Born Squishy

Day 1626

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:25:00 +0000

"Life is a series of surprises, and would not be worth taking or keeping if it were not." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life has been extremely busy lately. My parents are slowly improving..... which is great, but they still have a long way to go before I can return home to Newfoundland.

I just returned home from a brisk walk and I feel great. I've managed to keep on track over the last few weeks even though I'm under an incredible amount of stress, and typically finish each day exhausted. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm surprised by my commitment under these circumstances.

I have a few posts on the go saved as drafts, and if all goes well I'll try to complete them tomorrow. I also need to update my sidebar with last weeks results. As for now, I'm heading to bed.

To Do List

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:06:00 +0000

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
- John Lennon

As a person with A.D.D a To-Do List is an absolute MUST when trying to remain focused and on top of daily/weekly tasks. Keeping on top of things helps me reduce stress, and reducing stress helps me remain content and happy.......a key to Mental Wellness.

I've decided to change the To-Do List items and the post date to the beginning of each week as there's no need to populate my blog with a tonne of past completed lists.

Notes for this week:

This week will likely be as crazy as the last, but hopefully I'll be able to knock off a few things.

To Do List: items to be completed before Sept. 23rd, 2009
(High Priority items are red)

- rake leaves around side and rear of the house
- sweep off the back deck
- put items on back deck into storage
- take winter stuff out of storage
- clean out shed
- ~~Submit documents to doctors office~~
- ~~Pick-up completed documents from doctors office~~
- ~~Drop off completed documents to Service Canada~~
- send letter to Auntie Jean with documents for dad.... with return envelope/stamp
- ~~Call Gov concerning the documents that didn't arrive.~~
- ~~Make follow-up call to Gov concerning the documents that didn't arrive.~~
- complete (or delete) Born Squishy drafts.
- Remind Kev to get website info

Future To Do's:

- start/finish "My weight, My life: Part 4" post for blog

Back in Newfoundland.... Future Tasks:

- read 1st chapter of my meditation book
- start reading "Divorcing Ed"
- add "Divorcing Ed" to book list.
- build book shelf in basement
- empty book boxes onto new book shelf
- build cork board display area for Josh & Vanessa's art
- hang up family photo's
- organize hardware racks (screws, nails, bolts, etc.) in garage
- purchase 4 electronic thermostats and install them.
- paint front walkway
- build ground level deck at rear of house
- build a window box for Sherri's office

Crunching Numbers

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:02:00 +0000

"Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare." ~ Rene Descartes

Numbers are important to me. They help me keep track of things. Keep me organized. Help me visualize progress, or the lack thereof. They are an essential part of tracking time, past, present and future.

With that in mind, lets take a moment to consider some important numbers in regards to this blog.

- Born Squishy was launched on Saturday, May 14th, 2005
- 4 Year, 5 Months, and 5 Days ago......
- That makes this Week #231 or Day #1619

- My starting stat's were as follows:

Age: 31
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 243.0 lbs.
Body Fat %: 34.2

- On Sept. 9th, 2009 (after being absent for 187 Days) I changed my starting stats & date to:

Aug. 1st, 2009
Age: 35
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 259.0 lbs.
Body Fat %: 39.7

I realize that this really isn't necessary, but I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my deceit.... not that it fooled anyone. I just couldn't face returning (yet again) to my blog in worse shape than I started in.

I understand the whole "what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger" and the importance of "learning from our mistakes"...... I just couldn't acknowledge it at the time.

So..... until the day comes when time travel is an viable option and I have ability to distort the 'space-time continuum', I'll have to remember to live in the present, learn from my past, and apply that knowledge to make a plan for the future.

Day 1620 here I come.

