing that special every year.

Monday Morning Weigh-In #19

Ugh. For the first time since I started on this journey, I did not lose weight or stay the same. Soooooo, you know what that means, I gained one pound. Argh!!! It makes me kind of sad but I was pretty much ready for it when, throughout the week, I noticed that the weight just wasn't going down as I stepped on the scale. Damn carbs!!! HAHA! I just ate a little too much...even though I ate MUCH less than normal....and wasn't as active as I should have been. I've got no one to blame but myself but I'm just going to put this behind me and keep on moving on. I'm still at 74.2 pounds lost as it is and that's still damn good!! I'll keep on looking forward to each week as it comes along and keep my eyes on the smaller prize.

Almost Over....

What's almost over? My vacation, that's what!! Only one more day since I'm still off tomorrow. I almost always take off the Monday after Thanksgiving and it's not for shopping on Cyber Monday, I just take it off if I can. I'm just not ready to go back to work but I guess I must at some point but I will enjoy tomorrow.

I need to get back on the horse tomorrow. I need to get back to the gym...I've missed the last 2 weeks because of work and then laziness from the holiday...but it's imperative that I return to that routine. I've already prepared myself to either lose no weight or maybe gain a pound or two back from this past week. I just wasn't as active as I would've liked and even though my eating was pretty good, it still was a little more than it would have been in a normal week. Every time I've stepped on the scale this week, I've been a little bit heavier than last week. I don't like either not losing or gaining a little but I'm not going to let it destroy me either. I know it's not the end of the world but I need to get rolling again. I'd still like to lose 90 pounds by the end of the year and that's still around 14-15 pounds away so I'm not sure if I'll get there but I'm sure gonna bust my ass and try to get there.

So I'll be getting up early tomorrow morning and "braving" the cold to the gym. This I promise to you and to myself.

Thanksgiving Eating & Black Friday

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I know I have.

I should've posted last night about how my eating went but I was really tired after getting home and just kind of crashed for the evening and was asleep by about 9:15. You know I had to be tired because there was an NFL game on last night and I didn't stay up to watch it all. Anyways, I came out of Thanksgiving pretty proud of myself. I think my parents can attest for me, or my dad at least since he saw what was on my plate, that I ate pretty lightly. I had a couple of slices of turkey, a couple of small pieces of ham, a little bit of dressing(and for me, only having a little bit of dressing is something because I LOVE it!), a little bit of scalloped corn(same thing as the dressing), some green beans, one small spoonful of mashed potatoes, a spoonful of gravy, one roll and one deviled egg. I know this sounds like a lot but it really wasn't too bad. I did go back for one more slice of turkey and ham but that was it. Once I got back home, with some leftovers, I only had one turkey sandwich for dinner about 7:15 or so. I feel pretty good about what I ate but especially, what I DIDN'T eat. Oh yeah, I did one small sliver of pumpkin pie. But let me tell you something, I didn't have alot but it was all wonderful!!

This morning I went a few places for Black Friday shopping: Bergner's, Target and Best Buy. I went to Target with my friend Kari and her son Ryan. He told his mom that I had to go so I was able to stand in line with them. Who am I to say no???!! I got a couple of deals and also got some 'Buy One Get One Free' clothes at Casual Male Big & Tall. Those were some good deals. With a couple of other coupons, I got about $340 worth of clothes for about $140 and I needed a few new things. I've got some other shopping done for Christmas so it's been a successful day on a lot of fronts.

I've been off all week on vacation and the holiday and it has been a great time! It's gone a little fast but I've really enjoyed it. I still have the weekend and Monday off so I'm getting really close to having to return to the real world. It's been a superb Thanksgiving though and I hope that all of yours has been as great as mine!

Thanksgiving!

Well, today is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! Now that that's out of the way, it should be an interesting day. Need to keep my eating under control and I should be fine. I can eat a little more than normal today but I just can't go overboard. I think I'll be able to keep it under control pretty well though.

I've looked at ads online and I'm not sure if I'll be going out tomorrow for any sales. The few things I've seen, I've been able to order some things online. Bless Amazon.com!!!

I need to take a shower and get dressed so I can drive to my parent's house. I really don't want to get out of bed though. I'm way comfortable and it looks kinda cold out there. I know I have to get up though, looking forward to the meal, some leftovers, some football(Go Dallas....I'm cautiously optimistic) and some time with the family. I guess I better get up and start my day.

To everyone reading out there, Happy Thanksgiving!! May you all feel as blessed as I feel for having all of you in my life in some way.

