One day, three milestones

As the title suggests, I accomplished three things today:

1. I swam my first mile
2. I have officially lost more than 20 pounds in two months
3. I fit into a shirt that I haven't worn in over two years

Let's start at the top. As I have mentioned many times on this blog (almost to the point that one could mistake the focus of my writings on swimming; my focus is on a broader get healthy effort) I have been working on a couch to one mile project over the last six weeks. Today was the capstone, and I crushed it! It took me 65 minutes, and I could barely get out of the pool in the end, but I have two great observations coming out of today's swim. First, I felt completely weightless the first half of the swim; this means that I have become a better swimmer (as one would expect). Second, I have more energy after every time I swim than before; this is the first time in my life I have felt a "runner's high."

Here are the stats on the second bullet:

• March 25 - 234.8
• March 18 - 236.8
• January 2 (start date) - 256

Knowing that weight loss tends to taper off, I am trying to think of what my next goal should be. For now I am going to shoot for 220 by Memorial day. My strategy is to continue a balanced and realistic diet (e.g. I still drink an occasional beer and eat a cookie from time to time, but these are treats and my regular meals are measured and well controlled), and I think I am going to pare the swimming back to once per week and switch to weights the other two days.

Finally, I fit in one of my favorite shirts. It is J. Crew, tapered, and my gut has prevented me from wearing in quite some time. Hooray for looking good!

Swimming, music, and meditation

I am currently employed at a Catholic hospital, and the organization is extremely focused (as it should be) on the mission; we exist to help the sick and in-need. To help foster the broader mission (that is, helping the sick in line with the values of a Christian-based organization) all employees are exposed to regular presentations on how we can best exemplify our mission.

While there are several common themes on achieving mission-based leadership, the element I am focusing on with this blog is meditation. To meditate is to simply focus on a single idea and release all other thoughts. This can be a Bible verse, concentrating on a critical task for the day, or something ultra-simple with the purpose of clearing your thoughts. Meditation is something my brain is not naturally wired to accomplish; if you know me then you fully realize that my mind moves at light speed all the time.

One place I am really focusing on meditation is the pool. As I ramped up the laps in my couch to one mile exercise series, keeping track of what lap I was on became very difficult (I swim in a 20 yard pool, meaning that one mile equals 88 laps). A friend suggested that I repeat the lap number in my head that I am currently swimming. After the first night doing this (I was up to a 30 lap series) my head was completely relaxed. I have since extended this tri-weekly meditation to a morning routine of meditating to various songs for ~15 minutes. Both practices have allowed me to reset my brain on a daily basis, and it feels amazing!

As a quick update on the couch to one mile, tomorrow is the day for the one mile. I feel ready and conditioned, and at this point it is just a matter of doing it.

Trimming the wardrobe

A cool thing happened this last weekend: I am officially too small to wear two articles of clothing. The first is a 569 cut Levis (they are the loose/baggy ones that haven't been in style for a least four years). I wore them while I worked on my house (that now happens to be on the market; please buy it!), and it was like I had no butt (remember these?). The other was a green polo shirt I wore Saturday night in honor of St. Patrick's Day; the really cool thing is it is a J. Crew shirt, a company that tends to cut things for those of more athletic builds (i.e. skinny guys).

I am not too broken up over not having to wear either article of clothing again (also, the shirt is a pea green that is terrible with my fair skin), and I am even more excited to start wearing the clothes that have been sitting in the back of my closest for so long. In fact, as soon as the house sells I am going clothes shopping with some of the proceeds.

The old, slim fit suits are heading to the front of the closet!

