So, I killed a deer last night … with my car.

I don’t mean to sound flippant, because I feel absolutely horrible the deer is dead, and this is one of the pitfalls living in a rural community.  Also, I live in Adair County, Missouri, which, at one time, was the white tail deer capital of the country … they are everywhere.

However, my car is not out of commission until next week, and I had plans for this weekend that actually required me to drive to Iowa.  So, now my car needs to be fixed, and that won’t happen until Monday at the earliest.  While it looks cosmetic, it turned out this morning I was leaking transmission fluid.  No one in town has the part, and of course with New Years in the mix, everyone will be closed, so no car for me.

Luckily I am insured, and even better luck it looks like I only have a $50 deductible on this type of damage.  Yay me!  Doesn’t change the fact I’m still annoyed by this whole thing.

Here are more pictures of my day.  Any image in this post can be clicked for a larger view.  (except for the one of the deer fur, no one needs to see that bigger)

Feeling like you just can’t get on that treadmill one more time?  Feeling like you want to give in and have fried chicken?  You need to stay motivated.

You’ve started exercising, and you’ve changed what you eat, but do you have what it takes to make the long haul?  Believe me, I know it isn’t.  You are surrounded everywhere you go with food that is bad for you, advertising telling you how delicious things are, all of them trying to lure you in to buying & eating them.  It is so easy to give in and “cheat”, but you simply can’t.

So here are some simple points to staying motivated as you try to lose weight that have worked for me.  As always, this is what has worked for me, and everyone is different, so you need to experiment to find what works best for you.

First Step, “The Cheat Day”

Okay, I have mixed feelings on this.

A lot of diets suggest you give yourself a cheat day on your diet one day a week, but I found that to be like inviting trouble into your life.  It becomes easy to say, “Oh well, I’ll make this my cheat day …” and then you do it again … and again … and again.  I finally did away with a set cheat day and just try to gauge it, but I have made it more like once every couple weeks.  Basically, if I have to think about when I last cheated, more than likely I’m okay.

I also think “cheat DAY” is a bad term because it implies you can cheat on your diet all day long.  I have preferred to just call it “treat”, and I allow myself something like a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen (they’re available only once a year, I figure one a year definitely qualifies for a “treat”), but that is the only cheat I allow myself on “cheat day”, the rest of the day is just like any other day of my diet.

If you don’t allow yourself some sort of occasional reward, you do run the risk of just going nuts one day and eating everything in your sight.  So, moral of the cheat day story, use your own discretion to figure out what works best for you, but you do need to factor this into your plans.

Second Step, “Entertain Yourself”

I know this may sound a tad odd, but it’s vital.

There is nothing more mind numbing than walking on a tread mill or doing free weights.  Boredom will kill your motivation faster than just about anything else out there.  However, if you use the time constructively, you won’t even notice you’re really exercising.

So, how do you entertain yourself?  Well, when I do free weights at home I’ve set up a TV and DVD player in the room I do them in and have taken to catching up on all sorts of DVD sets that I’ve been meaning to watch forever.  So far I’ve worked my way through all of Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, The Batman and am now working through The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers.  Yes, I am only watching cartoons for now, there is no denying I am a cartoon fan, but it is also for safety reasons.

Although, let me stress that whatever you do to entertain yourself, you must put safety first.  If you are putting in DVDs of something that requires you to read subtitles, pay attention to big plot points and so on, you are running the risk of losing track of your repartitions, how much energy you put into the way you swing a weight, possibly over extending your muscles and so on.  So it’s fine to watch TV while you work out, but make sure to keep it light and not overly involved.

As for in the gym, I have discovered the wonders of podcasts on my iPod.  Again, I try to keep them somewhat light so I can concentrate on my working out, and you also run the risk of laughing out loud depending on the podcast you’re listening to.  (hint: The Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier podcast, Smodcast, has made me trip on the treadmill more than once thanks to laughing)  The way I look at it, as I am a podcaster myself, this is almost like doing work while I work out as it allows me to keep up with what other podcasts are up to.

The ultimate goal though is to give yourself at least a bit of a distraction while you work out so it doesn’t become repetitive and monotonous.  Those two things can become two of the biggest dangers to throwing you out of the mood to exercise.  I have actually gotten to where I look forward to “my podcast time” as I don’t have any other time during the week to listen to them.  I can’t wait to get to the gym each week when the new episode of The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe comes out, the working out is just a fun by product of me listening to podcasts.

(by the way, safety tip on iPods, make sure to put your earbud cord inside your shirt unless you like them being torn out of your ears by certain machines … not that I have ever done that …)

Third Step, “Make Sure You Have A Support Group”

Many times I thought, “Okay, I’ve gone far enough, why not just stop?” I will admit that I am a lazy person at heart. I would much rather sit and watch TV, read a book, play a video game … basically anything other than exert myself.  That, however, is also how I got into this situation, and I know it.

This doesn’t mean I don’t still occasionally think about calling it a day and stopping.  Don’t kid yourself, this is hard work!  I am exercising for over an hour a day, six days a week, it’s a lot of work!

