Softly As I Leave You

So.....

Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos.
~Charles M. Schulz

I posted for the first time on this blog on May 2,2010. Seems like ages ago really and a good bit has changed in my life since then. I am nowhere near the same person that I was then. I have made new friends and have lost a few. I have moved into new directions at my job. I have travelled more than I ever thought I would have had the chance to.
I have finally come around to the idea that blogging is indeed dead or dying. I read a very few blogs myself now. At one point I had upwards of 15 on my reader but now its less than 5 that I check on a regular basis. And I hardly ever comment anymore on any of them.
Twitter has replaced a good portion of blogging. Facebook is still pretty strong of course....
Blogging is slowly slipping away.....And thats ok.
I used this blog for the past year to document my weight loss journey. I have had amazing support from you all and appreciate it. I have managed to lose about 60lbs in 13 months and keep it off. I will continue to lose weight and get into better shape...thats a promise not just to me but to you all also. But things have changed and there is really no need for my blogging voice to be heard anymore...and that too is ok.

So thanks for the memories and the comments over the past couple of years....its been a blast. Lets do it again sometime....
Peace

Glory Glory to Old Auburn ...

So.....

I have once again been travelling a good bit with my job. Spending long periods of time away from home. Eating on the go etc but still managing to keep things respectable. I have still only managed to blog here and there and I apologize for that one. For those of you out there that DEPEND on my blog...SORRY. For those of you out there that could care less....You are welcome!!!

Theres a thing in most sports where a team gets ahead by a sizeable margin and changes its game plan. Instead of playing to win.....the team starts playing with a different goal in mind--not to lose.

Sometimes, that strategy backfires. The squad that was trying to hold the lead finds itself playing cautious and hesitant. Its hard to maintain momentum when youre back on your heels.

And when that happens... a seemingly sure win sometimes slips from their grasp.

The team snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

That analogy has been weighing on my mind this week since the glorious return of college football is literally right around the corner...about how it pertains to the shift from goal-oriented weight loss into maintenance (or near maintenance). Instead of a single-minded focus on what we need to do... we try to do just enough to get the job done. And too often “just enough” isnt quite enough...
Dont get me wrong though....I am not anywhere near full time maintaining but with loss comes a certain level of looking ahead and at least trying to maintain so as not to gain again...Its a cycle that you have to be aware of.


Four weeks ago... in an effort to combat a what I was thinking would be a huge post-work travelling gain...I went on offense and managed to lose almost 4lbs.

Then in the following weeks I was travelling again.... I shifted the game plan back to a more defensive mindset...and the scale bumped up a tad. 2lb gain last Monday.

Theres an old sports saying... “The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle.” With a minor tweak it works for weight loss too...

The more right choices you make during the week, the less you need to worry on the scale.

Time to get my head in the game....

It Was A Very Good Year

So.....

Its been one year for me on Weight Watchers.....Its been a great ride

War Eagle

So.....

On January 1, 1929 the California Golden Bears football team faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Midway through the second quarter Cal center Roy Riegels picked up a fumble by Techs Jack Thomason.....just 30 yards away from the Yellow Jackets end zone Riegels somehow got turned around and ran 65 yards in the wrong direction.

Teammate and quarterback Benny Lom chased him screaming at him to stop. He finally caught up with Riegels at Californias 3-yard line and tried to turn him around... but he was immediately hit by a line of Tech players and tackled back to the 1-yard line. The Bears chose to punt rather than risk a play so close to their own end zone but Tech blocked the punt and Georgia Tech scored a safety giving them a 2-0 lead.

Speaking of going the wrong way.... I have had a slip-up on the weight-loss front. Is been summer...work stuff has been hectic and it has had me running here and there and missing meetings etc. After not going to a meeting or weigh in for 6 weeks I had only gained 4lbs but a gain is a gain and I have worked WAY too hard to lose what I have..
I have had some back issues to deal with that has kept me away from some working out...and I wrongly thought that if I stayed somewhat active chasing the folks in the group at church then I would be alright. I have tried to watch and keep track of most everything but as its been said before "old habits die hard".
I know my limits but this diet thing...and my drive to be healthier is and will be a permanent park of my life. I cant take a break really...its a "new normal"

Anyway..... “Wrong Way” Riegels (as he came to be called) was so distraught by his mix-up that he had to be begged into returning to the game for the second half. He turned in a stellar second half performance including blocking a Tech punt.

The example of how the distraught Riegels was persuaded to pick himself up... return to the field and play so hard during the second half is sometimes used by motivational speakers to illustrate overcoming setbacks.

Sadly ... “Wrong Way” Riegels team wound up losing in that national championship game.

I plan on losing next week too.

And I pick Auburn to win the National Championship this year ...just saying .

Cant Go Back Now

So.....

Friday Morning is here ...its 12am dead on and I thought why not write a blog post before getting into bed to watch some TV...

I remember when I got my first comment on a blog ....it was fun. Its still a little fun to get those comments. I dont always comment when I should on other blogs but I do read. But if we are being honest we LOVE getting a comment. It validates our efforts.