Comics Are Gone

Today Jeremy and I drove to Bloomington so I could get rid of 10 longboxes of comics. It was just time and they had been sitting in my living room in the back for probably about 18 months. I got $225 for all of them so that was pretty sweet. I got a couple of trade paperbacks but still have $110 of store credit left. Jim at Acme is very fair and a good guy, I'll be going back again to use up more of my store credit.

While we were in Bloomington, Jeremy had to stop at Krispy Kreme to pick up some doughnuts. The girl working the counter offered me a free doughnut...a FREE doughnut!!!! Ohmygosh! I actually turned it down. It felt good to turn it down but dang, it smelled soooooooo good. After I turned it down, Jeremy took a bite of his and said, "It's still warm...." Really Jeremy??!!! HAHA! It was a funny moment.

Overall it was a very fun day and I thank Jeremy for giving me a ride to Acme. We had a good time though and I got some more space freed up. All in all, a fun day.

Monday Morning Weigh-In #18

Just did my Monday Morning Weigh-In and I lost another 2.2 pounds to bring my total to 75.2 pounds. I got past my first BIG milestone which was 74 pounds. By losing 74 pounds, I'm now below the weight I began at which I began 2007. In 2007 over the first 8 months of the year, I lost 110 pounds. Well, since then until July of this year, I gained back that 110 pounds and then put on an extra 74 on top of it. Well, I'm back below that 2007 starting weight and it feels pretty good.

I almost feel like I'm now at a re-start. I should be able to get to my goal of losing between 80 and 90 pounds by the end of the year. I've thought that was a very realistic goal for me and it's well within my grasp. It's an exciting feeling to feel renewed for all of this after 4 months.

Just Sunday

Not anything really big today or much to really say. I put up some new blinds. I feel pretty good about that and they've stayed up all day so I think I did it right. I'm pretty proud of that since I did it all by myself. I know that doesn't sound like much but I'm not very handy at all so something like this is pretty cool to me. I basically put the blinds up last night.

Today, I had to put a new toilet seat on the commode. I did that once a long time ago and had to replace the one I had. It went pretty quick and I got the new one on there so I've done two kinda-handy things in 2 days....that might be a record for me. Yea for me!

My Cowboys won today so that was good, my fantasy teams are doing alright today and my picks were pretty good so for now, I'm liking football again. I have a headache tonight though but am still looking forward to the new episode of The Walking Dead. It should be a good time.

Vacation Day #1

My first day of my vacation...yes, I count weekends...was pretty great. I went a few places today, I took a bunch of books to a used bookstore, I set up an appt to take my old comics to a store in Bloomington-Normal on Tuesday, I did some shopping. It was a very nice day and some good weather.

I got my new mattress yesterday and it is pretty nice. It's very firm yet comfortable. I also got groceries....man, I've done ALOT for me over the past couple of days. I've cleaned off most of my DVR shows, watched some football and I'm getting ready for a Sunday of doing absolutely nothing. YEA!

It's been a good start to my vacation, I sure hope that the rest of it is this good. Let's all hope it is!!!

In Need of a New Picture

I need a new picture for the blog and Facebook. I'm going to have to let someone take a picture of me sometime. I'm not a big fan of pics but I've lost a bunch of weight since those photos of me in Disney World. I'll have to plan that for sometime here soon. I didn't take any "Before" photos or anything like that and I should have done that. Oh well, you live and learn I guess. So, hopefully I'll have a new picture on the blog and Facebook soon. I'll feel a little better about photos now than I ever would have 4 months ago.

One More Day

I've got to get through one more day before I'm off on vacation. I'm excited for that. I have to leave work a little early tomorrow because of a delivery that is going to be made around 3:00 but that's okay. I'm going to go in early and work through lunch as well. It will still be a busy day but I'm soooooo ready for it to be over.

Well, I finally had to turn on my furnace. It was pretty cold in here tonight and I thought it for the best. I probably could've "toughed" it out but I figured it was about time for it.

The week has gone by pretty quick because of work but I haven't eaten a whole lot this week. I just haven't really been too hungry and since I have been so busy, lunch has been a lot later than normal most days. I'm feeling good though and am hopeful for the holidays that I'm going to be able to keep things in control and come out of next week feeling good, looking better and leading into a great Christmas season.

Slow Yet Busy Week

I'm waiting for my vacation but I've had so much to do this week at work. It'll be nice to have some time off but I need to get my stuff done so that I can really relax. I think there will be one thing I might have to bring home and work a little bit over the holiday but that's okay.

I think I might get my new mattress tomorrow or Friday. Something broke in the one I have so I'm able to get a replacement because of the warranty. It's supposed to be delivered to the store tomorrow so I'm hoping for it. I'll be able to put on the flannel sheets to help keep me snug over the winter.

