Homebrewer/Winemaker/Developer

Archive for April, 2007

Goodness, TV Sucks! Especially when you’re on a diet! Taco Bell, Wendy’s…. even motor oil was looking good!

But with steadfastness, I made it! This morning I weighed 221.5 lbs. I lost 5.5 lbs in 3 days! The reason I feel it’s lower is because I haven’t walked as much this week. The weather has been pretty dreary, and our new puppy is kinda sick and has the squirts.

Now 4 days off before I do it again, but still, 5.5 lbs in 3 days!!!

Life just isn’t complete without a dog! This statement is more true than most of you will probably believe. In Early March, Krista and I set out to find ourselves a new dog.

Our original intentions were of grabbing up a Lab of some sort. We went to the Rock County Humane Society to interact with a few. Well, labs are known for their energy and willingness to run, and it showed. We took two different dogs out to play in the fenced in yard and both were more interested in running around and had no interest in us what so ever. Not what you want, a dog to take outside in the country and watch him run away like in Funny Farm with Chevy Chase. (I recommend this film!)

At anyrate, Krista wanted to take out this little female Pit Bull mix. With original hesitation I said OK. She was adorable, and I couldn’t help but only say “We’ll take her!” So Racha (as in “La cuca racha”) has become a member of our family.

I know a lot of you are saying “A PIT BULL!?!?! DON’T YOU WANT TO HAVE KIDS SOME DAY??” And my only reply is, bad dogs are bad dogs. Every dog is that, a DOG first. Bad Pit Bulls come from bad owners!

We had Easter with our entire family at our new house. We had 11 children there all under the age of 10. There were 3 babies uner 8 months of age!! Racha was the most calm, gentle, and loving dog. No jumping on the guest and VERY gentle around the babies. Not bad for a puppy around 6 months!!!

Well, Krista won our “bowling bet” of getting 6 strikes in a game – so I owed her a dog! (We made the bet about 2 months before we got Racha, and kept the bet alive. I didn’t think she’d get 6 strikes).

That being said, we check out many dogs between the Dane County Humane society and the Green County Humane Society. While all have wonderful dogs, we ended up going with a handsome 4 – 5 month old Border Collie!. He is also very gently, and unlike most of the dogs, wasn’t overly pushy when it came time to meet another dog. We picked him up yesterday (April 22, 2007).

We call him Remo (ree-mo) but I’m not sure how we spell it… Guess it really doesn’t matter, he’ll never spell his name! But his name was Primo at the humane society, so we dropped the “P”, so it could be “Rimo”, you’ll have to ask the boss, Krista.

So that’s life currently in the new Walker household. 2 puppies under 7 months! But it’s great!

As a side note: If you’re looking at adopting a pet, please check out the humane society’s first. They do have wonderful dogs that need loving homes. And if you feel you’d like to donate, my suggestion would be Green County. The appear to have the least amount of funds available to them, and it shows in their building. It’s small and downright old. THEY NEED IMPROVEMENT!! So if anyone with some money to donate, or knows anyone with extra money (7 people from Kevin Bacon!) please donate that way or to other shelters like that. Dane County has a wonderful building thanks to a $10 MILLION annonymous donation. The nice facility helps reflect on the personnel and animals!

Ok, so I’ve taken about a 3 weeks to a month off from this diet, and have decided to give it another go. This morning when I weighed myself, I was at 227lbs!!! Wonderful!!! Two pounds over from when I quit about a month back!

This tells me one of two things:

1. My motabolism is still going quite well a month later!
2. I’ve found that magical spot where I am burning as much as I eat!

I have to admit though, I’m sure it’s #1. With the onslaught of Easter and my wife’s birthday, the food selections were poor, but ooohh were they tasty. Pizza and wings for her birthday (yeah – I have NO idea how to eat those in moderation!) Candy a chips all left over from Easter.

In fact, to send us off in good fashion, Krista wanted to surprise me with a wonderful meal. Something I havent’ had in years due to it’s health content. Hamburger Helper Lasagna!!! In college I’d eat the WHOLE batch for dinner. I did pretty good, only ate about HALF of the whole batch. It’s definately not as wonderful as I once remembered, but hey, I wasn’t complaining either!

So as we have it, this morning I am 227 pounds (this is still 18 pounds less than where I was 2 months ago!)