Whenever I get discouraged though, there are my parents constantly telling me how much better I look every time I turn around.  Then I have my long time friend, F, who has taught me a lot about picking the proper foods when I eat out, and telling me that he can see the difference.  By far, the biggest booster, and a one woman cheerleader squad for this journey of mine has been the Diabolical Miss M.  I thanked her profusely in my post about having lost 100 lbs, so I won’t embarrass her again, but I credit her bottomless encouragement with a lot of what has kept me going.

Never underestimate the value of the people around you to keep you motivated.  I’m not saying to make an annoyance out of yourself by asking them, the people who really care about you will let you know how you’re doing.  And remember, I said this is a selfish act due to how much time you have to spend focusing on yourself, but at the end of the day you are also doing it for them so that you can remain in their lives longer.

Fourth Step, “Don’t Get Discouraged

I can’t believe how many times I came close to throwing in the towel because I would hit a plateau.  It happens.  There is nothing you can do to prevent it, and you just have to struggle through them.

When I returned from my Boston vacation I had a really weird weight drop of 10 lbs over a two week period, and then I sat at 285 for just over 2 months.  I was infuriated, I was discouraged and I wondered why I was killing myself in the gym and with the free weights if I wasn’t going to make any progress.  I really wanted to throw in the towel this time, but I noticed parts of my body tightening up, but no weight coming off.  I worked harder and harder and finally the plateau broke and I’ve lost six more pounds now.

You can also keep reminding yourself of the benefits of your weight loss:

• More energy – I can’t believe how much more energy I seem to have, and I love every minute of it.
• You’ll feel better about yourself – I finally admit it, this has definitely boosted my self confidence.  It isn’t that hasn’t given me an ego, but it has certainly made me feel better about myself in general.
• Clothes fit you better – I have also been able to get back in my favorite jacket from high school (an army fatigue jacket), that really makes the whole thing worth it!

Honestly, the benefits are far too many to list.  On the other hand I can not think of one drawback to weight loss, and how could there really be downsides to that?  Always remember what you are doing you are doing for you and your health.  Is it selfish?  Yes, but this is a good selfish because it can also benefit your family as you will be around longer.

Conclusion

This entire series has been a lot longer in the word count department than I anticipated, but I hope everyone learned something from it.  These three posts have been far more revealing about myself than I originally planned, but it was worth it all if it encourages even one of you to start trying to lose weight.  If I can lose 121 lbs, you can lose 10, 20, 30 or whatever that number is you are looking to drop.

As you can see from these posts, I radically changed my life, all for the better, and most of you don’t need to make such a radical shift, but it can be done if needed.

In short, if you need to lose weight, I am living proof that it can be done, you just have to get angry with yourself first … that was oddly the easiest step for me …

One last disclaimer: I am not a physician, a nutritionist or a fitness professional.  Before starting any diet or exercise program make sure to consult your doctor.

Okay, you’ve started exercising, but have you changed what you eat yet?

Yesterday I talked about getting started with exercising, which most weight loss programs suggest is your first step, and then you work on changing what you eat.

As I said yesterday, I am not a medical expert, I have done this mostly by the seat of my pants with some input from a couple of close friends, and eventually my doctor.  If you do plan on embarking on any serious weight loss, you should always consult your physician first.

First Step, “Put Down The McDonalds!”

Look, I know it’s bad for you, you know it’s bad for you, just simply stop eating fast food.  Even their “healthy alternatives” are about as healthy as drinking a cup of fat.

Need more convincing?  Simply watch Super Size Me.  Slanted?  Probably.  It doesn’t matter, it will still scare the living heck out of you.  Once I watched it, I dropped all fast food from my life unless I’m travelling, and even then I try to be careful as possible in what I order (focus on turkey or grilled chicken items with as few condiments on it as possible).

If you go to a walk-in restaurant such as Ruby Tuesday or Chilis, they have healthier choices, but even then you have to be careful.  I have lunch once a week at Ruby Tuesday and I order the Turkey Burger Wrap (tortilla instead of a bun, less carbs), but as a healthy “alternative” it still comes with french fries.  I change the fries out for rice mixed with tomatoes and green peppers, but even that gets ruined with melted cheese on top of it, so I have them leave the cheese off.  So they give you a “healthy” main item and then try to kill you with the sides, so watch that closely.

Second Step, “Watch What You Drink”

Sodas have to go.  Period.  There is nothing redeeming in in soda pops … nothing.

Iced tea is okay in moderation, but try to watch what you sweeten it with, and if you can skip sweetening it, do so.

I have taken my coffee black since I was about 17 or 18, so I didn’t have to consider cream and sweetner, but if you use either or both of those, consider low fat alternatives or cutting them completely.  And those big ass drinks you order from Starbucks?  Go read the facts on them, and then if you must go there, try to choose their “healthier” alternatives.  Personally I get a venti sized Latte when I go, but since I have no Starbucks in my town, that is one every couple months, I consider it a treat to myself and factor it into my calorie take for the day.

