Courtesy of ShutterMoth

Here we are.  Another year has gone by and I still have the same top priority resolution on my list, losing weight.  Last year I managed to end the year losing about 20 pounds, but I fell short of my goal to lose 45 pounds.  At one point I was only 15 pounds away from my goal, but I fell off the wagon and gained some back.

Failing is really rough on me.  With everything else in my life, I’ve been able to do what I’ve put my mind to.  Why is losing weight so different?  I wish I knew; I suppose I’d be a rich man if I did.  All I can do is keep trying.  Eventually something has to stick, right?

Last year wasn’t a total failure.  I did manage to lose some weight.  I was doing good for the first 3/4 of the year.  After that I stopped exercising and let my diet go a little bit.  I didn’t fall all the way into my old terrible eating habits, but I did slack a bit.  The lesson for me there is that I have to stay diligent.  I’ve come to accept that this is going to be a life long struggle for me.  My father was overweight and never got a hold of his problem.  He died at the age of 41.  I can’t let that become my fate.

Here’s to a new year and a new struggle.  I wish the best to you and yours.  Stay tuned, this just may be the year when I reach my goal.  You wouldn’t want to miss that, now would you?

Start Fresh for 2009

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and became well rested for 2009 over the holiday break.  I haven’t put much thought into providing much original content, but I thought I would provide a couple of good posts from other blogs I have seen over the break that really seem to have gotten me excited about starting the new year fresh!

1. Zen Habits: How to Press the Reset Button On Your Life

The New Year is an exciting time. It symbolized transformation and starting new. It’s a time when you can let go of the old, shed your past and begin again.

2. Being Healthy for Busy People: Achieving Your New Year’s Resolution

Make sub-goals: Sometimes the main goal can feel so overwhelming that it becomes hard to achieve.  So, break your goal into smaller components.

And since the season of giving was just a week ago and you might have received have a little bit of holiday money, here are a few ways to invest in yourself for the new year:

1. Give or get a subscription to Men’s/Women’s Health Magazine (~$20).
2. Buy winter workout clothes.  Don’t use the weather as an excuse to be lazy.
3. Use it towards the first few months of a gym/health club membership OR
4. Invest in a cheap home gym or some workout DVDs.
5. Buy an iPod.  You can use this to listen to music while you workout or start listening to some of the great fitness podcasts that are out there.
6. Or you could be like me and buy a new flat screen TV so I can practice my Shimmy… I loves me some Shimmy.

The most important thing to remember for the New Year is that it is not too late to start getting back into shape.  Just because losing weight has been your resolution for the last three years and you have yet to meet your goals does not mean that you shouldn’t set the goal this year as well.  At some point, it is going to click and everything will work.  So just remember to keep with your goals and use this time to start fresh.

Photo courtesy of Shelley & Dave

A few months ago, Josh posted an article about the cost of healthy eating.  He points to a study from the American Dietetic Association that shows the cost per kilocalorie of “healthy” foods, such as fresh vegetables, fruit, and grains, was over ten times more expensive than “junk” foods, such as crackers and chips.  The difference was still growing at the end of the study, which doesn’t look promising for the cost differential today.  This really got me thinking about the difficulty of maintaining a healthy lifestyle for a family who is trying to live on a moderate or reduced budget due to the economic times.  When you are worried about paying the rent or the mortgage, trying to get out of debt, or saving up that emergency fund, cheap frozen pizzas or the fast food dollar menu really allow you to save some bucks.  But overtime, this lifestyle really starts affecting your health, which could lead to costly medical bills in the future or even the inability to go to work.  It really comes back to bite you in the end.  What is the solution to this dilemma?

Start your own garden.  (Well, this is not really the full solution, just something I thought would help) The idea of starting a garden from scratch is probably intimidating to most people.  It is to me.  But I started thinking about all of the benefits of creating your own garden:

1. Cost - I started researching what it takes to start and maintain a garden, and the results really surprised me. I found a blog called GetRichSlowly that is featuring a series called the GRS Gardening Project.  For this project, they are measuring the cost, time, and rewards of building a garden from scratch.  Within the first six months, the estimated spending a total of $318.43 on seeds, fertilizer, and water thorugh the first six months.  They are on their currently on the 11th month and have estimated $606.97 worth of food has been harvested from their garden.  This means that they actually saved money by not having to buy food, and this happened during their first year of gardening.

2. Nutrition - We all know that the food typically grown in gardens is healthy.  I won’t beat the dead horse that leafy greens and bell peppers are healthier than a Waffle House Double Texas Cheese Steak Plate.  We all also know that the fresher food, the more the nutrients will be preserved.   But one of the things you might not think about when you start your own garden is that you are in control.  You control what soil, fertilizer, and pesticides are used.  You control the quality of the seeds and the time when you harvest.  These are all key factors in the nutrition benefits of freshly grown foods.

