Let’s Get It Started

Where have you been?  I have not written anything in some time.  If you look at my last post, you will see, like I just did, that it was posted on September 1, 2012.  What happened back in the first week of September?  I changed my life.  I lost 30 pounds in a little more than 30 days.  I made money while losing the weight and changing my life.

Let me explain.  And I will continue to explain in the coming weeks and months and may invite some guest bloggers to share their stories.

For more than a year, my beautiful and patient wife, Ana, had been telling me stories of all the success that a few of her peers had been having with weight loss.  In all that time, I steadfastly poopooed her stories of weight loss as I was quite confident that if I enjoyed fewer beers and burgers that I too could lose weight.  As I am sure that you are an avid reader of my “Lose 100 Pounds in One Year” blog, you know that I have spent the last 15 years floating between 50 and 100 pounds overweight.  I have lost nearly 50 pounds in a weight bet among friends and then gained 70 in the next year.  I have lost 20 pounds before the holidays, just to make room to gain them back over that very same holiday season.  Need I say more than that I started the blog “Lose 100 Pounds in One Year” about three years ago?  

Got it? So, what happened in September?  Well, I heard a conversation between my beautiful and  patient wife, Ana, and one Meghan Kelly Jones.  I was driving while Ana had Meghan on the phone via bluetooth in her car allowing me to hear the whole conversation.  Meghan was telling her story and had my attention.  I may tell her story to you someday, if I can’t get her to do it, but not today.  She got my attention with a compelling and moving story of her family and their last couple years.  Meghan is the wife of one of Ana’s former peers at work.

Meghan’s story hit so close to home that I got excited.  While excited, I wanted to get through what must be a candy coating and see what was in the middle.  I hit the internet to find the naysayers and get the other side of the story.  I searched like a skeptic seeking any signs of scam or fraud.  I watched You Tube videos taken from every perspective and sought out competitors.  I reviewed the corporate material and small print.  I weighed my options and considered the risks and rewards.  Then I started talking to my friends and family to see if they had heard anything like this.  When the dust cleared and my reviews were complete, I took decisive action.

Meghan’s story involved AdvoCare.  I had heard the word and vaguely thought that it either had to do with with Health Care or First Aid, and as wrong as I was, I wasn’t too far off.  While AdvoCare is an industry leading health and wellness company with products that support energy, weigh-loss, nutrition and sports performance, they can also be just the “first aid” and/or “health care” that so many neglect to give themselves.

The first week of September 2012, Ana and I joined AdvoCare as distributors and took the 24-Day Challenge together.  We bought in completely to the products and followed the cleanse, supplement and meal plan completely.  We supported each other and got immediate results.  We scoured the web for more information on how others were using the products.  Our energy level was great.  Our clothes were fitting better.  We felt really good.

As we have a million times before with the newest restaurants, movies or television shows, we started telling everybody about what we had found.

Before starting the Challenge last summer, I weighed 310 pounds.  After the Challenge, I got under 280.  I lost over 22 total inches in body measurements including 4 inches in my waist alone.      I have not been given permission to tell my Ana’s stats, but I can say that she had similar results and was just as excited as I am about them.  I know that I just lost some of you reading this, because you don’t believe me. But, if you don’t believe that, you are never going to believe this.  We finished our Challenge over 3 months ago.  Since then, Ana has eaten very well and only “cheated” for a couple meals at special events or holidays.  She still uses a few of her favorite supplements, has continued to lose weight and is wearing clothes smaller than she ever remembers wearing.  I know the jeans she just bought are a size smaller than what she was buying when we were dating 20 years ago and she was 18!  I have “cheated” a lot and binged on holiday food like the world was really going to end.  I drank beer and ate cookies.  I used a few of the supplements that Ana was using and my weight moved a pound or two up and down.  I continued drinking a lot of water and as I sit here writing this, I weigh 280.

