Wailing

Well - this is what I came back to.

Okay - let's back up a bit.

This morning I headed out to the gym - and wanted to try out their "Kids Care" center. It's only $3.50 and they'll watch Elizabeth for 2 hours.

She was a little skittish at first, but was smiling at the nice lady before I left. Then I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and checked on her.

And she was wailing and crying and snuffling and it just BROKE my heart.

But alas - she must learn that Mommy and Daddy won't ALWAYS be there. But we'll start a little slower...and not drop her into a toddler pool with 20-30 toddlers and two strangers and no mommy and daddy. :)

On the bright side - I got a great deal on my personal training - and have bought 14 sessions - starting MONDAY! We'll start with roughly 2 a week and see how it goes. Looks like May's going to be a great month!

(Not that I'm counting out April yet, though)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Train...

Ah yes - the Train. Only not THIS train.

This morning I did some weight training at the gym - and have found out two things.

1) Christina, my old trainer, has moved on to another job.

2) Bree, her friend, and master trainer, has my file - and is interested in training me.

Hmmm...do I add a personal trainer back into the mix.

That's today's question. I'm already leaning towards "yes" - because frankly - if I can kick-start my metabolism and weight loss through May - I'll be sitting pretty as we get to October.

How's your April finishing up? I'm still going to post a loss this month! Hopefully still a significant one. Remember - SATURDAY is Club 8 Donation day!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Return of the Conscience

Well - I'm back from the gym, and I've completed another 1.25 miles in 20 minutes on the treadmill.

Hey - that's great!

Conscience? Wow...been awhile since you've hopped on the blog...

Yup - but I figured you needed a check-in.

I know, I know, a reality check, right? I haven't made as much progress through the year thus far as I wanted to...and you're here to remind me that I can do it and that I have to buckle down. I've heard it before, conscience.

Well then listen again, buddy. Because I'm not here to scold or nothing. I'm here to praise you.

See - I knew you were going to....wait....what?

Yessir indeed. I'm here to praise you.

For what? I've lost a grand total of 13 pounds so far THIS YEAR. And we're nearly 4 months into it. My exercise has sloughed off. And I'm nowhere closer to ready for these races than I was in January.

But you're gonna be right?

Well yes, and this week I'm really buckling down and just got back from the gym.

See. Now let's not focus on what you haven't done. Let's focus a moment on what you have done, okay? See - one of your problems is that you're too hard on yourself sometimes. And you get yourself in a cycle of despair. I'm having a bad morning, so I won't exercise, so then I'll eat poorly for breakfast, and then feel badly, and keep eating poorly, and by dinnertime feel awful. Right?

Well yeah - sometimes.

But you haven't been doing that lately have you? No sir. In fact - if you look at your weight since February 12th, you'll see that you've stayed right around the same weight. You've maintained.

You mean I haven't lost anything.

No, silly boy. I mean you haven't GAINED anything. Let's recall that February 14th your dad went into the hospital. That February 19th he decided he no longer wanted to live. And on February 25th, he died. Let's recall that you've had family drama, holiday meals, and a trip to the Caribbean since then. Let's recall that you could very well have just given up.

But then I wouldn't have learned anything.

PRECISELY! Now you're seeing the picture. You've been through...well...a lot in the last several months. Actually the last year if you really want to be accurate. But consider this:

From April 2009 to December 2009, you steadily GAINED WEIGHT as you lost your job, your father got sick, you moved them across country. You regressed.

Thanks for the reminder. Sheesh.

Now now now - I wasn't done. From January 2010 until right now - you've either lost weight or maintained (within a pound or two) the same weight. You've kept up exercising, and been FAR more conscious of your food choices. You actually count calories at times. You're researching iPad apps that will help you better track your food intake. And your motivation cards are already helping you make better choices. This, my friend, is called PROGRESS.

You see - in the face of the hardest single thing you've ever had to go through - instead of regressing into old patterns of fast food, cakes, and destructive behavior - you've managed to fight off those demons and keep steady, and now to start moving forward again. Without going back.

And so for that - I say I'm proud of you. And I thought you needed to hear it from me.

Wow. I hadn't really thought of it that way. I guess I have made progress. Maybe not as much as I want in some areas, but huge leaps in others.

I'm glad I have you to tell me these things.

And of course, I have to keep in mind...

Wait....can I say it?

Well sure. Go for it.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Motivation Cards

This was a great idea that my therapist gave me - and I'm putting it into action today!

I'm going to use index cards and photographs to help drive motivation, and combat my weak spots.

Before I explain - let me tell you that in the last three days I've done 3 miles in two separate workouts - one treadmill - one elliptical. And I plan on finishing April STRONG. I will blog EVERY DAY that we have left and tell you how we're doing.

