I knew something was amiss when I arrived at school to pick A.J. up today and he was wearing blue and gray camouflage pants.
He doesn't own any camo. Insert "but you live in Arkansas" joke here if you like, but no, he doesn't normally rock that kind of garb.
But let's back up a bit. The potty training has been going really well at home, and apparently at school as well. A couple of weeks ago, his teacher informed us that she thought he was essentially potty trained and was ready to wear underpants to school every day. He's pretty good with the #1 business at home, so we figured it was worth a shot. And it has been great...until today. Apparently he needed to go at school, so he headed into the bathroom to take care of things on his own. While this is great, the issue is that his pants-and-drawers removal technique still leaves a little to be desired. Hence, an accident, requiring a wardrobe change. We leave an extra pair of underpants at school but I guess extra regular pants would have been a good idea too, in order to prevent the need to go digging into the lost and found and come out with the camo in his size.
Right after school, we went to the grocery store. I opted for his preferred one, a Kroger that has a big, enclosed model train. He loves checking it out, even when it isn't running, which it hasn't been for months now. Ever the optimist, he doesn't see it as broken, but just "stopped at the station." He gets very excited to watch the train, motion be damned. This joy often leads to him running around, back and forth around the track.
Another time he runs around in a similar manner? When he needs to poop.
And you can probably sense where this one is going. I'm not sure why running circles around the dining room soothes him in any way, but that is now his go-to move when he needs to pop a #2. He hates the entire process, so much that he verbally just tries to will the whole endeavor away. "No poopy, no poopy, no poopy!" he'll wail, as he sprints around in a circle. This usually translates to "I need to drop a big deuce immediately." Today at the store, however, there was no verbal warning--just a big, annoyed cry after the fact that I was able to understand right away. We got him home and cleaned up, and it was not a big deal.
But yeah. In case you were wondering, that's how potty training is going.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Back at it
I went to the gym and got a quick workout in on Tuesday. It feels like I haven't been there in ages.
Because I haven't.
The short list of excuses/reasons: cold, weddings, knee.
The longer explanation: I got a really bad cold back in September. I'm not sure if the southern climate contributes to it now and I also have some allergy I'm unaware of, but ever since moving down here I find I'm much more prone to catching annoying colds that last a couple of weeks. Before, I used to get one or two a year, they would be bad for three days, and that was it. I now long for those good old bad days.
Anyway, I had that going on in September, and I certainly didn't feel like working out. And since I was laying around not exercising, of course I started eating garbage again too. This continued through early October, when I had good friends get married on back-to-back weekends. One involved a 2,000 mile round trip in the car, the other was just a quick weekend by plane, and neither one included exercise or healthy living.
Upon returning from the first wedding, my busted knee got really swollen. It bothered me so much that I went back to my specialist's office to get it checked out. The x-ray showed some small bone spurs under the knee cap and significant swelling, but nothing serious. I started taking anti-inflammatories and they helped a little, but the knee continued to feel really sore. It wasn't all the way better by Tuesday, but I was starting to feel really bad about myself so I went and worked out anyway. It was just a quick one, but like it does every time, it made me feel better after the fact. I've got about a month until AJ's baby sister arrives, so I'm going to get back into my good routine. I initially wrote "I plan to," and I actually backspaced and erased it. I can't keep waiting to do this, or finding reasons or excuses, even semi-valid physical ones, to not take care of myself. I'm not getting any younger, and the process certainly isn't getting any easier. But I am glad to be back at it.
Because I haven't.
The short list of excuses/reasons: cold, weddings, knee.
The longer explanation: I got a really bad cold back in September. I'm not sure if the southern climate contributes to it now and I also have some allergy I'm unaware of, but ever since moving down here I find I'm much more prone to catching annoying colds that last a couple of weeks. Before, I used to get one or two a year, they would be bad for three days, and that was it. I now long for those good old bad days.
Anyway, I had that going on in September, and I certainly didn't feel like working out. And since I was laying around not exercising, of course I started eating garbage again too. This continued through early October, when I had good friends get married on back-to-back weekends. One involved a 2,000 mile round trip in the car, the other was just a quick weekend by plane, and neither one included exercise or healthy living.
Upon returning from the first wedding, my busted knee got really swollen. It bothered me so much that I went back to my specialist's office to get it checked out. The x-ray showed some small bone spurs under the knee cap and significant swelling, but nothing serious. I started taking anti-inflammatories and they helped a little, but the knee continued to feel really sore. It wasn't all the way better by Tuesday, but I was starting to feel really bad about myself so I went and worked out anyway. It was just a quick one, but like it does every time, it made me feel better after the fact. I've got about a month until AJ's baby sister arrives, so I'm going to get back into my good routine. I initially wrote "I plan to," and I actually backspaced and erased it. I can't keep waiting to do this, or finding reasons or excuses, even semi-valid physical ones, to not take care of myself. I'm not getting any younger, and the process certainly isn't getting any easier. But I am glad to be back at it.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Beautiful
We were pulling into Best Buy, to pick up season five of The Office on Blu-Ray. The adjacent building now houses one of those seasonal Halloween superstores, which had just put up their temporary sign by the street, basically a black sheet with "Halloween Superstore" written on it in orange print. "That's a beautiful sign," AJ observed. I've never heard him call anything beautiful in his life. He didn't dig the actual Halloween costumes as much, though. We're still not sure what he is going to wear for trick or treating this year, but it's a safe bet that it won't have a mask, since he doesn't even like me to try them on. "Daddy, off," is his pretty standard response. When we left he enjoyed the sign once more. "There it is again!' he said happily.
