Hooray, today is my last day of unemployment! I've had nearly 5 months of packing, moving, unpacking, adjusting to a new environment, looking feverishly for work, and waiting. Lots of waiting. And here on the eve of my 27th birthday, I wait some more. Tomorrow I have orientation at 9am at the main branch of the bank at which I'll be working, followed by 6 to 8 weeks of studying for securities license exams. While the next month and a half or so will be tedious, I welcome the task. This morning I'm going to press my work clothes and lay them out for the morning, complete some last-minute pre-employment paperwork and stuff it in my portfolio, and set the coffee maker to begin brewing at 7am tomorrow.
Weight today: 347.2. I'm glad I'm down slightly after this weekend. Friday night Erin and I went to the Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge for a joint birthday celebration dinner and I had a 16 oz bone-in ribeye topped with béarnaise, some mashed potatoes, and country-style green beans with bourbon-glazed caramelized onions and bacon. I was pretty famished after burning 1200 calories on the golf course earlier in the day, but the meal was way more than I needed. It's ok to feast to celebrate your birthday, though, isn't it? Yesterday after church we took advantage of our free birthday burger coupons at Red Robin. I got a turkey burger, added some jalapenos for a little kick, and substituted the all-you-can-eat fries for a side salad. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor the turkey patty offered. Our server, however, made it quite apparent that he was not a fan of the birthday coupons. He grilled us about the legitimacy of the coupons, dropped off our bill for $2.53 before we were halfway finished with the meal, and asked on two different visits to our table if he could take our payment before we were ready. We left $4.53. Sorry we were so cheap, Red Robin server, but you were downright rude.
From telegraph.co.uk, passed along from my friend Brian:
Weight Watchers clinic floor collapses under dieters
The floor of a Weight Watchers clinic in Sweden collapsed beneath a group of 20 members of the weight loss programme who were gathered for a meeting.
As the dieters queued to see how many pounds they had shed, the floor beneath them in the clinic in Växjö, in south-central Sweden, began to rumble, according to a report in The Local, Sweden's English-language newspaper.
"We suddenly heard a huge thud; we almost thought it was an earthquake and everything flew up in the air.
"The floor collapsed in one corner of the room and along the walls," one Weight Watchers participant told the Smålandsposten newspaper.
Soon, the fault lines spread around the room, and other sections of the floor gave way.
Luckily, all of the dieters escaped uninjured and managed to move the scales to the corridor, which was not damaged in the accident, and were able to complete their weekly weigh in.
The cause of the floor's collapse remains under investigation.
---
Weight today: 347.4 lbs.
I was a slightly discouraged this weekend over my weight. On Sunday it was up a pound to 351.4. My eating was not as clean this weekend as it has been over the past week or so, but I kept my calorie intake at or a little below what my body burns daily. I guess I'll chalk it up to water retention or changes in the lunar pull or whatever. Today it was down to 350.0 so I guess I'm on the right track. I re-focused my eating today and have stuck at 2000 calories for the day. Normally I stick around 2300-2400, but I got a little too involved in a project today and forgot my about my usual afternoon snack.
Anyway, I got some great news this morning, I passed the vetting process for starting my new job. I was offered a job as a personal banker at a large, national bank a couple of weeks ago, which was fantastic. I was thrilled to know that my then 4 month hiatus from work would draw to a close. But as the bank sent my official offer letter and welcome package, I was a little daunted with the process. I had to go downtown and get fingerprinted, authorize a full background check, and complete a drug test. I knew everything would be OK and I would pass the process, but I was concerned that there might have been some delays, causing my start date to be pushed back or the worst-case scenario of the offer being rescinded. In early 2006, when I was hired with MetLife, there were a couple of hiccups in the process and I started a couple weeks later than I would have liked. This time I was a bit concerned about the drug test.The night before the drug test I smoked a monster doobie. A couple of days before the drug test I had an attack of gout in my foot and went to the doc. He gave me some painkillers, and I was concerned that the opoid medication would show up in my urinalysis. I guess it didn't, or it at least wasn't a big deal, because I got a confirmation email stating that I was all squared away to start work on January 19 (also my birthday). It's about time, 5 months of no work has been brutal.
Anyway, I got some great news this morning, I passed the vetting process for starting my new job. I was offered a job as a personal banker at a large, national bank a couple of weeks ago, which was fantastic. I was thrilled to know that my then 4 month hiatus from work would draw to a close. But as the bank sent my official offer letter and welcome package, I was a little daunted with the process. I had to go downtown and get fingerprinted, authorize a full background check, and complete a drug test. I knew everything would be OK and I would pass the process, but I was concerned that there might have been some delays, causing my start date to be pushed back or the worst-case scenario of the offer being rescinded. In early 2006, when I was hired with MetLife, there were a couple of hiccups in the process and I started a couple weeks later than I would have liked. This time I was a bit concerned about the drug test.