Quick Update

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:03:00 +0000

"Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance"
~ Unknown

Things have been insanely busy lately. I don't have enough time for a full post, so here's another very brief update:

1. My father is slowly recovering from his surgery.
2. My mother is still in the hospital and is improving in health, but hasn't made any progress in terms of her condition...... surgery might be the only option left.
3. My brother and I have patched things up.
4. I'm very excited to announce the arrival of my GoWear Fit "Lifestyle and Calorie Management System" device. I'll have a very detailed post on this in the future..... hopefully near as apposed to distant.
5. I created an account to track my calorie intake on SparkPeople...... detailed post to follow.

Although I've been taking great care of my parents, I've completely neglected my own health and well being. I've binged, spent far too much time in front of the computer, had little to no exercise..... Yadda, yadda, yadda.... I need to spend more time on helping myself.

With GoWear Fit, SparkPeople and this blog I hope to make progress in looking after me.

My brother

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:33:00 +0000

"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity"
~ Proverbs 17:17

I'm by no means a religious person, but this quote hits too close to home at the moment.

As you know, my brother and I just had a big blow out that nearly came to blows. He left the house, with me close at his back trying to persuade him not to go. He told me to just leave him alone (in so many words). I didn't, but eventually gave in to his repeated request for 10mins alone"".

He drove off..... that was almost an hour ago.

For the sake of my parents, my brother, and my sanity, ~~I have~~ we have to resolve this ASAP..... hopefully when he comes back. We need each others support, and we need to work together..... otherwise I'm not sure how we'll get through the next few days, let alone the next 3+ weeks.

Patience will be paramount.... wish me luck.

UPDATE: he returned, looked at me and said "I'm going to bed". He wasn't in the mood to talk, but we did hug and agreed to talk tomorrow.

I took the dog for a late night walk and saw a shooting star. I won't reveal my wish, but it was a little more localized than "World Peace" ;)

Overwhelmed - Part Deux

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:40:00 +0000

"Sound character provides the power with which a person may ride the emergencies of life instead ob being overwhelmed by them. Failure is... the highway to success." ~ Og Mandino

I'm not quite sure what Oggy considered to be "emergencies of life" but I think I'm entering a state of emergency that is almost unquantifiable in nature. Success or failure are concepts that I don't even think can be applied to my life at the moment. The only factor that remains to be significant at the moment is survival, and right now that aspect feels unachievable at the best of times.

Here's a really.... really brief run down over the last few weeks:

My Father
- after being diagnosed with emphysema (about a month ago) went in for a biopsy... a procedure that was supposed to be an in-evasive in/out ordeal.
- his procedure turned out to be very evasive. He had severe drug interactions at the hospital and was held for over a week.
- he's now in incredible pain, is barely mobile and recovery time is 7-13 weeks.
- impatient, intolerant, quick to anger, defensive, emotional roller coaster.

My Mother
- her lupus flared up, her back pain went through the roof and she developed severe flu like symptoms.
- she was rushed to the hospital, and after tons of test was diagnosed to have a staff infection in her spine.
- she spent 6 weeks in hospital and was released about a week ago.
- since her release, she's in incredible pain, almost immobile, and keep food/water down or in.... I'm trying not to get gross.
- I had her taken back to the hospital today for more tests, to be hydrated.... but they sent her home again by the end of the day. Apparently she's in too great of a risk being at the hospital due to her illness and current infection.... there's too many people at the hospital that could make her already bad infection even worse.

Brother
- is in the middle of a separation from his wife of 10yrs.
- has been diligently trying to juggle his new job, taking care of both parents and the above mess.

Myself
- I've only been home to see Sherri 3 times over the last year.
- My roommates were returning to Newfoundland, so I was in the process of moving to a new apartment.... that was until my new roommates back out on me.
- between missing Sherri beyond belief, having 2 ailing parents and an exhausted sibling, and no place to live I decided to pack my stuff up and make the 4000 km drive to Ontario to help out.
- I'm hoping to gets things somewhat back to normal here before making the remaining 3500 km trek back to Newfoundland.