Other stuff: he is having a blast at school. Art projects, friends, and losing encounters with the water fountain were recent highlights. There is no more drama at drop off time, he just heads right inside. On the home front, we have discovered, sadly, that he seemingly inherited his father's dancing skills. He has come up with a little move that somehow became named "The Cereal Dance." I really need to get it on video, and then it will all be clear.
Other stuff: he is having a blast at school. Art projects, friends, and losing encounters with the water fountain were recent highlights. There is no more drama at drop off time, he just heads right inside. On the home front, we have discovered, sadly, that he seemingly inherited his father's dancing skills. He has come up with a little move that somehow became named "The Cereal Dance." I really need to get it on video, and then it will all be clear.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Back to normal
After nearly a week back at home after the big family vacation to Chatham, it finally feels like things are getting back to normal. AJ did really well on the trip. He ran out of steam a little bit on the drive home, throwing a couple of epic-level meltdowns, which is something he almost never does. But honestly, who can blame the little guy? I was about ready to do the same thing if I had fast food one more time.
And speaking of that, yes, of course I fell off the healthy train while we were gone. I knew I would, but I don't think I gained too much weight back. We did a ton of walking in Chatham and elsewhere, and we actually did work in lots of mostly healthy meals. I even snuck in one quick workout in a little hotel gym. But now that we're home, I'm getting back to the full routine of "goodness." I've got back-to-back wedding weekends a month from now, so we're going to eat really healthy stuff at home until then. I went to the gym Tuesday and Thursday this week and there were no major ill effects from the semi-lay off. It's just so much easier to get that gym schedule going when we are home and AJ is at school. I'm so thankful I get to take advantage of that now.
He started school this week and it is going amazingly well. He really likes it, and although his class is comprised mostly of new kids it sounds like he's already making friends. One little guy sprinted up to the fence to say "goodbye AJ!" and another mom said her boy was mentioning him as they piled into their mini van. Add this to the story his teacher told me, that AJ was playing "grandpa" with a group of little girls and it all sounds very cute and fun. I'm not sure what made him grandpa, but apparently he loved it.
And speaking of that, yes, of course I fell off the healthy train while we were gone. I knew I would, but I don't think I gained too much weight back. We did a ton of walking in Chatham and elsewhere, and we actually did work in lots of mostly healthy meals. I even snuck in one quick workout in a little hotel gym. But now that we're home, I'm getting back to the full routine of "goodness." I've got back-to-back wedding weekends a month from now, so we're going to eat really healthy stuff at home until then. I went to the gym Tuesday and Thursday this week and there were no major ill effects from the semi-lay off. It's just so much easier to get that gym schedule going when we are home and AJ is at school. I'm so thankful I get to take advantage of that now.
He started school this week and it is going amazingly well. He really likes it, and although his class is comprised mostly of new kids it sounds like he's already making friends. One little guy sprinted up to the fence to say "goodbye AJ!" and another mom said her boy was mentioning him as they piled into their mini van. Add this to the story his teacher told me, that AJ was playing "grandpa" with a group of little girls and it all sounds very cute and fun. I'm not sure what made him grandpa, but apparently he loved it.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
AJ-isms
The little guy has a rapidly increasing verbal repertoire these days. At least once a week he will bust out with something adorable and Beth and I will look at each other, unsure exactly when or where he picked up the particular word or phrase in question. Here are a few recent good ones:
* After breakfast out on Sunday morning he blurted out an unprompted, excited, "I love pancakes!" This was at least fitting, because he had just consumed some. But it was after we had left the restaurant, as we were strolling down the street. Naturally, we throw "love" around a lot at home, but this one came from the kid hesitant to give his own Mimi a hug and a kiss when she drops by. Granted, she smells like cigarettes so he has his reasons. Anyway...
* I like playing on the floor with him, but when my back is flaring up I sometimes really just need to sit in a comfortable chair, and I explain that to him. This factored in the last time he climbed up onto the coffee table in the living room. He is expressly forbidden from doing this, and he knows it all too well. I caught him in the act and casually asked him if he was supposed to be sitting on the table. He flashed a trademark grin, one that clearly reads "Of course I'm not, dad, but I'm not going to cop to that to see how long I can pull this off." He held the smirk for a while and I asked him to climb down. "Daddy," he replied, "better for back." Nice try, kid. But I've seen you in action and I'm fairly certain your spine is as elastic as a gummy worm.