Did I spend money on these products? Yes, but no more than we were already spending on so many self-defeating products like lattes and fast food.  So, take note.  We saved more money on items that we eliminated than we spent to add the new.  That alone would be enough, but by sharing our results and excitement, we made money that paid bills, reduced debt and bought refills of supplements or other products we tried.  Again, that really should be enough for anyone, but we also got to truly help people.  We inspired friends, family, coworkers and acquaintances to make a change and feel better.  See the attached comparison photo of my father-in-law, Sergio Padron, that lost a lot of weight and total inches. The numbers that I want to share is what he did to his blood sugar with daily measurements over 150 before the Challenge and now an average of 80.  He changed his life and may have fought off adult onset, Type II Diabetes.  That gets me excited.  Now my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are ready to get started.

AdvoCare has launched new products and limited time price savings for the New Year’s Resolution crowd that end on January 15th.  There’s the Can You 24 DVD and a bundle of the 24-Day Challenge and Beyond that will get you through 72 days of becoming a Champion.  I weighed in today because I am excited to be starting my second 24-Day Challenge and may go Beyond and use my DVD to see what exercise will do to affect my results.  Did you think that we were working out to get our results?  Last fall, Ana and I worked out 2 or 3 times during the challenge and my father-in-law incorporated a daily walking routine to his plan.

What’s it going to be for you?  Change your life?  I’ll keep you updated on mine.  Are you competitive?  There is a Transformation Contest with $40,000 in prizes.  I signed up for that today.  Deadline is January 15.  I am confident that whether or not I can impress the judges, I will feel great and look better another 30 or more pounds lighter.

Left photo taken Thanksgiving Day and right photo just a couple days before Christmas (27 days).

Football Football Football

Summer does not really end for another three weeks at the solstice, but, for most, Labor Day weekend, returning to school and/or the beginning of football are more than enough to begin pulling out of the Summer spirit and transition toward Fall.

Kids back to school? Fine. Three day weekend? Sign me up.  Football? Yes, please and keep it coming.  Football means Fall is here as much as leaves turning, temperatures dropping and gourds being harvested.  Do not get me started on pumpkins.  I will save that for another time.

The NFL preseason has wrapped up and the regular season kicks off next week. Last night, high school football was in full swing with some of them playing their second game. This morning I saw the local high school stadium playing host to the youngest Pop Warner youth football teams in full pads and game gear. This Labor Day weekend has the first Saturday of college football in full swing after kicking off Thursday night.  Football is all around.  As I have discussed at length before, not all football is American football. But, unlike the USA and our Major League Soccer, most of the world begins playing football at the end of August or first of September just when our American football is getting underway.  Football can be seen in nearly every corner of the world.  The excitement, community pride and money spent is nearly boundless.  This is true whether you are in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, or Manchester, England.  College or NCAA football is the closest thing we have in America to the passion that is international football or soccer, but they are still so very different.

Football in America, whether NCAA or NFL, is much more than a game.  There is game planning and strategy.  Offense and defense.  Scoring and turnovers. Rivalries and rebuilding. Plays and schemes. Mascots and cheerleaders. Cheering and jeering. Alumni and fanatics. Marching bands and halftime shows. Stats and awards. Fantasy and collectibles. Camaraderie and trash talking.  Genius and stupidity. History and face painting. Hope and desperation. Money and more money. Tradition and coaching combine these things and more to try to put together a winning combination.

As a fan, my winning game plan always includes the “tailgate”. This means that you arrive many hours before kickoff and have a meal plan that includes grilling and ice cold beverages at the very minimum.  There can be tents and comfortable seating.  You can have a television and a satellite dish.  If you have an RV, bring it.  I don’t care whether it’s football or soccer, that is not a bad way to spend an afternoon before watching your team.  I like having craft beer and brats if left to my own means.  When traveling to games, I like to walk through the parking/tailgating area and meet people and see the cuisine in all its many flavors that is being cooked and served.  In Green Bay, this can include some squeaky cheese or a brat sharing grill space with a pheasant.  In Barcelona, you might have some fire roasted corn or a paella.  South Florida raises the bar on fresh seafood you may have caught yourself, while from the Deep South to Central Texas barbecue battles are waged daily.  Food and Football Flavor Fall.  Say that five times fast.