Weight loss is still going well and I'm eating well. Next week will be a big week since it's the holidays but I'm going to just take it slow and eat some smaller portions so I don't eat too much. I'm looking forward to the turkey though and some scalloped corn.

Monday Morning Weigh-In #17

Well, I weighed in this morning and I had lost another 2.2 pounds to bring my total weight loss in 17 weeks to 73 pounds. What a good week! I wanted to be at 74 lost this week but I'll take being just a pound away and I'll be past that first big milestone next week. It will just be a little something extra for me for Thanksgiving.

Whoa...

Well, I kinda like football again. My fantasy leagues have gone okay today but most of all, I kicked my brother's butt. I've had a rough season in that league as the leading point scorer but have had horrible luck in weekly matchups that's led to a 3-6, soon to be 4-6 record. AND to top it all off, the Cowboys won! That was totally unforeseen! After continuously losing football sidebets on this sadsack team, I won 2 of them yesterday to make back $20 I had lost. Soooooo, a decent day all around.

I've been very tired. I'm not sure why but over this past week and a half or so, my energy level has just been kaput. I have a very busy week ahead of me with work so this should be an interesting week but after this I have a few days off so I'm hoping I'll be able to get my energy level back up with a couple of naps and some general relaxation.

Well, I hope that tomorrow has a good weigh-in and I lose a few pounds, that would be nice. I'll talk to all of you tomorrow night, I hope all of your weeks get off to a great start.

Not One but TWO!!

On Friday I wore a pair of jeans that were 2 sizes smaller than I normally have worn to work. I'd been able to put them on for a little while now but they had not been all that comfortable but they were just fine. I was very happy and it was pretty sweet. I had to keep telling my friend Teresa to quit looking at my butt....just kidding. Although I did keep telling her that, I know she wasn't looking at it, just messing with her.

I'm doing alright this week. It's been a little bit of a weird week with being sick a day and then just dealing with the earlier darkness and everything. It just seems strange and throws me off a little bit. I'm ready for this week even though I have a bunch of work to do before my short vacation and the Thanksgiving holiday.

I think I might wind up down a pound or two for the week which is good and gets me closer to the weight I was at at the beginning of 2007. That's one of my first real milestones and I'm almost there...74 pounds have to be lost to be at that mark. There are the smaller 10 pound or 20 pound goals but this will be a true milestone for me. My first 3 REALLY BIG milestones are 74 pounds, 100 pounds and 119 pounds lost. The first 2 are pretty self-explanatory...74 to get back to 2007 starting weight, 100 just because it's 100. The 119 pound mark is to get me below another certain point and we'll discuss that sometime but just not right now.

Happy Veteran's Day

It's Veteran's Day today. I think it's great they have a day but they all deserve sooooo much more. My dad is a veteran, my grandfather was a veteran, I have some friends who have served. They deserve so much adoration, love, respect but especially our thanks. Our veterans have protected us and brought us all the freedoms we have today. Our current servicemen and women are helping to keep us all safe and it so appreciated, it's beyond words. If you see a veteran or current member of the military, shake their hand and let them know how much they're appreciated. Thanks to all the veterans out there and a special thanks to my dad. Love ya dad and appreciate everything you've done.

Shooting Some Commies....

The week has been going alright so far. Been eating well and with the exception of Monday, I'm feeling pretty good. I have felt a little tired but I think that's from the time change. The weather has been nice so I've gotten to walk a little at lunch or just be out. Low-70s in mid-November....kinda crazy.

I picked up Call of Duty:Black Ops earlier this week and have been shooting me some Communists! :) Kinda fun but I know I need to limit my time on the PS3 so I'm still moving around and burning some calories. Just need to play in moderation although I think this weekend I may be playing quite a bit. We'll just have to see.

Feeling Poorly

So I woke up this morning feeling a little strange. Not really bad at first, but strange. I got all my stuff out to the car and sat at my table for a few minutes like I normally do but then when I got up from the chair, I felt a little dizzy and nauseous. I thought it would pass so I took off and started driving to the gym. Well, lets just say that about halfway there, I got really dizzy, really nauseous and decided to turn around and come back home. Stayed home from work and slept for another 3 hours or so today.

I ate some toast and then had some chicken noodle soup for lunch along with a jello cup. I just sort of layed around. It was bad for me because I have a lot of work to do at work. I had my friend Jeremy bring me my work laptop and I did some stuff for about 2 hours until I got frustrated with how slow some things were going. I'm going to have to do alot over these next 4 days but I'm up to the task. Things need to get done and they will get done.