* He has a brand new sort of verbal game that is an entity unto itself called "Is that a Cheeto?" There is absolutely no way the actual cuteness of this will translate to this medium, but I will try to explain it. He simply picks up, points to, or acknowledges any item that is, in fact, not a Cheeto. Then he asks the question, with a smile on his face and a few extra decibels of volume. He knows full well what is a Cheeto and what isn't, but the idea of asking if something is a Cheeto when it clearly is not is hilarious to him. We can answer, but he will often do it himself, with a tone that indicates that we are jackasses for wondering if, in fact, the item was a Cheeto after all. One occurrence usually leads to another, and often a string of them, with different nouns substituted at will. An exchange goes something like this:
(AJ picks up a Thomas the Tank Engine train)
"Is that a Cheeto?"
(I smile and remain silent)
AJ: "Nooooo...it's a train!"
(AJ points at the dog)
"Is that a Cheeto?"
Me: "No."
AJ: "Nooooooo...that's Chewie!"
The best version came once when we were reading his favorite trucks board book. On nearly every page, he swapped in nouns of his own choosing, using the Cheeto questioning method.
AJ, referring to a cement mixer: "Is it mixing...potties? No, it's mixing...daddies! No, it's mixing...toilets!" Warrants mentioning that we were, in fact, in the bathroom at the time. But this went on for page after page, and it was absolutely comical. No matter how frustrating he occasionally gets, he is always good for a daily laugh, often at the most unexpected time, and I absolutely adore that about him.
* After breakfast out on Sunday morning he blurted out an unprompted, excited, "I love pancakes!" This was at least fitting, because he had just consumed some. But it was after we had left the restaurant, as we were strolling down the street. Naturally, we throw "love" around a lot at home, but this one came from the kid hesitant to give his own Mimi a hug and a kiss when she drops by. Granted, she smells like cigarettes so he has his reasons. Anyway...
* I like playing on the floor with him, but when my back is flaring up I sometimes really just need to sit in a comfortable chair, and I explain that to him. This factored in the last time he climbed up onto the coffee table in the living room. He is expressly forbidden from doing this, and he knows it all too well. I caught him in the act and casually asked him if he was supposed to be sitting on the table. He flashed a trademark grin, one that clearly reads "Of course I'm not, dad, but I'm not going to cop to that to see how long I can pull this off." He held the smirk for a while and I asked him to climb down. "Daddy," he replied, "better for back." Nice try, kid. But I've seen you in action and I'm fairly certain your spine is as elastic as a gummy worm.
* He has a brand new sort of verbal game that is an entity unto itself called "Is that a Cheeto?" There is absolutely no way the actual cuteness of this will translate to this medium, but I will try to explain it. He simply picks up, points to, or acknowledges any item that is, in fact, not a Cheeto. Then he asks the question, with a smile on his face and a few extra decibels of volume. He knows full well what is a Cheeto and what isn't, but the idea of asking if something is a Cheeto when it clearly is not is hilarious to him. We can answer, but he will often do it himself, with a tone that indicates that we are jackasses for wondering if, in fact, the item was a Cheeto after all. One occurrence usually leads to another, and often a string of them, with different nouns substituted at will. An exchange goes something like this:
(AJ picks up a Thomas the Tank Engine train)
"Is that a Cheeto?"
(I smile and remain silent)
AJ: "Nooooo...it's a train!"
(AJ points at the dog)
"Is that a Cheeto?"
Me: "No."
AJ: "Nooooooo...that's Chewie!"
The best version came once when we were reading his favorite trucks board book. On nearly every page, he swapped in nouns of his own choosing, using the Cheeto questioning method.
AJ, referring to a cement mixer: "Is it mixing...potties? No, it's mixing...daddies! No, it's mixing...toilets!" Warrants mentioning that we were, in fact, in the bathroom at the time. But this went on for page after page, and it was absolutely comical. No matter how frustrating he occasionally gets, he is always good for a daily laugh, often at the most unexpected time, and I absolutely adore that about him.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Pee pee and poo poo
We're potty training AJ. He's about two years and four months old, so it's going exactly about how you would expect it to. It was his idea, actually. One day I was changing his diaper and he just decided he was over that scene. "No diaper, daddy," he informed me. "AJ want to wear big boy underwear." This was kind of a revelation, since we had thought about doing this, but we hadn't exactly proposed the idea to him.
It is an ongoing process. He's got the "pee pee" part down pretty well, aside from the aggravating habit of telling me that he needs to go anytime we walk within five hundred yards of a public rest room, regardless of whether he actually feels the urge or not. But even this is probably my fault. On the first day we began, we institued a simple treat for a successful potty trip: a couple of M&Ms. And I mean a couple--literally two. This was incentive enough, and he was thrilled. This was a few weeks ago, and now he still looks forward to the M&Ms, or, in his language, "M-M-Ms," each time he goes.