Surprise! Bigger drop than expected

I know that I am blogging a little bit earlier on Sunday than I usually do, but I have a busy day ahead of me and wanted to get my weigh-in over with. Note that I weigh myself throughout the day during the week (yes, this is a bad habit), and the mornings tend to be a "heavier" time of day. Despite that, check this out:

• March 18 - 236.8
• March 11 - 238.2
• January 2 (start date) - 256

There are two surprises coming out this number: first, I figured the time of day I weighed in (post-breakfast as opposed to pre-dinner) would have worked against me, and second, holy crap I lost 1.4 pounds this week! I was far from perfect, but at the same time on the days I "cheated," the rest of the day I really budgeted my calories. I feel good about this week not only because of the significant weight loss, but I also love the fact that I am managing my diet in a way that allows me to live healthy and enjoy food. This is the sort of progress that is sustainable through life.

Today I begin my search for a local band. It has been almost five years since I last played outside of a garage and/or basement, and this is a key piece of me (and by "me," I mean a critical part of what makes David, David). In fact, every morning for the last week I have made it a point to "meditate" to 10 minutes of music before going to work. Even though I am not playing it, listening to someone else make music and focusing on those sounds have reminded me how happy I am when I am around music. I suppose this, too, is part of my journey of re-centering myself (that is, add music to health and finances).

On that note, I leave you, the reader, with some music (while the video is weird and/or creepy, I am "Feeling Good"):

PS - Only .8 pounds away from my frist 20!

Just breath

A really cool thing happened today: my body reacted negatively and I regained control of it.

Specifically, I was doing my laps, and on lap 8-ish of my first set of 30 I got a terrible side stitch. In my experience, this is typically driven by breathing too quickly (not quite to the point of hyperventilation, but still breathing heavily). Cardio is something I really have to keep on top of, otherwise it really affects my ability to lift weights, do any sort of circuit, and frankly go up more than about three flights of stairs. Breathing too heavily less than 10 minutes into a 60 minute workout is a symptom of this weakness.

I could have panicked. I could have stopped to take a breath. Instead, I centered myself and slowed down my breathing. In two laps, the side stitch was gone.

As someone who clearly has a hard time maintaining control of his body (how else do you get a 30+ BMI?), it is a pretty awesome feeling to be able to control something as simple as the rate of my breathing. I will never forget Labor Day weekend 2007 in Castlewood Canyon, CO, where my friends almost had to carry me out because I could not catch my breath on a medium difficulty hike. Sure, factors such as my general health played into that situation (being 5' 10", weighing 270 pounds, and having a resting blood pressure of 160/120 makes it tough to breath), but the mental toughness and control is something I think I learned tonight. While in the pool.

Today was a great day. Tomorrow will be even better when my first circuit is 50 laps. I am 2/3 of the way to my first mile!

Keepin' on with keepin' on

And the success continues! Here are the stats:

• March 11 - 238.2
• March 4 - 239.6
• January 2 (start date) - 256

It feels really good to be closing in on my first 20 pounds, and it looks like I will do it before April 1 (and I am not fooling you). I am also keeping pace on my goal of weight of 180 by December 31, although there is not a lot of buffer room. Something I will need to remind myself is that it is more important to weigh 180 pounds three years after I achieve this goal weight than the date on which I get to the point of my goal.

It is really cool experiencing my body changing for the positive. Last week I wore a pair of slacks to work that last fit over two years ago, and Friday night I wore a shirt out that hadn't been on my back for at least as long. In fact, I just put on an old slim fit suit jacket (a 46R jacket designed for someone with a 36" waist) and managed to button it (note this does not mean it fit, but rather I just it onto my body, which is a feat in and of itself).

Swimming is definitely helping. I feel energy I have not felt in quite a while, and my joints are not constantly achey. I am also regaining (at least a little) the definition in my arms and shoulders. I still have a long ways to go before I have earned my beach body, but it is also important to notice the subtle changes in my body as they happen.

I buttoned my jacket in spite of chain restaurants making it difficult

First off, excuse the Fallout Boy- or Panic! at the Disco-esque blog title, but I hit a very important milestone twice in the last week (actually, I hit two milestones, but I will take them one at a time). I buttoned not one, but two of my suit jackets this week. This feat has not been accomplished in well over a year, and here is the photographic proof:

Technically this is a sports coat, and I also realized this outfit makes me look like a college professor. I do not think I will wear this ensemble again; that is, I will not unless I get some leather patches sewn onto my elbows.

