Day #159 - Almost There / I Have Been Tagged

I woke up this morning still feeling as sick as I did yesterday. However, feeling like crap, wasn't going to keep me from finding out what my new official weight was after being without a working scale since the weekend. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was finally able to go out and purchase a new scale. And after some simple comparison tests with the scale at the gym and my new scale at home, I can safely say that I have a working scale once again. Anyway, this morning was the moment of truth, how much weight have I officially lost so far, during my "Mission to Healthy." I was also excited to see if I reached my new small goal of getting to 232 lbs.

As I rolled out of bed this morning, I went straight to the scale. Feeling a bit anxious, I took a deep breath before I stepped up onto the scale. As I took my first step, I was chanting 232... 232.... 232... in my head. Once I was fully on the scale, I looked down and 232.4 lbs appeared on the screen!! This brings my total weight loss for the mission to 69.6 lbs! I am so close to reaching 70 lbs lost and I am even more motivated now to get there. The goal of reaching 232 lbs flat, is still alive. I have a feeling that I will be reaching it very soon. Then the next step is breaking into the 220 lbs range!

I Have Been Tagged!

This morning I was informed, by my friend Patrick, that he tagged me in his most recent post. Patrick writes a very inspirational blog called, "Responsibility 199." He is fighting the same weight issues as many of us are and he is determined to make it to 199 lbs. If you have not visited his blog yet, please do so very soon and show him the same support and love you all have shown me. Thank you!

Anyway, Patrick was tagged the other day with four questions from another fellow weight loss blogger. His task was to answer the 4 questions and then to ask 4 other bloggers a different set of questions. So, in the spirit of keeping this tradition alive, I am going to answer the 4 questions that Patrick tagged me with and then I will pass 4 brand new questions onto 4 more bloggers.

1. You are banished to a small island with seeds to grow one veggie, that's all you get to eat for eternity, which veggie do you choose?
- I have always hated to eat veggies in general but I had to learn to overcome this hatred, for my own good. Since the start of my mission, I have learned to like broccoli. Not because it is green, but because it is zero points in the Weight Watcher's Points System. This means I can eat as much as I want to. So, broccoli would be the answer.

2. Farthest distance at one time you have ever walked/jogged/ran/biked, etc. under your own power?
- I have been able to walk pretty far over the past few months, especially with my many trips into New York City. However, I am most proud of being able to run 4.4 miles without stopping. This happened just recently and I managed to do it in 50 mins.

3. Do you consider Friday the 13th to be unlucky, lucky, or neither?
- Ever since I was small, I thought of Friday the 13th as being an unlucky day. However, I don't have any memories of that day causing me any problems... knock on wood. So as of now, it is not unlucky.

4. What was the last furry thing you touched? And did you eat it?
- The last furry thing I touched was Patty's Mother's dog last weekend. No I did not eat it, it would probably bite me first, to be honest.

Here are the 4 bloggers I am going to tag:
1. Spunkysuzi - Working Towards A Healthier Me
2. Alan - The Pounds Off Playoff
3. Vinny - Fat to Fit Diary
4. Lisa - Rescuing Lisa

Tagged Questions
1. What was the defining moment that caused you to want to get healthier?
2. Who is your role model and why?
3. Have you ever been caught by someone, while you were singing to yourself in the mirror?
4. What was the best Halloween costume you ever had?

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 4 Eggo nutirgrain waffles = Points 4
Snacks During the Day - 3 serving of mini rice cakes = Points 6
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of leftover homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 5
Mid Afternoon - 1 serving of leftover homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 5
Late Afternoon - 1 serving of leftover homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 5
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Beef Stroganoff (Weight Watcher's Recipe) = Points 9
Dessert - 1 Weight Watcher's ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 36 Points

Exercise

Today I ran for 35 mins on the treadmill. Tomorrow I will be executing the weight lifting portion of my workout routine.