Additional Notes:
- Sept. 19th was my birthday..... which I worked O/T on and it sucked.
- I'm completely emotionally drained.
- my brother and I came very close to beating the crap out of each other today.... emotions are extremely high and my parents place, although perfect for them, was never designed for four adults...... and my brothers 2 kids who stayed over for the night.

Originally I started writing this post the day after finishing my last post. I had a decent week and I ate well at work with the exception of one shift where I left my lunch by the front door of my apartment and was forced to dine from the vending machine, as 16hrs away from home, without food is not an option.

The days following the start of that post probably wiped out my week of progress. The news from home, and the loss of the apartment was just too much for my fragile will power to cope with. My inability to cope lead to a lot of binging and inner turmoil until I had a heart to heart with Sherri, and later my boss, which lead to the decision to quit my job & return home.

I realize that I keep using the word "home" in 2 different contexts, which I guess i should explain. My original home, the home of my family is here in Ontario. The place I consider my true home now is Newfoundland, and more importantly with Sherri.

I had a lot of things that I hoped to discuss in this post, but with everything that's been going on I think I'll leave them for a later date, when things are a bit less hectic and when I'm able to think a little more clearly.

I had typed a few point for notes that I was going to discuss and although I'm leaving that for another day, I'm going to leave them here for future reference...... these are only half completed thoughts or ideas, so some will only make sense to me.

- Observation about 12 step programs, Food addiction, eating disorder, binging, tweak, never ending process, now week.... and day.... ,working on wordpress.

Thanks for letting me rant and for taking the time to read this mess of a post.

Overwhelmed

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:24:00 +0000

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it” ~ Terry Pratchett

I have so much to discuss, but to tell you the truth I have absolutely no idea where to begin. I think I'm going to call it a night and get some much needed sleep. Hopefully that will give my brain a few hours to digest all my thoughts into some sort of semblance of a plan of attack.

Until then goodnight.

Back to Blogging

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:07:00 +0000

"I wanted to be an up-to-date King, but I didn't have much time"
- King Edward VIII

I've finally updated my sidebar and sorted out all the links & most of the information. I'm on a much needed vacation, and I'm spending it @ home here in Newfoundland. 2009 has been a really rough year for me. Both of my parents are ill and have been in and out of hospital, which has been extremely hard for me since I'm working out West in Alberta, my home & girlfriend (which I rarely get to see) are back East in Newfoundland, and my ailing parents are in Ontario.

To put things in perspective, I've only seen Sherri 3 times over the last year, and I spent a month at home with my parents. Beyond that I've been working my ass of in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Food/eating wise I've been a complete mess during my absence from my home (and my blog)..... and my weight/health is proof.

During my visit, Sherri and I discussed this and other related things to great length and we both agreed that we have to make some serious changes in our lives.

I don't have much time to discuss anything right now (it's taken me 3 days to compose this), but I will be posting more during the upcoming days. As an FYI, I work 3 days, followed by 3 nights, followed by 6 days off, so my blogging will come and go in spurts.

I'm flying back to Fort McCrappy early tomorrow morning and it's off to work the next day for the beginning of my 6 day rotation.

Thanks for popping by and checking up on me over the long months of inactivity.

Going Home For a Visit

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:25:00 +0000

"There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again." ~ Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

I'm flying home to see my sweetie on Monday, and during my stay I plan to update my blog.... as it's long overdue.

Something

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:52:00 +0000

"Time is like a handful of sand; the tighter you grasp it, the faster it runs through your fingers" ~Unknown

Lately it's hard to remember whether I'm coming or going. I'm absolutely pooped, so this is going to be very.... very short.

Have I made any great gains..... no. Have I made any progress.... yes.

I created my To-Do List, and completed much of it. I made some very modest improvements in other area's of my life, which is a step in the right direction...... okay, it was more like 4 or 5 steps forward and 3 steps with a little shuffle backwards, but I think I came out ahead. Yay for small victories.

Thanks for the comments and concerns. More to come soon (in a few days).

