So this morning marks the start of my “Week About Revitalizing”, or WAR.  I’m starting this WAR against being obese, and about getting back on track even when life hands you a few lemons.  This week’s daily calorie limit is 1,00 calories per day (Yes, that’s low, but it’s a good way to remind the body what work it’s supposed to be about once in a while.  For the ascetics in the crowd, this week might be considered a FAST.)

To spare the tender lower back, this morning’s workout was a lumbar-supported crunch, dumbbell flyes, and dumbbell bench press.  It went pretty well, and oddly enough the back felt better afterward.  Anyone know a good reference for reading about how to manage lower back pain through exercise?

Current Stats

• Original Weight: 328 lbs.
• Current Weight: 285 lbs.
• Total Weight Lost: 43 lbs.

My New Running Shoe

Last weekend, in preparation for the running project, the family went on a trip to buy a pair of running shoes for yours truly.  Since we were already at a sporting goods store it seemed like a good idea to save some time and buy the shoes there. Wrong answer.  While the shoes weren’t “bad”, they didn’t fit quite right, and I’ve since learned that if running shoes don’t fit well at the store, they never will.

Fast forward to yesterday, when we took a jaunt up to Bauman’s Running and Walking Shop in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  It’s about 20 minutes away, so not too far, and it also happens to be where Heather bought her shoes roughly six months ago.

Within 20 seconds of entering this smallish running shop we were greeted by Adam, politely inquiring if we could use some help.  I explained my plight (heavy guy, losing weight, starting running, etc.)  Adam had me roll up my pant legs, stand still, walk around, and generally check out my feet.  He explained that my arches flatten out when I stand still, and so I’d want a control-based shoe with some arch support, to keep my knee from jinking inward on each step.  I also take a size 13/14 running shoe – who knew!

Adam produced the first candidate, a big pair of shiny running shoes with the moniker “The Beast”.  From there we tried on at least 5 different pairs of shoes, eventually settling on the Mizuno Wave Alchemy.  They fit like clouds or slippers – light, no binding anywhere, and amazingly comfortable.

This entire experience lasted a little more than half an hour, during which Adam managed the consummate balance of customer service – attentive, knowledgeable, and still allowing the customer to experience and explore the products and options.

It was an OUTSTANDING customer service experience, and I highly recommend Bauman’s to anyone out there.

There’s just no way to compare it to everyfreakingthingelse that’s gotten an uplift from all this. Clothes fitting better, walking without knee (or back) pain, wife is glad I have a neck again (and more energy), kids are really happy to have a dad who plays with them.

Looking forward to a future where I get to LIVE LIFE, and not watch it on T.V. (or Hulu, or YouTube) – hell, that’s the best of all. I really want to hike the Grand Canyon. And soon, I’ll be healthy enough.

So get your bad muppet self out there, man. It’s worth it.

-G

In any case, I struggled along like a manatee on life support. She power-walked next to me.  They may take my man-card at the next guy-meeting.

She told me she’s proud of me for getting out there.  If she weren’t so serious, I’d suspect patronization.

Next week, maybe I can get her to break into something approaching a jog.

As part of this grand 10×10 in 2010 project, two exercises per morning simply won’t be sufficient to maintain a 2lb-per-week pace.  Years ago (18 of them, gah) I used to run a fair amount (6 miles 2-3 times a week), but then … I stopped.

So, I decided to give it a shot, got dressed, stretched out, headed out the door, and…Ran a mile, with one short walk break at the halfway point, maybe 100 yards or so.  Didn’t go fast, didn’t go far, but… I WENT.  Wow did it feel good.  Not physically, no, that pretty much hurt.  It felt good inside – that deep, gut, visceral, HA! I KICKED THE WORLD’S BUTT! kinda good feeling.  Like I put one over on Old Man Time.

So yeah, the past few days my calves have been petitioning for a separation on the grounds of abuse, but they’ve just about stopped complaining.

It’s time to lace up the shoes again and keep running towards 12/31/10.

Guard Rail: 1, Civic: 0

It started with a snow storm.  Nothing out of the ordinary for February in Michigan, but it was coming down pretty good.  Traffic on I-75 was moving along about 40 mph, and I was in the *center* lane.

