Man, I love Aldi. If you're not familiar with them, they are a chain of grocery stores from Europe (I know they are big in Germany) that's making some headway in the states. It's much less expensive, and while you may not get the variety of brands that the other grocers have, I have yet to be disappointed in the quality of the products purchased there, aside from some apples. As apples are a fruit, and it's more than likely that they went wonky after I bought them, I'm giving them a pass on that.

Anyway, their Fit & Active line is very similar to the Weight Watchers brand in may respects. Package design, size, and most importantly, taste. Where the difference is, is the price. They are a lot cheaper then the WW brand.

I'm going to mention an awful lot of Fit & Active food here in the blog, because I'm eating a lot of it.

Anyway, today's is the Fit & Active Sesame Chicken frozen meal. If you're watching your WW points like me, it is a kind of steep 8 pointer, but there's noodles in in so you can't really argue. It's pretty filing, and the sauce is quite tasty.

The chicken is breaded and are pretty much nuggets, if we're going to call it like it is. I couldn't tell if they were baked or fried, although my guess is probably fried. There were five or six pretty good sized pieces in there.

All in all I gotta give it a solid B+

Week 52- 235.1 A somewhat heavy post.

Starting weight: 264.2
Weight last week: 236.9
Current weight: 235.1
Lost this week: 1.8
Total lost to date: 29.1

Goal for this week: 2 pounds

Goal Weight: 180

Weight remaining to lose: 55.1

Happy Birthday!

Not to me, but to the Sporty By Forty Initiative! Almost thirty pounds. Considering it wasn't until very recently that I got very serious about this, that's not too shabby. It's hard to belive it's been a mere 12 months since I started this blog and an even shorter time since I really decided that enough was enough, thanks to my wife convincing me to rejoin Weight Watchers. Week 52, and while I had much larger aspirations than to have lost only 29.1 pounds by now, lets face it I had a hell of a year.* Let's see, cancer scare in the family, awaiting MRI results (both of which turned out to not be life threatening, thank God), my Mother's dying and my Father-In-Law having a stroke. Oh, I neglected to mention that he also broke his heel recently.

If I were you, I wouldn't stand too close. I hear we're having thunderstorms later. :)

I take long walks in the evening, and on occasions where I am not listening to my MP3 player, I let my mind wander. This can be pleasant as I am sometimes reminded of a friend I haven't spoken to in a long time, or maybe I just try and organize my addled brain. Sometimes I think about what I'll have for lunch tomorrow, or maybe about the blog. Yes, I think about this seemingly ramshackle collection of thoughts and words, believe it or not.

Not all of the posts, mind you...

Yes, sometimes it's best to let one's mind loose and just run with things. Gave me a nice line to a song the other day, not that I do a lot of songwriting these days, but it's nice to have some material in the bank.

Frequently, as of late, I am faced with thoughts of mortality. Not in the sense that I'm looking to punch my own ticket or anything, far from it. In fact, I am trying to figure out how to stay on the ride for as long as possible, and to have the highst quality time as well. Now, it may be beacuse I am actively trying to do something to get myself in shape that this comes up. I frequently find myself thinking "I should have started earlier. I should have listened to people who told me what I was doing to myself." The one question that my mind keeps turning back to is "Am I doing it in time to make a difference?"

When I stood next to my Mom's bed in Hospice and I watched her sleep I was struck my the awful finality of it all. She'd never see or hold her only Grandson again. She'd never tell my wife amazing stories that after 30-odd years she never even told me. She'd never get mad again when she'd ask us what we wanted for Christmas and we couldn't come up with a boatload of stuff. She'd never go outside and see the stars again. That really set me off, I don't know why. She'd said she had a nice view from her hospital room, and I was grateful for it, but God, those nights I was in Florida, staringup into the night sky, those stars were just brilliant. Maybe it's a little selfish, but she'll never get a chance to see me reach my goal.

I said to my wife before she got really bad, when she fractured her hip, initially that "I'm very scared that I will never see my Mom healthy again." I never knew how prophetic I was being. The next (and indeed, last) time I saw her was in a hospital bed, hooked up to oxygen, bruises up and down her arms from IVs and blood samples. I can still see her like that.