Caffeine also makes you retain more water, so the more caffeine you cut from your life the better as it will lower your water weight.  I’ve written about my cutting my caffeine before, and the eventual withdrawl it caused, but all is good now, and I have been able to maintain the level just 2 -3 cups of black coffee a day, and one cup of green tea.  There are days I would love to have more coffee, but I keep myself in check.

And did I mention no sodas?  Yes, it is worth mentioning twice.

Oh, and for the love of the deity of your choice, stay away from the “energy” drinks!  The amount of sugar they contain could kill a small animal.

Third Step, “Read Everything”

There is a reason nutritional facts are printed on packaging.  Use it … embrace it … let it become your friend.

Make sure you read how many “servings” are in a package, and remember that the facts printed are for “one serving”.  So, if a nutritional fact chart says “200 calories” and you plan on eating the whole package, multiple that 200 times the number of servings the package says it contains.  So 3.5 servings per container would be 700 calories total.  Read carefully, they try to sneak stuff past you to make it sound healthier.

Fat calories are pretty much unavoidable, but anything under 50 percent of the total calories is pretty acceptable.  However, just remember it is acceptable once or so a day, not 3 times a day.

Fourth Step, “Cut Your Servings”

As Americans we are constantly attacked with “All you can eat buffet!” ads, and fast food employees asking if you would like to “super size” your order … just say no.  If you are walking up to a food service station that looks like a feed trough, this is probably not the place for a person attempting to lost weight.

All that being said, the first place you need to cut how much you eat is at home.  This has been the biggest hurdle for me as I do live with family, and my mother is an outstanding cook … I hate her for that.  Saying no to her food is like telling a classic artist, “I’m sorry, I don’t care to look at your latest sculpture.”  I have to build my eating each day around what she is preparing, and then I simply have to try to control how much of it I eat.  This is never an easy task, but it has to be done.

Fifth Step, “Eat More Often”

I know this sounds crazy, but if you want to lose weight, eat more often.

The theory is that if you eat around 100 calories every three hours you will keep your metabolism burning through out the day.  The problem is that after you have a large meal, your body only continues to process that food for another 2 to 3 hours.  By introducing another 100 calories you can basically reignite your digestive system, and it will continue to process that food.  It will also help control your hunger when you get to a large meal.

Believe me, it isn’t always easy to consume another piece of food.  It may sound like Heaven to get to eat all day long, but you do get really tired of it after a while.  Just remember to change up what you eat and you should do fine.

While I have no scientific proof that this actually works, it sure seems to have helped me out with my weight loss.

Sixth Step, “Build A Diet That Works For You”

I can not stress enough how these plans may not work for everyone.  You have to experiment and find what works best for you, start by reading up on other diet plans, mix-and-match if you need, but I honestly see no reason to ever pay for a diet plan.  The Internet is an amazing resource, why should you pay some entity to tell you what to eat when you can research it for yourself?  Take that money and spend it on a gym membership or exercise equipment for your home.

Again, as with any weight loss advice, consult your physician for advice before beginning.  I am in no way an expert, or nutritionist, and you should remember everything that I suggest in these posts is what worked for me.  These suggestions may not be correct for you.

The next entry in this series will be about staying motivated.  It’ll be published on Thursday of this week, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to make sure as not to miss it.  Also make sure to check out part 1, Exercise, The First Step To Losing Weight.

If you’re thinking about trying to lose weight the first thing that comes to mind is changing your eating habits, and then exercising.  Well, let me tell you, reverse that thinking.

A few months ago I wrote about having lost over 100 lbs now (121 lbs since I wrote that).  I made brief mention of the fact I might write up a guide to how I did it, but wasn’t sure.  Well after several people contacted me about the subject, I figured I should, but I also wanted to collect my thoughts on it before I just launched into it.  I also figured firing this up just before we went into the holidays made the most sense.

Let me say right up front that I am not a medical expert, I have done this mostly by the seat of my pants with some input from a couple of close friends, and eventually my doctor.  If you do plan on embarking on any serious exercise plan,  you should always consult your physician first.

First Step, “Okay, I’m fed up”

The first step to me deciding that it was time to start losing weight was three-fold: I bought my first ever pair of pants with a 60-inch waist, I was having trouble walking around Walmart without my hip starting to hurt and I came to the realization I never saw heavy set older people.

The pants happened in Oct. 2006, and the walking around Walmart incident happened shortly before the end of that same year.  The noticing that I never really saw heavy set older people was more of a general observation, but one that really hit the point home to me that I needed to do something about my weight.

Like any good sheep, I decided to get serious about weight loss on Jan. 1st.  It wasn’t so much a New Years resolution as I have always just liked to be able to remember dates.  So, come Jan. 1st, 2007 I just said, “This is it, you are now going to exercise every other day.”

The reason for every other day was that I had taken a weight training class some years ago in my aborted attempt to go to college.  I learned a couple things in that class, #1 being that you should not exercise the same muscle groups more than once every 48 hours, and never go more than 72 hours.  So, lets say you do legs one day, you do arms the next, and so on.  Since I was starting from a cold start I decided once every other day doing the majority of everything was the right course.

