Day 87 - We're Going to Need a Bigger Boat

A few years before I was brought into this glorious world, wild-eyed Sheriff Brody realized in order to capture the big fish named Jaws, he was damn sure going to need a bigger boat.

The quote actually says a whole lot in a few words. It shows a determination to meet the goal whilst acknowledging weaknesses and devising a new plan.

Welcome to my world.

I took about five days off from exercising to contemplate the latest changes the nutritionist recommended. That break yielded the formulation of a new plan.

New Plan: Ignore the nutritionist.

Day 82 - Altering the Routine

So I've lost 85 pounds. I'm feeling more confident. Clothes fit better. My chest is poking out a little. The ego is inflated. All-in-all life is good right now.

There's nothing better to deflate a good ego trip than seeing a nutritionist.

Now, my nutritionist is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He believes firmly in positive reinforcement, and is the type that can just about nice you to death.

Armed with last month's log of food intake, I marched into his office full of pride and 100% positive I was doing 90% right. :-)

As it turns out, my percentages may have been a little off.

Day 77 - The Emperor's New Clothes

"Ed! I'll be there. And I'm gonna look good."

So says a disheveled Ron Burgundy in the movie "Anchorman" as he's called back into action.

That's the way I've felt recently. After rummaging through some old smaller clothes and finding inspiration in a couple of things that fit really well, I decided it was time to throw away some old fat clothes and buy a few new things.

My pants had gotten to the point where the crotch was hanging down to my knees. I had to cinch my belt down so tight that the pants were punching up around the waist. I no longer felt comfortable because of the huge legs and baggy bottom. Most of my shirts were too big. As narcissistic as it may sound, I didn't feel like I could show off my progress as well in the baggy clothes.

So with a fresh payday in hand, I went shopping.

And I was greeted with much more inspiration.

Day 71 - Never Stop Fighting...

I'm a movie nerd, and there's not much I like more than a good gangster movie. In "The Untouchables," Sean Connery plays a moxy old Chicago Cop that is teaching young Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) the ways of the Chicago beat. One of his lessons, which is recited by Ness at the end of the movie to an extremely pissed off Al Capone, is "Never stop fighting until the fight is done."

While there's something a little pathetic and cliche to living your life by movie quotes, it's something I do think about from time to time.

So yesterday, when I logged my 80th pound lost, I remained more determined than ever to finish the job. Old John would have been trying to figure out the best meal to consume to properly celebrate another milestone. New John knew he was going to walk his ass off. And that's exactly what I did.

Day 61 - 10-year Milestone!

When I got married in September 2001, I remember being incredibly uncomfortable during the rehearsal dinner, where I was sporting a white UA polo that felt way too tight. I don't know what my weight was back then.

That same polo still hangs in my closet, having never been worn since.

Hovering around the 374 mark last week, I was real nervous about breaking what had become a solid routine of eating right and exercising to go on a week-long vacation. I mean, what's a vacation without trying out the local cuisine and lounging around? As we headed to the North Carolina coast, I convinced myself to relax, not worry about the diet too much, and just enjoy my time "off."

The week went great. I used dinner as my meal to experiment with new foods. I had protein shakes for breakfast and usually a turkey sammich for lunch. But at dinner, I cut loose. During the week's meals, I tried each of the following without any issues:

Day 50 - Attacking the Plan

All my life I've been the type that hates being unprepared. Well, that's not entirely true. I can recall many English classes where I'd wing a book report after only reading a few chapters. And then there were the Algebra classes in high school where I'd show up frequently without homework or without studying for an exam.

Ok.

So all of my adult life I've been the type that hates being unprepared. Whether it's going grocery shopping or on vacation, I like to have things organized and I like to have a clear plan.

When my daughter was born, I thought it was important to track every event. I created an excel spreadsheet and we kept it on a clipboard. We tracked every single meal, pee or poop diaper, and nap. By looking at this chart and analyzing it, we could get an idea of when she was due for a nap or a bottle. It wasn't long before we were singing along in an awesome routine.

Day 46 - Listening to Your Body

They call it transfer addiction.

It's when after a weight loss surgery, you transfer your food addiction to another task. It can be very bad. A sizable portion of post-op patients actually become alcoholics. They use alcohol to fulfill an emotional satisfaction that food gave them previously.

But it can also be very good, if you transfer your eating addiction to something healthy.

For me, it's become exercise.

If you told me three months ago that I'd be addicted to exercising, I'd have invited you back to Planet Earth.

My wife, Jennifer, has been addicted for a long while now. She's a runner, and has successfully completed several half-marathons. I've watched as her moods are sometimes dictated by whether she's able to properly exercise. I've always considered that real silly. Of course, I also ignored how my moods were just as twitchy when I was hungry.

But now I understand. Exercising is truly emotionally satisfying to me now.