Finding Nemo, again.

Motivation:

"Losers visualize the penalties of failure.
Winners visualize the rewards of success."
~Rob Gilbert

Diary:

This week has been a whirlwind of activity. Most of my week have revolved around one of two things:
1) Answering Questions
2) Meticulous planning and measuring

1) Questions I have heard this week include the following:

"What's the number?" (referring to my weight)
Answer was 284 1/2 lbs. Shortly thereafter, I received a follow-up:

"Wait a second; my records show you at #383 on 2/19/07. #284.5 on 7/19/07 indicates a #98.5 weight reduction in 5 months. % months represents approximately 150 days which would suggest you’ve lost the weight at a rate of approximately .7 pounds a day!!! Is this really the case, or have I goofed up my math."

Your math is both impeachable and impeccable.

"Where are you at?" (referring to my plan for the 5K race and weight loss counseling)
Answer was that I called the counseling headquarters and spoke my mind. I also got in touch with my original counselor, and she had some great motivations for me, and wants to be one of my cheerleaders. I am happy that I got to make this connection again. Also, I am more committed than ever to compete in the 5K race.

"How do you look so good, skinny?" (from a waitress at a local watering hole)
Answer - ignored the question. I see lots of jiggle (and giggle) in my wiggle, so in no way do I condone or answer to someone calling me "skinny".

"How do you stay motivated?" (from a father of 2 at church)
Answer this by two things: First, I have a goal that is so important to me, that I have lifted it above other personal goals. I must compete in the 5K run. I do not want to be embarrassed by my time. This is imperative. This keeps me motivated to eat right and train every day. What is happening in the mean-time is that I am learning life skills that will help me to eat right and exercise for the rest of my life.
Second, this week the following news articles appeared in the local paper. All I could think of was "that could have been me". I don't want to be a burden on society, and both of these stories reminded me that my direction was the right one.

"How did you change?" (from one of my counselors at the clinic)
Answer: I reread the entire weight loss plan, reviewed my original goals, and my "Reasons to Stay Motivated List". This list includes pictures of me at a larger size, and pictures of people who I care about and care about me. My cheerleaders and fans. I measured all my food for a week at a gram-by-gram and oz-by-oz level. Very anal, almost compulsively, but it works and I don't need to do it all the time, just every now and then. - which brings us to point 2:


2) I spent most of the week planning and measuring. It was good for the following sub-reasons:

a) redefining my dinner bowls and plates.
While measuring my food portions, I came to the realization that I had been slowly adding portion size to fill the containers I was using. My lunch is always premade (by me), so this is not a problem. In fact, my lunch is usually the same thing every day. It consists of romaine lettuce and red cabbage or celery in a "salad shaker" that holds about 2 cups of salad. I have fat free dressing in another glad container that holds about 2 oz. I have a ziplock bag that contains a slice of bread or whole grain cracker, and also take 1 fruit. Plus I have my supplements, and a snack for later in the afternoon. Lunch is always the same size, always. Dinner, however, was becoming, a little of this, a little of that, some of column A, a little dash of column B, some of this that I need to use before it spoils, etc, etc. So I wasn't measuring my portions, and since it fit in one dish, it should be ok, right?

Depends on what size the dish is. At the former "Camp Snoopy" there was a giant size Snoopy figure sitting next to his doggy dish (which was a cool kids fountain). If my dinner dish was this size, I might have filled it too....

What was my solution? I decided if my stomach and tired/lazy body wants to fill the size of the dish, then my brain will find a dish that accommodates this behavior. The answer was simple. Over a year ago, my sister and niece bought me toddler dishes for use in the case that they come over and the niece wants to use her plastic glasses plates and bowls. Since then, my sister moved to another state, and the use of these dishes has become, well, nill, nada, zero. They are "Finding Nemo" themed, along with a cute little fork and spoon with pictures of fish on them. Looking at them closer, they are just the right size for a "single portion" of food. They are probably the same size dishes that your grandmother used during the depression. Somehow, our dishes have doubled in size, and so have our eyeball judgments of the portion of meals.