3. Fitness - The Garden Fitness Plan on GardenFitness.com said it best:

Research shows that gardening for 30-45 minutes most days of the week has significant health benefits, such as decreasing the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as contributing to healthier bones, muscles and joints. Elements of gardening such as digging, weeding, trimming shrubs and mowing the lawn can require the same energy requirements as other physical exercise activities such as walking, cycling, swimming and aerobics.

I thoroughly suggest checking out all of the information on GardenFitness.com.  It is a great resource.

4. General Physical and Emotional Health - Along with the nutritional and fitness benefits there are other health benefits as well:

• The time spent in the garden and in the sun will give your body its daily source of Vitamin D.
• The time spent gardening can  give you a nice silent moment to reflect on your day, think about a problem, or just clear your head.
• Seeing the garden through, from planning to completion,  provides you with a sense of accomplishment.
• The fact that you are experiencing the natural process of life: new life, nurturing, growth, decay, re-birth, brings you closer to the Earth and that always is a peaceful feeling.

5. Family and Education - Gardening can also be turned into a great way to connect with your family.  It allows you to spend time with your wife and kids away from the TV or the Internet.  It provides a break from the normal hustle and bustle of family life.  It is also a great educational tool for children; from concrete things like science and  nutrition, to less concrete topics like patience, persistence, and the value of hard work.

I plan on starting my own garden next year.  I have never been an outdoorsy type of person, but I am so excited about this idea.  I plan on keeping everyone informed on the progress and provide tips where they apply.  I’ll probably do my own version of the GRS project to add another data point to the cost and time metrics.  If you are interested in starting a garden with me, please drop a comment or send me a tweet.  Remember:  Have fun and stay active!

November Weight Gain

Yup, there it is, a 6 pound weight gain.  My goals fromt his month are to just make better decisions and get back below 270.  I’ve been dreading reporting this.  Knowing that I’m going to have to report this to the world is plenty of motivation to not fall off the wagon completely.

Gobble Gobble, damn it.

October Weight Loss Update

Losing weight is going to be hard these last 2 months.  It’s getting colder, and I really won’t feel like running in the freezing temperatures.  I’m going to give it a go though because losing weight is all about momentum.  I’m sure the holidays won’t do much to help, but I can be good on the non holiday days.  I need to finish this year strong!

Photo courtesy of dotbenjamin

Losing weight is a mental challenge.  I think that goes without saying.  There are a lot of things to overcome mentally not only initially, but in progress, and I’ll go ahead and assume at finish as well (I’m not there yet so I don’t know this one for sure.  I’ll let you know when I get there.).  Initially we must overcome our old habits and make motion towards change.  Once we’ve established good habits, then we’re done right?  Objects in motion stay in motion; so they say.

All of this babble from me is really just a precursor to what I’m feeling now.  I thought that once I got going in the right direction that was it.  Obviously I have to keep on keeping on, but once the foundation was laid, I had the assumption that it would be easy for me.  I would start getting thinner and that would keep me motivated.  If the scale was moving the right direction then I would remain happy.

That’s mostly true, but I just stumbled upon a feeling that is very hard to believe.  I’m in the middle.  Let me tell you, the middle is a sucky place to be.  I haven’t plateaued yet, so that’s not the problem.  I’m just half way.  The middle is awkward because you aren’t as fat as you were, but you’re not as skinny as you should be.  Stuff just doesn’t look or feel right. “Stuff” is a very broad word here on purpose.

“Stuff” is physical.  My body doesn’t look anything like it should.  Thirty pounds ago I was round.  Obviously I was less healthy, but I felt proportional.  Now I’ve lost a lot of weight in a few places and very little in others.  I feel out of balance.  My body is saggy and now it’s painfully obvious where I need to go with this.  If you think weight loss is going to happen uniformly, then I have some bad news for you. At this point I consider myself awkwardly fat.

“Stuff” is, well, stuff.  All of that get projected outwards in how clothes fit.  I need to buy clothes because my old ones are too big.  My friends will know how much pain that causes me because of how cheap I am.  So I head out to buy new clothes only to find out that they don’t fit worth a damn either.  What gives?  Apparently that out of balance feeling I mentioned above is real.  Right now I’m not in what most would consider normal dimensions.  Great.  I’m awkwardly sized because I’m awkwardly fat.

“Stuff” is mental.  In my head it’s a scary place.  Seriously.  All of this weight loss business is very emotional.  There are cravings to fight.  There are fears to overcome.  There are activities to find to replace food.  It’s all very weird.  Even worse is that no 2 people experience the same two feelings.  What works mentally for one person won’t always work for another.  Our tickers all tick differently.  I feel awkward because I’m awkwardly fat.

The middle just means that I’m halfway and that I have to do what I just did all over again.  I know that where I’m heading is better in the long run.  The only problem is that right now, at this very instant, I just want to feel normal.  I don’t like this awkward feeling one bit.