But the problem is this: he's getting good at peeing. He also has learned that two M&Ms really isn't very many, so now he asks for "lots M-M-Ms," which, luckily, means any amount more than two. If I dare to just hand him a pair, he usually requests lots, yet takes the two, often wrapping up the whole exchange by adding "one, two, buckle my shoe." Anyway, the shady little character has fine tuned his bladder manipulation to maximize his M&M reward intake. Somehow, he has taught his tiny bladder to release miniscule, thimble-sized splashes of urine. Thus, he needs to pee six times in the morning, resulting in half a dozen "successes" for which he expects treats. Whatever. It beats peeing in his pants.
The "number two" side of the equation has not been quite as fruitful. He hates going. I don't know why. He understands what's happening, he knows that the end result is stinky and dirty, and he realizes the difference between dropping a deuce in the potty like a big boy, or doing the business in his pants and having an accident. We even offer him even more lavish chocolate treats for a poopy win. No luck. He can be pawing at his bottom, tiny buttocks clenched, with a brown turtle head nearly poking out, and yet he still does not want to sit on the toilet seat. He unleashes bloodcurdling screams and immediately announces that he is all done, vociferously maintaining that he does not need to go. You'd think that we were trying to remove his organs with a rusty butter knife, given the amount of stink (no pun intended) he puts up to avoid the whole show. Little does he know that I'd gladly give him a bag of M&Ms if he would learn to just shit and get off the pot.
It is an ongoing process. He's got the "pee pee" part down pretty well, aside from the aggravating habit of telling me that he needs to go anytime we walk within five hundred yards of a public rest room, regardless of whether he actually feels the urge or not. But even this is probably my fault. On the first day we began, we institued a simple treat for a successful potty trip: a couple of M&Ms. And I mean a couple--literally two. This was incentive enough, and he was thrilled. This was a few weeks ago, and now he still looks forward to the M&Ms, or, in his language, "M-M-Ms," each time he goes.
But the problem is this: he's getting good at peeing. He also has learned that two M&Ms really isn't very many, so now he asks for "lots M-M-Ms," which, luckily, means any amount more than two. If I dare to just hand him a pair, he usually requests lots, yet takes the two, often wrapping up the whole exchange by adding "one, two, buckle my shoe." Anyway, the shady little character has fine tuned his bladder manipulation to maximize his M&M reward intake. Somehow, he has taught his tiny bladder to release miniscule, thimble-sized splashes of urine. Thus, he needs to pee six times in the morning, resulting in half a dozen "successes" for which he expects treats. Whatever. It beats peeing in his pants.
The "number two" side of the equation has not been quite as fruitful. He hates going. I don't know why. He understands what's happening, he knows that the end result is stinky and dirty, and he realizes the difference between dropping a deuce in the potty like a big boy, or doing the business in his pants and having an accident. We even offer him even more lavish chocolate treats for a poopy win. No luck. He can be pawing at his bottom, tiny buttocks clenched, with a brown turtle head nearly poking out, and yet he still does not want to sit on the toilet seat. He unleashes bloodcurdling screams and immediately announces that he is all done, vociferously maintaining that he does not need to go. You'd think that we were trying to remove his organs with a rusty butter knife, given the amount of stink (no pun intended) he puts up to avoid the whole show. Little does he know that I'd gladly give him a bag of M&Ms if he would learn to just shit and get off the pot.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday Wii Weigh In
We got the Wii and the Wii Fit a while back, and while we don't use it a ton, it is pretty cool. I especially like it simply for tracking my weigh ins. It is the most accurate scale I have found yet, and it is 100% consistent. It features all sorts of additional graphs, body mass percentage, etc. I've found that weighing in once a week on Wednesday works best for me. If I do it more often than that, there can be natural daily fluctuations that get me worrying about things that I don't need to think about. And Wednesday is good because weekends are a natural time to eat things a little less healthy, so that way I get Monday and Tuesday to get back on track.
Today's weigh in: 293.4
This pisses me off.
My last weigh in was in mid-March and I was 280 on the nose. Shortly after that I started having some back pains flare up. I have soreness off and on in my neck and upper back, but these were shooting pains in my lower back--atypical for me. They got so bad that I really couldn't do my lifting so I went to see a back specialist, who took x-rays and let me know that I have bone spurs on my spine. Lovely. There isn't a ton they can do. He prescribed a few physical therapy sessions, but these were basically worthless. I learned a few (common sense) strengthing exercises that I could do perfectly well on my own, rather than paying a $20 copay to have someone else tell me to do them.
I also took a couple of rounds of steroids to help out the area. Clearly I was not getting the same good stuff that Barry Bonds and A-Rod got, because all they did was make me starving and lethargic, which is an optimum combination to gain back weight by the bucketload, which is exactly what I did. Finally, things just cleared up on their own. I went back to lifting weights and I have been okay since then.
