Another Weight Loss Journey

I've struggled with my weight my entire life. I was a fat sixth-grader. I trimmed down in the eigth and ninth grades thanks to an amazing growth spurt (I probably grew a foot in a year). Thanks to that growth spurt, I started playing basketball on a very regular basis. I stayed at a trim 180 lbs. throughout high school. College happened and I gained my freshman 15.... well, make that my freshman 40. Spending all day at the student union provided easy access to Wendy's and Burger King and I took full advantage. During my second year of college, I stayed out of the student union and started playing basketball every single day after class. I lost 55 lbs. and made it down to 165. Crazy what a little physical activity will do for you, eh? I was scrawny and athletic. I had never felt better physically!


The real world was hard on my weight, though. I graduated in 2001 and by 2004, I was 208 pounds! I worked in a mall for 2 years and next to a seafood restaurant for another 3. What was I supposed to do? Heheh... I know, have willpower! I started running every night after work and made it down to my high school weight of 180. And now, on June 2, 2009, my weight has krept up to an embarrassing 235 lbs. I'm fatter than I've ever been! I eat out too much. I drink too much home brew. I overeat whenever I get the chance and I've allowed a sedentary lifestyle to get the best of me. I've lost the weight before and it's high time I started the process of losing it again.

That brings me to my point. I've enlisted the help of a little program called Nutrisystem. 5 days a week I have my meals planned out for me. That means no overeating, no eating high calorie meals and no drinking beer! I've lost a significant amount of weight twice in my lifetime and it's time to start the third. If Dan Marino, Mike Golic and Chris Berman can be successful with this program, so can I! Obviously it doesn't take a lot of brains if a Pitt grad, a Notre Dame grad and a lifetime asshole can do it.

A lot of weight loss specialists sound so cliche' when they say, "It isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change." They sound silly, but they're absolutely right. I've dieted before and it worked. However, I've never been able to keep the weight off. That's what I hope I learn from using the Nutrisystem plan... portion control and long term discipline.

I'm at the point in my life where being healthy has become important. If I continue down the path I'm headed, I'll be in trouble. It's time to nip this weight problem in the bud. By the end of August, I want to be 200 pounds and on my way to a conistently healthy lifestyle. 200 pounds isn't my goal weight, but it's a solid start.

I'll keep you updated.

Biking in Charleston

My wife's birthday was last week and she received a brand new Trek 7300 hybrid bicycle from her parents.

Yesterday we took our first ride together. We biked the 7 mile long Kanawha City Bike Route in eastern Charleston. It follows the Kanawha River through Kanawha City, past the Capitol and around the University of Charleston.

It was a beautiful day so we stopped on the campus of UC just long enough to snap a picture.

Mr. Beer

MMMMMmmmmmm... Beer.

Last month my wife gave me a Mr. Beer kit for my birthday. Let me just say... it's the tastiest present I've ever received. It comes with sanitizer, beer mix, beer booster (sugar for alcohol purposes), beer bottles and a keg for fermenting.

Home brewing is an interesting process. First you have to make sure everything is sanitized... your pots, spoons and keg. After cleaning, you combine your beer mix with water and booster. It comes to a boil and you place it in the keg with additional water. This is called "creating wort."

After creating your wort, you let the keg sit for at least 2 weeks. This is called "fermentation" and it's definitely the most difficult step in the process for me. I'm very impatient. I want beer NOW! Haha. Anyway, after allowing the beer to sit for two weeks, it's ready to be bottled!

After sanitizing each bottle, you add additional sugar and your fermented beer from the keg. The extra sugar that's added in this step makes the beer carbonated. I like to call it "adding fizz." Sounds like you're all finished, right? WRONG! Heheh... you have to wait another 2 weeks for the additional sugar to finish carbonating the beer.

1 month after starting the brewing process, you can chill and drink your bottled beer! My first home brew was called American Devil IPA. It's an Indian Pale Ale that's hoppy and full fizz. It's very cloudy and there's always some residue left over in the bottom of your pint glass. I assume that's because it hasn't been filtered like many of the beers you see in bars and grocery stores. That residue, however, is what provides the hoppy taste. So it's a-ok by me. ;)

All in all, Mr. Beer is a great kit for home brewing beginners. It isn't hard. The directions are easy to follow and the ingredients are provided. Like I said before, the most difficult part of the process is waiting. If you've got a little patience, home brewing can be very rewarding.