She told me I looked good, I told her they were giving her good drugs aparently. She laughed. She had said to me "If I have cancer, well, I smoked for fifty years, so I can't be suprised." I thought that was a pretty astounding attitude. When I was at a loss for words, she actually said "I'll tell you what, this sucks." I never heard he use that word before.

When I left to catch my plane I said to her "Mom, I'm sorry, I have to go..." and kissed her goodbye. "I'll try and come back and see you again soon." She looked up at me and said "Don't worry. "I'll be here."

Needless to say, she died soon after that. She got robbed, we all did.

So, knowing full well what I have been doing to myself with years of laziness and a shitty diet, I have to ask myself "Am I making these changes in time? Is it enough?" I sure as hell hope so, because I want to be here for as long as I can, Lord willng and the creek don't rise, as they say.

Sorry if I bummed anyone out today, if I did, I'm really sorry. I am happy that I have lost what I have so far and I'll be damned if I am going to let food get the better of me again.

If you read this regulary, thanks. I appreciate the support.

If you're reading this and wondering how you can possibly go to a gym, or run a 5K or ever be rid of the extra weight, just trust me when I say you can. It's not quick, it sure as hell isn't easy, but you can do it. Baby steps. Maybe you can't walk a mile. Walk around the block, walk at the mall (just bring a bottle of water and no cash for the food court!) but you can do it.

This whole thing isn't about falling down, it's about how you get back up again.



Fluff Department:

Oh, so I had to drop my kid off to school today, so I walked him down to his classroom and we passed a gym class getting ready to play dodgeball. On the way back, I saw the class playing. There was the expected general mayhem of dodgeball sure. This was different, however. The kids were arching the balls in the air towards the other team instead of straight on trying to bean the others. It's possible they were trying to score baskets as well, although they may have been a byproduct of the attack being more trajectory based then straight on chucking at your opponents. There were three kids in the front of each team with a pole that looked like half of one of those American Gladiators joust-type thingamabobs. They were swatting the balls back at the throwers. It was a whole new wrinkle. Balls arcing into the air, kids running, the squeak of sneakers on the gym floor. Honestly, it looked a lot more hectic than your old-school game of dodgeball. I stood and watched for a moment, but not too long because who wants to be the creepy guy watching the 5th graders have gym, right? All I can say is it looked like a heck of a lot of fun.





* I know, excuses, excuses.

Hey, Monday! Go to hell, go directly to hell.

So last night the outlet in the bathroom goes out. I'm freaked out a little because, quite frankly, the though of electrical fires freak me the hell out. So I was nervous and up until about 2:30 this morning so keyed up I couldn't sleep. So I slept badly all night, because my subconcious of course believes we are going to all catch fire and that we're going to die a firely death.*

So, I go out to get paper towels and garbage bags this morning and my neighbor is in an expensive suit, rooting in the dumpster. He thinks he dropped his keys in it. I have no clue as to where my grabber is so I can't help him.

Traffic is rife with comoplete assholes the whole way down to work. It's like people are determined to get my goat, right?

Then, I get to work and go to make a cup of tea. Ah, tea, how I love you. I drink a lot of tea. I have nearly cut off coffee completely, except in the direst of cases!

My tea recipie is:
1 Red Rose tea bag
3 Splenda
1 dash of lime juice

Yep. Lime. You like lemon in your tea? Try lime, it's a kick!

Anyway, I go to the fridge and realize someone has thrown out or taken the whole goddamn bottle of lime juice.

Seriously? I don't know why people can't leave other people's stuff alone. Keep you fucking mitts off what's not yours.

I have very few simple pleasures in my life and a nice cup of tea is one I really enjoy.

I'm not having a good day, and this didn't help.

My day has barely started and I am ready to scream.




* I am aware I am being over dramatic. Sue me.

Kids say the darrndest things. Also, I went running again, holy crap!

The other day when I was walking an got caught in the rain, I walked by a bunch of parents and kids waiting for the bus stop. My neighbor’s kid sees me all wet and goes “Look at this guy workin’ up a sweat!”
Everybody’s a comedian! :)

I actually ran halfway to CVS last night. That’s pretty damn good. Mind you I was dying at the end of the run, but still it wasn’t too bad.