I started off slowly with free weights at home, I think the heaviest weights I had at the time were 15 lbs.  I worked very slowly at this, and only bought heavier weights when I felt I was ready.  How do you know you’re ready?  Well, that was lesson #2 from the class I took, “If you can’t do 7 reputitions, it’s too heavy.  If you can do more than 12 reputitions, it’s too lite.”  This is an excellent rule of thumb, and is the one I have stuck with to this day.

Things will be slow when you first start, but don’t get discouraged.  I really felt like throwing in the towel multiple times, but as the amount of exercise you do increases, the more your weight loss will accelerate.  When I started this weight loss attempt, I was 400 lbs.  By July 2008 I was 360, so it took me nearly 18 months to lose those first 40 lbs, but in the 16 months since then I have lost another 81 lbs.

This was a combination of acceleration and adding more exercise this year.

Second Step, “Keep pushing yourself”

Those first months in 2007 were horrid.  I hated the exercise, I wasn’t seeing any progress, and I came close to giving up many times.  However, I knew that giving up would get me nowhere, and everything I read said to expect slow progress when you start.  I grunted a lot, and just kept plugging along.

The big turning point to me was the first time I went, “Huh… I think I can tighten my belt by a notch…”, and I did.  After that I was sold and kept plugging away at it as I finally had a visual marker that I was making progress.  Once I had that moment, I found it immensely easier to keep pushing my limits just a bit more.

Third Step, “Push yourself even more!”

I went to my doctor in October 2008 for a flu shot, and we discussed my weight loss briefly.  He said if I wanted to really lose weight, I needed to start walking.  I grunted and shrugged it off as I had never been a fan of walking.  I however made one large mistake … I mentioned this tidbit to the Diabolical Miss M, my sometime Scattercast guest.

Miss M has mentioned walking to me many times before, and now she had an ally.  At the same time, F, another friend of mine, had been talking to me about getting a treadmill.  So I was getting it from 3 angles to give in and walk.  In Nov. 2008, Miss M guilted me in to giving a walk a try after  a long instant messenger conversation.  Well, I did it, and I walked 2 miles just out of pure stubborness … and wound up sick from it.  It was probably the weather, but I was amazed I had done 2 miles when I thought I couldn’t do anything really.

I tried walking a few more times, and each time I ended up with some sort of health problem, so I started researching treadmills as I knew it was my allergies causing the problems, and had come to the conclusion I was going to need one that probably cost around $2500, something I wasn’t willing to do.  In March 2009 I went to the doctor to discuss my weight loss stalling out at 325 lbs, and again walking came up.  I finally agreed I would join a gym and try it on the treadmills there.

I researched buying a treadmill some more, and after talking to the local 24-hour gym, I figured out I could join the gym for over 7 years before I was losing money over buying a unit for my house.  The other bonus would be access to all of the other equipment, so the pros of the gym really started to win out.  On May 1st, 2009, I went to the gym for the first time.

So, what did I do with my rule about every other day?  Well, I decided to go for it and upped my exercise to 6 days a week: 3 at the gym, 3 at home, 1 day off each week.  The gym was all about defining muscles with a focus on my legs, and the days at home were all about building muscle with a focus on my arms and torso.  It seems to be working so far, and it also seems to have really accelerated my weight loss quite a bit.

Fourth Step, “Do what you are comfortable with”

What I have done for myself may not follow the letter of the law, as it were, when it comes to weight lifting, but I again stress this is what has worked for me.  Every person out there is different, and that’s a lot of the reason I don’t agree with cookie cutter diet systems and programs.  You have to find what works for you, your health, your budget, your schedule and so on.

Probably the most important thing is set an initial goal in your mind of what you want to accomplish, and then start researching it for yourself.

The next entry in this series will be about changing what you eat, and the third will be about staying motivated.  These will be published on Wednesday and Thursday of this week respectively, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed to make sure as not to miss them.

You know what’s fun? Having a fire siren in your attic go off in your attic at 5:15 A.M. … when it’s right over your bed.

At 5:15 A.M. Saturday morning I was awoken to the most atrocious sound I have ever heard, and what do I do? I grab my BlackBerry thinking it’s my alarm. One small problem I quickly notice is that it is way too dark to be my alarm … and my phone isn’t that loud.

I take a second to gather my thoughts and realize it’s the house fire alarm in the attic going on.  I quickly throw on some pants and start running around the house looking for a fire, but after about 45 seconds the siren stops, which it isn’t supposed to do.  I make my way to the ground floor and my four Cocker Spaniels just look at me like, “What in the hell was that?!?”, but they make no noise.

I continue searching the house for fire, sniffing my way as I go, and after I have checked every room on every floor (basement and two above ground floors), I find nothing.  Satisfied it was a false alarm, I go back to bed.

Nothing else happens all day Saturday until I put the dogs to bed on Sunday morning around 1:30 A.M., and after about 10 minutes the siren blows again for about 1 second.  As the dogs are wide awake, they go nuts.  So I let them out of their room for awhile to calm down, and after I put them back to bed, I start the hunt for the control that will shut down the smoke alarms … and this is where I start to get angry.