Purgatory

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:59:00 +0000

“He that eateth well drinketh well,
he that drinketh well sleepeth well,
he that sleepeth well sinneth not,
he that sinneth not goeth straight through Purgatory to Paradise.”
~ William Lithgow (1582-1645) Scottish traveler and author

I'll make this short n' sweet as it's late..... or rather early in the morning, and I'm exhausted and hardly in the mood to complete this post...... alas it's well overdue and of immense importance.

I feel like I'm trapped in the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day"..... well not the actual movie, but suffering from the same repetitive day, over and over again, unable to make the changes necessary to continue onto the next day. The only difference is that my day is sometimes not just a day, but a longer cycle. Sometimes that cycle is only a day long, and sometimes it stretches on for what feels like eternity.

I fall into the same endless cycle over, and over, and over, and over again, unable to break the pattern. A broken record, which after years of skipping was replaced by a digital loop.

Eventually, after days, weeks, months or years later, I managed to break the cycle. I regroup, construct a new tactic and launch my self into action, but eventually, months, weeks or days later, I slip back into the repetitive loop of failure.

I'm embarrassed. I'm exhausted. I'm Afraid. Afraid to even attempt again. I'm afraid because I'm not sure how many times I can keep doing this to myself.

I'm not sure what else I have to say at the moment. Now that I think about it, I really didn't even have a game plan or any sense of direction, before I started to type this post. My only real goal was to return to my blog..... no matter how painful or embarrassing.

Being away from Sherri, especially in a town which I despise, has been a real testament to the strength of our relationship; and although I've somehow managed to maintain my sanity, without slipping into depression, I feel like I'm trapped in Purgatory.

Other than for quick trips to the store for food and odds and ends, or to go to work, I've seldom left my room let alone my apartment.

I have no elaborate plan. No rules. No promises. Nothing.

If I'm able to accomplish anything tomorrow, I would like to leave my apartment even for a short walk and try to report back here..... that's all I have in me currently.

Resolution

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:36:00 +0000

Written on Dec.19th, 2008, but not posted until Feb.16th, 2009

This was originally just a brainstorming draft that I planned to pull from and write a more congealed post, but I though it would take away from the experience. Here's the original post unedited.

My body is my temple!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandad and being ill due to diabetes...... no sympathy, b/c he's chosen to ignore his disease and it's his own doing.

Sharon and being tired..... no sympathy, b/c she's chosen to overwork herself and it's her own doing.

Just two examples in one day. Both people are suffering b/c they have made a conscious choice to ignore the logical path to wellness and are therefore suffering the consequences.

I sit here and pass judgment on them without sympathy, and yet I've done no different to myself for as long as I can remember. Is this how others view me? Am I just some fat, unhealthy guy that doesn't deserve sympathy b/c I've chosen to eat poorly and to excess..... and it is my own doing? Have I also made the conscious choice to ignore the logical path to wellness & am therefore suffering the consequences? Have I been making this conscious choice for all these years?

The weight of this realization is overwhelming and is almost to much to bear. I'm utterly ashamed of myself, both for lacking the sympathy and understanding of two people I truly love and care for; two people who love me and would do anything for me.

What kind of selfish individual am I to think such things. How have I sank so low to come to such uncaring, and unloving thoughts, and even worse stating those thoughts out loud.

Why should anyone care about me, when I have such wanton disregard for others?

What makes me ill most of all, is that even the realization of this might not even be enough to make the changes that I need to make. What kind of person does that make me? Do I even deserve to change?

Miles Away & Bigger Than Ever

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:48:00 +0000

Written on Nov.25th, 2008, but not posted until Feb.16th, 2009

"In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours." - Ayn Rand

To those of you that have frequented my blog over the years, I'm sure it comes to no surprise to me return...... months later, in a worse state (mind and body), than when I last committed myself to my blog and my goals.

This time is no different. I have no idea how much weight I've gained, how much muscle I've lost, or more importantly how much this has effected my overall health. If I had to guess, I'd say all three was quite significant.