I can not pinpoint an exact reason why I do this. People enjoy it?
I have so many grammatical errors...yet no one corrects me. Perhaps they enjoy the content. They see the passion I have towards my new goals in life. I do not write to please all. I think I write with some kind of passion about things that mean a lot to me ...

But I do blog. I do write.... I am random and you never know what is going to come out of my mouth. I might blog about this or that but its always heartfelt

I do not mind screwing up....I do not mind saying something stupid. I mind not saying anything at all.

So why do I blog? Same reason as you.....

Because I can!

PS- I am dreaming of a white Christmas ....Goodnight all !!

We Are The World

So.....

I have been missing for a couple of weeks(ok months) but here I am back again and ready to get things going on a somewhat regular schedule. I have been travelling, working on days when I should go weight in and in general been off track since May. I promised honesty from the beginning...so I am trying to keep with that. I have gained and lost over the last couple of months and have been proud of myself for maintaining what I have lost but the blogging has suffered and it really does help keep me accountable.
I know I was missed ...right? RIGHT ????
This post is about weight loss of course but its about blogging as a whole too ...

I have started and deleted about 50 posts it seems and everytime I thought I had something that I wanted to finish with a PUBLISH POST hit I just couldnt seem to bring it home to my satisfaction but I started thinking about things again as I was going through the blogs im following and deleting out the ones that havent updated in forever.
Most of of us blog to some degree but I know its a bit of a downer when we dont update on a regular basis. To be honest.....

...Its kind of depressing.....I see so many of us out there writing “This Is It!” and “Never Give Up!” posts that were immediately followed by.....crickets.
I am the first person to stand before the judge and say "Guilty as charged your honor"
Twitter has done a tremdous job in killing blogging I suppose...And I am a guy who Tweets and I will admit that I enjoy the back and forth nature of twitter. The almost instant access you get in the limited form of converstation. But you can only tweet so much about your weight loss journey. Or your trip to the Bahamas. Or your kids getting their first haircut. Or an upcoming special event like a wedding or your decision to go sky diving.

I am surprised to find that there are quite a few whose stories I am really into for a time in the blogging world but then folks stop blogging...But out of sight, out of mind and new more active voice come along to fill that void.

The sad thing is that I suspect that these folks havent just dropped the ball on their blogging but perhaps on other parts of their life also...We are at the end of the day creatures of habit and if they are anything like me they have lapsed into that mindset that says if Im not thinking hard about what im eating, the calories dont count. If im not weighing myself regularly, im not gaining weight.

Im afraid that we are going to wake up one day and realize that we have lost a lot of ground on our/my journey, that we have slipped back down that slippery slope where climbing is such a slow, tough climb but sliding back can happen as quick as a hiccup.

I have a good bit of weight I still want to lose and I am going to continue blogging about it like my success depends on it....because in a very real sense I believe it does.
This week I start going to weigh in on a new night at a new time. THe class has several men in it and I was advised that perhaps they could offer some support that those lovely ladies at the other meeting cannot.
With the first of August coming up I will be approaching my one year anniversay with Weight Watchers and I have to say its been a great ride. I have lost a good amount of weight but as I said before...I have miles to go.
And let me add this ...My health insurance premium has really gone through the roof in the last year and today I called around to perhaps find another company to handle my needs...I could not find one that would take me based on what I weight when factored with my height. I accept their rules and their policies but it really pissed me off and kinda started a fire under me to "SHOW THEM" that I can lose this weight and get insurance from them eventaully...

My busy summer is not over yet....In less than three weeks I head to South Dakota on a mission trip and will be gone for like 10 days. I am excited about the chance to serve but also dreading the trip at the same time...if that even makes sense.
Anyway folks ...I am back and looking forward to new and exciting things ...


“There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me.”

My Back Pages

So......

Its been a busy couple of weeks for me and due to that I have found myself not getting around weighing in like I should. I am still working the points of WW and getting in excercise when I can but I would be lying if i did not say it had been a tough couple of months...specially the last few weeks. Add to that an aggravation of an old back injury and you have me just a little blah. I am still comfortable with what I have dont in almost 11 months of being on Weight Watchers but am still looking for that change in momentum. Any suggestions dear readers ?
Just for fun though I have included something I found on someones blog this morning ...enjoy.


Found online today ....

Signs You Have Hired a Bad Trainer

Makes you do jumping jacks in the parking lot for an hour


Keeps calling you “Bootylicious”


Eats three caramel apples during your session


Lots of self-done tattoos


Not sure what a “bicep curl” is


Dresses in an official Star Trek uniform


Tells you last job was as Wac-a-Mole operator for traveling carnival


Thinks “Gluteus Maximus” is “that dude in the Gladiator movie”


Spends first thirty minutes of session trying to convince you that professional wrestling isn’t fake


Asks you to hold the funnel while he pours tequila into water bottle


Claims to have gotten personal training degree from The University of Harvard


All former clients have passed away due to mysterious circumstances


Loves to encourage you by speaking “baby talk”


Holds sessions in his trailer


Sits down on your stomach in the middle of your bench press


Schedules six people at the same time


Offers to be paid in Crystal Meth