Day #159 Weigh-In

Day #159 - Weigh-In = 232.4 lbs

Day #159 Front Shot



Day #158 - The Scale Saga Is Over!!!

This morning I woke up feeling like crap. All of my traveling for work has finally caught up with me. So I decided that it would be a good time to stay away from the office and to work at home for the day. I had told my boss that I was feeling sick this morning and I did want to risk getting anyone else sick, this time of year. He was very cool about it because he knew I would be working regardless. To tell you the truth, it was easier to get work done today because I didn't have a ton of people in my ear, the entire day, asking me questions. Don't get me wrong, I was on the phone a lot today, but it was a little more peaceful at home.

Anyway, as night was beginning to fall, I had to venture out to get more medicine. And while I was out, I was determined to purchase a new scale for the mission. I felt like I was missing a part of me, the last few days, without my scale. Even though I was feeling sick, I was going to make sure that I would have a working scale by tomorrow morning's weigh-in. I decided that I was going to do things a little different in tonight's post. Instead of writing out everything, I am going to share with you my experience of, searching for a new scale, through various photos.

I was debating on whether or not I should go to the gym tonight because I wasn't feeling to good. But I decided that the show must still go on, so I dragged myself to the gym. Plus, I wanted to make sure that my new scale was as accurate as possible. The first 2 photos you are going to see, is after I am done with my workout, testing the scale at the gym with both a 15 & 20 lb dumbbell.

15 lb Dumbbell, the amount displayed
on the scale is 15 lbs

20 lb dumbbell, the amount displayed
on the scale is 20 lbs. The dumbbell
looks like it is leaning to one side
because I had to take the picture
on an angle to get rid of the glare of the
light. The dumbbell is placed equally
on the scale.

The next picture you are going to see, is myself stepping on the scale after the dumbbell testing was successful. I wanted to make sure that everything would be the same at the gym as it would be at home. So I am on the scale with no clothes on, in the locker room stall.

Me stepping on the scale. The weight
displayed is between 233 & 234 lbs

The next 2 photos you are going to see, is me with the broken scale and me taking the brand new scale out of the box.

Me with the broken scale

Me with the brand new scale

The last photo you are going to see, is me at home, weighing myself on the brand new scale. I was so nervous and excited at this point because I wanted to see if I lost any weight since my last official weigh-in and I also wanted to know how accurate the new scale is.

Me weighing-in on the new scale!
It is just about the same weight that the
scale at the gym displayed! A successful
transition into a new scale!

I am so happy that the entire scale saga is over for 2 reasons. The first reason, is that I have a new accurate scale to use once again! And the second reason, is that I lost some weight since my last official weigh-in. My last official recorded weight was 238.2 lbs. I am not going to officially state what my new weight is until tomorrow morning because the picture you see above, is of me weighing-in at night. I weighed myself because I wanted to make sure that the new scale was accurate. The next official weigh-in will be tomorrow morning. I will finally get to see if I reached my new goal of getting to 232 lbs, which will be 70 lbs lost, since the start of the mission. I can not wait for morning to come!

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 homemade glazed pear muffins (Weight Watcher Recipe) = Points 6
Snacks During the Day - 1/2 a serving of baked chips, 1/2 a serving of whole wheat pretzels, 1 serving of mini rice cakes, and 1 glazed pear muffin = Points 7
Lunch - (1) 6'' Tuna sub on whole wheat bread, a slice of american cheese, and a serving of baked chips (Subway) = Points 15
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 5
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 35 Points (1 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I dragged myself to the gym and executed the weight lifting portion of my workout routine: Dumbbell Press on Stability Ball, Alternating Single Arm Pull Downs, and Alternating Single Leg Extensions (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Push Ups on Half Ball, Lateral Raises Standing on Half Ball, and Triceps Kick Backs with Resistance Bands (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Alternating Single Arm Rows, Alternating Single Arm Front Raises, and Alternating Single Leg Press (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), and Planks, Alternating Single Arm Dumbbell Curls, and Side Dumbbell Bends (4 sets of each x 15 reps each). Tomorrow I will be running.

