Fat Guy in Little Coat.

• 27Apr

  Progress Report: Food, Food, Food…

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  Hello everyone, I’m back. I just think I should let you all know that it was an absolutely perfect day for golf yesterday. The golf game, however, was not perfect, but it was a great time on a great day.

  Whilst I was chasing my ball all over the golf course, Wendy was showering. Ok, not that kind of shower, but she was participating in her bridal shower, being buried under a waterfall of gifts and cake. Of course, I had to have some cake when the guys and I rolled in to transport the gifts….and more today…whatever, it’s cake…and it’s incredible…

  Today, I took the day off work so that Wendy and I could spend the day eating. Well, not the whole day, but Wendy, her dad and I went and tasted the food at the Holiday Inn for our reception. It was all pretty good. It didn’t blow us away, but it certainly wasn’t bad. However, we got to try EVERYTHING that’s going to be on menu…and it was a lot.

  We did save room for some Subway this evening, as we found out fans of the show Chuck were flocking to the sandwich shop to show support for the show, hoping that this season isn’t the last. I had to do my part by taking down a five-dollar footlong.

  Song of the Day: Mr. Roboto - Styx. On tonight’s Chuck season (series?!) finale featured “Jeffster,” the tandum of Jeff and Lester, performing the Styx classic at Chuck’s sister’s wedding.

  It hasn’t been a particularly healthy couple days, but I’m looking for a return to form tomorrow and for the rest of the week.

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Chuck, Exercise, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, little coat, Mr. Roboto, Styx, Subway, weight loss

• 26Apr

  Weekly Weigh-In: Sunday, April 26, 2009

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  Hello everyone, I’m back for the weigh-in. It’s been a somewhat unexpectedly busy weekend, culminating last night with me picking up a new computer! More on that in a bit, on to the stats:

  Original Weight: 297 lbs.
  Last Week’s Weight: 228 lbs.
  This Week’s Weight: 224 lbs.
  +/-: -4 lb.
  Goal Met? Can I say yes?
  Weight Lost since 7/6: 73 lbs.

  I’m back baby! That’s what I’m talking about. See, back to basics, right? I don’t need to count calories or participate in fancy workouts. I’ll just run and lift weights, and there you go! Awesome!

  Anyway, yesterday ended up being a busier day than I thought. Wendy had some running around to do, which was met with great success, and I rode around and peeked at a few computers, since my old one was just about dead. It’s an old man, and it’s just his time. I ended up finding one I really liked and going back to get it last night. It was a whirlwind of excitement.

  Also, Wendy and I stopped at Kohl’s because I had a gift card that I got for my birthday last year. I picked up some new polos, all sized XL. This may not seem amazing, many people buy shirts every day, what’s the big deal? The big deal, for me, is that when I started this thing, I couldn’t slip into anything under 3XL. Now I’m down to an XL, which is a normal size. That’s prett remarkable.

  Since it was so nice, Wendy and I busted out the grill last night and I threw some steaks on. We also had some baked potatoes and some pasta salad, with carrots, cucumber, wheat pasta and a little fat free italian dressing. Delcicious.

  Anyway, I’m off to the golf course.

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Exercise, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, little coat, weight loss, Workout

• 23Apr

  Progress Report: A Valiant Effort

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  18 seconds.

  18 seconds is all that was left in overtime when Vancouver put an end to the Blues season and any hopes they had of advancing out of the first round of the playoffs, and I was there to see it live. It was one of the greatest and most heartbreaking sporting events I’ve ever seen.

  I’d say it was one of the best sporting events I’ve ever been to, honestly. While it doesn’t beat the Cardinals winning the 2006 World Series, there’s nothing quite like playoff hockey. I’ve never heard an arena go as nuts as the Scottrade did when the Blues scored in the second period to tie the game. The entire crowd was into the game and chanting, cheering and jeering. There were even some entire-crowd, anti-ref chants that are a little too R-rated for this blog here…

  The Blues played easily their best game of the series, however it just wasn’t enough. A little wrister from the corner as overtime wound down brought an abrupt silence to a packed Scottrade and a heartbreaking end to what turned out to be a great NHL season in St. Louis. The fans, showing their class, chanted ‘Let’s Go Blues’ after the game had ended as the players, displaying equal class, waved and clapped for the fans in attendance. As they say, there’s always next year…

  It wasn’t a particularly healthy night for me, however. I was too close to downtown STL to go home after work, so I met Jeff and we headed to Union Station for dinner. We took down some Panda Express before walking over to the Scottrade Center and drinking some beer. i feel really good about this week, other than Tuesday, so I hope that doesn’t completely throw me off.