Much has happened since my last post; so here's a very brief breakdown of what has occurred (I haven't read my previous posts, so I'm not even sure where I left off):

1. I moved to Alberta on August 6th, 2008.
2. I found employment with a mining company driving heavy haulers.
3. I work very long shifts, and have very little down time, unless I'm on days off.
4. I bought a new (almost new) 2008 Jeep Wrangler
5. I was fired from my job. (long story..... I'll cover it later).
6. I landed a new job a few days later with another mining company.

What's most important to note about the above info is that I'm here alone......well not alone per se, but here without Sherri.

Reporting In For Duty

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:10:00 +0000

"I think a man's duty is to find out where the truth is, or if he cannot, at least to take the best possible human doctrine and the hardest to disprove, and to ride on this like a raft over the waters of life." ~ Plato

I weighed myself for the first time in a long time today and the results as saddening as they are, the one thing they're not is surprising...... 237.4 lbs @ 35.4% BF.

ARGH.

A lot of things have been keeping me off track lately, but none of them are really serious. I often go to sleep with grand visions of what the next day will hold only to wake up and continue the previous days routine, or lack of one. Other days I wake up start the day off right only to fizzle later on in the day. I've yet to have more than a few successful means at a time before self destructing.

On the topic of destructing, my knee has been pretty bad as of lately. About 3 weeks ago it gave out on me and has been acting up since. I really can't lift anything or put weight on it for any extended amount of time without risking it giving out again, which really sucks since my run/walk-a-thon is coming up on July 1st..... not that I was ready for it anyways. I have no plans to drop out..... I will complete the event. I might be hobbling over the finish line, but I will complete it.

Another thing that's been bumming me out is the fact that I'm still not employed. This year was supposed to be the busiest year ever for Heavy Equipment Operators in our province, but unfortunately the largest 4 jobs have been delayed. My position on the wait list with our union is crawling along, and I'm not even sure if I'll make it to the top of the list before the end of 2008 at the current pace. Outside of union work I've applied for several positions but have had little or no luck so far. I'm really not that worried. I know I'll find work soon, but the process is really beginning to take it's toll.

I have had some positive experiences over the last week or so. The garage was an absolute disaster zone. We simply had too much stuff in there to keep things organized. Stuff was stacked on top of each other and even when it was neat it was only a matter of time before it was messy again because anytime you wanted something you were forced to move several other things to get at it. Enough was enough. I removed some light shelves that I made last year (re-using the material) and constructed a really beefy shelf unit that now holds most of the stuff that was occupying the garage. I hung the bikes from the ceiling and cleaned up my tools. I'm currently about 90% finished what I wanted to accomplish......we could actually pull in a car now if we wanted too.

Beyond the garage I have tackled some smaller projects as well and I have to admit that it makes me feel better to actually accomplish something.

As for my blog, I've been avoiding it like so many things in my life. I really don't want to make any promises......frankly I don't know/think I could keep them. I do know that the one thing I'm certain I can do is update my To-Do List and update my stats on my sidebar. That's at least a start.

Thanks for the continued support.

Down but not out.

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:48:00 +0000

Hello All!

First off I would like to apologize to everyone for allowing myself to ignore....ah...err...myself; that is ignoring the things that are truly important to me: getting healthy and living a balanced life.

I've allowed an awful lot of my old habits to creep back into my life over the last month. I've been sneaking chocolate bars while I've been out getting gas or groceries, I've exercised very little..... okay.... not at all, and to make matters even worse, I've also re-injured my knee over the last 2 weeks.

I would also like to apologize to Sherri, who tried her best to get me to see the error of my ways and get me back on track. I promised her that I would make a difference day in .....and day out, but I never really tried.

I also want to thank everyone for asking/reminding me to make the effort......Thanks.

Today I'm on track to having a good day.....which is a start. I've gotta go out now to run some errands, but I'm hoping to post again later today or early tomorrow.