So, thanks to my sister, my niece, and Pixar pictures, I am eating a little more healthy once again. These have become my standard dish ware. Another reason to take your cue from your children. Sometimes they have it right..


b) Rediscovering the Cuisinart Blender.
So, a few years ago, my mother's sister sent me a gift certificate for my birthday. I used it to get a blender, and then for 2 years it sat in the box on my kitchen counter. I thought - what am I going to use a blender for.
Then one day, I was reading an article about losing weight and slicing your vegetables using a Cuisinart Food Processor. I looked at the box, and this is what I had. It wasn't just a blender, it was a Food Processor, too. So I unpacked it and I was immediately impressed with it's POWER! it cut chop, dice, puree, mix, cut ice, had a pulse feature, and was cool looking. It sounded like a power tool. vrrrrrrmmmmmmmm... YES! very bachelor-guy muscle manly!

Then it sat on my kitchen counter (this time out of the box) for another year. I had categorized this appliance as a "processor", when in it's heart - it wanted - it needed to be a blender. It was craving to blend - really blend something!

This week I plugged it in again - after finding out I could do the following as a snack on my diet:

• 2 cups of frozen fruit (berries, peaches, melon - this is in a mixed bag, I think Dole, that I got at Sam's Club)
• 1/2 packet of orange-flavored protein powder
• 1 scoop of vanilla-flavored egg protein
• 8 oz vanilla soymilk
• 4 - 8 oz water
• blend like a mad demon until the fruit is integrated

DANG! THAT WAS QUICK, FUN, and REALLY TASTY. A new treat on a summer's eve. I had this an hour or so after a meal that contained hot jalapeño peppers and ground turkey. The cool smoothie put out the jalapeño fire that was still roaring in my gut, and having protein near the end of the day is always a good thing for me, regardless of diet or no diet. I am going to cherish this blender now - not take it for granted and leave it on the lonely shelf.


Notes:

#Exercise#

True 5K training starts next Sunday. Whew. "Are you ready skeedaddy!?", as Mad Money's Jim Cramer would say. I think I am ready. I have been doing interval training on the treadmill at work, and my legs are starting to feel ok about it. They are not feeling like lead weights when I use them. NICE!

Still need help with finding a way to train for the 5K? How about a site that will help you to discover places to run/bike/walk? Try mapmyride! Test it out and let me know how it works for you.


#Fine Art#

If you happen to be in Luck, Wisconsin on Saturday evening, the Shotgun Johnson show would be hard to beat. Best entertainment in town that night.

#Work#

At my day job, a coworker this week told me that they appreciated my work because

1. I have good energy
2. I have an attitude of "getting things done".

I think this Chazz Vader Challenge has indeed changed my attitude. Certainly my energy level has changed, but more importantly, my view about my goals and milestones have changed. "Success breeds success" is a cliche, but maybe a good one. I feel like my success in health goals has made me more interested in hitting milestones at work, with my finances, with my relationships, with my music and with other parts of my life. As I have meaningful, realistic goals that I can point to and say "I DID THAT!?!", it makes the next goal easier to determine. It takes away fear about the future, uncertainty about my ability, doubt about my accomplishments. This is a core-level feeling. If I have gotten this far, who is to say what I cannot do? With God's help, I can attack any problem and go after any goal. That is such a great feeling to have. What freedom.

Anyway, It was nice to hear that my personal/professional attitude is showing to others at work. I will try to make an impact in a positive way. Since I am new, my response was that "I am interested and willing to help the organization in whatever way makes sense to my superiors." Fairly vague goal, huh. It is vague somewhat because we don't know what the future vision of our particular organization is, but I don't want that to stop professional growth, or my ability to leave a positive mark.

#The End#

P.S.

Next week I will be entertaining guests, so don't expect much of a post. I will give you two words to think about until then:

Shameful
Shameless

Why is it bad to be shameful, but also bad to be shameless? Have you no shame? You should be ashamed! You are shameful!

I haven't figured it out - don't be shameless, don't be shameful. You can have too much shame, but also you can have too little shame. Have some shame! But Google definitions indicates that shame is "a state of dishonor". Maybe you are damned if you do, damned if you don't. Shame is just bad, regardless if you have or do not have.

Blameful and Blameless, however, don't work that way. Being Full of Blame is Bad. Being Blameless is ok, but watch yourself, lest ye soon have something to be blamed for...


more later,

Chazz

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