A Little Bit of Serious (Part 1)

Since you are reading this, I figure you are my friend and interested in what is going on in my life, or you are an evil genius looking for my single weakness. If you are the latter, good luck with that and FYI I hid a rancid piece of cheese somewhere in your closet. I win, and you stink - literally.

I thought I'd take the time to post a little about myself, just in case you really didn't know too much about me, but had a burning desire to learn more. That's right, I'm talking to you.

I was born when I was only two... well, I could skip forward a bit. My name is James. Let me list the things I am, both good and bad:

• Son (duh)
• Husband to a beautiful wife
• Father to three gorgeous little girls (3,5 & 7)
• Brother to a great sister (who will never read this I'm sure)
• Uncle
• IT Director (Think Computers)
• Gamer
• Out of Shape
• Bipolar
• Former podcaster (along with my wife)
• Writer (Search for me on Amazon)
• Student (You never stop learning)
• Teacher (You are always impressing upon others with your actions and reactions)

That's just a few things off the top of my head. I don't want to say that I have had a difficult life, but I've had quite a few challenges and I, in turn, have created challenges for those in my life.  Life is always a work in progress, and I'm progressing (not regressing).

A little more about me you say? Oh I couldn't. 

When I met Lyndsay on a blind date back in 1999, I knew it was special. I mean, I got nervous, the diarrhea kicked in and I almost passed out. That's pretty special in my book, the same thing happened at each of my daughters births - see, it's special. We were married in May of 2004, and our family grew in December of 2005. Again in May of 2008. Once more in March 2010. And ... I better stop there or my lovely wife will have words with me.

It's also am important note that out of the two of us, I remember all the dates. Birthdays, anniversaries, everything. She does remember some, but I love the look on her face when someone asks her the birthday of one of our children.

I am a writer, yes - I write things. I have two works of fiction in progress right now, and because I'm bipolar I am also reading five different books. My first published work has been received well, but with little financial success - I'm not in it for the money, if I was I'd be in trouble, at least at this point. It might interest you to know that I'm starting a book that is a series of bedtime stories. I have been forced at sippy cup point many times to make up a story on the spot at bedtime, so I'm writing them down, at least the good ones, you know the ones that don't just end because all the kids are asleep.

I think that's enough for now, I'll see if anyone is interested for a "Part 2". If you are, please let me know.

A Letter to My Wife, Lyndsay

First of all, let me clarify, I didn't put your name in the post to differentiate you from my other wives, I just wanted to put your name in the title. I only have one wife. It's you, FYI.

I sent this to Lyndsay, and it is with her permission that I share with you.

Lyndsay,

Hey. We've been through a lot, right? Geez, it seems like yesterday that we met on that blind date. That was over 14 years ago! Sometimes it's like a roller coaster with ups and downs, but luckily no one has fallen off so far.

When we were dating it was a new world, to both of us I think. I was (and still am) in awe of how someone so beautiful and kind can be so intelligent. To this day, I am surprised when you present a mental challenge to me, and I eventually give up and hope you don't mention it again. I shouldn't be shocked, I mean I should be used to it, right?  Part of being in love is falling in love again with the same person everyday, and that is why I realize how lucky I am. So maybe, I'm not shocked by you, so much as I'm shocked I have you and that you would want me.

You have given me three wonderful daughters, and I am so glad that they are beautiful like their mother, and have your quick wit. It happens more than I want to admit, but our seven year old will present a mental challenge just like you will. Luckily I can tell her to go to her room, not so much with you. Each of our daughters reminds me everyday why I fell in love with you and why I continue to fall in love each day.

Thank you for hanging in there through all the roller coaster rides.

Love,

James (Your Husband)

P.S. For some reason after I got through writing this I really wanted to go to Six Flags. Just FYI.

Getting Roped Into Getting Ripped

I've had time to think about this. I think I was tricked into getting ripped. Admittedly I don't mind, but I think it was a combination of pressure from Lyndsay, DietBet and Wolverine.  Lyndsay is doing so well at losing weight, and DietBet is a financial incentive to lose weight, and Wolverine, well, he's Wolverine.