The other important milestone is that I dropped a zero. Here are the stats:

• March 4 - 239.6
• February 19 - 241.2
• January 2 (start date) - 256.0

I am well on my way to my goal weight of 180, but the challenge of doing so by December 31, 2012, will only increase as time goes on. I am on pace today, but as anyone who has tried to lose weight knows it only gets tougher the more pounds you shed. I am hoping for at least two more months of 8 pounds/month, and then I will be scraping to get a pound a week.

The other day I came across a really interesting article that supports a stat I heard a while back that the average American underestimates their caloric intake by 98% when eating out (I couldn't find a source link, but I heard it while watching the Today Show). To put this in perspective, simply double the amount of calories you are eating in that Ruby Tuesday's cheeseburger and that is roughly how many you are eating.

MSNBC.com recently published a very interesting article on what food providers (be it processors, grocery stores, or restaurants) do to hide the real caloric intake of their foods. There is a very strong trend (and has been for a very long time, as showcased with the Pop Tarts example) to not clearly reflect how many calories are being consumed in a package by using the deceptive phrase "serving size."

The biggest culprit in the article is Uno Chicago Grill's personal pan pizza. While Uno is no stranger to making lists of bad foods (and here; and here; and here), calling a 2,310 calorie option "personal" is deceitful at best. I can at least understand splitting a P.F. Chang's dish two ways, but who has ever split a personal pizza in half?

Finally, I would like to leave you with a motivational thought on why it is important to go to the gym. During my Sunday afternoon trip, potential Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders were auditioning for the 2012 season. You never know who you will run into while at the gym.

Controlling More Than My Diet

I am back on track, and in fact I had a great week. I swam three times for 30 minutes at a time, and I even spent 3 hours climbing up and down a ladder this afternoon. For all this effort (and keeping my diet straight) I dropped 3.4 pounds. Here are the stats:

• Starting weight (January 3): 256
• Last week (February 12): 244.6
• This week (February 19): 241.2

An additional good sign in this is I am actually having a hard time eating all of my calories (if you start shorting your calories by too much your body slows its metabolism, thus defeating the purpose of weight loss). A cool thing related to swimming is (aside from some muscle tiredness) my body isn't achey; for those up to speed with the various orthopedic injuries I've suffered over last few years, not being joint-sore is a big deal.

A long time ago I was forced to cut back my spending due to a job lay-off, and this acted as a catalyst for initial (and significant) weight loss. I have since been very blessed by gaining great experience working for one of the top U.S. health care consulting firms, and then I was equally as blessed by being offered a leadership position within a hospital's supply chain. Over the last four years I have been repeatedly in the right place at the right time, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that have been presented to me.

Despite these advantages I have let my money go out of control, and righting it will require a commitment as large (if not larger) than getting healthy.

To put the extend of my financial situation into perspective, I have no problems paying my bills every month (however, if someone doesn't rent my house within the next 6-9 months things might get tight). My problem is I should be focused on building wealth, but instead I have chosen to spend to the point of my credit card balance being equal to nearly 16% of my annual income.

The inspiration behind entering a financial conversation into this blog comes from Larry Winget's Your Broke Because You Want to Be. Winget is a hard nosed financial guru and TV personality, and one of his (non-scientific) observations is the tendency for people who allow their finances get out of control are generally also overweight (if you want more scientific evidence, look no further). Okay, so my obesity is not related to poverty, but it is closely tied to losing control: I have a difficult time controlling my food, and it is obvious I also have a hard time controlling my finances.

Based on a recommendation from a friend I am going to use a framework similar to that of Dave Ramsey's seven baby steps. I did add one element to his approach: I put myself on a spending diet. I have built a spending budget (much like my calorie budget) and I am sticking to it. I have distinct goals for next 6, 12, 18, and 36 months. I have to reel in my spending if I ever want to do more than just be comfortable.