Sorry about the alliteration, but it was either that or metaphor, so consider yourself lucky.

Let me hear about your game and what it means to you.  If you have a recipe, share it with me. If you have an extra ticket and want to show me how it’s done, I may have a weekend or two open this fall.  Until then, I have to go fire up the grill and grab a drink from the cooler.

See ya, bye.

Dialed in.

Florida Pancake Combo

 

I don’t often write out of obligation, but felt that I needed to reset this post from this morning as I tried to post via email from a new app that did not work as expected.  This would not ordinarily be a big deal but since so many of you came to look at it, I felt the need to replace the post upon deletion with what you should have seen.

Ana and I had breakfast this morning at keke’s breakfast cafe here in Central Florida.  She had the banana nut pancake combo and I had the Florida pancake combo.  The kids were off doing there own thing with friends.  

See ya, bye.

Hippocrates Diet

 

I like “hippos” and “crates”, so what is not to like about Hippocrates.  The short story is that he was an ancient Greek physician.  He is referred to as the father of Western medicine.  He walked the planet nearly 2500 years ago, predating Christ.  He is credited with the Hippocratic Oath that is still in use today.  There are also a vast number of quotes attributed to him.  Let me give you a couple of my favorites.

“Primum non nocerum. (First, do no harm.)”

From my cursory knowledge, this is the basis of his oath that doctors today still pledge.  I think that it works for much more than medicine, from dealing with people to the environment.

“Walking is man’s best medicine.”

Ana and I tested this firsthand as we ate and drank whatever we wanted for a week in Paris and due to an average of five to ten miles each day walking, we did not gain a pound on the trip.

“That which is used – develops. That which is not used wastes away.”

This is an easy quote to attribute to physical activity as well, but I included it as I think it applies to so much more.  Whether it is a foreign language, compassion or patience, the practice of each develops and the lack thereof allows it to waste away.

“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”

Finally, we have arrived at the point that I want to make.  I am not and have never been a big fan of popular medical drugs.  I believe that far more than most would ever believe that a majority of conditions that we treat with over the counter and prescription medications are merely symptoms of imbalances in either the foods and drinks we intake, our activity levels or both.  I am not a medical doctor.  I make no promise of curing anything.

I believe that our bodies are very fragile and small ecosystems that not unlike nature can get in real trouble if denied water or nutrients or get filled with garbage.  Headaches can be indicators of dehydration, exposure or addiction.  An upset stomach, bowel problems or heartburn, maybe you are eating a food or too much of a food that you should not be eating.  With modern day marketing and the smells that we are assaulted with combined with a primordial urge to consume as much sugar and fat as we can get our hands on, it is important to make conscious decisions.  I will talk more about this idea of “consciousness” later.

What conscious decisions should you make?  Well, what should you eat to feel the way that you want to feel?  Are you a victim of your decisions or the hero of your story?  Do you know which behaviors are self defeating?

I am fat.  I don’t want to be fat anymore.  The prescription is simple.  Eat foods that allow me to lose weight.  There are a lot of misconceptions and contrasting points of view on just what those foods are.  I have adapted the nutrition plan from Bill Phillips’ Body for Life.  Bill Phillips is no longer involved but the core principles remain unchanged.  They have a 12-week challenge and combine workouts with the nutrition plan.  These things will multiply your results significantly, but I am here to tell you what I have done.  I have focused on the nutrition principle only.  I have not worked out once in the last month and I have lost 15 pounds.  I have at least one cheat day every week, and whether it is planned or unplanned, I get right back on the wagon the next day.