Day #158 - Weigh-In = 234.0 lbs (Night Weight)

Day #158 Front Shot

Day #157 - A Great Night of Comedy and Cardio

I found out some good news and some disappointing news today at work. My business trip to San Francisco was cancelled for this week. It is good because I can be home, the next few days, to take some much needed time to get some important objectives done for my big event in Charleston, SC coming up in December. It is disappointing because I was looking forward to showing Patty around down town San Francisco. Well I have quickly learned in the last few months, that everything happens for a reason. So I am hoping that the trip being cancelled leads to some good and productive things.

I spent another fun night in New York City again tonight. My brother was inserted into a special event tonight at Stand Up NY Comedy Club. He has been doing a great job lately, landing spots in shows all over the city in big time comedy clubs. I only hope that this leads to much bigger and better things for him in the future. If you have a free moment, check out his Facebook Page. I just want to warn everyone that his material has a lot of adult content in it. But he is a very funny guy regardless. Please let him know what you think.

What made this trip into NYC different then any other night, was that I had to walk even further to get to this club. When I first mapped out the trip, the estimated time to get there from the train station in NYC was 8 mins. Now I know the estimated time of travel was if I was driving there. However, I was trying to save money, so I decided to walk there from the train station. It turns out that the walk was about 47 blocks, which translated to almost an hour of walking. I am going to be honest and let you all know that I walked more then half way there but was afraid that I was going to miss the start of the show, so I took a taxi the rest of the way. So in reality I walked 29 blocks there. However, on the way back to the train station I ended up walking all 47 blocks, which brought my grand total to roughly 76 blocks of cardio. I walked for almost 2 hours to and from the club. I also ate healthy the entire day as well.

When all is said and done, I got a ton of cardio in today, I ate healthy all day, and I saw some great comedy while supporting my brother. I think it turned out to be a great day overall.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - 2 homemade Glazed Pear Muffins (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 6
Snacks During the Day - 1 serving of baked Tostitos w/ mango salsa and an apple = Points 5
Early Afternoon - 1 serving of homemade Two Cheese Vegetable Lasagna (Weight Watcher Recipes) = Points 6
Late Afternoon - 1/2 a Chicken Teriyaki Sub on whole wheat with a slice of cheese and a side of baked tostitos w/ mango salsa = Points 8
Dinner - 1 grilled chicken wrap with lettuce, carrots, and mushrooms = Points 8

Total Points Eaten Today = 33 Points (3 points under my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I walked roughly 76 blocks in NYC, which translated to about 2 hours of cardio. I did not make it to the gym thought. Tomorrow I will be executing the weight lifting and strength training portion of my workout routine.

Day #157 - Weigh-In = I did not make it to the store today to purchase my new scale due to traveling to my brother's show, that started at 8:00pm tonight. I will be purchasing the scale tomorrow.



Day #157 Front Shot

Day #156 - The Scale Saga Continues

I want to send a very special "Thank You" out to everyone who sent me the kind words and comments pertaining to yesterday's side shot post. It is the constant words of encouragement, advice, tips, etc.... that I receive from all of you, that make this mission of mine a lot easier. Without all of you, this long journey would be even longer. So thank you once again from the bottom of my heart.

Anyway, it is Day #3 of my most recent "scale saga" and the test I had planned for today, seems to have failed. Let me explain how I came to this conclusion. As many of you may know by now, I dropped my glass scale, that I have been using forever, on the ground this weekend and now it is broken. Trying to replace it, I remembered that my brother had purchased a scale for me a little while ago from Weight Watcher's. So trying to avoid buying another scale, I had decided that I was going to weigh myself this morning on his scale and then test it tonight at the gym.