Finally, and to lighten up the message a little, isn't it ironic that I am responsible for savings seven-figure amounts from a hospital's supply budget but yet I personally pay hundreds of dollars every month on credit card interest?

Big Fish

As I alluded to in my last post, I decided to embark in the swimmer's version of a couch to 5K (instead of a 5K, it is a swimmer's mile, or 1,650 yards). While I resemble more of a whale than a fish (I have to backstroke the whole thing because I am not flexible to freestyle; it's not pretty), the workouts have been amazing!

Note that I am only two workouts into a six week program, but it feels good to work out and not have every joint in my lower body hurt. I also get the "I feel good and will sleep well" feeling before going to bed, and my mood is improved dramatically over the last couple of days. Tomorrow is a true test, as I will do it two days in a row.

The short of the program is that it slowly ramps you up to a mile (88 laps in a standard pool). Right now my program is 28 laps at various intervals, and it takes me about a half hour. This half hour workout equates to approximately 400 burnt calories (yes, 400 calories is a huge number for a workout, but after testing the numbers across a few different sources the number passes the sniff test because of my 240+ pound frame).

Finally, the best part of this workout is I found out that a gym I subscribe to has a location two blocks from my work. Convenient and it's good for you!

Getting Back on Track

I did not fare well over the last two weeks, and I now feel like I am an alcoholic or drug addict who fell off the wagon (yes, this is a dramatic comparison, but there are more obesity-related deaths/year than alcohol- or drug-related). It all started last Saturday (as in eight days ago) when I partook in a poker game. I got one too many helpings of the delicious pasta made by the host, drank two too many Guinness-es, and then let it continue into Super Bowl Sunday (there were wings and wonderful cheese/sausage/greasy dip). While the choice of diet since then has been suitable, I fell into the old bad habits of terrible portion control.

Here's the damage: my current weight is now 244.6; this is up one pound from two weeks ago. I will keep things in perspective and acknowledge that I am still down 11+ pounds since January 3, but I am also going the wrong direction.

The old adage of calories in, calories out holds completely true. The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume, and 3,000 calories of net burn is about a pound. Portion control is my struggle with calories going in (I don't necessarily crave bad-for-you-food, but I am capable of eating way more of the healthy stuff than what is considered...well...healthy), and my broken body (injuries include multiple bouts with tendonitis, only have ~1/4 of the cartilage remaining in my left knee, and stress fractures in my foot and back) is a huge limitar in how I can work out (no running, I have to watch the weights, and even the elliptical is hard on my back).

To address portion control, I have to measure and document everything (something I haven't done in a week-plus). I can't trust my body to make the right decision on how much food I can eat, and instead I have to log everything. As for exercise, I'm moving to the pool. This will be a first for me, and I am going to try this workout. It's like a couch to 5K, but instead it is a couch to one mile. Wish me luck!

Holy Ceviche! I'm Down Another 2.2!

After a lackluster drop from last week, I'm back on track. Not that I should really complain about .6 pounds per week, but 2.2 pounds in the last seven days feels pretty great. Here are the numbers:

• 256 - Starting weight on January 2
• 246 - Weight on January 22
• 242.8 - Weight on January 29

Not only is dropping 12.2 pounds in less than a month a pretty good feeling, but being able to do it while eating great food is the best. For example, take a look at this:

While I can't take credit for doing anything beyond choosing fish, I can take credit for...well...eating delicious ceviche. For those culinarily-challenged, ceviche is (at its most basic form) raw fish cooked in citrus. It's cool and slightly scary all at the same time: the acid from the citrus cooks the fish. Delicious, delicious citrus fish.