I actually have made a lot of life changes lately, all for the better.  I'm making sure I eat better than I have been, and becoming aware of the amounts I eat. I tried the 'Jared Diet' and it didn't work for me. I mean if you eat 3 footlong meatball marinara subs a day, that should speed up the diet, right? Just kidding, I didn't do that. At least not all the time.

I've started getting more and more serious about my health, and now I'm taking it up a notch. Bam. I'll clue you in later on my plan and my progress, but let's just say it's going to be rigorous, tiring and I might not be able to walk for a few hours after each workout. Don't worry about me, we have a Radio Flyer wagon and Madison can pull me anywhere I need to go.

Every Saturday night, I sit down at the Bat Computer and go over my weekly progress, and change my weekly goals accordingly. On weeks like this week, I might not change much because my sinus issues have been holding me back a little, so I essentially might have to redo this week. For most of the week I've just been in a funk too. I'm getting out of it, maybe because the weekend is growing near, but I think mainly because of copious amounts of water, sinus medication and sleep.

Fifteen pounds. That is how much I've lost so far. I will work harder to drop it below the 200 mark, but at the same time I'm gaining muscle mass, so there will be a trade off. I'm sure I'll be alright for the calendar shoot.

Weight. Wait, What?

Ok, so I lost down to 216.4, which is almost, almost, 10 pounds. I was happy, and then, after two days of consistent 216.4 weigh-ins, I went up to 219. What the crap?

I have still been watching what I eat (loosely over the holiday weekend), and exercising. I might get more aggressive with the exercise, but not P90X aggressive. That's what I jumped into first, a month back, and almost died. Of course, I'm exaggerating, but seriously, it nearly killed me. I'm going to get more aggressive with the walking\jogging and turn it into running. The Zombies, Run! app is great for motivation, just ask Lyndsay. When we were walking and I heard the zombies behind me and gaining, I took off and left her to fend for herself. It wasn't that I was cold hearted, it was my first instinct, to run away flailing my arms in the air and start sobbing uncontrollably. I hope the neighbors can get used to that.

I haven't been able to work on my upper body much, but I will start that soon. A lot of people have asked for a sample from the upcoming calendar. I thought, and thought about this, and I decided I would give the people what they demand. Here is my July picture in the calendar:

I couldn't be bothered to put my food down during the shoot, so sue me. 

Aside from my skull splitting sinus headache I've had for a few days, I have nothing stopping me from upping my game. The DietBet strategy seems to work, you know, lose weight or lose money - I' m going to try and keep my money, you know so I can buy my wife beautiful things.

On a serious note, for all those who have asked how I am losing weight and getting ripped, here is what I am doing:

• Eating Better, more conscious of the Fat, Calories and Sugar in what I put in my body. I use MyFitnessPal to track my food, so I know about where I am.
• Exercising - starting off slowly, but anything will burn calories and make you feel good about yourself. I use my FitBit to measure my distance, steps, etc. It helps.
• Meditation\Relaxation. Sounds stupid, right? I thought so, but if you read the studies I have, you'll see that it has been proven that mediation, even for 5 minutes a day helps a) relieve stress and b) improve weight loss. Try the website calm.com or their app, it is crazy how well it works.
• Regular Sleep cycles. I have, in the past, just slept when I could. Now I'm going to bed at a fairly constant time and waking up at a constant time. It helps with your circadian rhythm. (Ironically some studies have shown that rhythm to actually be a 25 hour rhythm.)

Yep, that's it. It might be hard to get used to at first, but it gets easier. I was fasting two days a week, but I didn't really see a large measurable benefit so I stopped. It helps that Lyndsay is doing this too, and she is doing better than me and I am very proud of her.  I think I'm going to run the idea of rewards past her. You know, when we get to a milestone we can reward ourself, for example, when I reach my 200 pound milestone, I can get a Jaguar. The car, not the animal - that would just be silly.