Weider to lose or not to lose; that is the question ...

ok, the Weider is not here. The Team Brown promised it Thursday; but no. And then Friday; but no. Still its okay. It would have been a great time to have it put together; but, as it ended up, I was not up to starting the program. So, God willing, it will arrive tomorrow. And as I mentioned, the garage is clean. Salvation Army is picking up on Wednesday, and the rest not thrown away as sheer junk is going to the Agape House or to some friends that make trips to Mexico to help children there. It is a good thing we are doing.

But today, right now, I'm putting myself out there. This morning my weight was 203.6. Yes, there's no typo there, sadly. I'm pretty tired of looking at myself. No, I'm not here to whine. I'm here to do something about it and, win or lose, I'm going to be honest. I have made a goal to lose 20 pounds. When I made the goal (last week) my starting weight was 193.9. So ... obviously I'm not heading in the right direction currently and my goal has increased. However, one of the factors is let's say a cyclical hormonal thing, so I truly expect it to cycle down next week; we'll see.

Anyways, I've secured the Ace to be my accountability buddy; we'll do that mutually. She's honest and encouraging and works in the health industry. Sometimes people compete - make bets and such - and while that can be highly motivating, I think this way is less stressful. It's similar to independent study rather than a 'race'. As such, I don't currently have a deadline, only a determination to meet the goal. I tried to make that goal reasonably attainable so as to not have it be self-defeating. Obviously, I need to lose more than 20 pounds; but I'm making this a step project. God deals with us that way - from glory to glory to glory. The idea is to work out and lose weight and incorporate better eating habits as I go along. I've mentioned that this is my most favored means of exercise, although I didn't mention that I love swimming which is an excellent non-stress form of recreation. Still, currently I don't have the means to take advantage of that form. Sooo ... its Weider time!

The Google page offers add-ons from which I chose The Google 15, a means in which I can track my weight. Currently it is telling me Danger! You're heading away from your goal! Although the plan is to weigh in every day for the most part, I will post an average which the program provides. It helps you visualize and keep track of your progress - it has a chart even. I made the initial measurement 1/17. The average one week ago was 194.3. Let me just say that a daily weigh-in can be counter productive and I'm not concentrating on those numbers, but rather the average. But the better gauge I will be paying attention to is inches - that will be the most telling. Weight gain (not in this case) can be due to fat decrease / muscle build among other things. Muscles weigh more than fat. However, if true body improvement is taking place the inches will tell the story and gradually the weight will correspond.

The plan is to workout on the home gym and the exercise bike and improve my eating habits. Not only should I lose weight, but I should improve my blood pressure and cholesterol, my overall physical health and stamina, and possibly abate any hereditary diabetes. So begins my weight loss journey. I solicit your support and prayers along the way.

'What can Brown do for me'? Deliver! ;-)

Brown do for me???

William! William! William! That's the name of our Team Brown guy UPS said was assigned to deliver the Weider.

Okay, my dear friend was blessed for her patience with an answered prayer; so I am not about to blow mine (patience or blessing) now. But check this out -

• Thursday UPS tracking reported our package was out for delivery. The giant stayed home and waited. In response to the husband's call, the center stated it wasn't on the truck; they'd have it put on that night and it would be delivered the next day.
• Friday, UPS tracking reported our package was out; would definitely be delivered. The giant stayed home and waited - didn't happen; possibly, they stated, wasn't even on the truck.
• package dropped at front door with no indication of delivery although the giant was there, package box marked fragile is damaged, parts falling out of it. William!?!!! Okay, *sigh*!.

So now UPS (you think it will happen today as stated?) is picking up the package - they wanted us to repackage it - responded "this is what you delivered; this is what you pick up". Costco, who we purchased it through (and for an excellent price), has already arranged for it to be replaced.

So, we wait; but I'm still excited! Meanwhile, I'm watching what I eat and, by the way, that weight gain spurt I mentioned is going down. God is good!

The week wrap up

Highlights (or the high life :-) - as opposed to low life); hmmm.... I'm reminded of Madea's Family Reunion when the character Carlos (Blair Underwood) references "the highs and lows of me".

• The husband and I decided last night to go to Tony Roma's. It's a favorite of ours - we've become Roma Rib Experts - their birthday club. For starters, we had a half of their signature Onion Loaf 'giant hand-cut Spanish onions, breaded, deep fried and served with house BBQ dipping sauce. For the main course he had their Beef Ribsters while I had the St. Louis Ribs - mine were accompanied by Loaded Mashed Potatoes while his were surrounded by Ranch Style Beans and French Fries. It wasn't very veggie; but yumm! We accummulated two more doggy containers - a total of 7 now (remember Red Robin's and Denny's?). It's really nice to get off on our own sometime - but I guess we'll need to eat these delicious leftovers some time. But there's another Black Angus trip next week!
  
  
• Okay now that might be working against our newest endeavor - to exercise at home. We want to get a Weider Max Resistance System Gym - this puppy even has rowing; its on order and arriving in a few weeks. If there's another word for stoked, that'd be me. This is a project we'll both enjoy. I've never been much to stick to clubs, or diet programs, or aerobic stuff - but I've always enjoyed strength training and with its rower, its gotta be a great workout.
  
  
• The other thing that we have been doing is on the edge-of-our-seats watching the television series 24, a not so highly aerobic activity unless you count heart racing. We've become addicts, owning a dvd set for every season. We watched last season just in time to be ready for the season opener - two nights/two hours - but we were able to record it on our DVR and watch it at our convenience. And now we wait with baited breath... what of Jack Bauer now? - the man's even has a full blown history.