Archive for September, 2009

Vegemite iSnack 2.0

September 28th, 2009

isnack 2.0I have to confess I have never tasted Vegemite. It sounds absolutely horrible tasting … but it is popular in Australia. Seems they had this contest to “re-name” the product … similar to the Coke debacle years ago, you remember … New Coke? So, they had this contest and Kraft released the new name a few days ago … iSnack 2.0 … twitter is all a buzz about it as well as google. iSnack 2.0 …. a sandwich spread has gone global. But still … who would want a yeast and salt sandwich … that taste like stale fish? I don’t know … but it must be a lot of people.

When Kraft was asked why they wanted to rebrand their product they replied … they wanted a trendy cool name that young people would accept. I can hear it now … “Hey Billy, what’s in your sack lunch today?” … “Uh, I got a iSnack two point oh.” … “Cool!”. Out of 40,000+ entries … Kraft chose this one. Wonder which names were on the short list? In some blogs that I have read here were some of the losers … Ruddymite, Wow Chow, and 2ritemight.

Of course all of this may be all in vain. There is talk that a law suit might be pending with Apple. I’m sure jobs will be lost and heads will roll. Kraft just wanted their iSnack to be synonymous with iPod, iMac, iPhone, etc … Kraft execs envisioned kids listening to iPods having a iSnack 2.0 sandwich after school snack. Needless to say … I won’t be adding this to my grocery list.  Thanks Kraft … for the laugh.

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Posted in news worthy

moving the big bar

September 26th, 2009

doctor scales at homeWhat a happy day. Yesterday is my regular day to go to the doctor to get checked out. I usually weigh two times a week … Wednesday and Friday. I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. I moved the big bar. When you have had a problem with weight as long as I have … you get serious about your scales. Several years ago I bought this very ugly set of doctor’s scales off the interweb. I didn’t trust those ones you get at Wal-Mart. So, we have lugged this thing around … it seems like forever. Having such a large scale in your bathroom … right next to your sink … in every reflection of the mirror … is hard to ignore.  Those little bathroom scales you can conveniently hide under the dirty clothes or under a myriad of shoes in the closet. But this beast just stares at you every time you walk into the bath room.

Six month ago when I started this journey … I would not confess when I moved the first big bar. I was way over 300 lbs and tormented  that I had let myself get in that shape.  So, when I moved the first big bar … I celebrated quietly … after all confessing that you were nearly 320 lbs is bitter sweet.  But yesterday … I was ecstatic.  Being obese is not fun and neither is using the “o” word.  Most o people know that 100 lbs needs to come off … or you would not be o. Turning the corner yesterday was cool because I can see the 100 lb goal. It’s right there. I just have to move that little red sucker 4.5 more inches to the left and I will be at 217.

Talk to any addict and they will tell you … at best … we all trade one addiction for another.  Drugs are bad (southpark dialect), and so trade that for something else … sometimes smoking … not good either, but not as bad as say … heroine.  I traded stressful cheeto eating, diet coke bingeing, midnight pie eating, ice cream drinking, snickers bar benching … for exercise. I can remember sitting down with Lori at lunch … and before ordering … asking her … what are our plans for supper. I guess I was consumed with eating. Now, it’s just different … I have to plan every day around … what time am I going to run or work out. Good? Better probably. Who knows?

So if you love me you will rejoice with me over this great accomplishment! If not, forgive me … it will only be a short while, (6 months) and I will be onto something else after I lose this last 30 lbs. Will I stop at 217? Well, I really would like to move the big bar one more time …

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Posted in health

family is everything

September 23rd, 2009

papafelixcalebFamily is everything. Period. Nothing can be more fulfilling and frustrating at the same time. I love my family because we are living “now” and “beyond” and not in yesterdays. It seems we are always planning or preparing for the next big event or adventure. I think one of the reasons for my shift in wanting to become more healthy is the desire to be around my grandkids. Being able to run and play … roll and romp with them. You need resistance training to be able to hold one of these little guys until they fall asleep. In a few short weeks I will be up to 4 grandsons and 1 little princess. That makes me glad. There is a plus of being a big guy around grandkids … you have the most comfortable place in the house to sleep.

With the birth of each new baby … I look forward to throwing the ball, watching them grow, laughing at the tendencies their parents had as a baby. It’s a special place in my life. Nothing can really push out this priority. Nothing can replace the feeling of having one of these treasures run and grab you around the legs and tell you about their day. No matter how stressful I might be and how self absorbed in a problem I might seem … they still know that they can crowd my thoughts and push out anything negative there and receive their news … of a dead monarch butterfly, a headless barbie, a toy that has been salvaged from under a bed, or a scream for a clean diaper. I think they know how important they are too me and that they have access. Not just access … but VIP access … cross the velvet rope access … not answer the phone access … forget everything and everyone else access. They are powerful anti-depressants. The only side effects … a little spit up on your shirt, sweaty boy smell, the dramatic explosion of pain over a little cut, poor circulation from not wanting to move once you get them to sleep.

While holding my newest grandson last weekend … it was a triumph to struggle with him … he fights going to sleep, twisting and turning, frustrated, getting comfortable, almost making it … then back to the struggle … then it happens, his tiny body relaxes, his breathing takes on a new pattern, shallow, constant, small little breaths … he is asleep. Don’t move Wayne, no matter what … savor this moment … forever.

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Posted in family

weight loss and stress

September 21st, 2009

65 lbs gone and it only took me 6 months! I certainly would have liked it to have been faster, but weight loss and me have a long history and it doesn’t come off now like it came off when I was 20 or 30 or whatever. Lots of people ask “how did you do it, Wayne?” … the short answer … lots of work. The long answer … oh, wow. It seems for every pound I have lost … it took at least an hour of research, medical attention and more research. For me it was not just … “push away from the table, fat boy” … as some relatives like to bless you with.

Honestly, I could have cut my calories to less than 900 and still not lost anything. My biggest problem was stress. Stress adds weight. In my limited research I found, for me, that stress causes my body to become out of balance. Stress effects my sleep and the way I eat. Stress also gets my hormones out of balance, yes … MY hormones and creates a myriad of problems.

For me, it was not as simple as counting calories and exercise. It was a matter of controlling my stress and cortisol levels and getting my hormones levels in balance. Finding a doctor who understands and believes in male hormone therapy might be a stretch to find … but well worth it. As guys get older hormone levels in the body began to decline … couple that with being overweight and it is a snowball effect.I have not reached my goal … but I set those goals realistically and gave myself a year to lose a little over 100 lbs. As I already said … I am 6 months in and I am on track. Now, couple the food that you eat, your bodies balance and a rigorous exercise  regiment and my weight began to come off in 2-3 lbs increments a week. I have a great trainer, Eric Wrona. Great friends who are constantly encouraging me and a great family … who loved me when I was fatter.

Maybe this can encourage others.

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Posted in health