350.4 on the scale this AM. Could be water weight, building a bit of muscle after having worked out the past few days, or being...um...a bit stopped up. Or a combination of any of those. I'm not worried, as the weekly trend is more important than the daily. Daily weigh-ins keep me motivated and on the right track, so I'll continue to do them. Another cup of coffee and I'll be ready to head out into the snow to go work out. (Fortunately I'm just headed to the workout room at the leasing office of our apartment complex). I call it the "fishbowl" as all of the office workers' desks face right at the wall of glass separating the office from the exercise room.
The scale read 349.2 this morning.
I never thought I would eat turkey bacon again. The first time I tried it the person who prepared it for me warmed it in the microwave and it was limp and a little slimy. My wife and I were at Sam's Club the other night and were planning on getting our favorite breakfast sausage, Old Folks. If the "you are what you eat" adage holds true, anyone who's ever seen my physique could guess that I'm a sausage fan--but this stuff is seriously delicious. If Jimmy Dean ate Old Folks' sausage, he would be ashamed of himself for producing an inferior product. When you first try it the experience is like Paula Deen herself popped out from under the breakfast griddle to smack you upside the head with a hefty sausage roll of pure country goodness. Sorry, I'm getting a little off track here. Anyway, for some reason we wanted to be healthier or whatever and grabbed the turkey bacon off the shelf above the pork sausage. This morning I fried up 4 slices until they were nice and crispy. It wasn't Old Folks, but it was pretty delightful. And only 35 calories per slice.
But I may have to find this turkey sausage. It looks gooo-od.
I never thought I would eat turkey bacon again. The first time I tried it the person who prepared it for me warmed it in the microwave and it was limp and a little slimy. My wife and I were at Sam's Club the other night and were planning on getting our favorite breakfast sausage, Old Folks. If the "you are what you eat" adage holds true, anyone who's ever seen my physique could guess that I'm a sausage fan--but this stuff is seriously delicious. If Jimmy Dean ate Old Folks' sausage, he would be ashamed of himself for producing an inferior product. When you first try it the experience is like Paula Deen herself popped out from under the breakfast griddle to smack you upside the head with a hefty sausage roll of pure country goodness. Sorry, I'm getting a little off track here. Anyway, for some reason we wanted to be healthier or whatever and grabbed the turkey bacon off the shelf above the pork sausage. This morning I fried up 4 slices until they were nice and crispy. It wasn't Old Folks, but it was pretty delightful. And only 35 calories per slice.
But I may have to find this turkey sausage. It looks gooo-od.
Tracking what I eat is proving to be effective. I use the fatsecret.com app on my Google phone so upload what I eat and chart my weight loss. Today: 350.1.
I think it would help to journal a bit each day about my progress on weight loss. I'll start today by posting my current weight: 351.6 pounds.
So I had a great plan in 2008 for getting healthy by setting several goals. Some goals I met, some areas I can see improvement on, and some I'd really rather not write about.
I wrote that I wanted to "develop pathways for good spiritual, mental, and emotional nutrition." It sounds like Kierkegaard found Jesus--I must have written that late at night to sound so existential. I talked about reading my Bible more, finding my "Healthy ID", gaining accountability, and promoting more positive "self talk". I really have made inroads in these areas, though I'm not where I want to be. Getting married is probably the best thing that's happened for me to find a healthy self-identity. No longer am I self-conscious about my appearance because I've found someone who loves me exactly how I am. And through that I have tangible proof of how God love me and sees me. Today I am going to dig out my "self-talk" paper from Zig Ziglar that I posted here before and I'll tape it to my bathroom mirror as a reminder to read it everyday. As for reading my Bible more I have been doing a little better. Erin is more of a morning person while I am more of a night owl, so she heads to bed a half hour to an hour before I do. I usually hop on the laptop or watch tv while she nods off, but I'm starting to pull out my Bible during that quiet time of day.
Another goal I wrote about was being aware of what I consume and limiting my calories to 2800-3000 per day and reducing my intake thereafter. I did this on and off last year and ended up losing about 30 pounds since July, 2008. Not nearly where i want to be, but closer to it at least. Now it's time to refocus. Over the past month I've done that and I'm down another 9 pounds. I know the health risks of obesity, but being so young I hadn't been affected by my weight until over the last year. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, gout, and high triglycerides. I also had a couple episodes of plantar facsiitis. I am being treated with CPAP therapy while I sleep, and I hope that as I drop weight my doc will eventually give me clearance to discontinue it's use. Gout is somewhat diet related for me, but I think it also has to do with my weight, as does my elevated triglycerides, which put me at risk for pancreatitis. The excess weight on my feet is also what causes the stress on my platar fascia arches. These are all excellent reasons to shed this fat suit!
I was able to pay off half of my debt (excluding auto and home). My stress and anxiety over finances has greatly diminished. Erin and I have been following Dave Ramsay's debt snowball strategy and have been seeing some serious results. In just the past 3 months we've eliminated $305 in minimum monthly payments which we've "snowballed" onto our other debt payments. In the next 3 months we'll have another 4 creditors paid off, leaving just a handful of debts owed. It's a great feeling.
