Vision, Success, and Life: More than Weight Loss in My Case

An update on life:

As some may have heard, I am now down to less than 305 lbs. So this continued weight loss has made me focus on my life a bit more.  I am putting aside recent tragedy's in favor of of the following, as a beginning to a new path for my life and defining my success.

Success is an issue that I have learned is often misunderstood. I have come to learn it is not defined solely by how much money one has, how good looking one's partner is, or one's possessions. It is something that can only be defined by oneself. And only in the context of the following question "am I living the life I want to live"? Only now has that dawned on me that I haven't.  For the past ten years, I have been measuring my life by what sounded like success.

Two Undergraduate degrees, a Masters degree, and the pursuit of a PhD. But the truth was, it brought me no joy whatsoever.   It was for nothing more than a lame form of job security based out of my own fear of the world writ-large. It's only over the last few weeks, where I have been working as a Commis/Demi-Chef, have I found joy in my work. Simple though it may seem, cooking food I am proud of, has offered me clarity that wasn't there before. As it the steam off the grill has vaporized my negative thoughts, and allowed me to develop my vision, based on my ideals of success. For me, success is now the following;


1) Being the best father I can be for my son
2) Having a healthy relationship with my body, and remaining fit
3) Working in a career I enjoy, regardless of how it is viewed by others
4) Being a life partner to someone worthy of my efforts and love, and returning their love in kind
5) Being competitive, not to beat others best, but my own, in the areas of my life that matter to me only
6) Spending to live, rather than living to spend (Spending money on experiences rather than things)


Your thoughts?

My career change, and my relationship with food

the great nightmare for my son

Its been said already on this blog and on my Daily Mile profile, that I am responsible for my own weight gain. It took me years of sedentary lifestyle and extremely poor food choices to get here.  When I was in business for myself, I was a big user of fast food.  I traveled all over the US, mainly by car, and stayed in hotels away from home.  Much like Morgan Spurlock in the Movie Super Size Me!, I super-sized my drive thru experience.  In hotel rooms, I ordered whatever take out was available.

It would be one thing if I left this behavior on the road.  But when I returned home, I would continue for the sake of expediency and spending time with my family.  Rather than give up one hour a day to exercise, I would watch my favorite Food Network programs like Iron Chef and Diners, Drives-Inn's and Dives.  My relationship with food boils down to a simple fact;  all my life, I used fast-food to fill a void; often is was loneliness.  In Norfolk, Boston, DC, San Francisco, I would have short-term relationships, and would often go out to eat. After having a family, quick eating became habit and convenience.  Its time to change that dynamic.

Six months ago I began to cook more.  As I began to cook, I found I enjoyed the experience and ate less than I did before. When looking back, I realized that anytime I worked in a kitchen (Navy, KFC, Togo's) I was at my happiest.   I have earned two undergraduate degrees and an MBA. However I've have always felt that no job is beneath anyone regardless of education.  And the idea of becoming a chef is something I have always considered but my parents discouraged. But as I prepare food, I can feel my relationship with food beginning to change. I find myself respecting it more, and seeing it as something that is more just fuel, but something that can change an attitude when made properly. It can make one healthier when prepared right, and can soothe the soul without clogging the heart.

Health and fast food aside, since exercising, I have felt happier than I have in years.  The last two days at work have only amplified this feeling.  Simply put, for the first time years, the various aspects of my life are all coming together in the way I have always wanted.  Lets hope this continues.

Places I want to Jog: Entry 4 - Chicago Lake Front

Chicago Lakefront Trails

I've lived in Illinois for several years, and have made several trips to Chicago in the past. My last trip to Chicago was on St Patricks Day, when the river ran green and the beads were thrown about.  One thing I've always loved about the city is the walking/running trail on the Lakefront. Say what you like about the city (cold, loud, and corrupt, etc...) but one thing they got right were the running paths. With 24 miles of lakefront, much of it with a continuous running trail, the city even has 263 different areas for walking and running. Sometime before San Francisco Marathon 2012, I hope to hit the Lakeshore for practice runs.

Tinley Park business gives discount to cut up BP cards - Brian Poncin tries to make a difference

Tinley Park business gives discount to cut up BP cards - Triblocal - Voice of the town

Ashley Rueff/Triblocal reporter/Copyright Triblocal

Lets be frank; few if any people have given up their cars, or even tried to use them less since the Oil Spill began. We all say we are ticked off at BP for the oil leak; Even before this leak, we forget about the 267,000 gallon spill in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and the 2005 Texas City Refinery Explosion which killed 15 and injured 170. 
Angry at the gushing undersea well, Brian Poncin decided on his own to entice customers to get rid of BP if they could.  He offered 10% discounts to those buying bikes while the well was uncapped.  He went so far as to actually put a TV in his shopped tuned into the oil well all day. He extended this after the cap, and doubled the discount for anyone willing to cut up their BP Gas card.  Now thats a deal.(His site can be found at http://mybiketinley.com/) 


It must be said that as a company, the payout BP will make for the oil spill will only put a temporary dent in the company's pockets. Why? Simple. Because they know, and we all know, people want and often need to keep driving. Still, here is one guy, literally putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to using less gas.  Now, to be fair, not everyone lives in either a small town where everything is close by, or a large city with a well establish public transportation network, and well designed bike paths.  However, for those of us, fortunate enough to live in these areas, we should try to take the time to reexamine our behaviors, and our beliefs. Beliefs are meaningless without action.