When e built this house 25 years ago, we made a decision that each floor of the house would have its own electrical panel so everything as compartmentalized.  I start on the top floor, check the panel, and there is no mention of smoke detectors or alarms.  So, down to the ground floor I go, and there is one marked for “alarm”, but when I flip it, the smoke detectors continue to have power.  Okay, now I’m getting miffed.

I head to the basement, and on that electrical panel is a marking for “smoke detectors/office”.  Uh oh.

Not only had I discovered a mistake the electricians had made 25 years ago, but of all the rooms for them to tie in to, they tied into the office.  Little did anyone know 25 years ago that would be the room that holds my cable modem and one of my two network switches.  In other words, shutting down that room means me losing my Internet.  I take a chance, flip the switch and sure enough the red light goes out on the smoke detectors on all three floors.

Damn.

This means I need to leave the office turned off if I want to sleep, but this means no Wi-Fi, no femtocel to boost my cell phone signal, no Skype phone and so on.  I decide sleep is more important and leave it all shut off.  I get to bed around 5 A.M. from running all around the house trying to piece this together.

So, wake up Sunday, what are you going to do?  I go buy a 50′ extension cord, run it down the hallway from a working room and power up all the Internet stuff and leave the office and smoke detectors dead until we can get it looked at.

Long story short: obviously my priorities go Internet, then safety and then bothering to get things fixed.  Yep, I have my priorities in the right order!

When was the last time you thought about a fireman? A policeman? An EMT? Why not take a moment today to do that?

Eight years ago today terror came to our doorstep, and a certain breed of men and women raced toward it to help their fellow man.  In the weeks and months following 9/11, people embraced emergency workers all across the country, even if they were near Ground Zero, they were all brothers and sisters, and people remembered these people that work tirelessly in the backgrounds of our lives.

As time passed, as with so many things, people stopped thinking about them again, and I think it’s time we did again.

Each year on this date I write a post marking the memory of September 11th, but I think maybe it’s time we once again celebrate these people who work constantly to save our lives and protect us.  I admit my bias in that my paternal grandfather was a fire captain in Phoenix, AZ in my childhood, but that is my extent of connection to emergency workers.

So why not take a moment of your time and donate to a local emergency worker charity?  Do you drive by a fire department each day?  Why not take them some ice cream or treats?  (trust me, fireman will never turn down food)  Tell a policeman you appreciate them.  Why should we wait for the next disaster to remember these relatively unsung heroes of our world?

September 11th will never be a “happy” day again in the history of this country, but it doesn’t mean we can’t do something good with it for those around us.

I finally feel that my weight loss has settled, and I can officially tell you all that I have lost over 105 pounds.

Ever since I took my first airplane flight in 1988, I have asked for exit rows due to my height.  Being just under 6′4″, I need the extra leg room, and so I have always wanted to make sure I was in the row with as much room as possible.  In 2001 I was flying to Los Angeles to catch a plane the next day for Tokyo, and I had procured my precious exit row seat, but then something happened on the flight that changed things for me.

I asked for a seat belt extension.

I honestly had not realized how much weight I gained, and I was informed if I needed an extension that I could not sit in the exit row for other passengers safety.  I was moved to a normal seat and enjoyed the embarrassment of not only being moved, but realizing I had allowed my weight to spiral wildly out of control.  The seat belt extension was set at its tightest setting, I barely needed it, but need it I did.

For the next couple of years I played at losing weight, but was just never serious enough.  I also came to realize I had hit 400 lbs.  Seeing as I am built like a football linebacker, I never thought I looked that weight, but I was.  In 2004 I was on my way to Japan again, and I still needed a seat belt extension, but just barely.

In late 2006 I got serious about my weight loss, but it was a slow build, and I still wasn’t making a ton of progress.  Through out 2007 I built up more and more momentum, and I added in lifting weights towards the end of the year.  Also, when I began professionally blogging in July of 2007, I knew I would be sitting down more than ever.  I decided if I was going to be sitting that much that I had to get serious about exercise to counteract the stagnation of all that sitting.

As 2008 dawned, I got super serious (partially due to endless cheerleading by my friend M, which was always said with love and never, ever in a hurtful way).  When I learned I was going to Seattle in July of that year, I decided to try my hand at an emergency row again.  I was down to 365, and I knew at worse they would just move me again.

I sat down in my exit seat, fished for the ends of the seat belt… and they connected.  I’m man enough to admit I almost cried.  I had done it, I was back in the seat I wanted, but if anything, this just energized me more to work even harder.

By March of 2009 I hit 325, but I was having a heck of a time breaking through to a lower weight.  I went to the doctor and talked with him, and he ran blood tests on me which came back surprisingly good.  (To the point he admitted he had checked my name twice to make sure it was my results)  He suggested I take up walking, something M had been cheerleading endlessly, but I have problems with walking outside due to my allergies.  He suggested I join a gym, and he told me to set a temporary goal of 300 lbs, but an ultimate goal of 250.  I called him a couple names for setting the bar at 250, but I accepted it as a challenge.