Here's the recipe (this served two of us):

• 4 limes worth of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 lemon worth of freshly squeezed juice
• 1/4 cup of grapefruit juice (from the bottle)
• 1/4 pound of scallops
• 1/4 pound of shrimp
• 1/4 pound of tilapia
• Cilantro
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Red onion
• 1/2 Avocado
• Salt and pepper

Mix everything together (again, put the scallops, shrimp, and tilapia in raw) except for the avocado, cover it in plastic wrap (make sure there is no air between the food and wrap), and let it sit about an hour in the fridge. Take it out, and add the avocado just before you eat it. This whole dish is only 320 calories. If you don't like avocado (which I have no idea how one could not like avocado; yes, I'm talking to you, mom) that will save you 80 calories.

By the way, here's the main dish (clams marinara over penne pasta):

Depending on the pasta, and assuming put the proper portion on the plate (note this is a small plate), I ingested ~300 more calories.

As a guy who has a very difficult time with portion control and saying when, I go out of my way to ensure that every morsel that enters my mouth tastes as good as possible. These dishes are proof positive that great food does not have to be a diet-killer.

Bon apetite!

Three Weeks, Ten Pounds

Only 20 days into eating right again, and I am already down ten pounds. Here are the key numbers:

• Weight: 246 lbs. (I started at 256)
• Neck: 18" (down 1/4")
• Waist/Girth: 47" (same)
• Hips: 42" (same)

Slow and steady wins the race, and I foresee similar week-over-week losses going forward (.5 - 1 lb./week). Also, I am really looking forward to my dress shirts loosening up further around my neck (I have to wear a tie to work four days/week).

Aside from this minor update, I really don't have anything to add. Next up: time to get back in the gym.

The Sweet Potato

I love sweet potatoes. And as posted in one of my classic blogs, they can serve as a healthy alternative to less nutritious options (the sweet potato French fry is one of my favorite foods in the world, especially when dipped in Gulden's brown mustard!). In fact, this evening I was stumped on what to eat and whipped up a chicken breast, sweet potato, mushroom, and Old Bay stir fry. It was simple, nutritious, and healthy.

The nutritional content of a sweet potato is pretty amazing. In just 103 calories you get 4 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and only 24 grams of carbohydrates. Fiber and protein help keep you full, and the carbs are low enough that it helps keeping you from over-consuming (not that I am promoting low-carb diets; carbs are energy, and you need energy to burn fat, but unused carbs also turn into sugar, which in turn becomes fat). As an added benefit, this medium-sized sweet potato also gives you a third of your daily vitamin C and four times your daily required vitamin A; both nutrients provide improved immunity.

Be sure to love your sweet potatoes.

Another Weigh-in & Scary Mortality Data

Weigh-in Success

Another week, another weigh-in. This week I'm at 246.6. Note that I bought a digital scale to replace the crappy Ikea analogue one; while I don't expect the difference in how it weighs to be huge it likely had a slight impact of around 1-1.5 pounds in apparent weight loss. Either way, I am still on the downward path, and I'm loving the progress. Clothes are already starting to fit a little better.

I also want to brag a little bit on how I handle these last couple of days. Friday night Libby and I ate out dinner, and I budgeted for it throughout the day (and, in turn, I did not exceed my calorie budget). I also had a day-long event with ridiculous amounts of meats and alcohol around me; in the end I allotted myself to 3-4 drinks in a 12 hour period and normal quantities of food. I think I deserve a gold star, especially because those who supplied food were amazing cooks (there was a whole suckling pig!).

Scary Stats Time

As I've mentioned in the past, I work in a hospital. I have been in health care for nearly four years, and my previous employer was a health care research and consulting company. Not only has this shaped my opinion of not being all that scared of Obama-care (read the bill; there is actually some good stuff in there), but it has also developed a consistent focus on health care policy issues.

The first group of stats that came out last week originates from the Centers for Disease Control but were reported to me from my previous employer. Ten of the top 15 causes of death in the U.S are now at least partly preventable disease (including the top four). Diet choices directly impact heart disease, likelihood of getting cancer, stroke susceptibility, etc.