  I also took down a nice cup of FroYo, a fancy version of frozen yogurt. It was a perfect day for it, as it got above 80 in St. Louis today. FroYo isn’t completely terrible for you. It’s better than ice cream, but  much worse than say, an apple…

  I took down two turkey hot dogs and some asparagus and Brussels sprouts (yes, I like Brussels sprouts, I’m weird like that) for dinner tonight, so hopefully it balanced out the Frozen Yo.

  Song of the Day: Had Enough - Breaking Benjamin. I heard this song today for the first time in a long time, and it took on a completely different meaning to me.

  “You had to have it all, but have you had enough? You greedy little bastards you will get what you deserve. When all is said and done, I will be the one, to leave you in your misery and hate what you’ve become.”

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Breaking Benjamin, Exercise, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, FroYo, Had Enough, little coat, Scottrade Center, St. Louis Blues, Union Station, Vancouver Canucks, weight loss, Workout

• 22Apr

  Progress Report: Stopping By

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  hey everyone, I’m just stopping by right now because it’s late, and I had a busy night. I was at the Blues game last night, so I apologize for not blogging. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I’m still here. I ran another three miles today. It’s terrible, but I like it. Tomorrow it’s on to the weights.

  Let’s hope for a better week than the Blues had…

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

• 20Apr

  Progress Report: Back to Basics

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  Hello everyone, it’s Monday again, which means it’s time for 24, Chuck and Heroes. It’s still a great night of TV, and I recommend it to anyone.

  In light of yesterday’s weigh-in, however, I decided that it’s time to get back to basics. I’m not really sure what my problem is, but I’m hoping that it has something to do with replacing muscle with fat, which means my weightlifting has started to work.

  That might just be wishful thinking, though. I feel like I had a pretty good week last week, but I was only one pound down. I’ve changed a few things over the course of the past month or so. I’ve been running differently, lifting weights and trying to watch my calories. None of it seems to be working, so it’s time to get back to basics.

  When I started this thing, I said I wasn’t going to do anything fancy. I was going to eat better and exercise, mostly cardio. That’s what I did this morning. I set the treadmill for three miles and just went to town. I’m not going to stop weightlifting, because I really enjoy it, but I’m going back to my basic thinking of eating right and running. That’s all I can do, and we’ll see what happens.

  Song of the Day: Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles. I haven’t been listening to music at the gym since my headphones broke, so this process has become increasingly difficult. I did hear this song today, though, and I really enjoy it.

  We’ll see if going back to what got me here works. I hope it does. Something has to.

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Eleanor Rigby, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, little coat, The Beatles, wedding, weight loss, Workout

• 19Apr

  Weekly Weigh-In: Sunday, April 19, 2009

  Weekly Weigh-in 2 Comments

  Hello everyone. It’s Sunday, so that’s on to the stats.

  Original Weight: 297 lbs.
  Last Week’s Weight: 229 lbs.
  This Week’s Weight: 228 lbs.
  +/-: -1 lb.
  Goal Met?: Again, not quite
  Weight Lost since 7/6: 69 lbs.

  Well, I think I’ve hit the plateau-ist of plateaus. I’m glad I’m still going down, if ever so slightly, but I have no idea what to do here. I’ve changed my workout, I’ve eaten pretty well. Last night wasn’t so great, but I had a pretty good week, though. I’m not sure what to do here, but I better start figuring it out soon.

  Anyway, that’s about it. The Blues are back home tonight. Let’s hope they can get a W.

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Exercise, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, little coat, weight loss

• 18Apr

  Progress Report: And We’re Back!

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  Hello everyone, I apologize for missing the past couple days, but it’s been a busy week of running around trying to get some work and other stuff done.

  I think have to start off by saying that the Blues have been…well…less than stellar in their first two games. They’re down 0-2 in the best of seven series at the moment. I really hope they can get things turned around when they head home on Sunday.

  Other than that, though, all is well. Alex, Emily, Wendy and I headed to Stir Crazy last night for dinner. I haven’t been to Stir Crazy for a while. It’s a good Asian restaurant. You can either get something off the menu or take your wok up to the ‘market bar’ and fill it with veggies and sauce and have the chef stir fry it right in front of you. That’s always my preferred method, and it’s always good.

  Today, we’re off to run errands and take care of some other things we need to get done. Tonight, we’re going to head to, you guessed it, a Greek place for dinner, Olympia.

  Song of the Day: Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting - Elton John. Yeah, I couldn’t think of anything. This song is about Saturday…sort of…

  Anyway, it’s been a good week so far. Hopefully that’ll carry over into tomorrow morning.

  Weigh-in tomorrow.

  -Brett

• 15Apr

  Progress Report: LET’S GO BLUES

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  Hello everyone. Today is a good sports day, especially here in St. Louis. The Blues started their playoff run tonight against the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver. Currently, they’re down 2-0, which is not awesome…at all…however, it’s only game one, and there’s plenty of time left.