My personal goal all along had been 300, and both my doctor and I laugh at the height/weight chart that says my optimum weight is 212.  We laughed to the point that he informed me if I ever came in the office at 212, he would be sending me to the hospital to see what was wrong with me.  So on May 1st of this year, I started going to the gym three times a week, and working out with free weights at home three times a week.  When I learned I would for sure be going to Boston to visit M in August, I decided to set a personal goal of 295 before I met her.  (105 lbs being an inside joke between her and I for reasons I won’t go in to)

A week before I left for Boston, I did it, I had hit 295.

I wanted to make sure it held before I said anything, but the new weight held.  I was ecstatic… and then realized I had to buy some new clothes before I left.  D’oh!

So, when I got to the airport in St. Louis,  I once again asked for an exit row, and not only did the seat belt work for me, I could tighten it.  (the picture above is from my return flight, I forgot to take one on the way there as I kept falling asleep)  My waist has gone from 60″ to 48″, and by golly I can fit in any airplane seat I want now!

The first night I met up with M was an endless stream of compliments from her over my weight loss.  And for the first time ever, I showed her a picture from my heaviest time period… even I could tell now how bad I had gotten when I look back at it now, and the compliments only increased after that.  I figured I might come back from Boston with a few pounds added on from all the eating out and such, but instead I came back at 294.  I blame the endless walking around the city with her for that.

Last night the scale read 291, but I never mark a new weight as official until I get the same reading three days in a row, there are just too many variables: water weight, what you eat, etc.  So, for now, I am still considering 294 my new official weight, and that means I have lost 106 lbs and have 44 lbs to go to my doctor’s goal weight.  I would imagine I have actually lost more than the 106 lbs in fat because I have more muscle mass than I have ever had in my life.  I actually have veins starting to pop out all around my wrists, my calves have gotten extremely defined and my neck has increased by an inch.

While there are days where I curse the working out, and the foods I have to skip eating (I haven’t had ice cream in well over a year… and I love ice cream), the results are obvious, and I feel better than I think I ever have in my life.  With each pound lost, it only motivates me more to keep on this path and get to that 250 lbs goal.

At the end of the day I do not blame any one but myself for the situation I got myself in to.  No one forced me to super-size those meals, no one pried my mouth open and shoved double quarter pounders with cheese in there, one hundred percent of what happened with my weight is my fault, and one hundred percent of getting myself in to shape is my own responsibility.  So as much as I may whine at times about it, it is myself I am whining at, and I have no delusions about that.

This hasn’t been a solo journey though, and I would like to take a moment to thank a few people who have helped along the way.

My parents – They have been extremely supportive, and while I know at times they have wished I would stop talking about this journey of mine, they have congratulated me as each new milestone has passed.  Thank you.

F – F is a friend of mine I meet each week for lunch, and while I am sure he would rather keep his name off my blog, I have to thank him.  After some changes in his life, and in what he eats, he has taught me much by example in how to make the correct food choices no matter where I am.  So, thank you, F, you have taught me more than I think you realize.

M – You have already been mentioned through out this post, but your constant concern and caring has meant the world to me.  No one has been a bigger cheerleader for me and this quest of mine, and for that you have my eternal gratitude.  I know I say the compliments don’t sit well with me because I did this to myself, but they really have been a huge help, and don’t ever think otherwise.  (Don’t worry, no one reads this blog any way, your reputation as an evil genius will not be tainted by this)

Some time this week, hopefully tomorrow, I will be writing up tips on what I’ve found works the best for me, and maybe it will inspire some of you.  Each person is different, but as I have pieced together my own program as opposed to following some cookie-cutter diet plan, perhaps you can find one or two suggestions from me that will help in your own weight loss journey.

So, I am back from my journey to Boston, and all I can say is… it wasn’t nearly long enough.

I got back from vacation last night around 7:30 PM and I just was not ready at all to be back.  Boston was a ton of fun, but of course the highlight was finally getting to hang out with The Dastardly Miss M of Scattercast fame.  Living up to her evil reputation, I am fairly certain she had an evil plot to walk me around Boston until my feet bled.  Luckily she had warned me of the amount of walking and I had actually started going to the gym to use a treadmill back on May 1st.  I can only imagine how bad it would have been if I hadn’t done that.

A lot more will be covered of what we did in this week’s episode of Scattercast, but in general, I had a blast, and I will definitely be looking to take a vacation more than once every 13 years.  It won’t necessarily involve M, though we did discuss possible scenarios for a second get together, but just in general I do plan on taking more time off in my work if for no other reason than to preserve my sanity.

I actually spoke with Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins about this via instant message on Monday night after M and I had parted ways for the final time before I left on Tuesday.  He and I both agree that while we love blogging, we are just working far too hard, and we have to both find more time to relax.  We also both agreed to remind each other of this on a regular basis so we don’t just slide in to our usual habits of working non-stop all the time.