One Day At A Time

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:37:00 +0000

"It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept." ~ Bill Watterson

I realize that this comes as no surprise (my lack of posts is evidence enough), but the last 2 weeks since my return have been plagued by inactivity, poor eating habits and a complete loss of purpose.

I feel like I lost my mojo.

My lack of success while on vacation didn't help one bit. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time visiting my family and friends, but the trip was really detrimental to the progress that I've made over the last few months. While I was away I was actually looking forward to coming home so I could take back control........ but alas this never materialized.

Although the last few weeks have been less than stellar, they haven't been nearly as bad as past slumps. There's really no need to go into details of what I did wrong or when. It's suffice to state that I allowed myself to get caught up in self defeat and a I allowed myself to lower my guard and let my old habits and routines to sneak back into my life.

Fortunately I haven't gained back a tonne of weight in the process, and the bad habits that have returned are far less severe than they were in the past.

I'm going upstairs now to make a healthy breakfast, and I plan to get back onto the elliptical machine later this afternoon for the first time in 3 weeks. For now I have to just take things one meal at a time.

I hope everyone else has faired better over the last few weeks...... hopefully I'll find the time to catch up on my blog reading soon.

Back From My Trip

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:14:00 +0000

I'm back from my 10 day visit with my family and friends in Ontario.......and not a moment too soon. I think I left my game plan on plane, because the last 10 days were a haze of pizza, cookies, chocolate and pop. I exercised very little, ate out often...... I even had fast food once. My exercise was limited to walking around malls & playing Wii......which was a blast.

The only thing that kept me from really packing on the pounds during my visit was a 2 1/2 period in the middle of my trip were I had a touch of the flu......which wasn't a whole lot of fun.

I'll describe my trip in more details later..... but for now I will say that I had a great time.

I apologize for not posting anything during my trip. I'm glad to be home, and I'm already back on track (I'm eating a healthy breakfast as I'm typing this).

Week #114: In Review

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:40:00 +0000

"Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves, 'This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!" - Thomas a Kempis

Weight Loss = 0.8 lbs
Fat % Loss = -0.1 %

Updated "My Progress Charts" can be found HERE.

This was a pretty laid back week. I exercised hard on Monday and Tuesday.......and very little for the remainder of the week. Overall my eating habits weren't that bad, but we did have 2 cheat meals as apposed to one. My sleep routine has been off a bit as well. I was really excited about getting my next tattoo session done, so I didn't sleep much at all on Thursday night. Friday night it took me a long time to get to sleep, and I ended up sleeping in really late on Saturday.

As for the To-Do List, I can honestly say that I didn't even look at it. I did however address a few things that were on the list today.

In the end I still managed to lose .8lbs which is fine by me. I just wish that my guideline results had far less yellow and red in it.

I leave for Ontario tomorrow morning (April 8th) and I'm not coming back until the 17th, so the next 1 1/2 weeks are going to be a real challenge for me. Everyone back home knows that I'm watching what I'm eating, so I should be able to eat properly. I'm hoping to go for a lot of walks to make sure I meet my exercise goals.

My overall goal for the trip it to come back lighter.......or at the VERY least even, weight wise.

I should be able to post a fair bit while I'm at home since I have access to a computer.......I'll try to keep everyone updated.

I hope everyone else had a great week.

Week #114 Guideline Results:

:Met/exceeded guideline
:Met or Almost meet guideline every day
:Failed to meet guideline

Nutrition Guidelines:

1. To drink 8+ 8 oz glasses of water each day.
2. To eat 5-6 times daily.
3. To eat slowly, chew more and enjoy my food.
4. To consume 5-10 servings of fruit & vegetable each day.
5. To reduce/eliminate Saturated Fat and Trans Fats.
6. To prepare & eat more meals @ home, while reducing dining out.
7. To eliminate visits to Fast Food Restaurants when dining out.

