FIRST STEPS

So I kicked off this endeavor with the fanfare initial post. Yes, I'll do this and I'll do that.

Now it's time to take some action.

What have I done so far you might ask? Let's review.

The first order of business was to obtain a better version of the Foreman Grill than what I already had. What I already had was good enough for a couple of small peices of meat, but you'd have to do one at a time if they were a reasonable size. Wal Mart was out of the size I wanted with the Foreman signature, so I got a slightly different model instead. Details on this will follow in later posts.

With the fat reducing grill in hand, it was time to go grocery shopping. At Costco.

No junkfood on this trip! Nope, I got the good stuff I used to eat a while back. Tops on the list were some individually vacuum packed mahi mahi steaks and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Next up was fruits and veggies. Big bags of baby carrots, broccoli florets, a jar of pickles, and salad. Unsweetened, fresh mango slices (YUM!!!!!), raineer cherries, and bananas.

I've never gone away from diet soda, but I also picked up a whole bunch of 1 liter bottles of Kirkland Signature water. Trouble with soda, even diet, is that it has caffeine and a few other undesirable things. Granted, diet is better than all the sugar in regular for calories. The problem with the caffeine is that it pulls water out of your system. If your body constantly thinks it needs more water, it will start to try to retian it - and its weight. A well watered body is a better working body, too because all the bad stuff is regularly flushed out as well.

Breakfast the past couple of days has been something like some Honey Nut Cheerios with soy milk and a banana. Lunch is usually a turkey sandwich, pickles, fruit, carrots, and salad. Dinner has been a bit different (reasonable portions of normal stuff) while we use up the stuff in the freezer before going to the chicken and fish. Last night was small shrimp on salad with salsa and baby carrots on the side.

You get the idea. I'll try to go into a bit more detail in later posts, this is just a beginning.

Thanks for reading and as always, feedback is appreciated!

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STARTING OVER AGAIN

It came to me last night when I was watching a new TV show - Shaq's Big Challenge. For those of you who haven't heard about this, Shaq - the NBA superstar, has decided to take on childhood obesity and get a group of kids into shape. I saw myself several times in those kids even though I'm 30 years old. Check out the show - it's something on network TV that's actually worth watching for a change!

So what came to me? The fact that I'm way too fat and I need to get off my ass, put down the junkfood, and get into some semblance of shape to ensure that I'm not at the midpoint of my life at 30 years old. I stepped on the scale (thank God it's not alive!) and I really didn't like what I saw. The reading was depressing. It made me angry. Seriously pissed off as a matter of fact. I haven't been this tweaked in years. Democrats and the immigration debate don't rise to this level!

You see, I managed to get down from the high 200's to 195 pounds a couple of years ago. I managed to keep the junkfood out of my mouth, ate healthy, and exercised my butt off - literally! I was lookin' good!

Then I started computer school and was working nearly full time. I gave into the junkfood and convenience. I admit I have a soft spot for pizza and Costco chicken bakes. Gardettos and Doritos. Oh, and cream cheese croissants and bear claws and Bavarian Cream donuts, too. And I've developed a taste for GUMBO!

I wasn't exercising nearly as much. I was eating junkfood. Then I moved to Vegas.

Through nobody's fault but mine, I sat around the apartment when I wasn't working. Then I got a job in a call center. I sit on my butt at home and at work. I get breakfast at the gas station and lunch from the vending machine known as "The Wheel of Death." I eat too damn much. I snack. It ain't right. It ain't healthy.

It has to change! And it is changing starting NOW!!!

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