I'm feeling better tonight but still a little tired. I'm not sure what hit me this morning but since I was driving, it made me worried. Tomorrow will be a good day though, I know it. Onward and upward I guess. Just thinking I hope I feel well early in the morning tomorrow.

Monday Morning Weigh-In #16

Well, I lost 2.8 pounds this last week so I'm up to a total lost of 70.8 pounds. Woo-hoo! I did get what I wanted for the past week so that's good. More news about my day coming up though...it was just a pretty strange, bad day.

Really????!!!

I hate football this year. I know I've said this before but I actually am serious. Dallas is completely terrible and fantasy football has been awful as has my picking of games. Oh well.

Today was pretty good. I slept in a little bit and with the extra hour of sleep, it made for a nice 8+ hours of sleep. I'm now watching the 2nd episode of the Walking Dead on AMC and it's pretty awesome! This has been a pretty great show so far and it's one of my favorite comics although I only read it in trade paperback form. I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn't watched it.

I guess I'm ready for this week. Got to get up in the morning for the gym and then I have a bunch of stuff to do at work. It'll be a busy week that's for sure. I'm hoping my weigh-in tomorrow is good and I've lost a couple of pounds. I know that I'll feel better if that's the case.

Lazy Saturday

I did alright at poker last night. Got my $20 back the first game but was 3rd out in the 2nd game. The games were fairly quick too so I was home at 10:00. Got to sleep in a little bit this morning and then had a lazy kinda day. I did laundry, ran a few errands and cleaned up a little bit. Exciting day, huh? It was a nice, relaxing day though. I had a good steak for dinner and ate really good today so I'm hoping for a good weigh-in on Monday. Even just a couple of pounds would make me very, very happy. If I can just get 2 pounds, I'll have lost 70 pounds....I'm just really hoping for that.

Sorry this has been so boring but it was just that kind of day.

Shuffle Up and Deal!!!

Gonna play some poker tonight. Hopefully I'll win some money as well tonight....I doubt it based on the rest of the year. I'm 10th this year out of 17 people in our poker league. It's just been a rough year....decent cards but just not good enough. I haven't had a problem too much with my play, I keep getting beat by "slightly" better hands.

Anyways, today was a pretty good day. I'm glad the workweek is over but I've got a whole heckuva lot of work for next week. I've got sooo much to do but I'm going to get through it. I've only got a little over 2 weeks to go before I get some vacation time so that will be nice. Just some time to lounge around after going to the gym.

Well, here's to a good weekend for everyone and hopefully a couple of pounds lost for me!!!!

Frustrated

I'm just not losing any dang weight and I'm eating the same and working my butt off!!!! Argh! It's not a bad frustrated where I'm going to quit or anything, just a little frustrated. I will say that clothes are still fitting better but I'm just not seeing the numbers go down. Sorry....just had to vent for a moment.

I've had a good week this week so far. Working out hard on the elliptical and getting in some really good weight workouts in addition to that. I've been taking the stairs at work again and am feeling pretty good although my legs feel like bricks by the time I get to the 3rd floor. Hopefully soon I'll make it to the 4th floor and then the 5th.

I'm glad that election day is over. I just don't care about it and am just so damn overjoyed that I don't have to see any more attack ad commercials for a loooooong time. I'm ready for 10,000 Christmas commercials. I want more with those awesome Coca Cola bears....not sure why but they always make me smile.

Just Some Random Monday Thoughts

After losing EOM on Friday I did have a weak eating day that day but nothing, NOTHING like the old days. Other than that though, my eating was good for the week and I worked out. I need to start doing the steps again though. I did them the first couple days of last week but didn't at the end of the week and today. I was carrying in some things this morning so going up the stairs would have been more difficult. That's no excuse though, I still should do it and I'm going to go up them tomorrow morning.

I did a little more strenuous workout this morning with both amount of weight and on the elliptical. I came out of it tired but in a good way and knowing I had done some good work. I just hope it'll translate for me next Monday so I can get November off to a good start.

I'd like to be around 90 pounds lost by the end of the year so with basically 9 weeks to go, I need to lose at least another 22 pounds which is approximately 2.5 pounds per week. My body just needs to kick it into gear and start burning some more fat dangit!! With working out though, I know I'll develop some muscle so that'll take the place of fat and that will lead to me bing leaner which will be nice. As long as I keep dropping some weight each week and clothes keep fitting better, that's what it's all about.

Monday Morning Weigh-In #15

I once again had a subpar week losing weight. I did lose 0.8 pounds this week to bring my 15 week total up to 68 pounds. Wow, getting to 70 lost has become a total uphill struggle!! I'm not discouraged although I wish I could've been 2-3 pounds. It's still a negative number though so every bit helps and that's how I'm looking at it.