But I can't believe that I weigh 293. That means I was 13 pounds lighter just a few months ago, and nearly 20 pounds lighter back in the fall of 2007. Honestly, it doesn't feel like it. Almost 20 more pounds, just to get back to where I was? I really don't feel that different. I'm wearing 40 inch waist pants now, which is what I was back to then, aside from an ambitious pair of 38s I bought at my best point two years ago, and even those were a little snug at the time. I really think I must have added some muscle mass...at least a little. Don't get me wrong, I'm not buffed out by any means. But I'm able to do more upper body lifting across the board, so I think I may have changed a handful of pounds from fat to muscle.
All I can do is keep plugging along. I've done great with the workout schedule lately, and I need to keep that up. I'm not going to set firm goals like "lose 10 pounds by mid-August" this time, because all I can do is eat right and exercise and see what happens. I feel good, though. I'm in a good groove and when that's the case, I know I can keep it up.
Monday dinner: roasted catfish, with the fire roasted tomato and olive sauce I've been doing with tilapia. Had steam packs of rice and snap peas to go with it. Last night was taco salad (90-10 beef) with black beans and mixed vegetables over a spinach-romaine combo of greens. I really like this, and for once, I was able to skip the post-dinner snack. This was mainly due to the fact that I was so pissed about the Red Sox game that I wanted to break something.
But I'll take anything that helps.
Today's weigh in: 293.4
This pisses me off.
My last weigh in was in mid-March and I was 280 on the nose. Shortly after that I started having some back pains flare up. I have soreness off and on in my neck and upper back, but these were shooting pains in my lower back--atypical for me. They got so bad that I really couldn't do my lifting so I went to see a back specialist, who took x-rays and let me know that I have bone spurs on my spine. Lovely. There isn't a ton they can do. He prescribed a few physical therapy sessions, but these were basically worthless. I learned a few (common sense) strengthing exercises that I could do perfectly well on my own, rather than paying a $20 copay to have someone else tell me to do them.
I also took a couple of rounds of steroids to help out the area. Clearly I was not getting the same good stuff that Barry Bonds and A-Rod got, because all they did was make me starving and lethargic, which is an optimum combination to gain back weight by the bucketload, which is exactly what I did. Finally, things just cleared up on their own. I went back to lifting weights and I have been okay since then.
But I can't believe that I weigh 293. That means I was 13 pounds lighter just a few months ago, and nearly 20 pounds lighter back in the fall of 2007. Honestly, it doesn't feel like it. Almost 20 more pounds, just to get back to where I was? I really don't feel that different. I'm wearing 40 inch waist pants now, which is what I was back to then, aside from an ambitious pair of 38s I bought at my best point two years ago, and even those were a little snug at the time. I really think I must have added some muscle mass...at least a little. Don't get me wrong, I'm not buffed out by any means. But I'm able to do more upper body lifting across the board, so I think I may have changed a handful of pounds from fat to muscle.
All I can do is keep plugging along. I've done great with the workout schedule lately, and I need to keep that up. I'm not going to set firm goals like "lose 10 pounds by mid-August" this time, because all I can do is eat right and exercise and see what happens. I feel good, though. I'm in a good groove and when that's the case, I know I can keep it up.
Monday dinner: roasted catfish, with the fire roasted tomato and olive sauce I've been doing with tilapia. Had steam packs of rice and snap peas to go with it. Last night was taco salad (90-10 beef) with black beans and mixed vegetables over a spinach-romaine combo of greens. I really like this, and for once, I was able to skip the post-dinner snack. This was mainly due to the fact that I was so pissed about the Red Sox game that I wanted to break something.
But I'll take anything that helps.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Good weekend
After a little dining splurge on Friday (pizza, then a sandwich out for dinner), I had two good workout days on Saturday and Sunday. I'm feeling good and I think I'm building up my endurance a little...finally. Saturday was upper body lifting and cardio. On Sunday I did a little lifting (abs and leg extensions), 45 minutes on the elliptical machine, took a five minute break for a much-needed Clif Mojo bar, and then did another 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, and I could have gone even more and felt fine. The bar was really good, by the way--lots of organic ingredients and 9 or 10 grams of protein. It was a nice pick-me-up.
Dinner Saturday: grilled pork chops, grilled sweet potatoes, steam pack of brocolli. I've been really happy with the chops on the grill lately. They stay really juicy. Sunday night we had leftovers using stuff around the house. I made a spinach salad with the leftover steak from last week, leftover peas, and a pepper-veggie steam pack I had in the freezer. It worked. I keep feeling starving just a couple of hours after dinner, though. Lately I've been handling that with a bowl of cereal with skim milk. However, I have the sinking suspicion I should try to curtail the post-dinner eating altogether. Water, maybe? Mmm. Yum.