Merging on the right was a woman in a small black sporty two-door, perhaps a Saturn.  She’s coming down the on-ramp pretty quickly, and I’m watching as she passes me while still on the on-ramp.  Instead of staying in the right lane, she decides to merge right across it into the center lane.  Except that’s where I’m driving.

In retrospect I should have slowed down given the conditions, but what can you do.  To avoid her pulling into the right side of my car, I gently jog left into the passing lane.  Well, it would have been gentle if there weren’t 4″ snow ruts.

As I’m jogging left, I pass her.  Yes, after she zooms onto the highway, our instigator sloooows down…. What’s she doing as I pass her? Glaring at me, waving her left hand (large black rock in silver setting on ring finger), and clearly emitting a stream of angry obscenities.  Sigh.

About this time, that rut grabs the left front tire of the Civic and slews me sideways.  This is at roughly 35 mph in the left lane of a major interstate, with three lanes of traffic coming on behind.  I know this, because the car has now spun completely around once, and is headed for a second full rotation.

Staring into oncoming headlights in slow-motion is a positively transcendental experience.  Watching them whirl by a couple times with that approaching left guardrail thrown in steps it up to straight-on surreality.

All the while I’m putting 24+ years of driving experience to work, spinning the wheel, working the accelerator and brakes, and generally trying to avoid becoming road paste.  It seems to be working. The car is slowing down, and I get the spinning stopped; the car is even pointing the right way – south – on the highway.  Still stuck in a rut, though, and it’s pulling the car toward that impressive-looking guardrail.  Funny, they don’t look that big at 70+ mph most mornings.

Crunch.  The guardrail gives the Civic a rough tap on the left front, just to the side of the headlight.  The car stops.  I breathe.  Our instigator drives past, still in the middle lane.  Several hundred cars follow her down the road.  Was there ever a time in history when people would have stopped, or is that just my disappointment showing?  I briefly wonder if I’d have stopped.

Good fortune never ceases – there is a state police turnaround about 50 feet further on, so I edge forward on the shoulder, wondering if the car is drive-able.  It seems to be – frightening smells and sounds are distinctly absent.

Fast forward two hours, and I’m sitting here at Burger King waiting for my wife to pick me up.  The Civic is at the body shop, probably looking at $1,000 or so worth of body work to get it back on the road.

Mondays.

Source: Flickr

The world is a huge place, and being unhealthy really starts to limit how much of it you can get out to experience.  (I mean, there’s no way I’m hiking up a huge mountain pushing 330.)  As a way to keep motivated, put together a list of those things that, when you’re healthy, you get to do (or do again!)

If a (before I kick the) Bucket List is for those on the outbound train, what would you name a list for people getting their lives back?  Post a comment below with your ideas!

Gerret’s Starter List of Fun Things to Do Post-Weight-Loss

This is my list – you should go start your own, then post it somewhere visible (like the front of the refrigerator…)

1. Go downhill skiing
   There are few things to compare with flying down a mountain with the wind screaming by.
2. Take off Shirt at Beach
   (at least, without the threat of Greenpeace trying to slide me back into the water to save me…)
3. Shopping for clothes
   (whole new wardrobe, in normal sizes)
4. Run a 5k. And a 10k. And a Half-Marathon.  On the same day.
   (Yes, I’ve read Born to Run, and I can. not. wait. to lose more weight and start RUNNING again.)
5. Paddle a Kayak without rolling it
   (Heather, Dan, Kathy, I’m looking at you…)
6. Play Racquetball
   Really miss racquetball!

If you’re one of those rarest of people, the “repeat visitor”, you’ve no doubt noticed that the entire site looks different, and at the moment doesn’t include all of the old content.  Well, it won’t.  The Internet may be forever, but life moves on, and some of the old projects have been deleted to make way for brash new endeavors.  Some things will be sticking around though, like the humor archive and the character survey, both of which are very popular attractions.  The viking axe project will probably stick around too, although I haven’t played medieval since shortly after the birth of JP, and he’s 4 now.