Eat a low fat protein in a serving the size of your palm with a good, complex carbohydrate in a serving the size of your fist at every meal, up to six meals each day.  Eat all the vegetables that you want.  Drink a lot of water.  Drink more water.  Eliminate sugar and fat.  Refer to the simple Food List if you have questions.  You will not be hungry.  I rarely get to all six meals in a day.  I can make good choices at restaurants and with the basic principles of Body for Life, I know what each and every decision means for me.

So many people are fooled by words like “salad” and “natural” and assume that they mean “good for you”.  Even more sinister are items that are “fat-free” that are loaded with sugar, and the “sugar-free” items that are loaded with fat.  Take charge of what you consume.  Be conscious.

I really do not know if there is a Hippocrates diet where maybe you only eat figs, grapes and palm hearts.  If there was a Hippocrates diet, first, it would do no harm and the food would be the medicine and medicine would be the food.  My plan may not be the best plan for you.  It works for me.  Failing to plan is often the same as planning to fail.  If all else fails, we still have hippos and crates.

Starbucks

I remember my first Starbucks.  We were on a trip to San Francisco around the Fourth of July weekend in 1999.  I remember that it was 1999, because Shannon was three and Mickey just one.  Ana’s siblings, parents and grandparents were with us making us four generations on the road.  

We went to Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli and rode a cable car.  We went to Napa, Muir Woods and drove the Monterrey coast.  We walked through Sausalito, Golden Gate Park and Alcatraz.  We enjoyed ice cream shops, soup in bread bowls and Anchor Steam beer.  The fireworks for the Fourth over the Bay were amazing.  These are the things that I remember as highlights from this trip aside from an incident with a doll of Shannon’s that deserves its own post another time.  The San Francisco trip itself, traveling with a large family and each of the items referenced above can serve as fodder for future posts.

In 1999, Starbucks was little more than a novelty to us in much the same way that In-N-Out Burger remains when I am out West.  It was not the ubiquitous, corner coffee shop that we take for granted today.  The coffee was excellent, but I don’t remember thinking that it was any better than any other serious coffee shop.  At that time, for me, there was good coffee and everything else.  Good coffee was usually served where quality was important and care went into the sourcing of the beans, roasting, water and brewing.  At home in Florida at the time, other than the occasional, eclectic, local shop, we had Barnie’s Coffee that sometimes teetered on the edge between good and everything else.

When I was in college in the early Nineties, I frequented a place called John Conti Coffee in Louisville, Kentucky.  I was enough of a regular that I could sit and read or hang with friends and keep filling my coffee mug with all the varietals and roasts from around the world for just a couple dollars.  I stopped using cream and sugar and began to try to taste the coffee.  I began to appreciate coffee.  I acquired a taste for coffee.

Not long after that trip to the West Coast, Starbucks began its expansion to cover the globe and the novelty spread.  When are we going to get a Starbucks?  Then they were in airports and city centers.  They were in trendy neighborhoods and then they were in Target.  They put Barnie’s out of business and inspired competitors and even non-competitors to brew better coffee if they wanted my coffee money.  Gas stations, Dunkin Donuts and even McDonald’s tried to sell taste tests and value to hang on to coffee market share.

I know that there are some that prefer many other brands and coffee providers and some of them are passionate about it.  In that group, there are plenty of Starbucks haters.  There are many that have no taste or taste buds.  There are others that are turned off by price or a sort of snobbish, anti-snobbery.  I can’t say that I understand all the contrarian motivations, but suffice it to say, they exist.

Starbucks has moved well beyond coffee into tea and breakfast, blended beverages and free wifi.  They have sold business books and music.  On any given day, your local Starbucks is host to business meetings, study groups and job interviews.  It’s a meeting place and a break room, remote office and lunch room.  

At their core, Starbucks still sources, roasts and brews terrific coffee.  Now, you can just get a bowl of oatmeal to go with it.  They release a few Reserve coffees each year that are exceptional and have some seasonal offerings that have become the stuff of cult legend.  One of these is the Pumpkin Spice Latte.  The Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, is not officially released for this fall season yet, but if you order it, they will make it.  I had my first of the year earlier today and, I may no longer be objective about this drink, YUM!