I haven't been doing regular weigh ins since March, mostly because I know I have put on weight since then and I just don't want the official bad news. But I plan to do it on Wednesday morning. This is AJ's last week of camp, which is too bad...mostly for me. It's only a few hours a few times a week but it has made a huge difference having a couple little windows of free time. Oh well. We take August off, head to the Cape in a few weeks, and then he'll be back on the same schedule for school in September. I just need to find a way to maintain the workout schedule until then.
Dinner Saturday: grilled pork chops, grilled sweet potatoes, steam pack of brocolli. I've been really happy with the chops on the grill lately. They stay really juicy. Sunday night we had leftovers using stuff around the house. I made a spinach salad with the leftover steak from last week, leftover peas, and a pepper-veggie steam pack I had in the freezer. It worked. I keep feeling starving just a couple of hours after dinner, though. Lately I've been handling that with a bowl of cereal with skim milk. However, I have the sinking suspicion I should try to curtail the post-dinner eating altogether. Water, maybe? Mmm. Yum.
I haven't been doing regular weigh ins since March, mostly because I know I have put on weight since then and I just don't want the official bad news. But I plan to do it on Wednesday morning. This is AJ's last week of camp, which is too bad...mostly for me. It's only a few hours a few times a week but it has made a huge difference having a couple little windows of free time. Oh well. We take August off, head to the Cape in a few weeks, and then he'll be back on the same schedule for school in September. I just need to find a way to maintain the workout schedule until then.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Solid week
Wednesday night: grilled ribeye and sweet potatoes with sauteed spinach. I ate half the steak. That's right. You heard me. I took half of a perfectly good, medium rare, freshly grilled steak and I put it in a bag and stuck it in the fridge. Really, this is what I am reduced to? Sad.
I had a dentist appointment Thursday at 10 so I dropped AJ off at camp and went straight to the gym for a good workout. That made it four days in a row for me, which is something I rarely do, but it felt good. I had another chicken breast wrap on a spinach tortilla for lunch, and then last night for dinner I made tilapia based on a recipe from The Biggest Loser family cookbook. It is really easy--just baked for 15 minutes with some fire roasted diced tomatoes and sliced olives on top for a sauce. We had couscous and a steam pack of snap peas to go with. Very healthy, very tasty.
I had gotten back up to right around 300 pounds so I plan to weigh in next week to see where I stand now.
I had a dentist appointment Thursday at 10 so I dropped AJ off at camp and went straight to the gym for a good workout. That made it four days in a row for me, which is something I rarely do, but it felt good. I had another chicken breast wrap on a spinach tortilla for lunch, and then last night for dinner I made tilapia based on a recipe from The Biggest Loser family cookbook. It is really easy--just baked for 15 minutes with some fire roasted diced tomatoes and sliced olives on top for a sauce. We had couscous and a steam pack of snap peas to go with. Very healthy, very tasty.
I had gotten back up to right around 300 pounds so I plan to weigh in next week to see where I stand now.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
So far, so good...
...This week, anyway. I got a quick workout in on Monday, dropping AJ off at the gym day care. I hadn't taken him there in a while, and I forgot to mention that he in the process of learning potty training. Apparently he informed the staff himself. A girl there (who knows him well, because she is there seemingly every time I take him) was asking another boy if he needed to go potty. Unprompted, AJ answered "Okay!"
Monday dinner: plain chicken breasts, veggies, rice. Maybe a little too much rice, but I still felt starving. On Tuesday I used some of the leftover chicken breast to make a great wrap: spinach tortilla, some fresh spinach, and just a little light mayo with a few crumbles of goat cheese sprinkled in. Good stuff. Last night I made a spinach and romaine taco salad with 90-10 beef, black beans, and mixed veggies. I used a couple of tablespoons of salsa as dressing, and sprinkled in some 2% mixed Mexican cheese. This is about as hearty as a healthy salad gets. Today was a chicken caesar salad at Panera for lunch. I also got a good, long workout in on Tuesday while AJ was at camp--a solid lifting session followed by 75 minutes on the treadmill. The treadmill never gets any less boring, does it?
I'll go back to the gym either this afternoon, after AJ's suddenly and troubling shorter nap, or tomorrow while he's at camp. I might do both. And then, tomorrow: dentist appointment. What fun!
Monday dinner: plain chicken breasts, veggies, rice. Maybe a little too much rice, but I still felt starving. On Tuesday I used some of the leftover chicken breast to make a great wrap: spinach tortilla, some fresh spinach, and just a little light mayo with a few crumbles of goat cheese sprinkled in. Good stuff. Last night I made a spinach and romaine taco salad with 90-10 beef, black beans, and mixed veggies. I used a couple of tablespoons of salsa as dressing, and sprinkled in some 2% mixed Mexican cheese. This is about as hearty as a healthy salad gets. Today was a chicken caesar salad at Panera for lunch. I also got a good, long workout in on Tuesday while AJ was at camp--a solid lifting session followed by 75 minutes on the treadmill. The treadmill never gets any less boring, does it?