So, let's raise a pint of your favorite home brew and give cheers to my wife for providing the tastiest birthday present of all time.

One Word Wednesday

BIRTHDAY!!!!!

10 Things I Learned this Weekend about Camping

10. Camping is better than watching game 3 of Pens vs 'Canes. :)

9. Setting up a tent has gotten amazingly easy.

8. Wearing a shirt made by Field and Stream doesn't mean you know how to catch fish.

7. My wife makes awesome dip and tortellini salad.

6. Air mattresses are key to a good night's sleep in a tent.

5. A friend's violent puking outside your tent can wake up an entire campground.

4. The better the boat, the more fun it is.

3. The Fosters are some of the nicest people in the world.

2. No jet skiing is better than too much jet skiing.

1. The scenic route is never the fastest route... despite what the iPhone says.

One Word Wednesday

BEST

Another Weekend... Another Fun Family Wedding

Destination: Columbus, Ohio.

So, yeah. This was wedding number 3 of 8 in 2009. We love it, though. Weddings are so much fun. You get to hang out with friends and family, eat very tasty food and maybe, just maybe... have a couple beers. Heheh.

Anyway, we got up early Saturday morning and headed west to Columbus. It was a rainy drive, but an easy one. We arrived in town around noon. The wedding wasn't until 6:30, so we'd planned on having a nice lunch and doing a little shopping. We headed to a gigantic, outdoor shopping village called Easton. We had lunch at the best chain restaurant in the history of the world... the Cheesecake Factory (stop laughing). And yeah, I had a piece of oreo cookie cheesecake. Can ya blame a brother? We then stopped in at Crate and Barrel and Trader Joes. We picked up some organic pasta and some "Two Buck Chuck". I'll blog more about "Two Buck Chuck" later.

Our bellies were full and so was the back of our Jeep, so we headed to our hotel in downtown Columbus. It was only 2 pm and we couldn't check in until 4. Luckily we ran into my aunt and uncle in the hotel lobby. They invited us up to their room while we waited for our room to be prepared. It was a great chance to chat and catch up with them while helping prepare some wedding favors and stealing cookies.

6:30 rolled around and we waltzed downstairs to the Scarlet and Grey Room for the wedding. It gave me the heebeejeebees to enter a room named for THE (barf) Ohio State University, but it was all good. There wasn't a hint of scarlet or grey anywhere. I kid, I kid! So anyway, after a little bit of camera confusion, the wedding started. My cousin looked great in her wedding dress and her husband-to-be was smiling from ear to ear. My uncle performed the ceremony and badaboom badabing, they were married.

The reception was in the same room as the wedding. So, for the next 2 or 3 hours, we danced, chatted, ate some quality food (I was extremely fond of the crabcakes) and had a few drinks. The afterparty was upstairs in the bride's suite. We just kinda sat around and relaxed. I got a chance to hang out with my grandfather and talk about old cars and his days as a kid living "up Osage"... something I hadn't done in a while and glad I got the opportunity to do. Slowly but surely people grew tired and headed back to their rooms to crash. I lasted until about 3:30 am (3 hours longer than my wife... heheh). After the fourth time I stuck my arm in the cheesecake sitting on the counter, I figured it was time to call it a night. Side note --- I just looked at my sport coat and it still has cheesecake on it.

We got up Sunday morning and helped everyone get organized and packed. It was time for brunch! We headed to the 94th Aero Squadron next to the Columbus airport. Here's a link: 94thaero.com. It was an interesting place. There were pictures, memorabilia and signs from WWI and WWII everywhere. I even learned that people in the military call the bathroom a "latrine." We had waffles, smoked salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and homemade macaroni and cheese. All-in-all, it was a great brunch. And most importantly, it allowed the entire family to hang out for an extra couple of hours.

After brunch we said our goodbyes and made our return trip to Charleston. It was an enjoyable weekend and like I've said before, I can't wait to do it again.