I do have one bit of advice for the folks at Starbucks, that so many baristas have had to hear from me, “bring the red sprinkles back to the Peppermint Mocha.”

 

Do not tuck your t-shirt into your underwear, Alabama fan.

view full image

“Do not tuck your t-shirt into your underwear, Alabama fan.”

Greens & Grille

I promised favorites, and in no particular order I am going back and grabbing pictures and updating you on favorites.  If you do not live in Central Florida, you will have to travel for this one as there are currently only two locations and they are both in Orlando.

Greens and Grille is all about the food.  Creative, thoughtful, healthy food.  They have a menu that can satisfy anyone, unless you hate good food.  The food is fresh and made to order right before your eyes.  The menu is focused around sandwiches and salads with a variety of meats, fire grilled on the line between you placing the order and the register.

I am hooked on making my own salad and adding a grilled fillet of salmon.  I prefer the Summer Salad recipe because of the fruit and candied nuts, but I am cutting back on ordering it for the same reasons.  There is a diverse rotation of soups and specials.  I am often able to steal bites of other people’s (wife and daughter) sandwiches and can report that awesomeness abounds.

Go for the fresh brewed tea or a cold draft beer.  Very few casual dining experiences offer draft beer at all.

For full disclosure, Greens & Grille is not paying me to say all this, either in food or cash.  A fact that I hope to remedy.

Find their website at greensandgrille.com and follow them on twitter @GreensandGrille

Opposite of Writer’s Block?

I hate to complain about what some might see as an embarrassment of riches.  I have not posted a blog in quite some time.  I did have a busy summer between work and family vacation.  I have written many partial posts and have working notes on quite a few more.  I am getting bogged down with which of the many topics to talk about first.  I begin writing about an amazing restaurant that I visited in Memphis or Chattanooga and then decide to wax poetic about the economy or election year drama.  I make notes about a high speed rail trip from Paris to London and then get lost in a sea of ideas about this summer’s Olympics.  I get emotional about my daughter getting her license and my youngest heading off to high school and then get distracted by EURO 2012 and the upcoming fall football season.  I get inspired by a talk at church and move on to some new book or gadget.

I call it “analysis paralysis”: A massive amount of data that bogs you down in a selection process and keeps you from moving forward.  This polishing process is good to a point, but not if it impedes action.  I have heard it said that a team can get to an 80% plan in 24 hours when 100% would take a month.  If the 80% team gets right to work implementing the 80% plan, they will be many generations, adaptations, course corrections and product cycles down their path before the 100% team even starts.

I know that many experienced writers would advise making time to write everyday and even an inexperienced blogger would know that these ideas are more prescient if written about in a timely manner and published nearer to the event of which I am writing.  I subscribe to a lot of blogs and enjoy the short focused topic selection that reflects their voice and brand so well.  This causes me to edit and judge my work more harshly than it deserves.  I make no apologies for my writing, voice, brand or lack thereof.  I need to edit less and publish more.  Not every posting will get nominated for a Pulitzer, but at the very least, my mom will know that I am still alive.

I resolve to tell you about everything hinted at above and so much more.  I will write however often as I can and push the publish button whether I like it or not.  I will edit and share and keep you updated as life unfolds.  I would love for the communication to become a dialogue as I look forward to your comments and blogs, but I will hold up my end of the bargain either way.  Whether or not these writings head in a direction and take on a theme or stay diverse and all over the map remains to be seen.  I am excited to build on the habit and  of writing everyday and also send some pictures and quick posts from travels and restaurants.  I will share some of my favorite places, events and things.

I had a friend comment recently, “at least you have something to say.”  And, that, I do.

I-4 in Orlando is Never Faster

Dessert of Champions

Yo! I want some FroYo. I wonder who is mayor at this joint. Yogurtland Winter Park.