I'll go back to the gym either this afternoon, after AJ's suddenly and troubling shorter nap, or tomorrow while he's at camp. I might do both. And then, tomorrow: dentist appointment. What fun!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Weekend fail
Absolute healthiness fail over the weekend. I didn't get to the gym at all, and I ate much more poorly than I planned. It's all my fault, but I'm giving AJ an assist because he is just wearing us out lately. He's flashing unprecedented levels of attitude, and the potty training has reached a stage where he mentions it every five minutes whether he actually has to go or not. It's incredibly frustrating. He is literally talking about pee pee and poopy as I type this.
Beth is out of town on business so I'm on my own for dinners through Wednesday, which is fine. Lots of grilling and lots of veggies on the menu this week. I'm going to do a bunch of plain chicken breasts and use those for lunches, snacks, and whatnot for the next few days. I got a quick little cardio work out in today and I'll get back to the gym at least twice more by Thursday. I would really like to shed around 10-12 pounds before we head up to Massachusetts for vacation in about a month. That's the short term plan.
Beth is out of town on business so I'm on my own for dinners through Wednesday, which is fine. Lots of grilling and lots of veggies on the menu this week. I'm going to do a bunch of plain chicken breasts and use those for lunches, snacks, and whatnot for the next few days. I got a quick little cardio work out in today and I'll get back to the gym at least twice more by Thursday. I would really like to shed around 10-12 pounds before we head up to Massachusetts for vacation in about a month. That's the short term plan.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Metabolism? Or just starving?
I had good gym workouts Tuesday and Thursday. It really is easier going without AJ, because I can stay as long as I like and I don't have to worry about leaving him at the day care. I'll still do that, but it's nice not to need to every time.
I feel like my metabolism has revved up a little this week because I am constantly starving. By the way, when I first typed the word in the title, I had a typo and it read "meatbolism," which definitely sounds like an affliction I might have. Anyway, I've eaten pretty well this week. The chicken fajitas lasted for a while and I used the leftovers a few different ways. That's always nice.
No gym today, although I'm starting to think that maybe AJ and I should have gone there after all. He's just a bundle of explosive, boundary-testing energy these days. I guess that's pretty typical for two though, and all in all he's a really sweet kid. He seems very excited about the prospects of a baby sister. We'll see if that actually sticks when she arrives this fall.
I feel like my metabolism has revved up a little this week because I am constantly starving. By the way, when I first typed the word in the title, I had a typo and it read "meatbolism," which definitely sounds like an affliction I might have. Anyway, I've eaten pretty well this week. The chicken fajitas lasted for a while and I used the leftovers a few different ways. That's always nice.
No gym today, although I'm starting to think that maybe AJ and I should have gone there after all. He's just a bundle of explosive, boundary-testing energy these days. I guess that's pretty typical for two though, and all in all he's a really sweet kid. He seems very excited about the prospects of a baby sister. We'll see if that actually sticks when she arrives this fall.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Tuesday/Thursday schedule
Having any sort of routine helps me work out better. I still don't love going to the gym, but when I get in the habit of doing it, it becomes much less arduous. I also always feel better after I go. Right now AJ is in summer camp on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8 AM until noon. Thus, I have made Tuesday and Thursday mandatory gym days. I figure if I get two really good workouts in on those days, and one or two other ones sometime during the week, I'm good to go. Last night I made healthy chicken fajitas for dinner--low carb, whole wheat tortillas, just a sprinkle of 2% cheese, and fat free refried beans. They were as good as or better than their less healthy counterparts. I made a bunch of the chicken so tonight I'll use the leftovers for a southwestern chicken salad.
Meanwhile, AJ is being as terrible two-ey as he has ever been. I think it might be the combination of going to camp while trying to learn potty training, but man, he is an opinionated little devil right now. When I say "Don't touch that," at home, he clearly hears me as having said "Please, go nuts, and mess with that thing over and over again until Daddy goes mental." Right now this especially applies to overhead light and fan switches...all of which he can now reach with his monkey arms. I think he has spent more time on the time out wall the past week than he had the rest of the year combined.
But what are you going to do? He's acting like a two year old. Which is exactly what he is.
Meanwhile, AJ is being as terrible two-ey as he has ever been. I think it might be the combination of going to camp while trying to learn potty training, but man, he is an opinionated little devil right now. When I say "Don't touch that," at home, he clearly hears me as having said "Please, go nuts, and mess with that thing over and over again until Daddy goes mental." Right now this especially applies to overhead light and fan switches...all of which he can now reach with his monkey arms. I think he has spent more time on the time out wall the past week than he had the rest of the year combined.
But what are you going to do? He's acting like a two year old. Which is exactly what he is.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Why another blog?
I already have one blog that nobody reads, so why on earth would I possibly need another one? Because this one is going to be more focused, and much more important. It's going to be about my kid (soon to be kids), and it's going to be about me being healthy. That's all. If neither of these interests you, then I completely understand. I can't imagine that many people will want to read any of this, and that's okay. This is just for me more than anything.