Weight Loss Graph

I’m worried about that last bit of weight loss.  Obviously it’s stress related, and I really just feel weak now. I’m guessing that wasn’t exactly healthy.  Maybe I can make it stick.

Last month ended at 269.2 lbs.  This month ended at 265.8 which is only a loss of 3.4 lbs.  It’s not what I wanted and I can only blame myself.  This month I can do better, so I’m going to shoot for losing 4 lbs.  Wish me luck.  I have a vacation coming up, and I’m not sure how that is going to affect the weight loss.

Photo courtesy of Ed Yourdon

The scariest thing for me so far while running has been car traffic.  Part of my route around the house is on a narrow two-lane with no shoulder.  More often than not, people will move over into the other lane to give me some space or will slow down as they drive by.  Some nice people will even stop and wait if traffic is coming from the other direction.

Yesterday I had 2 cars whiz by me in this narrow area.  This bothers me in a major way.  I mean, I’m out here trying to be healthy.  I sure can’t do that if I get jacked by a car.  We all have to share the road.  Everyone has to be considerate of those around us.  So, if you happen to see a runner out on the road please slow down and take caution.

I’m back into running and I kicked it off by getting ready for a local 5K.  One of the tools I’ve been using lately are the mixes from DJ Beatsmith, Podrunner: Intervals.

There are 3 different sets of mp3 files for your consumption: 5K, 8K, and 10K.  Each set builds upon the previous and gradually works you up to running the full distance non-stop.  The 5K complements the very popular Couch to 5K program.  Each set contains a collection of mp3 files to progress you through the weeks of training.

I’m really enjoying training with these mixes because they do a few things in my brain.  First, they have a good beat per minute (bpm) that helps keep pace for the distance you are training for.  Second, the techo music is very trance like for me.  It’s very easy for my mind to slip into oblivion and forget what I’m doing and what is happening in the world around me.

I’m not a techo guy at all.  You wouldn’t catch me listening to this stuff for entertainment.  I’m very much a hard rock fellow, so please don’t knock it before you try it.  All you have to do is forget everything you know for a little bit and run to the beat.  There are audio queues in the mix to let you know when to slow down and when to speed up.  The bpm will change after the audio queue to keep you on track.  It’s that easy!

My Pick: Being Healthy for Busy People

(Review based on Episode 9)

This podcast rocked!  I had to listen at this podcast just for the title; try to find geek that isn’t busy (and I do consider playing Lord of the Rings Online “busy work”).  The funny thing was, the episode I listened to wasn’t even about being busy.  It was about the health benefits (and decrements) of tea, coffee, and Venti Carmel Mochas with extra whip cream.  This really hit close to home since I am a café junkie.   The information provided was detailed and very well researched.   Yet it remained very concise, understandable, and helpful.  But most importantly, this one little 20 minute show actually motivated me to start changing one of my habits by providing me with all the facts and options I need to know to do so.  I was so impressed by Episode 9 that I downloaded and listened to all of the episodes.  This podcast seems really seemed to hit all the high points for me and I strongly suggest it for everyone else.

Other Reviews This Month:

Motivation to Move (Review based on Episode 161)

I enjoyed this podcast.   It was light, upbeat, and knowledgeable.  They sure have been doing it for a while, seeing that they are on episode 161.  The length is good: only 30 minutes.  Long enough to have in depth topics, but short enough to listen to on the commute to work or walk to the store.  The website seems to have a big community as well.  It did, however, have some cheesy, “self-help” style music playing in the background.  That always drives me nuts.  This was a good podcast, but it wasn’t great.  If you are dedicated to fitness podcasts or have a lot of time, I say listen away because this was a good show.  I personally have plenty of other podcasts on my play list that I would listen to first, and this one would probably fall into the “Mark as not new” category.  I do plan to listen to a few more episodes, and I’ll let you know if I have a change of heart.

Nutrition Diva’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating Well and Feeling Fabulous (Review based on Episode 7)

I love the whole Quick and Dirty Tips line of podcasts.  I think they have the perfect format for a podcast.  They all take one topic or user question a week and provides a 5-7 minute tip.  The Nutrition Diva is one of their more recent additions to the lineup.  The host seems knowledgeable and professional.  The episode I listened to wasn’t necessarily the best podcast I have ever heard, but, hey, it only took 5 minutes out of my day (and those were just audible minutes)!  Even though this specific episode wasn’t anything special, I am biased to the overall quality of QaDT productions, so I have added this to my subscriptions.  Hopefully I’ll have better things to say in the future.

And that’s it for Septembers reviews.  If you have agree or disagree with anything I have said, please leave some comments.  Also tell me if you have any other podcasts that you enjoy.  Next month, I plan to look at podcasts featuring workout music, which should be fun since I really don’t like electronica, and that is what all fitness music podcasts play.  Have a great week and remember to stay active!