Summer Update

It's been a little while since I've updated this space. A few things have changed...finally got my weight down to under 200 lbs. I now hover between 196 and 200 lbs, depending on the day. I'm happy to have lost this weight, but still need to lose another 15 lbs. 

About 3 weeks ago, I had some extreme back pain. Went to pick up a 1-yr old baby and, of course, didn't bend my legs. Picked her up with arms fully extended and back bent forward. The second I lifted her, my back went out. After three days, the extreme pain didn't subside. I went to the doctor and got three medications (anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant and pain killers). It took about 5 more days until the pain started to slowly go away.

Missed that appointment with the dietician

I can't believe it...but yesterday I ended up missing my appointment with the dietician! For some dumb reason, I was positive that the appointment was for 2:30. I left the office, drove all across town, paid for parking, got there at exactly 2:30, and found out that the appointment was for 2:00! When I pulled out the appointment paper that the dietician had given me, there it was, clearly marked 2:00! Well, I guess that gives me a little more time to lose a little more weight, that's all...

I found a great website yesterday, for calorie counting and keeping a food log. Here's the site: http://www.calorie-count.com

Once you sign up, you can enter a target weight and date, your current weight, height, sleep pattern, exercise activity, etc. It'll help chart your progress and you can enter your meals into a food log. The good thing about the food log is that you can choose from a large database of foods, snacks, beverages, etc. The database has all the nutritional content regarding each food, so once you choose a certain food, its nutritional content gets attached to your log. Great to keep track of what you're eating!

Judgment Day

OK, today is the day that I meet up with my dietician to examine my diet (nutrition) and exercise habits. We'll see if there's any improvement since last time I met with her. If I'm not mistaken, I think I lost almost 8 pounds since my last encounter...I'm sure she'll put me in my place. Hope it goes well!

Bad, bad day!!!

OK, I started the day, full of promise. Got to the office early thinking that I would put in a good day....that's when the day went from great to horrible! Fired up the ol' trusty dual G5...system just doesn't want to boot. After the login screen, the system just hangs with the rainbow swirl icon just staring back at me. Tried fixing permissions with a 10.3 system CD...nothing! OK, at this point I thought the worse. I drove back home, picked up the portable hard drive and ALL my system and application CDs, just in case I would need to wipe out the computer and start from scratch. To make a long story short, I was able to boot up in Safe Mode (by holding down the SHIFT key right after the startup chimes) and that seemed to have fixed the problem. Ran Disk Utility a couple of times (from the OS and startup CD) and it fixed the problems. I'm thinking of getting a copy of DiskWarrior, which I heard is one of the best disk repair utilities out there for the Mac platform. Anyhow, now that I have the computer working again (and it's now 4:45 pm and I wasted the whole day away), I'm now about to start my day working!

Friday's lunch

Alright, I'm about to have lunch now...haven't eaten since this morning and I did a bit of running around today. Took my glucose reading and I'm at 4.9 mmol/L. For lunch I've got a bottle of water, and a Lean Cuisine Glazed Chicken meal (4 points). It's basically 210 calories, 3 grams of fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 620 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrates, 2 g fibre and 6 g sugar, 15 grams of protein.

As dessert, I had a bottle of water and two small home-made muffins from Mom, made of apple chunks, whole wheat flour, and Splenda....very tasty! I've got to remember to check my glucose reading in about 1-1/2 hours.

Friday morning's breakfast

Okay, for breakfast this morning, I had a big bowl of Life cereal, with 1% milk. I know it's big because it's probably a double serving. Ever serve yourself an actual suggested serving of cereal? It's tiny, trust me!

After the cereal, I had three slices of 7 grain whole wheat toast with Kraft smooth peanut butter. How much peanut butter? I have no idea, just that the slices were covered pretty well. Also had a mug of Maxwell House half-decaf coffee.

My wake-up glucose reading was 6.1. I'm trying to think back as to why...my readings should be in the 5 range. Could it be the slice of Jello low fat chocolate pie I had last night? It's usually okay since the chocolate part is made with Jello low fat sugarless pudding mix. But it's possible it's the graham cracker crust.

I'll try to post a picture of the supper I had last night. It was good, mixed vegetables (red peppers, zucchini, onions, mushrooms) stirfried with two shots of canola oil mist, used some spices (ground basil, parsley, flakes of garlic and onions). Placed it on a bed of romaine lettuce and added a can of tuna (water-based). As dressing I used 1 tablespoon of Mayonnaise, since it has less fat than the Kraft balsamic dressing.

