Results!

Two things today...first, results!

I weighed in on friday and got some wonderful feedback: 307.8 lbs. For those of you keeping score at home, that's 11.4 lbs lower than my starting weight (and a helluva lot less than 328 earlier in the year!).

Before you get concerned about me dropping that much weight in 2 weeks, a disclaimer: I'm reasonably sure that 1/3 of that is water weight (I was well-hydrated when I initially weighed in...and friday's weigh-in was in the morning after 30 min on the treadmill)...the other 2/3 of the weight agrees with my net caloric burn over the same period. So figure it's 7 or 8 lbs of real weight dropped...that's still a pretty big number, but not a big surprise for the beginning of this program.

So far, it looks like I'm settling into a pattern that I'm pretty comfortable with, and feel good about sustaining: MWF (workout days) net about -1500 calories; TTh net about -1000 calories...and on the weekend, it's looking like I'll hit the -1000 target on one day and miss it on another. At 3500 calories/lb for fat, that adds up to 2lbs/week. That's a number I can live with - both in terms of being happy about my progress and being able to sustain it long-term (remembering that I don't expect to be done with the weight loss when the Largest Loser program ends).

Ok...that's that. And now, for all my non-intel friends, here's my latest blog post from my internal blog at work:

Last week in our wellness coaching session we discussed "wellness" and came up with a working definition that our group is using:

Mind/heart/body in alignment…dreams/desires/passions match
reality

Physically empowered – not restricted. “Can do
attitude”

Physical health:

· Maximize potential

· Free from ailment

· Full mobility

Sense of wellbeing

· Happy where I am

· Body/self image

· Positive outlook

· Feel good

Perception matches
reality

This week's assignment is to create a wellness vision statement. applying the definition above, describe what I want from my own health/wellness. What does it look like, feel like? What excites me about moving foarward and what makes it important to me?

I'll address each of the 5 themes in turn:

Mind/heart/body in alignment…dreams/desires/passions match reality

I have a personal goal to walk the John Muir trail - as both a tribute to my late Great-Uncle and as a personal challenge. I'm certain that this would be a bad idea given my current health, but I can see myself in the future both wanting to do this and being physically capable of doing so...and at that point, the only obstacle is scheduling (and hey, isn't that what sabbaticals are for?)

Physically empowered – not restricted. “Can do attitude”

Today I'm reluctant to run and play with my kids - I'll get on the floor and wrestle with them, or play catch, but I immediately decline any aerobic play activities...because I've developed a "can't do" attitude...I know I don't have much stamina, and don't like being harshly reminded of it by being out of breath. This is changing - only 2 1/2 weeks into the program, I'm able to do more than before...walking up to the 4th floor of FM7 isn't as tiring as it was before. I can see a version of me (that's not too far away) where I don't feel self conscious about running and playing because I know that I CAN do it. Similarly, I see myself getting my body back into a shape that DOES fit into amusement park rides...so I'm not reluctant to get in line for a roller coaster, dreading the humiliation of not being able to fit into the seat.

Physical health:

I think I've addressed "potential" above, more or less...and I don't have mobility issues as such (other than stamina)...but "free from ailment" resonates with me. I want to hear my doctor tell me that it's time to stop taking blood pressure medication...and decide that I only need to have annual exams, not quarterly ones. Seeing myself as a person who doesn't have self-inflicted ailments (today, all my medical issues spring from my weight)...that's a nice thought.

Sense of wellbeing

This one sneaks up on you. Since reading superhero comic books as a kid and becoming aware of Arnold Schwartzenegger back when he was the greatest body builder ever, I've wished that I could look like that...maybe not to the extremes of professional body builders, but to be able to take off my shirt and not feel self consious...and to have some definition. I've never had a problem with being a "big guy"...and as I mentioned in my external blog, what I really want is to be big AND lean...because it's a body image I've always wanted, and coincidentally will give me a metabolism that enables me to eat more of the foods I enjoy.

So...big and lean...proud of not just how I look, but more importantly where I'm at in terms being in control - even today, I'm more comfortable with my weight and self-image...I'm not much leaner than I was 2 weeks ago, but I know that I'm heading in the right direction. And that's an important difference. All of that adds up to a general feeling of...satisfaction. I've said for years now, that each of us is solely responsible for our current state...I'm where I'm at now because of the cumulative sum of lots of decisions over the course of 43 years. I'm enjoying the subtle difference I feel internally, knowing that every day I'm making decisions that actively improve my wellbeing. It feels good.

Perception matches reality

I read once that lots of overweight men convince themselves that they carry a lot of muscle...that THEIR weight, unlike everyone else's, isn't an accurate indicator of their own health. To a certain extent, I'm guilty of that. It's true that I have a lot of "lean body mass" (200lbs of me is not fat)...and as a result, I'm going to be a big person even when I'm at a healthy weight. But being a naturally big person isn't the same as not being fat. I'm sitting at roughly 35-36% body fat. That's double a healthy number for someone my age and sex. So every time I told myself that I was just a "big guy" or that my BMI didn't fairly represent my health, I wasn't being completely honest. Those are half-truths at best. When I hit my target body fat percentage (17%) I'll be able to honestly say that I'm big, fit, and an exception to the rule of BMI. Until then, I'm just another fat guy :). I look forward to being big and lean.

Ok...that about does it for my homework assignment. Now on to the fun stuff...FOOD!

My wife and I haven't done a lot of interesting cooking over the last week...but we did make something that I thought was worth passing along. I've been watching my nutrition summary on the bodybugg website and have noticed that I'm consistenly waaaay over on my fat intake. In response to that, I've made a couple of changes - started cooking with no-stick spray, for one...and also planning to buy a spritzer for use with olive oil. Anywho...the other thing I did as an experiment was to make a lean version of Ratatouille, a traditional French dish of stewed squash, peppers, and eggplant:

Roasted Ratatouille (measurements are from memory...but precision isn't really necessary for this)

1c Zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium Onion, sliced into wedges
1c eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, chopped*
1 T extra virgin olive oil 1 can diced tomatoes (buy a low-sodium brand if you can find it)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2inch dice
1 T chopped basil
1 T capers
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 T red wine vinegar

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine the zucchini, onion, and eggplant in a bowl
3. Season with salt & pepper and add the olive oil - mix with your hands
4. Spread the veggies on a baking sheet or roasting pan (don't overload the pan - you may need to make several batches) and roast until the veggies get a little bit browned and tender (10 minutes, more or less)
5. Transfer the roasted veggies into a large bowl
6. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and combine
7. Eat**

Notes:

* Fun food fact: Vegetables in the onion family (garlic, for example) have enzymes inside their cells that, when released, increase the intensity, or "hotness" of their flavor. So...if you like the flavor of garlic (or any other onion) but don't like that flavor to be overpowering, there's a simple secret...the more you cut it, the stronger the flavor will be. Like a really strong garlic flavor? Chop! Want something milder? Just slice the garlic. Milder still? Roast it whole. The same is true when cooking with onions.

**Ok, I made the ratatouilli, now what do I do with it? This is great when served as a vegetable, as a pizza topping, over rice, or (my favorite) as a sauce for pasta or polenta. The most common use on my dinner table is pasta with ratatouille and some grilled chicken or shrimp.