The second study I came across (also from my previous employer) is completely in line with my near-obsession with personality profile and books like Now, Discover Your Strengths. An individual's personality appears to drive what type of eater s/he is. The cool thing is the more we understand how personalities tie to eating habits the better the treatments can be created to help those of us who have problems controlling our eating habits.

Finally, and most depressingly, bacon and sausage are being tied to pancreatic cancer. Noooooo!!!!!!!

Tobacco Tests for Employment

I know this topic isn't specifically about my weight loss journey, but it is directly related to health and wellness. The first I heard of an employer not hiring individuals based on their decision to smoke was the Cleveland Clinic. Their CEO takes health issues very seriously (going so far as saying "If I could, I would not hire obese people"), and since 2007 they have had a non-smoking policy for new hires and residents (this, of course, is a simplification of the full policy). Without a doubt, the Cleveland Clinic is a national (if not world) leader in health care delivery, but do they go too far with this policy?

In full disclosure, I enjoy the occasional cheap cigar and have been known to share a hookah amongst friends. In spite of these unhealthy indulgences, I am torn on whether these policies are ethical. On one hand this is an issue of personal freedom. On the other hand there is a pragmatic realty that tobacco-related disease is a huge drag on health care expenses (and in turn health insurance premiums).

The Cleveland Clinic can also claim they are a health care delivery system, and they have a duty to create a healthy community (community wellness, by the way, is a key concept in Accountable Care Organizations, a big part of Obama-care); how better to start on improving the health of its own community than by looking within? If health delivery organizations get a free pass, what about other companies such as Wal-Mart offering discounted health insurance for non-smokers?

I love a good policy debate, but that is not the purpose of this blog post. It is to illustrate that companies are becoming wiser to how an individual's choices impact their annual insurance premiums. It is hard to blame them, as it now costs on average $5,429 per individual and $15,073 per family per year for employee-provided health insurance (compare that to the $100/month you are putting in, and think about how much the employe needs to make up).

How do we bend this cost curve? There are a lot of issues in our very inefficient (and comparatively ineffective) U.S. health care delivery system that need to be addressed, but one of the top four drivers in health care costs is the management of chronic disease (diabetes, heart disease, etc.). Knowing that money in and of itself will not drive a long-term change in behaviors (unless, of course, you are in sales or banking), the cost of not taking care of myself today is a driver in the change of my behavior. Simply put, I don't want to pay for blood pressure, arthritis, or diabetes medication when I have the ability to avoid it.

I suppose at the end of the day I would honor my employer's policies. I do question the long-term effectiveness of the heavy handed approach, but if it saves a few lives and makes the insurance risk pool less expensive it could be considered a success.

Budgeting for Beer

So tonight is quiz night at the local watering hole, and a couple colleagues and I started attending just last week. Given I was just starting on my healthier diet during opening night I took it easy and had a double of Jamison (Jamison is roughly 80 calories/shot); as I alluded during an earlier post the first week on a new diet consists of your body's metabolism fighting against your blood sugar levels.

Now that I am past this phase I can finally enjoy a couple of beers this evening. I will be drinking diet beer (specifically Guinness, which has very diet-friendly nutritional content), and I am allowed to have two over the three hour period. The only reason I can do this is because I budgeted for the calories; that is, I knew when I woke up this morning I was going out tonight and adjusted my daily meals accordingly. This would not be possible (and done right!) without tracking everything that I eat throughout the day.

Cheers to balancing good help with frosty beverages!

Six Days, Four Pounds

Keeping Progress

As the title hints, I have lost four pounds in the last six days. This great early progress, but I also know that things will even out over the next one to two weeks to a more consistent one to one and a half pounds per week. I will certainly take this, though.