When I got to the office, I made myself a cappuccino (basically espresso coffee with frothed milk - the milk was 2% milk, can't control that) I had that coffee around 9:30 am. I didn't bring a lunch today, so I'll see if I can pick up a Lean Cuisine low fat frozen meal. That about it for now!

Friday's a good but busy day

Well, I'm feeling good today! Energized and ready to attack whatever comes at me! I went to see my diabetes doctor and he says everything is fine with my readings. He mentioned that I was approx. 230 pounds when I last went to see him (probably about 1-1/2 years ago), now I'm 218 pounds. He says that's great and to continue the weight loss. Says I was one of the lucky ones, since my diabetes diagnosis was caught early, rather than dragging on not knowing that I had it and getting a diagnosis later in life. Also made an appointment to see my dietician for next month; just something I want to do. Maybe she can give me some information/tips on continuing the weight loss and possibly a diet to follow that's low in fat (because I have gall stones) and low in sugar/glucose (like carbohydrates). I still have problems maintaining an eating schedule, especially meal reduction and snacks; but I think I'm doing okay. Think I could lose another 10 pounds in one month? Hmmm, I'm really going to try. Who knows, maybe I could hit 200 pounds by February 28th!

I'll try posting some images of my progress and the meals I eat. Also, I'll start recording my daily diet, maybe it'll help to make things clear.

A victim of identity theft - Day 10

Much has happened since my last post....

The weather is absolutely crazy! One day it's 10º Celsius outside, the next day it's -10º. It just doesn't make sense. This month has been unusually warm. We never get warm days in January! Today, we woke up to pouring rain. Then it started snowing my midday...now we've got about 5 to 10 cm of snow outside. I really don't mind if February is warm like this... it'll be a first!

We found out this week that my wife was the victim of identity theft. The bank called and said that a credit card account was opened in her name, and the card was shipped to western Canada. We were able to move quick on it... blocked all credit card accounts, called the bank regarding the bank accounts. We filed a police report today... seems like the police and the customer service agent at the bank are both unsure as to how to proceed with identity theft. Sounds stupid, since it's such a large problem in today's society. You'd think the banks would be on top of it...at least know what to tell the end-user (the client). Now because of some person walking around in western Canada (trying to pass off as my wife), she's got to change all her accounts (credit cards, bank accounts, social insurance number, driver's license. Thanks..whoever you are... we really needed this like a hole in the head!

Apart from this new development, we got my father's car started, finally! I can't take credit for this, it was my brother-in-law who got the task done, mostly because he wanted the driveway cleaned of the snow/ice, and the car was in the way! Anyhow, it starts up fine and I took it for a short drive to the Provi-Soir to pick up some bread.

Another day...another dollar - Day 2

Well, today I've got stuff to do! Business lunch with Francine and the urology group. Most likely I'll be doing some maintenance on L.G.'s PowerBook G4 on Saturday.

I've also got to finish the changes to the Braley website. Don't want those to drag on...they're pretty simple modifications, nothing complicated.

As always, I've got invoicing and a couple of quotes to do. Will I ever get a handle on all this?

A new day...let's call it Day 1

Well, I've decided that today should be the day of change. Fed up of the mess and confusion at the office (with all my paperwork and stuff) and I'm going to do something about it. Each day, from this day on, I will do something to advance myself, whether it be personal health, spirituality, work or family. It's got to start somewhere; why not start from today?

Been watching Lost: Revelation and the new Lost episode last night (when they explain Mr. Eko's past and connection to the plane in the jungle). At least a new episode came on...it's been awhile. The storyline has always been interesting, but they always give us long blocks of repeat episodes in between, which sucks because you stop watching for awhile. I'd love to know what this island is all about. Will they ever get off that island? What exactly IS that black smoke that kills people? Who are the others? Too many questions, not enough answers!

Went to the dentist yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The dentist was really nice...so was the staff. But...I've got work to do. I've got two cavities in one of my front teeth and he suggested a deep root/gum cleaning (for plaque/tartar below the gum line... moderate gum disease). If I don't get this done soon, I'll eventually start to lose teeth. Hmmm, guess I should get it done, eh? (It's only about $1200 - pocket change. Yeah right, like I've got the money!)