This morning I weighed in at 235.2 lbs on the Weight Watcher's scale. After I weighed myself, I ate breakfast and went to work. After work was over I came home, ate a nice healthy serving of homemade Vegetable Lasagna (Weight Watchers Recipe), and then I made my way to the gym. Tonight I ran on the treadmill for 35 minutes straight and I was feeling great! My knees don't hurt anymore, my hips are feeling a lot better, and I feel that I am actually getting a little faster. Anyway, after my run was over, I grabbed both a 15 & 10 lb dumbbell and went into the locker room where the scale was located. Before stepping up onto the scale, I placed the 15 lb dumbbell on it. The weight that was displayed was 15 lbs. I then took the 10 lb dumbbell and placed it on the scale and 10 lbs showed up on the scale. So from what I can see, with that simple test, the scale looked to be accurate. So I took off my clothes, leaving my underwear and socks on, and stepped up on the scale. The weight that showed up on the screen was 235 lbs. Now I know that morning weight and night weight can be different because of the normal daily weight fluctuation a human body goes through. So with that in mind, the last part of the test, I had to conduct when at home with the Weight Watcher's Scale.

As soon as I arrived home, I took off my clothes and went straight to the Weight Watcher's scale. As I stepped up onto the scale, I was wishing that it would read the same weight as the scale in the gym. But to my disappointment, 238 lbs was displayed on the screen. And if my test was accurate, the scale at home was about 3 lbs off. Which could mean that I weighed in this morning around 233 lbs, which would be cool. Unfortunately, this means that I am going to have to go out and purchase a new scale after all. Well, things happen and a scale can certainly be replaced. I am excited though to see what my true weight is after I get the new scale. The mission must and will go on.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites with a slice of american cheese on a whole wheat bagel = Points 9
Snacks During the Day - 1 Eggo Nutrigrain Waffle and half an apple = Points 2
Lunch - 1/2 a rotisserie chicken with 2 servings of steamed mixed vegetables = Points 17
Dinner - 1 serving of homemade Two Cheese Vegetable Lasagna (Weight Watchers Recipe) = Points 6
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 36 Points

Exercise

Today I ran for 35 mins on the treadmill. Tomorrow I will be executing the weight lifting and strength training portion of my workout routine.

Day #156 - Weigh-In = 238.2 lbs (This was the last accurate weigh-in that I have recorded. I will update it when I purchase my new scale)

Day #156 Front Shot

Day #155 - A Potential Solution / Side Shot Day!

Yesterday I mentioned that I am currently having some issues with my scale. I accidentally dropped it this weekend and I am now having trouble getting a correct reading. This morning, I stepped on the scale and the numbers went from 239 lbs to 235 lbs and back up to 237 lbs very quickly. Well it is official that I can not get a clear reading anymore with this scale. This morning I had decided to go back to the store and purchase another scale that is the same exact model. I figured that this scale was right on point with all of my weigh-ins since I purchased it. Only if I didn't drop it, but things happen. Anyway, to make a long story short, I ended up getting out of work late and was not able to purchase a new one today. Knowing that it was too late, I ended up going home to change for the gym. While getting changed, I was bending over to tie my shoes and I realized that I still have another scale at home that I have hardly used at all, that was still under my bed. It is a Weight Watchers scale that my brother had bought me a little while ago when my first scale crapped out. I think I might have found a solution to my most current scale drama. I am going to use his scale tomorrow morning and then confirm, with the scale at the gym, to make sure it is still accurate. Wish me luck.

Side Shot Day

Back by popular demand.......it is side shot day! To bring everyone new to the blog up to speed, I take a side photo of myself on the first day of every month. I then take that side shot and put it next to the side shot from the previous month, as well as the side shot from the first day of my mission. I feel that physically seeing my production over the past few months, gives me motivation to keep on going strong. Please let me know if you see any difference in the photos.

Day #155 - 238.2 lbs

Day #125 - 247.6 lbs

Day #1 - 302 lbs

To also add a little extra into the mix, I will also include my front photo from tonight compared to my front photo from Day #1 of the mission.