Someone pointed out to me today that I have lost 10% of my body weight! I hadn’t thought of that! I know I have a long way to go still but I tell you what, I already feel fantastic.

And *this* is why we're fat, America.

Janet comes through again, with some mighty ugly facts. Thanks, Janet! You’re a peach!*

Yeah, yeah, fast food is bad for you. We all know it, and we all still eat it from time to time. For some of us that means from when we get up, and when we go to bed. However, eating at a regular resturaunt, or as I like to call them “knife and fork joints” should be better for you overall, right.

Riiiiiight.

Take a gander, loyal readers.
Xtreme Eating Awards go to restaurants' diet saboteurs

Let’s look at just what I would eat, for example:

•Chili's Big Mouth Bites, four bacon cheeseburgers with sides of fries, onion strings and jalapeno ranch dipping sauce. The tally: 2,350 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat, 3,940 milligrams of sodium.
Ok, so I’d skip the cheese, and probably mayo as well. So what, maybe 2200 calories? Jesus, that absolutely criminal. I’m willing to make a bet that 4 White castles, fries and onion rings is better for you than this. I mean, not by a hell of a lot, but better!


•The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken and Biscuits, a chicken breast served over mashed potatoes with shortcake biscuits, mushrooms, peas and carrots and covered with country gravy. Total: 2,500 calories. It's almost equal to eating a KFC 8-piece Original Recipe bucket plus five biscuits, which has 2,380 calories and 56 grams of fat.
Really, I could do without the mushrooms, but this sounds pretty good. Chicken, potatoes, some veggies, how bad could it be, right? Sweet Fancy Moses, I think I’d rather have the KFC option and suffer the inevitable gastric distress for the next two days.


"It's as if restaurants are on a mission to make bad food even worse," says Jayne Hurley, a CSPI nutritionist. Fifteen years ago, restaurants entrees or appetizers might top out at 1,000 calories, and now we are finding in them in the 2,000 calories range."


This makes a lot of sense. If you keep the fat people eating there fat, they will come back for more of your Godzilla-sized portions. Both for “value” and because they are fat, they need to eat a lot more to feel satisfied. A win/win for Café Feedbag, a lose/lose**. You don’t need the healthy, picky customers. It’s nice to get them, but like everything else you serve, it’s mostly gravy.

Think about it. If John Q. Chubbington and Mrs. Chubbington take their round little brood out to eat, they want as much bang for their buck as possible, especially in this economy. So, you load up their plate with a pile of food, at least two sensible meals worth, and you feel stupefyingly full after you leave (because you had a 2,000 calorie meal, 700 calories of appetizer and like a thousand more calories of desert) so you think you got a good deal. Menwhile you have to roll out to the lot to get to the Minivan.

I like to eat out, but seldom do anymore. It’s one of the reasons I am in the shape I am today (bad/round, whatever, you pick, they both apply) and having cut that out I can see a difference.

I ate at Ruby Tuesday in Florida a couple months back. I like that place because I can have salad, and remain reasonably healthy with my choice***. I also got the lunch version of the Mini Burgers. That’s two little burger and some fries. There are times, kids, where I would go to lunch with a friend and she’d get two made like she likes ‘em and two made like I like ‘em and sure as a duck quacks, I’d end up eating six of the goddamn things!

But, hey, they are good, right? I’ll tell you what, though, they are salty as hell now that I am not eating stuff like them all the time. Urgh! It’s astounding how much food tastes different after your taste buds adjust to a healthier menu.

My favorite fact about the minis is that, sure enough the “healthier choice” of Turkey minis is actually worse for you. Only in America, right?


* I can almost guarantee this will prompt an email where she asks if I meant that she has a big ass by that crack. Hee hee. I said “crack.”