One thing that has been very eye opening for me is how out of control my caloric intake must have been. Given my weight, my target number of calories per day is 2,760; this target allows me to lose 1.4 pounds per week. My resting calorie target (that is, if I lay in bed all day) is 2,286 (this is call the basal metabolic rate, or BMR). To put into perspective how huge these numbers are (and how heavy I am), in order to lose one pound a person needs to burn approximately 3,000 more calories than s/he consumes, and most males are recommend to eat about 2,000 calories/day.

While it is incredibly easy to hit my calorie targets right now, I have to keep in mind that I need to make every calorie count. To do so, I'm going to start brown bagging my lunch. This will not only save me $20-$30/week in lunch money, it will also ensure that I know what I am eating and almost certainly reduce my saturated fat and sodium. Also, I work in a hospital; my food will taste better than the cafeteria's.

More Numbers

Not only will I measure my weight every Sunday evening, I will also have my girlfriend measure me; in space (or volume, if you may). Here are the numbers:

• Hip (what most people call their waste): 42 inches
• Waist (directly above my belly button): 47 inches
• Neck (and to think I'm cramming this into 17.5" shirts!): 18.25 inches

I'm a very analytical and numbers-driven guy, and while movement in these numbers will keep me on track the waist measurement is just plain scary. Specifically, a men's waist greater than 40" (36" for women) is an indicator for increased risk of heart disease. Given heart disease runs in my family, I need as few risk indicators as possible.

Plateaued...

Alright folks, it's time for me to plateau. I know that I haven't been writing on here as regularly, and, unfortunately, that has also been the case in my workouts. Over the last two weeks, I have worked out four times (compared to five times per week before), and I also ate a steak the size of my head. Here are the numbers:

	June 16	June 9	Nov 2007
Weight	219	219	267
Blood Pressure	127/80	Sunburn	160/115
Heart Rate	77	Hurts	103*

*Taken from March 10 reading

As a side note, Nicole and I went camping the weekend of June 6-8, and I walked around with a muscle shirt on all day on Saturday. I was quite sunburnt; very lobster-like.

Now back to the plateau thing. Over the past five weeks I have netted only one pound of weight loss. I blame no one but myself for it. I just need to make sure that I am getting in my time exercising while staying away from the cookie tray at work. It was certainly a lot easier to do this when I wasn't working.

I also went to the doctor on Saturday, and my blood pressure cuff might not be so accurate. Although a marked improvement from my November numbers, he measured me three times right around 148/90. I have an appointment in four weeks, and I am to bring my cuff so that he can double check it. I so don't want to be on blood pressure medication; this is yet another motivator to keep active and eat right.

Rewarding Day

New Clothes!

After six long months, I have finally found employment. You might be asking, "What does that have to do with this weight loss blog?" The answer is simple: I have to buy new clothes to fit my now 47 pounds lighter body. This is a pretty cool reward for having dropped all of that weight.

The goal today is to pick up 5-10 dress shirts, 2-5 pairs of dress slacks, 1-2 pairs of twill pants, two belts (one brown, one black), a couple of polo shirts, and one pair of jeans. That may seem like a lot of clothes (possibly the most I have ever bought in one trip), but I literally have zero properly fitting outfits that are not part of a suit. I am also probably going to start taking my shirts to the dry cleaner so they last longer, and my slacks will certainly be dry clean only. This means that I will need some articles of clothing in reserve while stuff is at the dry cleaners. I might also have to pick up another suit; I will be at hospitals 20-40% of the time, and it is totally reasonable to expect to have to wear a suit. Thus, I should probably own two suits.

Leesburg Corners Outlet Mall, here I come!

Logistically Speaking

I have never been a big fan of flying. I am not afraid of it, but rather it is just an uncomfortable experience for someone who is 240+ pounds. Riding on the Metro is quite similar. The seats are not designed for someone much bigger than 170 pounds. I fully accept the fact my broad shoulders will always exist, but I am actually looking forward to riding on an airplane again. It will be nice to have my girth be small enough that I can actually get out a laptop. I might even be able to type on it!