Day #155 - 238 lbs



Day #1 - 302 lbs



With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites with a slice of american cheese on a whole wheat bagel = Points 9
Lunch - (1) foot long Chicken Teriyaki sub on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of american cheese and a serving of baked chips (Subway) = Points 18
Dinner - 2 cups of steamed chicken and broccoli with a serving of brown rice = Points 8
Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 37 Points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I executed the weight lifting portion of my workout routine: Dumbbell Press on Stability Ball, Alternating Single Arm Pull Down, and Alternating Single Leg Press (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Push ups on Half Stability Ball, Lateral Raises on Half Stability Ball, and Triceps Kick Backs with Resistance Band (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), Alternating Single Arm Rows, Alternating Front Raises, and Alternating Single Leg Extension (4 sets of each x 15 reps each), and Planks, Alternating Dumbbell Curls, and High to Low Cable Chops (4 sets of each x 15 reps each). Tomorrow I will be doing cardio.

Day #155 - Weigh-In = 238.2 lbs (This is the last weight that I accurately weighed in at before my scale broke. I am going to attempt to use a scale that my brother purchased for me a while ago. I will let everyone know tomorrow how accurate it still is).

Day #154 - A Halloween Scare / "Save the Date" Photo Shoot

Happy Halloween to everyone on this very cold day in New Jersey. I officially received my Halloween Scare this morning when I went to go weigh myself. I stepped on the scale and the numbers went crazy. The weight started at 241 lbs and then shot down to 237 lbs and back up to 238 lbs, where it actually stopped. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me because I had just woken up. So I decided to step down and then back up onto the scale. And I can definitely tell you that it wasn't my eyes. My scale was actually going crazy. I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what was going on. I had been traveling with this scale for the last few months and it has been perfectly fine. But then I suddenly remembered, when Patty and I arrived at her family's house yesterday in Delaware, I went to go place the scale on the ground and it actually fell straight out of the box and landed on the ground very hard. After remembering this, I decided to try it one more time and the same results happened. The only thing good that was coming out of it, was that the scale always ended up on 238.4 lbs. But I can't even be sure if that was the right weight because my scale has never acted like this before. I think it might be broken.

I can't believe that I broke my second scale since I have started my mission. My first scale broke after the first few weeks because  I was too heavy for it. And now this scale (2nd) broke after I dropped it on the ground. My luck with scales hasn't been going to well and I will soon be on my third in the last five months. At least a scale can be replaced. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on a new scale I should try please let me know. I am thinking that I might go back to the same store and purchase the same exact model. I think I might wrap this new one in bubble tape when I travel from now on.

"Save the Date" Photo Shoot

As many of you may know, Patty and I will be getting married soon. In fact, this entire mission started as a way to get into shape by the wedding, however the mission means a lot more than that now. Anyway, Patty and I will be getting married in August of 2011 and today we started developing the "Save the Dates" to send out to everyone we are inviting to the wedding. We decided that we would take a picture of ourselves to be inserted into the "Save the Dates." The only problem is that we are having a hard time on agreeing on which picture to choose.

The following pictures are what we narrowed it down to. Please let me know what you think and feel free to send your thoughts pertaining to this very important decision we have to make. I hope you enjoy looking at what we have to choose from.

The shirt that I was wearing in these photos, was the shirt that my grandmother gave me last Christmas. I was not able to fit in it when I first tried it on and now it is baggy on me. It was blowing in the wind so much, that I thought I was going to take off like a sail. Anyway, please let us know what you think and if you have a favorite. Thank you guys for your support and we look forward to seeing what everyone else thinks.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)

(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Lunch - Turkey on a wrap with shredded cheddar cheese, a side of fruit, and a side of honey mustard = Points 18

Snacks During the Day - 3 servings of whole wheat pretzels, 1 apple, and a serving of beef jerky = Points 10

Dinner - 2 grilled cheese sandwiches (All Weight Watchers Ingredients) and a serving of baked chips = Points 7

Dessert - 1 Weight Watchers ice cream cup = Points 2

Total Points Eaten Today = 37 Points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

Today I ran for 30 mins on the treadmill at the gym. It is starting to get too cold to run outside in Jersey. I had to adjust because the last thing I want to do is to get sick this time of year. Tomorrow I will be executing the weight lifting portion of my workout routine.

