Old McJames Has a Farm

Not really, but it was a catchy title.  In reality I have a garden, not even a big one right now, but it is a garden.  Reports show that gardening can help reduce stress. Liars.  I kid, I kid. Working in the garden gives me a sense of accomplishment, the results don't take all that long, and you can say that you did it.

I mean, this is pretty awesome, right?

These are getting ready to plant, meanwhile, in the garden:

 I even got Victoria in on helping:

It's fun, and it does give me exercise when I'm not working out, and I'm not even thinking about it, so it's still helping reach my goal of losing weight to be the 'Man in Black' for the Festival.  Speaking of the Festival, Lyndsay had an idea that blew my mind. Instead of being the Man in Black the first day, I should be him the second day, in case I find anything better that would compliment my attire.  She also had another reason, she is going to look for a dress so she could be Buttercup from the movie. Woah, that would be awesome.  Now, clothes at the Renaissance Festival aren't usually cheap, but in this case, I might splurge.  Also, during the Festival I will probably update the blog each night when we get back to the hotel, so keep an eye out for those. You must read them.

 This weekend is Lone Grove Days, and I plan on having a special update about that this weekend, so look for that.  It's a day of fun in the city where I live, games, activities, music, shopping, a car show and food.  Also, I should mention, that I wasn't going to go this year, but Lyndsay got Shanghaied into working the concession stand.  Probably a good thing, so she can monitor how much of the delicious bad food I try to eat.  She might put my picture up with the caption "Do Not Sell to This Man." Speaking of eating, I've changed my diet, and it's working.  I feel better and I am losing weight (and inches).  Just goes to show you, you treat your body good, and it will return the favor.

If you didn't catch it, we went to the Zoo this past weekend, and well, this sums it up:

Anyhow,  until next Thursday Dear Reader.

Fun Things Ahead

As most of you know, my family loves to go to Renaissance festivals. Due to scheduling and a low budget, we were going to have to skip the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, TX this year.  This one is my favorite (at least that I've been to thus far) and I did not want to miss it.  After rearranging schedules, and saving money (and selling a lot of crap on eBay) we have the funds, and will be on our way at the end of May.

Last year I dressed up, and I loved it.

I did only dress up one of the two days we were there last year, mainly because I had sweated so much in it that I dare not wear it again.  This year, I will wear this outfit on day 2, day 1 will be:

That's right, the Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride.  I might not make a great one, but I'll have fun.  I'll even shave my beard down to just a mustache to complete the look. 

Since this is at the end of May I have roughly a month to get myself into a little better shape so I don't have to pretend to be Wesley in his old, fat years.  I'm hoping to trim down my belly a bit, and lose about 7-10 pounds.  I'm already on my way, I've made good progress, so I think I can do it. 

Just the little time I've been more conscious of what I'm eating, my belly has reduced in size a bit, and I attribute this to the reduction in sodium intake.  I still need to lower it, but it was astronomical before.  The short term goal to look decent for the fair is really off to a good start.

As a practice run, we may end up going to a Renaissance Festival in Muskogee, OK (okcastle.com) for one day and see if I can stand the costume and if I look horrible or not, you know, to get feedback and whatnot.  We shall see.  Until next time, dear readers.

So Soon? What is this sorcery?

I told you I'd keep you up to date. I won't be updating everyday, but I wanted to update you on my first day of sticking with my plans.  Last night went well, and today has went well.  To fill you in on a few things I'm working on, here is a small list:

• Reducing (or eliminating) sodas - this is a big deal for me, but so far so good, well today anyway.
• Not buying take-out or going through a drive-through and prepping my lunch for work.
• Working with Lyndsay and making meal plans for dinner, and preparing them.
• Exercising regularly, I mean I have all the equipment and I was doing so well, time to get back at it.
• Drinking more water.  This works with the first one, and I'm doing well (for my size 124 oz a day)

Hopefully this will give me a good start to get back on track.  I'm 5'9" and 212.8 lbs with a goal of 180-190 and less than 20% body fat, it's currently 35-37%.  I told you, I've throwing out numbers, that way you guys can see if I'm making progress.

I'll leave you alone for now, and like I used to do, I'll update you once a week - on Thursdays.

Thanks for reading, you wonderful people you!

-J

Look at this, it's one of those updates

Yep.  I've not been telling you anything lately.  I've had a few people email or message me and ask what's up.  I've been busy.  Stuff at work, stuff at home, and dealing with stuff internally. Long story, I'll save it for another time.  In having conversations with myself, I pointed out some good things to myself. I said to myself, "James, you've got to change a lot of things in you're life, or you won't have any real quality of life, and it could possibly be cut short."  I then replied to myself by saying, "Shut up."  I knew I was right, and I do that when I know I've been beaten.

If you've been following my blog, you know I haven't been steady with my exercise schedule, it's like a phase.  I can't let it be that way anymore.  I have to stick to a regular routine, I felt better when I was doing it, and I had gotten ill and had to skip a few days, and then, boom, I stopped.  Going to fix that, and going to fix that fast.

I also started not caring about what I was eating, going for whatever was easiest and fastest.  This caused me to gain some weight and lose a lot of money.  I had stopped prepping my own meals (especially lunch) because of the extra time that was involved, but that was pure laziness. No more.  After my pep talk with myself, I'm motivated. Also, I saw a picture of myself when I was working out, and then I looked into a mirror and a tear streamed down my face.

So, to hold myself more accountable, I'll be posting more about my progress, and *gasp* actual measurements.  Wish me well, and here I go in 3 .. 2 .. 1