Fitness Guidelines:

1. To get +20 mins exercise each day (working up to +30mins).
2. To purposely park father away from my destination.
3. To walk/bike more often as an alternative to driving.
4. To allocate 1 day a week to rest.

Mental Health Guidelines:

1. To get between 7-8 hrs sleep daily.
2. To allocate +15 mins daily to reading.
3. To research & start practicing meditation/relaxation techniques.
4. To take 2-3 mins every hour or so to take few deep breaths/stretch.
5. To organize and complete a weekly To-Do list.
6. To maintain my blog & relationships online.
7. To keep contact with my friends & family
8. To have 1 cheat meal & desert each week.

3 Years & Counting

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:14:00 +0000

"love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." ~ Robert Heinlein

Today is a special day for Sherri and I. We have been together for 3yrs now..... I can't believe that it's been that long.

Sherri is the best thing that has every happened to me, and I would be lost without her.

Sherri.... I love you dearly.

Typically Sherri and I don't really fuss very much about these type of things..... but tonight we decided to go out for dinner and a movie to celebrate.

On a more humorous note, when I selected the Robert Heinlein quote because it's a more eloquent version of my own personal quote:

"The only way for a guy to be happy, is if his women is happy first."
~ Sir Squishy

Thursday Funnies: Volume 7

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:27:00 +0000

"The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being, but to remind him that he is already degraded." ~ George Orwell

~ Tim Peckham

Day 801: Beat My Record

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:49:00 +0000

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." ~ Jim Rohn

Since my last record set was all about endurance, I decided to focus on a high intensity workout yesterday to try and break my "Calories burned/min"......... and I did just that. Here's the results:

	Today's Results	Old Record	New Record

Endurance	20 mins	45 mins	-
Total Calories Burned	401 Calories	807 Calories	-
Calories Burned/min	20.05	19.61	20.05

The remainder of the day went according to plan as well.

Day 800: Beat My Record

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:17:00 +0000

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." ~ Jim Rohn

I decided to lower my intensity a bit yesterday with the goal in mind of going beyond the 45 minute mark. After making it through the first 30 mins I realized that if I kept up my pace I'd be able to burn off 1000 calories if I kept going for 1 hour. I kinda laughed at the though, but I kept up the pace, and in the end that 60 minute, 1000 calories became a reality. Here's the results:

	Today's Results	Old Record	New Record

Endurance	60 mins	45 mins	60 mins
Total Calories Burned	1026 Calories	807 Calories	1026 Calories
Calories Burned/min	17.10	19.61	-

I completed this workout before lunch, and the rest of the day was smooth sailing.

NOTE: I added a updated picture to my tattoo post found HERE.

Goals & Guidelines Modified

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:01:00 +0000

I've reviewed my "Goals and Guidelines" list and I've decided to make a few minor adjustments.

Change: Under the "Nutrition Guidelines" I'm adding a new guideline.

- To eat slowly, chew more and enjoy my food.

I'm going to add this as guideline #3 and I'll bump the rest down for a total of 7 guidelines in this category.

I'm actually surprised that I didn't think to add this guideline before now. I've always had a tendency to eat fast. In fact I eat faster than probably 3/4 of the people I know. Eating fast has always caused me to overeat because my body doesn't get the chance to acknowledge that I'm full before I finish eating. Worst still is the fact that the more enticing the food, the faster I ate it. Fortunately since I started eating healthier, I am eating a little slower......but there's plenty of room for improvement, especially during cheat meals.

The complete modified/updated Goals & Guidelines for 2008 can be found HERE!

Week #113: In Review

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:56:00 +0000

"Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves, 'This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught!" - Thomas a Kempis

Weight Loss = 0.3 lbs
Fat % Loss = +0.4 %

Updated "My Progress Charts" can be found HERE.