Day #154 - Weigh-In = 238.4lbs (This was the weight that the scale kept on ending up at, after it was done going crazy. I think it is time to look for a new scale).

Day #154 Weigh-In

Day #154 Front Shot

Day #153 - A Very Halloween Weekend

Waking up this morning was a little hard to do. The last few days have definitely taken a toll on my body. But Patty and I were not going to let those circumstances stop us from fulfilling a promise that we made to her nieces and nephews about a month ago. We had promised to be there with them, at a huge Halloween Festival, down in Rehoboth Beach, DE. The festival is called "Sea Witch." And let me tell you, these people know how to throw a Halloween party. They had a parade, a Halloween costume contest, magicians, pumpkin painting, scarecrow building, and trick or treating. I don't think I have ever seen so many kids in costumes, in one place, in my entire life time. If anyone is down for a fun time next year, I would definitely recommend checking the "Sea Witch" festival out.

Anyway, since getting back to the East coast, I have noticed that my eating pattern is a little off. The times that I would usually get hungry during the day, I was not hungry at all. I was actually hungry late tonight because Las Vegas is three hours behind and I would be eating dinner around 7:30 pm Vegas time / 10:30 pm Jersey time if I was still there. However, I made sure to try and stick to my normal eating pattern, that I would usually fall into, if I had been home the past few days.

I was very happy with myself today, when it came to eating. Of course when you talk about Halloween, it is only natural to associate this holiday with candy. And let me be perfectly honest with you all, candy played a big roll in getting me to over 300 lbs. I have a very sweet tooth, and it led to my decline in health. I ate healthy the entire day leading up to the festival and the real test was going to come when the trick or treating started. But you all would be proud of me because I put my foot down tonight. I did not eat one single piece of candy at all! Don't get me wrong, I was tempted a few times but I did not act on the temptations at all. In fact, I have been making a conscious effort to try and cut any cheating out of my mission all together. A while ago I instituted a weekly cheat meal into my mission. But I have been realizing that there is no reason for me to try and keep to that cheat meal on a weekly basis. Of course there will be times when I have no choice but to go out of my way to have a cheat meal once a week is unnecessary. I have a goal that I am determined to reach and cutting corners is not an option I want to take. My next small goal is reaching 232 lbs, which will bring my official weight loss to 70 lbs lost since the start of my mission. I believe this goal is reachable and I want to do everything in my power to get there.

With that being said, let's get to the details of the day:

Meals of the Day (The Heavy Man - 36 Points)
(I am currently following the Weight Watchers Points System)

Breakfast - Egg whites on a whole wheat bagel with a slice of american cheese = Points 9
Snacks During the Day - 1 health bar, 1 serving of beef jerky, 1 banana and 1 serving of whole wheat pretzels = Points 9
Lunch - 1 turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with a slice of american cheese and a serving of whole wheat pretzels = Points 11
Dinner - 1 Grilled Tuna Steak with a side of wild rice and a serving of asparagus = Points 8

 Total Points Eaten Today = 37 Points (1 point over my daily limit)

Exercise

I did not make it to the gym today. I woke up at 9:30 am and drove 4 hours to Rehoboth Beach, DE for the festival. I then walked around the festival and went trick or treating with Patty's family for about 5 hours. So I definitely got some sort of cardio workout  today. Tomorrow I will be running outside.

Day #153 - Weigh-In = 238.2 lbs

Day #153 Weigh-In

Day #153 Front Shot