Basic economics 101; if you don't want or need a product or service in a free-market economy to exist or thrive, don't buy it. Obsoleteness and disinterest drives products out of our market.  In addition, lowering demand on any commodity, such as oil, drops the price.    It was once said that at one time, there were probably dozens of companies making buggy whips, and that the last company that made them, probably made the best damn one you ever saw.  But the advent of cars, made them obsolete. Oil, will never fully be obsolete. However, we can reduce our demand for it.  Less demand, less production, less accidents. To meet production goals for consumer demand, companies such as BP often bypass safety measures. If production needs drop, then the strain on equipment and manpower drops in kind, even if prices begin to fall due to lowed demand. 




In the end, its up to us not to use the product which causes so many issues as much as is realistically possible. No one needs to drive one mail to get a soda from the corner store.  Besides, a good walk will help burn off some of the empty calories you get from soda. In summary, I say this to those on the Daily Mile, and anyone reading this blog; talk a walk, or ride bike if you can; its good for all concerned. 

Sample of a Chest X-Ray

Great news today! My doctor called with my lab results and found my heart was not enlarged. In addition, my cholesterol and blood sugar are well within normal ranges. Oddly enough, both my HDL and LDL are in the upper ranges for lowest levels of estimated heart disease. Given this information, I am puzzled by the diagnosis of Arteriosclerosis, and what is the underlying cause beyond genetics? I plan to keep these levels low by working harder at my fitness plan and continue changing my eating habits. Lets hope the good news continues. Wish me luck!

Work by User:BorisTM, Wikipedia

Here are my current stats:

Age: 33

Height: 5'6"

BMI: 52.6 (Calculate your BMI)

Weight: 325.8 (as of July 26, 2010)

Resting BPM: 93

Resting BP: 120/85

Blood Sugar: 89

HDL/LDL/Total Cholesterol Levels: 35/92/149

Fat Ass Nation, Fat Ass Habits - Week 4 of Training - Thoughts and Progress

My greatest fear for my son, is him looking like this

Lets be frank, articles confirm what many already know; we are a fat nation. If the title disturbs you, its probably because you may realize that it is a true statement.  Its such an issue for the US that our own First Lady has chosen to make it a priority during her husbands term in office.   You could avoid watching Super Size Me and live under the assumption Morgan Spurlock is a "Radical Liberal" in the same vein as Michael Moore if you like.  But one trip outside your door on a 30 minute walk will quickly reveal the size of our nations appetite (pun intended).  I noticed it long ago, but buried my head about my own weight in a plate of donuts.  It would take personal disgust with myself, concern for my son, and a lack of energy to push me to do something about it.

I am now entering the full fourth week of training.  In less than four weeks, I have lost at least 14 lbs, if not more since this past Monday.  I have increased my endurance while both walking and lifting weights.  Working out does not see to be a chore now and more habit that my brain wont allow me to avoid. The Daily Mile has been a great tool for not only keeping track of my workouts, but keeping me motivated.  As I move forward, my workout regime is taking shape for weeks five and six, as I ramp up my endurance on the first full phase of my Mesocycle.  I am using periodization as a method of both overall fitness and weight loss.  Often used for sports, periodization is a method of working out that address three of overall areas of fitness; endurance, muscle building (muscular hypertrophy), and strength.  Soon I will begin planning for building muscle mass. The more muscle I have, the more calories I burn per day just maintaining it.

The combination of daily exercise and weight loss have made me painfully aware of food labels.  On every piece of food we buy, however they are something that is rarely reviewed. A look at this sample label shows that this product is 1/3 fat. Eat the entire container, and you have taken in 360 calories, 120 from fat.  Looking at these labels, now causes me to pause before taking a bite, and made me aware of what I put in my body.

I have been using Diet Analysis Plus 8.0 to track my diet, and it measures each aspect of the food I eat. It also makes me think even more about what I eat as I enter the information. I am now firm in the belief that if we took the time to read the labels we would avoid a lot of foods bad for us more often.

As I move fully into the fourth week, I feel stronger, and more fit.  I feel I am getting thinner. Thanks to everyone on DM for all the motivation thus far.

Places I want to Jog: Entry 3 - Boston Freedom Trail Run

Sam Addams in front of Faneuil Hall

While in the Navy, I spent a short amount of time living in the Boston area, and returned again in 2007 for the eBay live conference.  Like most places I lived, I didnt take the time to truly appreciate to scenery from a joggers persepctive.  Boston is a classic place, with history lessons for days on end.  My goal is to one day run the Freedom Trail Run, a history buffs dream of sites in a 5K run. Why not the Boston Marathon you ask? Simple, to darn long, and too many people involved. Anybody run this trail yet!


The Freedom Trail Run Website