So, yes, I admit it, I’m not getting any younger, and I need to take more time for myself.  Finding that time may not be easy, but I have to do something lest I go mad.

Thanks to M for snapping the accompanying photo of me.  Any picture of me is a rare occurrence, so enjoy the fact it actually happened!

I’ve always had an odd fascination with death, and more specifically famous deaths.  No clue why, I just do.  Typically I’m more interested in graves and stories that have to do with bizarre circumstances, famous murders, etc, but when The Diabolical Miss M offered me the chance to see the graves of famous people from the time of the Revolutionary War, who am I to say “no”?  (besides, saying “no” to one of her suggestions might have her dumping me in to a pool of her sharks… they have frickin’ laser beams on their head!)

So as we wandered Boston today, we hit up a couple of the famous graveyards in the downtown area that have some of the founding fathers of the United States, and the grave of Elizabeth Pain, the woman The Scarlet Letter was based on.

Besides seeing these amazing people who formed our country, I was struck by how much the tombstones seemed like something out of a Tim Burton film.  The iconography on them seemed like something right out of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and you almost have to wonder if Burton was influenced by seeing these or similar tombstones.

First up, Mother Goose… I’m not sure I was ever even aware she was a real person!

Samuel Adams… thanks for the beer, man. (Yes, I know he didn’t create it)

Ben Fanklin’s parents

Paul Revere’s tomb, couldn’t believe how tiny it was!

Apparently I wasn’t alone in my shock as they added a second marker next to the original.

Okay, this is John Hancock’s grave, and I’m sorry, but I will leave it up to your imagination why I could NOT stop snickering.

Elizabeth Pain… do you see a subliminal “A”?

And finally, the moment you have all waited for… a picture of “M” on this very blog!

What can I say? She’s quick… like a cheetah.  (and, yes, this “picture” of M is only funny to longtime readers of this blog or listeners of my podcast)

Yes folks, that is an actual picture of me in Boston. This photo is a rarity for two reasons: I can’t remember the last time I posted a picture of myself on this blog, and it is also serves as evidence of me being on vacation.

I’ve talked about the vacation on Scattercast, but not in a post.  I haven’t taken an actual vacation since Labor Day weekend in 1996, and even then I ended up doing work.  My trips to Tokyo, while fun, were always about work.  any trips elsewhere in the USA were about work.  This trip to Boston is all about relaxing.

As you may or may not know, depending on how much you read the site, Boston is the home of the Diabolical Miss M, my best friend and occasional guest on Scattercast, so hence why I chose Beantown.  (It is amazing how many odd looks people have given me about choosing Boston for a vacation… deal with it)

Due to unavoidable circumstances, she had to be out of town one day while I was here, and that just happened to line up with my former employers at Mashable hosting an event at the downtown Hyatt.  For lack of anything else to do, and wanting to meet more of the people I worked with there, I headed on over to the #hyatt4good event.

It was nice to finally meet Adam Hirsch (COO of Mashable), Sharon Feder (Managing Editor), Brett Petersel (events director) and Josh Catone (features editor).  Funny story about Josh, he and I basically switched jobs when I left Mashable.  I went to SitePoint.com where he had been working, and he came to Mashable as Features Editor, my old job.

Thanks to Brett for taking the picture of me last night, and, yes, the green strap across my chest is my 24 bag, i.e. the “Satchel of Doom”.  Sadly I was lacking explosives in its current load out… however, it is handy for carrying your camera, notepad, spare business cards and so on!  So I was kind of like “executive Jack Bauer”!

It was nice to get out and actually talk technology and trends with people face-to-face.  Big thanks to Michael Sprague from CommUniversity for sending me some info on a nifty new BlackBerry app that is in closed Beta.  (and check out his site, great idea for people trying to select what college to go to)

Anyway, I’m here until Tuesday, and then back to the grind.  Although it may be hard to tell I’m on vacation since I am still doing all my blogging jobs each day, I really am!  I mean, I actually sat down on the dock behind my hotel yesterday, and just… sat.  I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve done that.  No laptop… nothing to write with… I just sat and looked around for about 10 minutes.  Then the humidity drove me away, but hey, at least I did it!

Reflections can happen at the oddest times, like when you log in to your blog to think about what to write for that day.

Whenever you log in to a WordPress powered blog, you see the main Dashboard page, and one of the things it shows you is posts you did on that same date in past years. Well, a year ago today I was in Seattle, WA (and writing thoughts about the city that did not please all of my readers) for the SummerMash event hosted by Mashable, and that made me think a lot about the past twelve months.

First off, I guess I have never made this overwhelmingly clear due to the number of emails I still get about it every week, but I’m no longer at Mashable.  I searched my archives and see that I only made one very tiny mention of it in a post, but I have left Mashable effective April 1st of this year.

I wasn’t fired, and I didn’t exactly quit, Pete Cashmore, the owner of the company, and I kind of reached an amicable understanding that we weren’t perfectly matched any more.  I had been hired to do list posts (you can still see the archive of my work), and after having done around 400 of them, I was feeling very burned out on them as they are extremely mind numbing work, and Pete felt we had pretty much played out the category due to the speed with which I had worked through the available list subjects.  He did offer my the chance to stay on with the company after I expressed my desire to just make a break of it, but I needed a change of scenery.  So, no hard feelings on either side, we just weren’t in the same places work wise any more.