I will post again come Thursday morning at the end of the diet session and report how much weight I have lost!

There are many habits that contribute both positively and negatively to your weight and overall well being. Here’s a few I’ve adapted that have really helped me.

1. I generally walk between 3-5 miles,approximately 5 times a week. This one is easy. Get a dog. Ceasar Milan – AKA the Dog Whisperer – says the key to good dogs is exercise! A dog that is pooped out is ready to be obedient! We also generally walk after dinner, a little longer than the morning because we’re not on a time crunch.

The wife and I are up at 6 A.M. and walking the dog for about an hour almost every day. Even weekends. Before we got a dog, we’d be lucky to be up by 7:15 to leave for work at 8 A.M. It’s a lifestyle change that we both enjoy.

2. I don’t eat out for lunch at work anymore. Well not never, but definitely not everyday like I used to! I take a salad to work everyday and eat at work. Yeah, sometimes you need a break, then take your salad to the park! Just don’t eat that 2 cheeseburger meal, even if it is a good deal. It adds up – in pant sizes and weight scale gasps! Plus, I actually look forward to having tuna fish on my salad… just my quirk.

3. Drink Water - Well, sometimes I don’t always do this, but it sure helps, especially during the diet. I tend to chug a whole liter bottle of water (filled from home) with lunch. It won’t fill me up right away, but within 10 minutes, I forget I’m hungry…. which is also why I eat at work… easier to forget I’m hungry!

4. No TV!!! – That’s right. I don’t have cable. To cheap to want to pay $100 a month to sit and be lazy. Find a hobby! Looking forward to yard work this summer/spring at my new house… beginning backyard astronomy… soccer with the dog… shoot hoops, going for a walk with my wife and dog. Granted they’re not the most flashy things, but I enjoy them.

5. Eat a breakfast. Just to get something in my stomach so I’m not so ravenous at lunch time. Whether it’s a piece of toast and a hard boiled egg, or scrambled eggs with cheese…. just eat SOMETHING.

What I am learning is it’s finding something enjoyable to bide your time in, and if it makes you think or you can share it with someone it makes it even more worthwhile. It helps change your perspective on things… not trying to sound high and mighty… just what I’m learning that works for me.

Thanks to my IT career and quick lunches at fast food joints, my once manly physic ballooned! I’m not built like a twig, I’ve got meat on my bones… but the last 4+ years, well we ain’t talkin lean beef no more!

I like to blame my wife, in fact the time we started seeing each other, I was also quitting my bad habits (drinking, cigarettes, and my favorite – cheese dipped in cheese). But in essence, it was the lack of activity that really helped the weight come on.

Fast forward (I can tell you’re sleepish) – I’ve tried an Atkins’-ish diet and it flat out sucks. No potatoes, no bread, no BEER! And after about the 3rd day, I was fed up… with no real end in sight.

In reality, it’s healthy choices and proportion control that matter most. As my doctor told me “Find out and track what you can eat without putting any weight on – then eat less!” BRILLIANT!! Again, we go into a mode with NO END IN SIGHT! Eat less for 3 weeks and hopefully lost 10 pounds.

There’s a reason diets constantly fail, never feeling satisfied when eating, and trying to drag out a diet for weeks on end.

Enter the diet. Simple! 3 days on, 4 days off! I can handle a diet if I know It’s only going to last 3 days before I can have some real food again!

A major key is to NOT weigh yourself during the 3 days. Just before breakfast on Day 1 and then before your “Warriors Breakfast” on day 4. Your weight will fluctuate during that time.

Week 1: I lost 8 lbs!!!! Fantastic!!! We celebrated with beer at bowling on Thursday night and a nice greasy Fish Fry on Friday night!

Week 2 Beginning – I gained 5 lbs I lost the week before…. so I was obviously NOT eating sensibly.

By the end of week 3 – day 3, I was down to 225 lbs. FANTASTIC!!! My jeans are looser, I’m on the last buckle in my belt, and I can move around easier, whether bending or climbing or shifting!

Today – Two weeks after my last Day 3 – I was only 226 lbs!!!! Through Easter and My wife’s birthday, I only gained 1 pound!!!!

The BIG BIG NEWS – I don’t take my acid reflux pills anymore!!! I’ve been struggling with it for over two years now! Don’t even need it!