Strangest Dream I've Ever Had

Yesterday I had the strangest dream I've ever had. It started normally enough - I had to fly back to Memphis from Los Angeles. At the airport I got my tickets and I noticed that I was going through Moscow, Russia. I thought it was a strange layover, but I was willing to go along with it. In Moscow, I was kidnapped and taken to a soviet community!

There was a group of us, and a man known only as "the General" was our overseer. We weren't mistreated at all, and it was explained to us that we were exposed to a Russian ray of some type, and any metal in our bodies had been converted to something else that was top-secret. (I have dental implants, which  were apparently enough to land me in the settlement.)

In our cell / room, there were two aquariums, one of which had a large snapping turtle. I remember being very concerned because the snapping turtle would eat the smaller fish. Allusion of some type?

Years passed, and over time we were allowed into the community. It was a small, communal farming committee with a general store and farmer's market. We weren't fully integrated into the society, but we weren't excluded either. Still, the need to get home was there.

At one point we tried crawling through the air conduits, and there we met a woman who seemed to know information. She told us that everyone there was with the Russian military - the farmers, the shop workers, etc. Also, the General wasn't a general at all, but a colonel. She came with us back to our room, and there she  shot the General right in the face. As we escaped, the CIA rolled in and took us home.

The end.

Two more pounds!

In the past week, I've lost another two pounds! Sure, some of that was whiskers, but it's amazing to see what working the program does for me. :)

Uggg

Been too long since I've posted. I've been lazy with my blog. I dunno.

Things are going ok. I'm back truly working a Weight Watchers program. So far, so good. I want to see my weight start with "15" very badly, though. Soon and very soon, I suppose. :)

--Jimmy

Getting Back to It

So, it turns out I'm back up to 181 lbs. I re-upped my Weight Watchers membership today, and that's the number that was on the scale. I'm still not back at "obese," but a couple of bad weeks could put me there.

I acknowledge that I like to eat emotionally. It's not about the food; it's about the soothing that comes from fat and sugar. Cookie Monster and I definitely have something in common. I'll keep you posted.

--James

Sorry for no post in so long

I've been going through a lot recently. The main thing affecting me today is going through foreclosure. I'm excited about the chance to move somewhere else; I'm not so excited about giving away my pets. I'm still looking for a home for Sassafras - here's a link for more information: http://goo.gl/Rww15

Cheers,

James

Heck of a run

Just got in from a four mile jaunt. It's amazing what I can do when I'm not obese! :)

Seriously, though, it was a great run - almost two miles on the greenline, and the others on city streets. Who could ask for anything more?

--James

So...hungry...

I remember when I first started Weight Watchers back in January, for the first two weeks, around this time (4-ish in the afternoon), I always felt SO HUNGRY. It wore off...in time. I guess I just have to wait until my belly shrinks again.

--James

Joggin'

I did it - for the first time since I severely sprained my knee (grade II MCL, grade I ACL and bruised PCL) on January 20th, I went for a jog. I did about 2.25 miles in about 25 minutes - certainly nothing to set the world on fire, but a good thing for today.

--James

It's a wonder the difference that sticking to a diet makes

Quick update - stuck to Weight Watchers last week & lost four lbs!

The Pres

Caffeine

Caffeine - What is a Safe Amount of Caffeine

I think I'm hitting 2.5 to 3 times more than the "safe" limit proposed by this website.

Revision history of Hot Hot Heat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Revision history of Hot Hot Heat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a big day - I made my first ever edit on a Wikipedia page. (That burned two or three calories, right?????)

169 Pounds

The scale this morning read 169 pounds. That's as much as I weighed in the second week of March, and a gain of ~4.5 pounds in the last month! I've really gotten away from a healthful diet in the past three weeks - time to recommit to more sane eating.

--James

There was a real, live oriole in my back yard today. (No, not Cal Ripkin!) Anyway, check out this bird! (Sorry for the webcam pic....)

It hurts!

My biceps, my triceps and my abs hurt. Does that mean it's working?


---James

P90X/2, Day 2

Day two was supposed to be plyometrics*, but with my knee still on the mend, I went to a "bonus" disk and did yoga instead. I made it 20 minutes through before I collapsed, so I guess that's not too bad. Point is, I feel better than I have in a long time. It's amazing how a little activity seems to give me a BURST of energy!