** Ok, more of a “gain/gain” or a "lose/gain" prospect, but you get my meaning.

**I mean, what’s a couple of bacon bits in the grand scheme, right?



Full story below. Reprinted without permission.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-06-02-extremeeating_N.htm


Xtreme Eating Awards go to restaurants' diet saboteurs



Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat's this?By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY Some oversized appetizers, entrees and desserts at chain restaurants are nutritional train wrecks, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
On Tuesday, the Washington, D.C.-based consumer group announced its 2009 Xtreme Eating Awards. These are some of the dishes, with nutritional data attached, that the group identified as packed with calories and artery-clogging saturated fat:

•Applebee's Quesadilla Burger, a beef patty with cheddar cheese, pepper-Jack cheese, bacon, Mexi-ranch sauce, pico de gallo tucked into two white flour tortillas served with fries. It packs 1,820 calories, 46 grams of saturated fat and 4,410 milligrams of sodium. The chain suggests diners can top the dish with fries with chili and still more cheese.

•Chili's Big Mouth Bites, four bacon cheeseburgers with sides of fries, onion strings and jalapeno ranch dipping sauce. The tally: 2,350 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat, 3,940 milligrams of sodium.

•Uno Chicago Grill's Mega-Sized Deep Dish Sundae, a monster chocolate chip cookie topped with a large portion of ice cream and covered with whipped cream and chocolate sauce drizzle. It has 2,800 calories and 72 grams of saturated fat.

•Olive Garden's Tour of Italy with lasagna, lightly-breaded chicken Parmigiana and creamy chicken alfredo served in one entree for 1,450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat and 3,830 milligrams of sodium. The tally goes up if diners add breadsticks for 150 calories each and a plate of garden fresh salad with dressing for 350 calories.

•The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken and Biscuits, a chicken breast served over mashed potatoes with shortcake biscuits, mushrooms, peas and carrots and covered with country gravy. Total: 2,500 calories. It's almost equal to eating a KFC 8-piece Original Recipe bucket plus five biscuits, which has 2,380 calories and 56 grams of fat.

•The Cheesecake Factory Fried Macaroni and Cheese, crispy crumb-coated macaroni and cheese balls with a creamy marinara sauce. It equals 1,570 calories, 69 grams of saturated fat and 1,860 milligrams of sodium. You might be better off eating an entire stick of butter with 57 grams of saturated fat and 800 calories, the group says.

"It's as if restaurants are on a mission to make bad food even worse," says Jayne Hurley, a CSPI nutritionist. Fifteen years ago, restaurants entrees or appetizers might top out at 1,000 calories, and now we are finding in them in the 2,000 calories range."

Mark Mears, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for The Cheesecake Factory, says, "With over 200 items on our menu, we have literally something for everyone. We have items that are very healthy, and we have some items that are more indulgent. The portions at The Cheesecake Factory have always been generous. They are perfect for sharing and/or taking home for a second meal, which dilutes the effects of the nutritional information."

Week 51- 236.9 I'm so excited I have wet pants! (not tinkle, though...)

Starting weight: 264.2
Weight last week: 238.8
Current weight: 236.9
Lost this week: 1.9
Total lost to date: 27.3
Goal for this week: 2 pounds

Goal Weight: 180

Weight remaining to lose: 56.9



When you see a number like 56.9 it seems pretty high, doesn’t it? it’s OK to admit it, it’s kind of imposing. Then I think about only a short time ago it was 84.2 pounds. Now that is an imposing number. I mean, that’s way closer to 100 than 56.9 is to 50*.

I took a nice walk this morning and on the way back I caught one of those breezes. You know the kind, where you think “Yeah, I better get a move on, it’s gonna pour any minute, now…”

Unfortunately, “any minute” was about eleven seconds later and the heavens opened up and gave me a good soaking. It was annoying for a second, but then it was kind of fun. At least it wasn’t a cold rain. I was more concerned with my phone getting wet than my shorts or shirt.

Now, of course it’s bright and sunny. It rained for maybe 10 minutes and then was great. I picked the wrong time window I guess. Ten minutes earlier I’d have arrived home dry. Ah well, you win some and then other times, you get wet pants.











* OK, Not really, I know. It’s a matter of perspective.

It's a nice day!

Go out and walk or run or play Frisbee Golf or something. Call out sick, get your best girl, go on a hike and go neck in the woods.

Whatever, just go outside and have fun!

Just get out there and enjoy it!