But how do I keep that motivation going forward? How do I keep the momentum?

These cards!!!

I'll tack one to the alarm. One to the bathroom mirror. One to the fridge. One in the car. One in the office. Each will be joined by a picture or two. And they'll have a simple statement on them. A "because". The reminder of WHY I'm doing this.

For instance:

Because I know I can do better than 3:27:51.

Because I want my father to be proud.

Because my wife and daughter need me around a long time.

Because I can look THIS good and BETTER again.

Because I WANT TO SUCCEED.

The trick is that when I see these, I'll want those goals MORE than an extra 20-30 minutes of sleep or an extra snack or whatever.

They're just a little extra push. And I can add to them, change them, etc. as time goes by.

Tell me something - if you were writing YOUR motivation cards - what would they say?

Comment today - finish this sentence:

BECAUSE ______________

And oh yeah - I forgot one...

BECAUSE MAIN STREET AWAITS!

A hearty welcome back

Yep. We're back from the Bahamas. It was a nice trip - for what it was about. You know? It was one of those bittersweet things. Although Elizabeth seemed to enjoy herself immensely. The grounds were beautiful. And so many firsts for her while we were gone.

My birthday came and went pretty much as I expected. It was a day of celebration - both of me - and my father. I'll do a complete trip report later with many many more pictures (and maybe some video). There's lots on the two cameras.

That being said - I'm hanging on to a little weight - but NOT TOO MUCH from being gone. Only a pound or so. This is a good thing. Especially since the weather wasn't the best - and we only got in one day of swimming.

We have nine days left in April - and I'm STILL Determined to lose those 8 pounds. I'm going to be 332 or less May 1. I have my gym bag packed, and I'm out the door in a few. Good workouts abound. Only 5 months left until Wine and Dine, really. So we have to get on the shtick.

Speaking of which - why are all my teammates and clubbers not updating blogs as regularly? Hmmm....we'll have to do something to galvanize our base! :) Oh yeah - and for those of you waiting patiently for e-mails and/or prizes - don't worry - I'm playing catchup the next several days. :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Where I've Been

It's been almost a week - and what an almost week it's been.

1) I got sick for a few days. Actual fever. Chills. Coughing fits. The whole works.

2) My grandmother (above) ended up in the hospital. Still there. Liver problems. Heart problems. She's 87, and they're wondering what it is - and if it's congestive heart failure - if they can do anything about it. Truly surreal. Same cardiologist that worked on my dad. Same social workers. Same nurses. Same hospital. Two months later.

3) Been preparing for our trip this weekend. If you didn't know, I'll be heading down to the Bahamas on Thursday. We'll arrive around 9pm Thursday night for a long weekend. I wish it were a "vacation" per se - but we do get the honor of laying my father to rest in the ocean - where he wanted to be. On the bright side, we will be taking lots of photos and video of Elizabeth in her cute beach outfits.

4) Dealing with family drama. Much like babies bring out the best - sickness, grief, and death can bring out the worst. In all of us. But especially in families that have estranged members. And yes, I'm speaking once again of my sister. I won't go into detail here, because frankly it's not necessary - but there's been a large fight - a large falling out - and that, as they say, is that.

5) Trying to keep up with my club 8 goals. And so far - so good - I'm down 2.5 pounds this month as of this morning! As I kick this virus out of my system, it gets a little easier to be active, and so things will keep heading in the right direction. We'll post an 8 pound loss for April, yet! And LOTS of swimming in the Bahamas will help!

Speaking of Disney (which I wasn't - see how I did that?) - did you know that Tuesday night is AATM's LIVE CALL IN SHOW?!?!? 8 Eastern - 5 Pacific! Check out www.allaboutthemouse.com for details!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

A Call to Arms

Alright Club 8ers and Team Voicers. This is it.

Easter is behind us.

Rough months are a thing of the past.

The time to ACT has come.

TODAY REDEDICATE YOURSELF. FOCUS ON YOUR TRAINING. FOCUS ON YOUR EATING.

FOCUS ON YOUR GOALS.

Move forward. Commit!

I did 20 minutes on a treadmill this morning, and I intend to do it again tomorrow.

I haven't gained anything since February - so I'm still in the high 330s - which is a fine place to pick up the trail and keep going.

October is SIX MONTHS AWAY. That means in SIX MONTHS we will be together in EPCOT celebrating our success at the Wine and Dine.

I know you didn't realize it was ONLY SIX MONTHS AWAY - but it is.

SO LET'S GET DANGEROUS!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Happy Easter!

A happy Easter to you all from Elizabeth and Jack Rabbit (that's really his name!)!

Tomorrow - a CALL TO ACTION!

But today - a FEAST for 30 family members!!! (HOLY CATS! OFF TO THE KITCHEN!)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!