Speaking to the Metro, I am also looking forward to being able to walk the 6 blocks from the Metro to the office without getting winded or sweating buckets. Being [almost] in shape is pretty cool, but do not confuse that with enjoying working out.

Welcome to Goodburger, home of the Goodburger, may I take your order?

By the Numbers

Not a whole lot went on number-wise. Here are this week's numbers in the This Week (Last Week, November) format.

Weight - 222 (223, 267)
Blood Pressure - 131/75 (128/80, 160/115)
Heart Rate - 78 (77, 103 on March 10)

Like I said, this is nothing to write home about, but the numbers are definitely in the right direction. I also did measurements this week, and the results are similar; the format is This Week (April 21 Measurement, March 10 Measurement).

Hips - 43 (43, 43 3/4)
Waist - 44 1/2 (44 1/2, 46 7/8)
Chest - 46 1/4 (45 1/2, 46 3/4)
Neck - 17 1/2 (17 3/4, 18 1/4)
Biceps - 15 1/2 (14 3/4, 14 7/8)
Thighs - 25 3/4 (23 1/2, 28 3/4)
Calves - 17 (16 1/2, 16 5/8)

Once again, this is nothing to write home about. I do see these numbers going in the right direction. I like seeing the biceps, calves, and thighs getting bigger (they are all pretty lean at this point). I am somewhat surprised by the chest measurement, but I think the increase in size has been caused by back as opposed to the pectorals. I am pleased to see the neck go down in size, and I should see it drop another 1/4" before it is all said and done. Finally, the hips and waist staying the same are expected; my butt is small enough already, and most of my stomach weight is carried above the belly button (that is, my stomach is smaller at the girth-iest point, but the waist measurement is actually at the belly button).

Healthy Burger and Fries

A couple of posts ago I laid out how I manage my diet, and now I have a really good example of a healthy version of one of America's favorite meals: the hamburger and fries. Take a look at this masterpiece, an actual picture of Saturday night's meal:


Before your eyes is 1/2 pound of fries, a 1/3 pound burger on a kaiser bun, and buttery corn on the cob. Click on the picture to make it bigger; take a deep look at the textures; inhale the sweet scent of grilled meat.

Are you hungry, yet? Well do not run out to Wendy's and order a Value Meal until you read this following chart. The Wendy's column assumes a 1/4 pound burger, large order of fries, and corn on the cob slathered in butter.

	Homemade Meal	Wendy's Meal
Calories	846 1/2	1135
Total Fat	30 3/8 Grams	49 Grams
Saturated Fat	6 1/8 Grams	13 Grams
Fiber	13 3/4 Grams	9 Grams
Protein	58 Grams	36 Grams

Admittedly, this is a fairly high calorie meal, but I did plan ahead and watched what I ate the rest of the day. Also, my target caloric intake per day is still around 2000 calories, so I can still get away with this many calories. I also tend to eat most of my fat during dinner, and you do get 70-75 grams per day.

The key piece to take away from this chart is the difference in home preparation versus eating out. I ingested 288 fewer calories, 18 fewer grams of fat, almost 7 grams less of saturated fat, and added nearly 5 grams of fiber and 22 grams of protein. To accomplish this meal, this is what I did.

Burger

First off, I substituted lean ground turkey instead of ground beef; in my opinion, it tastes better. I also added some minced onion, garlic cloves, and a slice of wheat bread to the patty. By doing this I made a great tasting patty that does not require flavor adding (and bad for you) condiments like ranch or mayonnaise. I also used a whole wheat kaiser bun instead of a white bread bun; once again, this bun tastes way better than white bread.

Fries

The obvious piece is to bake the fries instead of fry them. The not so obvious piece is that I used sweet potatoes. I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil to make the seasonings (reduce fat grated Parmesan cheese, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion salt) stick to the fries. I love these fries, and from a strictly flavor standpoint I would take them any day over Wendy's French fries.

Corn on the Cob

This one is really simple: use spray butter instead of real butter. It tastes the same, and it is the nutritional equivalent of salt.