The new Macs came out yesterday (MacBook Pro and the new G5 iMac with Intel Core Duo processors). The specs look HOT, seems like they're at least twice as fast as current models. Let's see what happens when they release the G5 Titanium tower model with dual Intel Core Duo processors...it'll probably smoke when you turn it on!

Saturday Shopping

Wow! Spent almost the whole day shopping, from 1 pm all the way to 5:30 pm...not really shopping for toys or anything like that. Just the regular run-of-the-mill shopping, like groceries. Spent my day at Fruiterie 440, the butcher (chicken breasts), Maxi, Jean Coutu...returned the Karaoke wireless microphone and got the American Idol microphone instead (Toys 'R Us). Finished off the day by getting a large pizza at Pizza Hut for the girls. (I made myself a large salad with iceberg and romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, coleslaw (no sauce), and crab meat.)

Friday!!! End of the work week (hopefully)!

Ah yes...Friday is here at last! It's been a long first week back at work, especially for my wife. She's been working long hours, early mornings, late nights. Kids have been at my parents all week and they're probably itching for some time with us, especially my wife. They start back at school next week, so this weekend will be the time to spend with them.

Work is starting to pick up at the office. We have a few web contracts that are possible. Within the next week or so, we'll know if they're final and accepted. It'll be good for us, since we could always use the extra sales.

Myself, still a bit behind in my work (invoicing and quoting). Hopefully I'll get a handle on it by Monday.

Weight-wise, I haven't weighed myself today, but my glucose reading was low this morning, which is good for me. I think I woke up with a reading of 4.8. I think that's excellent! We'll see what the next few days gives in terms of glucose readings.

More good news today - Day 4

Today, I started off the day with good news....I'm now down to 216 lbs! I couldn't believe it, so I had to weigh myself twice just to prove it. If it continues like this, I'll be 200 lbs. in no time.

Got a busy day at the office today. We have one appointment with the JGeneral Hospital regarding their website redevelopment. I hope it goes well; it could be a big contract for us! Apart from that, I still have invoicing and quotes to get done.

Kids are at my parents for a couple of days, so the house has been quiet. They'll be spending the week with them, which I think is great...my parents love the time they're able to spend with them, no matter how much noise they make.

A rough but good start to the day

Today's tough! My wife's alarm clock didn't go off this morning, so I woke up when she did (at 5:09 am), put my coat on and drove her to the bus stop. The bus passed around 5:25 am. Worst part was, I had gone to bed at 2:00 am, so I was beat tired. When I came back home, it took me awhile to fall back asleep. When I finally did, the kids came to wake me up (8:09 am) with a jolt. I begged them to give me one more hour, and I was able to fall back asleep for another 45 minutes. Ouch...that's a rough awakening!

The best part of the morning was realizing that I know weigh 217 lbs. (another 2 lbs. lighter) At this rate, I should be able to lose those last 17 lbs in no time...YEAH RIGHT! We'll see how that turns out. Bought some hex weights of varying weights, hopefully to start pumping iron. First, I want to be able to do some regular crunches and master the elliptical (which I can't seem to run for more than 2 minutes without tiring out).

Well, I'm at the office now...about to start catch up work! I've got tons to do, and it's now 1:41 pm. I'll never get it all done today I'm sure...but I'll do what I can.

First day of 2006

Well, feeling pretty good today. During the week I had some abdominal cramps, but I think that was for two reasons. One, the day that the cramps started, I had done some stomach crunches, which I haven't done in years. Two, that same day, I think I overate at lunch time. (I had gone skating with the family and had to eat at a restaurant. The plate seemed modest....it was a three salad plate. One part couscous, one part broccoli and cauliflower, one part chickpea and kidney bean salad. It was really good, but probably too much for one sitting.)

I've still been able to maintain the 219 lb. weight. I've been eating more salads (one a day) and have cut back on carbs (rice, pasta). Still have to work on increasing my water intake... don't want those kidney stones to ever come back! My glucose levels have been pretty good... around 5.6 in the morning before breakfast and in the 5 to 6 range at night time (that's if I don't do any snacking after supper). Actually tonight before supper, my glucose was in the 4 range! (I didn't have an afternoon snack though.)

Still have many things that I want to work on for the office. I didn't do ANY work during my week off! I guess it was good, since I was able to spend that time with the kids. Looks like I'm going to have to catch up this week on loose ends (and INVOICING)!