--James

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plyometrics

Finally

Ok, I finally *tried* to work out. I did the first section of the first P90X workout, and I did it all 'wimpy*-style.' I made it through about half before I felt an overwhelming desire to vomit. (Perhaps a dinner that had a large component of fried okra wasn't the best choice....)

Anyway, I lived through it, definitely felt some burn, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. The phrase "half measures availed us nothing" is one that I don't think applies to this. Besides, the way I see it, the 1st 90 days are more about getting me to a place where I can do the real workout for the 2nd 90 days!

Cheers,

James

*Wimpy:

Shame!

I've not posted in a week because I've not DONE anything in a week. The biggest workout I've had was "raking leaves," and that barely counts. :P

---James

Moobs

This morning as I dressed, I discovered that the shirt I intended to wear didn't smell very fresh. I grabbed a shirt out of my closet that I'd ironed last autumn but couldn't wear because it showed off my moobs (aka man-boobs). However, when I put it on today, it fit, and that was a very good thing! (See the pic below - sorry for the weird colors. *shrug*)

On the other hand, I've still not started working out. I know that the sooner I start, the sooner I'll start to feel better. :P

---James

Satan Inspired Me to Eat Chips and Candy

Weigh-in this week: 166.6 pounds. It's funny - I can feel that in my clothes. Things like this are reminders of why I choose to stick to a diet, and the 'consequences' when I don't.

Also, I've ordered the P90X program, but I've not even opened the box. Someone called me out on that, and he also pointed out that, y'know, I'm using this blog as a source of motivation. So, I'm getting honest with my blog - I've still not opened the box.

Lastly, some people think I'm being too hard on myself on here. I don't think that's the case necessarily. I know I've posted some negative comments about myself, but I think they're more objective than emotive. My mental state is actually ok right now; I won't claim that mood disorders aren't something I deal with, but I feel stable and secure overall.

Cheers,

James

Thinking of My Mother

Yesterday, I taught my mother how to get to this blog. Today, I saw this post and it reminded me of her:
http://notalwaysright.com/plight-of-the-navigator/10940

Love you, Mom!

--James

It's SO nice outside, and I want to go for a jog. Too bad my knee isn't up for it yet. Hopefully it'll be ready in two or three more weeks like the doc said. *sigh*
---James

73-Year-Old Woman With a 20-Year-Old Body | The Stir

73-Year-Old Woman With a 20-Year-Old Body | The Stir

Just a reminder that it's never too late in life to work out. However, I'd rather get in shape now and stay that way instead of just starting it 30 years from now!

Wow - talk about being inactive!

Ok, ok, I know I can be lazy at times, but a story like this puts in perspective for me: http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/03/31/morbidly-obese-man-found-fused-to-chair-he-sat-in-for-two-years-dies/

Still, I want to look and feel better.

--James

Pull Up Bar

My pull-up bar arrived yesterday from WalMart.com. I'm gonna get buff...or something.

Too Much Caffeine in my Bloodstream

I'm completely and totally caffeine addicted again. It's one of those darn paradoxes - I feel better when I'm off caffeine, but it's such an easy fix when I feel sleepy. There's always tomorrow, right?

--James

PS - The title comes from one of my favorite Smiths songs. Check out http://www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~moz/lyrics/strangew/arushand.htm

Resisting the urge

My Weight Watchers weigh-in day is Tuesday, so my weekly floating points reset. (With Weight Watchers, one gets an assigned target per day and also gets a number of points throughout the week to use as one chooses. Additional weekly points can be earned through exercise.) The past several weeks, I've blown all my weekly points by the end of Wednesday or Thursday. I imagine I'd feel better about myself if I approach this week differently.

--James

Weight Watchers Points

I put in my revised weight on the Weight Watchers website today, and it gave me a new points plus target. I always have mixed feelings when that happens - part of me thinks, "Those mean people are making me eat EVEN LESS!" And then I remember, "I'm *choosing* to eat less because being fat sucks."

Photographs. Here's where I am today.

Frontal view

Is this a bicep? I'd like to pretend that it is.

Side view

What I'm doing here

So, I recently cancelled my Facebook account, but I wanted to keep up with the world. More accurately, I want the world to to keep up with me. Haha!

A big thing I want to do is post my weight loss & physical transformation online, hence the title of this blog. On January 4th of this year, I had a BMI of 30.2, officially obese. As of March 28th, my BMI is 26.7, or overweight by about 10 pounds. (Note - BMI data is from http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)

--James