I wrote that I wanted to "develop pathways for good spiritual, mental, and emotional nutrition." It sounds like Kierkegaard found Jesus--I must have written that late at night to sound so existential. I talked about reading my Bible more, finding my "Healthy ID", gaining accountability, and promoting more positive "self talk". I really have made inroads in these areas, though I'm not where I want to be. Getting married is probably the best thing that's happened for me to find a healthy self-identity. No longer am I self-conscious about my appearance because I've found someone who loves me exactly how I am. And through that I have tangible proof of how God love me and sees me. Today I am going to dig out my "self-talk" paper from Zig Ziglar that I posted here before and I'll tape it to my bathroom mirror as a reminder to read it everyday. As for reading my Bible more I have been doing a little better. Erin is more of a morning person while I am more of a night owl, so she heads to bed a half hour to an hour before I do. I usually hop on the laptop or watch tv while she nods off, but I'm starting to pull out my Bible during that quiet time of day.
Another goal I wrote about was being aware of what I consume and limiting my calories to 2800-3000 per day and reducing my intake thereafter. I did this on and off last year and ended up losing about 30 pounds since July, 2008. Not nearly where i want to be, but closer to it at least. Now it's time to refocus. Over the past month I've done that and I'm down another 9 pounds. I know the health risks of obesity, but being so young I hadn't been affected by my weight until over the last year. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, gout, and high triglycerides. I also had a couple episodes of plantar facsiitis. I am being treated with CPAP therapy while I sleep, and I hope that as I drop weight my doc will eventually give me clearance to discontinue it's use. Gout is somewhat diet related for me, but I think it also has to do with my weight, as does my elevated triglycerides, which put me at risk for pancreatitis. The excess weight on my feet is also what causes the stress on my platar fascia arches. These are all excellent reasons to shed this fat suit!
I was able to pay off half of my debt (excluding auto and home). My stress and anxiety over finances has greatly diminished. Erin and I have been following Dave Ramsay's debt snowball strategy and have been seeing some serious results. In just the past 3 months we've eliminated $305 in minimum monthly payments which we've "snowballed" onto our other debt payments. In the next 3 months we'll have another 4 creditors paid off, leaving just a handful of debts owed. It's a great feeling.
I was reading my friend Brian's blog tonight. Before his most recent posts it's been several months since he's last published his thoughts. It's been so long since I've shared my thoughts I'd nearly forgotten about my own little corner of the web. Reading through some old posts was like pulling long-lost treasures out of a time capsule. Ok, well not quite so dramatic.
I was struck with how much life has changed since I last ruminated here in the summer of 2008. It's a different decade now, and life looks drastically different, in some really great ways. This Colorado native now sits in bed writing this post in his apartment in Louisville, KY with his wonderful wife of 8 months, Erin, sleeping soundly at his side. We moved at the Lord's leading last November, leaving behind our condo in Colorado Springs to sell (please make me an offer!). My wife is working for a mayoral candidate here in Louisville as his personal assistant. The current mayor, "Mayor McCheese", as he is affectionately referred to by some residents of the city, is stepping down after twenty years (not all consecutive) as head of the Derby City. Business has been booming for Kleenex since this announcement. And I am currently unemployed, at least until my new job starts on the 19th of this month, also my 27th birthday. The health insurance industry treated me well, unfortunately my former employer did not. Some severely poor financial management led to the reduction-in-force of, well, it was more of a decimation-in-force. The layoff coincided with our move, and though I could have worked remotely from our new digs in Lousiville, I welcomed a fresh start at a new company.
I did make some goals in 2008 which I need to update all of my readers (Mom) on. I'll do that tomorrow, or at least before 2011.
I was struck with how much life has changed since I last ruminated here in the summer of 2008. It's a different decade now, and life looks drastically different, in some really great ways. This Colorado native now sits in bed writing this post in his apartment in Louisville, KY with his wonderful wife of 8 months, Erin, sleeping soundly at his side. We moved at the Lord's leading last November, leaving behind our condo in Colorado Springs to sell (please make me an offer!). My wife is working for a mayoral candidate here in Louisville as his personal assistant. The current mayor, "Mayor McCheese", as he is affectionately referred to by some residents of the city, is stepping down after twenty years (not all consecutive) as head of the Derby City. Business has been booming for Kleenex since this announcement. And I am currently unemployed, at least until my new job starts on the 19th of this month, also my 27th birthday. The health insurance industry treated me well, unfortunately my former employer did not. Some severely poor financial management led to the reduction-in-force of, well, it was more of a decimation-in-force. The layoff coincided with our move, and though I could have worked remotely from our new digs in Lousiville, I welcomed a fresh start at a new company.
I did make some goals in 2008 which I need to update all of my readers (Mom) on. I'll do that tomorrow, or at least before 2011.
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