I feel like I have always been fat. I haven't, which is weird now, looking back. I remember junior year of high school I lied about my weight for the football roster, rounding up by a few pounds because I thought 200 sounded more impressive. This means that A) there was a time around 20 years ago when I weighed under two bills and B) there was an instance in which I wished I weighed more than I actually did.
Neither of those is the case now.
In 2006 I weighed in at 346 pounds. I think that was my absolute heaviest, but I may just call it an even 350. In 2007 I had a son on the way and an upcoming movie shoot--two great reasons to get motivated. I got down to the low 280s by spring and then reached 275 that fall. In late 2007 and 2008 I regressed. In the summer of 2008 I think I ballooned back up to around 325 or 330. Late last year and earlier this year I got back on track. In March I weighed 280. Then my back started acting up (bone spurs on my spine, good times), and I got back up to at least 295.
I don't need a chart or a graph to sense a disturbing pattern here.
So, I'm done with this. I'm done with yo-yoing up and down. I'm done with finding excuses to eat crappy food and to not work out. I have a boy who is two years and four months old and he's the most amazing thing I have ever seen, and I don't want to stroke out or have a heart attack while he is a kid. He's getting a baby sister this fall, which is so cool and yet so wild I haven't even fully wrapped my brain around it.
Anyway, like I said, this blog is mostly for me. It will give me a concrete way to track progress, but more importantly, if I think people actually are reading it, it will help make me a little more accountable. So, if you've gotten this far, you're obviously somebody who cares, so I ask this favor of you: become a follower of this blog. That can only help me out. You don't have to comment, or even really have to read this. But just seeing followers will prod me to keep at this.
Here's one other thing that I'm just throwing out there. If anyone ever sees me and I look like I have slipped, I hereby extend the following unconditional offer: if you ever catch me weighing over 300 pounds again I will give you $20 on the spot. That's all. This applies to anyone I know, anytime, forever.
I will have lots of boring rambling to come, so I'll wrap this up for now with a story about the name of the blog. It comes from A.J., of course. His verbal skills are crazy good for a little tyke his age, but he still doesn't exactly always phrase things correctly. The name of this blog is one of his favorite sentences, and he uses it nearly any time he is asking me to do something or get something for him. So, if there is something he wants done, instead of asking me "Daddy, will you do it?" he simply says "Daddy will do it," like it's already a done deal. It's pretty funny. So that's how I'm treating this vitally important concept of being healthy and being a good dad. You're right, A.J. Daddy will do it.
I feel like I have always been fat. I haven't, which is weird now, looking back. I remember junior year of high school I lied about my weight for the football roster, rounding up by a few pounds because I thought 200 sounded more impressive. This means that A) there was a time around 20 years ago when I weighed under two bills and B) there was an instance in which I wished I weighed more than I actually did.
Neither of those is the case now.
In 2006 I weighed in at 346 pounds. I think that was my absolute heaviest, but I may just call it an even 350. In 2007 I had a son on the way and an upcoming movie shoot--two great reasons to get motivated. I got down to the low 280s by spring and then reached 275 that fall. In late 2007 and 2008 I regressed. In the summer of 2008 I think I ballooned back up to around 325 or 330. Late last year and earlier this year I got back on track. In March I weighed 280. Then my back started acting up (bone spurs on my spine, good times), and I got back up to at least 295.
I don't need a chart or a graph to sense a disturbing pattern here.
So, I'm done with this. I'm done with yo-yoing up and down. I'm done with finding excuses to eat crappy food and to not work out. I have a boy who is two years and four months old and he's the most amazing thing I have ever seen, and I don't want to stroke out or have a heart attack while he is a kid. He's getting a baby sister this fall, which is so cool and yet so wild I haven't even fully wrapped my brain around it.
Anyway, like I said, this blog is mostly for me. It will give me a concrete way to track progress, but more importantly, if I think people actually are reading it, it will help make me a little more accountable. So, if you've gotten this far, you're obviously somebody who cares, so I ask this favor of you: become a follower of this blog. That can only help me out. You don't have to comment, or even really have to read this. But just seeing followers will prod me to keep at this.
Here's one other thing that I'm just throwing out there. If anyone ever sees me and I look like I have slipped, I hereby extend the following unconditional offer: if you ever catch me weighing over 300 pounds again I will give you $20 on the spot. That's all. This applies to anyone I know, anytime, forever.
I will have lots of boring rambling to come, so I'll wrap this up for now with a story about the name of the blog. It comes from A.J., of course. His verbal skills are crazy good for a little tyke his age, but he still doesn't exactly always phrase things correctly. The name of this blog is one of his favorite sentences, and he uses it nearly any time he is asking me to do something or get something for him. So, if there is something he wants done, instead of asking me "Daddy, will you do it?" he simply says "Daddy will do it," like it's already a done deal. It's pretty funny. So that's how I'm treating this vitally important concept of being healthy and being a good dad. You're right, A.J. Daddy will do it.
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