Not my best week.....actually not even close. Several things caused me to have a flat result this week. Nutritionally, I was off my game plan this week. First off I had 2 cheat meals, one on Tuesday, and another on Friday night when friends invited us out to supper. Unfortunately we ate at a pub type restaurant & I didn't even try to eat anything healthy....... fortunately I kept my portion much smaller than I would of a few months ago. I did however follow up supper with a 2 alcoholic drinks, which didn't help out the situation any. Beyond the 2 cheat meals, I overate one night at supper, missed a few snacks, and ate a few snacks too late in the evening. Nothing to serious, but added together it was enough to flatten out my weight loss to .3 lbs for the week.

Exercise was probably my saving grace this week. I exercised 5 out of the 7 days and most of those days were above 20mins at a high intensity.

My To-Do List was an absolute joke this week. I didn't put any effort into it what's so ever. I'm sure some of you are wondering what's going on with me over the last 2-3 weeks in this regard. The truth is that I've been working very diligently at creating a new home for my blog. I'd love to show you my progress, but I want the site to be completely finished before it's release. I will say that I'm quite happy with it's progress and I think it's a vast improvement over my current blog. I'm not sure when I'll officially launch it, but I will update everyone in the near future.

So, now that you know what I was doing with my time, I'll tell ya what I wasn't doing with it......... pretty well anything that was on my To-Do List. Unfortunately this week won't be much better I'm afraid. At the beginning of next week I'm heading to Ontario to visit my family & friends for 1 1/2 weeks, so I need to prepare for that trip. I'm also having my next tattoo session on Friday which will eat up 6hrs of that day. I also want to get as much work done as I can on the new home for my blog before I leave on my trip. So this week I won't try to fool myself or anyone else, and I'll edit my To-Do list to reflect what I expect to finish, and not what I would like to finish.

So that was my week in a nutshell.....the results are in mostly red & yellow below.

I hope everyone else had a great week.

Week #113 Guideline Results:

:Met/exceeded guideline
:Met or Almost meet guideline every day
:Failed to meet guideline

Nutrition Guidelines:

1. To drink 8+ 8 oz glasses of water each day.
2. To eat 5-6 times daily.
3. To consume 5-10 servings of fruit & vegetable each day.
4. To reduce/eliminate Saturated Fat and Trans Fats.
5. To prepare & eat more meals @ home, while reducing dining out.
6. To eliminate visits to Fast Food Restaurants when dining out.

Fitness Guidelines:

1. To get +20 mins exercise each day (working up to +30mins).
2. To purposely park father away from my destination.
3. To walk/bike more often as an alternative to driving.
4. To allocate 1 day a week to rest.

Mental Health Guidelines:

1. To get between 7-8 hrs sleep daily.
2. To allocate +15 mins daily to reading.
3. To research & start practicing meditation/relaxation techniques.
4. To take 2-3 mins every hour or so to take few deep breaths/stretch.
5. To organize and complete a weekly To-Do list.
6. To maintain my blog & relationships online.
7. To keep contact with my friends & family
8. To have 1 cheat meal & desert each week.

Day 798: Beat My Record

bryan_wells@hotmail.com (BryGuy) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:51:00 +0000

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." ~ Jim Rohn

Before I started working out yesterday I planned to beat my previous exercising record, but after the first 5mins I was feeling kinda tired and I wasn't sure if I was even going to last the normal 20-25 minutes that I've been doing lately. I kept up a high intensity hoping to at least make the shorter workout worth while....... but as the time crept up I continued to go strong and ended up smashing my record. Here's the results:

	Today's Results	Old Record	New Record

Endurance	43.5 mins	45 mins	-
Total Calories Burned	855 Calories	807 Calories	875 Calories
Calories Burned/min	19.61	17.91	19.61

Lately I've been working out so hard that my t-shirts are just soaked with sweat. They've been so sweaty that I've had to hang them up in the garage to dry out before putting them in the laundry........ Sherri told me they'll smell too funky if I didn't....... and I believe her.

This picture was taken yesterday. Notice that there's 5 shirts in the picture..... I should be adding one for today, which means I worked out 6 days this week! Yay me.