So, I walked out of Mashable, and… had another job doing lists at SitePoint within a day or two.  Yes, I am still doing lists because I seem to have the ability to withstand doing them.   I have no clue why, but I seem to be one of the few people in the tech blogging industry that can take the grind of doing them, and believe me, they are a grind.  As SitePoint is far more technical in nature, the lists are extremely different from what I was doing at Mashable, and due to the amount of research I need to do for each one, I only have to do one a week compared to the four a week I had been doing previously.

I also went back to BLORGE.com whom I had worked with previous to signing my exclusive contract with Mashable.  I had been told I had an open invitation to return, and sure enough I dropped them an email saying I was available again, and I was back with them in the very first reply.  While they have shuffled me around a bit as they try to rearrange their writers, I seem to have settled in to seven posts a week at Tech.BLORGE.com and two posts a week at Photo.BLORGE.com.  I am also doing some lists for them (what can I say, I got it, I flaunt it), but they are at a pace of my choosing, so there is no pressure on doing them.

You can also find me here on this site every day, and every day at StarterTech.com.  I am starting a couple of more blogs (announcements very soon, and they are actually up and in “testing mode” at the moment), my work with The Cynical Bastards and I just applied for another blog that I won’t name as I doubt I will get the job, but boy do I want it as I read it every day.

So, yes, a year ago I really didn’t see myself leaving Mashable, but it really was the best option for both parties when the time came up to renew my contract.  And I know this seems like a lot of work I’m doing, but I think I’ve got juggling down to an art now… although I do have to occasionally look up at my white board where I write my schedule and go, “Who in the hell am I blogging for today?!?”, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I like changing up what I’m writing each day, hopping around keeps me a bit more fresh I feel than doing lists and only lists, so I think I’ve found a good balance now of lists and regular articles.

Now, lets see where I am a year from now…

Yes, my hometown got hit by a tornado tonight, and, yes, my family and I are fine.

About 5:45 PM my grandmother called our business office to alert us tornados were in the area.  As our house is only a few hundred feet away I orderd mom and dad to head home and get the themselves and the dogs to the basement.  I opted to stay at the office to shut down computers and I would join them in a few minutes.

I admit I took my time as we get tornado reports every year, but they usually end up being nothing, but as I stepped outside the rain had stopped and so had the wind.  The air was completely still.  For those of you who live near tornadoes, you know this means you really have one coming.  As I had gone to the gym today, I had my car with me, so I hopped in it and probably broke a land speed record getting down to the house.  Mom was in the doorway waiting to see if I was coming and I just yelled for her to go now, there probably wasn’t much time.

We did get all the dogs and ourselves down to the basement and then started listening on the radio for reports.  There was a total of four funnel clouds in our county, two of those were within striking distance of Kirksville.  The one that concerned me was the one coming east at 30 mph from Novinger, MO which, if you go in a straight line, would bring it awfully close to my house.  It veered someone what to the North and ended up touching down a few miles north of us.

There are conflicting reports if there were any fatalities, but for sure some homes were destroyed, and a car dealership is beat up pretty badly with cars overturned and the building’s windows blown out.

Here is the official press release from the city:

(Kirksville, MO)  — The E911 Dispatch Center has received reports of four tornados that touched down in Adair County this evening.  Two of these cells were located near Novinger and were reported at approximately 5:48 pm.  An additional tornado was reported in Kirksville at approximately 6:00 pm.  The Fourth tornado was reported in the Troy Mills area.

The tornado in Kirksville touched down in the general area of Industrial Road and continued through Jim Robertson’s and to the general area of Bobwhite Drive.  There have been numerous reports of substantial damage in the immediate area of this storm path.  At this time, The City of Kirksville has not received any reports of fatalities and an few reports of minor injuries associated with this storm.

The Local Emergency Planning Commission activated the Emergency Operation Center at approximately 6:15 pm. All emergency personnel that have been called into service should report to the Department of Public Safety at Truman State University, Franklin Street.

Highway 63/Baltimore has been closed from the intersection of Baltimore and Highway 6 West to Highway T.  The public is advised to stay clear of the area.  There are power lines down and emergency personnel are on-site.

The only noticeable damage for us was when I returned to the warehouse to record CobWEBs tonight, my desktop wouldn’t boot. After talking with Dell, it seems static built up in my system and we got it working again in under a half hour.

Unfortunately, others in Kirksville were not as lucky.

UPDATE: This post is getting far more traffic than I anticipated as people are looking for updates on what happened. For actual news I suggest you check KTVO TV 3 and the Kirksville Daily Express for all of the latest local coverage.

Update 2: At least two people out in the area of Jim Robertson’s Chevrolet (see flipped car pic above) were killed.  No names have been released at this time.

Update 3: I’ve made a post filled with videos of the Kirksville tornado and its aftermath.