  Also, it was another good sports afternoon as I met Alex and Jeff at Barrister’s again for the next round of Champion’s League semi-finals. Arsenal took on Villareal one more time, and put them away 3-0. It was a good afternoon, even though I only caught the first half of the game, because I had to go back to work.

  I was pretty good at Barrister’s, though, opting not to take down the Ruben this time, instead opting for a grilled portobello and goat cheese panini, with a cabbage cole slaw for a side. It was extremely delicious. I really like the food there. It’s a great atmosphere for soccer fans.

  Wendy and I had some running around to do after work, but we came back and enjoyed some mini-pizzas, made with these sandwich-thins, which are really good.

  Actually, I woke up early this morning, so I didn’t have to rush up to my workout. I was able to take it easy getting ready and getting up there and back. There’s something to this getting up early thing…it’s not gonna happen every day, though…

  Song of the Day: The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel. I didn’t pick this for the actual song, but because I think my headphones are broken, because this morning, all I was able to listen to was the Sound of Silence.

  It’s not looking good for the Blues right now, but it’s only game one…right?

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Arsenal, Barristers, Exercise, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, little coat, Simon and Garfunkel, Sound of Silence, St. Louis Blues, Villareal, wedding, weight loss, Workout

• 14Apr

  Progress Report: I Got Nothin’

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  Hello everyone. I’m literally struggling to come up with something to talk about, so like one of the greatest television shows of all time, I guess I’ll pretty much talk about nothing…

  It was a pretty good day today, for me anyway. I was really busy all day at work, but I had a chance to step away for some thai food. It’s the Thai new year, so all the Thai restaurants in the loop (the St. Louis Delmar Loop, it’s where I work) was offering discounts on food this week. I had a dish of pat Thai, with rice noodles and chicken. Delicious.

  For dinner, I finished the sushi I made on Sunday. Having said that, I realize I hadn’t talked about making sushi. I just used Alton Brown’s (of Good Eats fame) recipe for a California Roll. It’s a little complicated, but I’ve done it several time, so I’m starting to get my technique down. You have to make some sushi rice, which is a short-grain rice (no, you cannot use regular rice, sushi rice is sticky, ideal for sushi rolls), and add a mixture of salt, sugar and rice vinegar to it. When it’s cooled to room temperature, you take a half sheet of sushi nori, spread some of the rice on, flip it over and place a small amount of imitation crab and avocado in the middle and roll using a wooden mat. Once it’s rolled, cut into six pieces and serve. Also delicious.

  Song of the Day: The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson. I was rocking this song this morning. It was awesome.

  Sorry everyone. That’s all I’ve got…nothing.

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Alton Brown, Exercise, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, Good Eats, little coat, Michael Jackson, Pad Thai, The Way You Make Me Feel, wedding, weight loss

• 13Apr

  Progress Report: A Case of the Mondays

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  Hello everyone. I think I had a major “case of the Mondays” today, because I just had no desire to get out of bed, no desire to work out and absolutely no desire to be in the office all day.

  You know what, though? I did all three of those things. It’s the same for all of us working for a living, I’m sure. There are some days….OK, most days…you’d just rather stay in bed. That’s the easy thing to do. It’s tough to get up day in and day out and drag yourself to the office. I realize that.

  I will tell you, though, working out in the morning really helps. It sucks getting up even earlier than you’d have to if you were just going to work, but still, a nice workout makes a huge difference in how you feel and how you attack the day ahead.

  I never used to feel this way. I used to sleep until the very last second, roll out of bed, get dressed and go to work. When I’d get home, I’d take a nap and usually down way too much fast food for dinner. That’s the way I rolled. I realize now that this was a terrible lifestyle, and I’m much better off for it.

  I know I didn’t hit my weight loss goal this week, but that’s OK. That’s life. There are going to be good weeks and bad, and you have to take them both equally. I realize that I’m attempting to completely change my life, and so far, I think I’ve done that. One week every once in a while that isn’t particularly healthy is fine, just as long as that week isn’t perpetual.

  I have a ways to go, but I’m running out of weeks before this wedding. I’m going to give it all I’ve got to hit my goal, but you know what? It’s OK if I don’t. I never, ever would have thought that I could lose as much weight as I have. I’ve tried, and failed, many times in the past. To even come as close as I am right now is a victory beyond words.

  Song of the Day: Be My Escape - Relient K. This is a great song. I hadn’t heard it for a while, and it scrolled through the iPod this morning at the gym.

  There’s plenty of work to do, and like dragging myself out of bed on a Monday morning, I’m going to attack it head on.

  More tomorrow.

  -Brett

  Tags: Be My Escape, Exercise, fat guy, fat guy in a little coat, Fat Guy In Little Coat, little coat, Relient K, wedding, weight loss, Workout

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