06/19/2011

Official Weigh-in:

301 lbs

33.7% body fat

43.2 BMI

After 3 months of work I have lost 71 lbs, 7.2% body fat, and 10.3 on the bmi scale.

I am happy that I have gotten to a size now that makes life easier just to function, but I am ready to get going even harder.  250 lbs. is my new goal.  After all the hard work and effort it feels good to see the numbers on a screen.  For the first time in over 8 years I am facing the possibility of seeing numbers on a scale that start with “2”. 

In honor of reaching 250 lbs, Dwayne who I met at the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu, who is also a blogger has accepted my challenge; you can read my trash talking here.  We have a simple competition going to see who can get to 250 lbs first.  Loser has to buy the other person a technological prize (we are both nerds) which we have yet to determine. 

Dwayne you better get moving big boy, because I don’t plan on waving as I pass you by.  He is presently about 10 lbs lighter than I am, but has reached a plateau which he hasn’t broken yet, it’s okay because he won’t’ break it until I’m way ahead of him. 

Moving forward until we reach 250 lbs, I will post weekly his numbers vs. my numbers.  We have set only rule, that neither one of us will do anything drastic like eat 1000 calories a day, or have gastric bypass (Dwayne I’m looking your way).

My workout plan this week is as follows:

One last thing I have to say is that I want to thank everyone has been reading my posts as they are helpful to me beyond your comprehension.  It’s the emotional peer pressure which has been missing from my life since I became the boss of my own business.  So thank you for your support, and I promise to give you all a big wet kiss.

Role of Family

06/19/2011

Being father’s day I knew I was going to eat out with my family this evening, so I was fully prepared to have a cheat meal.  We had reservations for 10 at Peking Gourmet Inn in Falls Church, VA.  Peking Gourmet Inn is a DC staple.  It’s been around since the late ‘70’s.  A family run establishment since the day it opened, over the years of visiting this restaurant with my family, I’ve watched the sibling team who manages the place age with each visit.  Over the years I have also watched the walls of their restaurant change, as they hang photos of just about any high ranking official in the Pentagon or the government.  The walls are a virtual who’s who of powerful people in Washington, DC. 

The specialty at Peking Gourmet Inn is not surprisingly the Peking Duck.  You have not had Peking Duck, until you have had their duck.  I don’t know what is supposed to taste like, or how authentic their rendition of duck is, but they have perfected a level of goodness which can only be harnessed through decades of precise execution.   The founder of the restaurant in China was a scientist, so when he set out to create their signature dish, he realized that the store bought spring onions weren’t adequate in flavor or texture, so he crossbred a few variations and created his own signature scallion which is unique to Peking Gourmet Inn.  He further went and created his own Hoisin sauce which I have to tell you is just as uniquely flavored as the spring onions.  The pancakes which you use to wrap the duck, spring onions, and Hoisin sauce are also handmade and have a taste you can only find at Peking Gourmet Inn. 

The duck is always cooked perfectly, but you have to make sure to ask for Mr. Zu, or Mr. Wu to slice your duck as their technique and skill level surpasses anyone else in the establishment.  It’s a whole new experience when these two men cut your duck; they cut it thinner, and always manage to get all the fat off the skin.  When you put all of these components together it touches every receptor of your taste buds, and makes you want to eat another one. 

I love going to this place it’s one of my favorite meals to have, but like most great things in life if you go to often it loses its magic and becomes pedestrian. 

This last experience wasn’t the best I’ve had, because when I arrived I was suffering from something that just felt like something was stuck in my chest.  Rewinding a bit, I knew I had this dinner to go to, so I made sure to have a good breakfast, and packed a lunch which was probably a little light for me in terms of caloric value.  I received a call around 12 pm before I was going to eat my lunch, it was my mother telling me she didn’t feel well so I needed to go take my father to lunch.

Being the good son that I am, I said ok, picked up my father, and met my sister and brother-in law at a restaurant.  We went to a Korean Restaurant which specialized in Bosam which is basically a boiled pork vegetable wrap.  If you are a New Yorker you have probably heard about David Chang’s version of this dish at Momofuku, (which I hear is awesome).  This particular restaurant does a good interpretation of this dish, as they provide a distinctive array of vegetables to wrap the pork belly in, most places only serve it with pickled radish, cabbage and oysters. 

I didn’t eat a whole lot, because I knew 6 hours later I would have to eat another off the reservation meal.  The little I did eat created some problems in the plumbing department.  I don’t know what I ate which caused me the pain, but it started an hour after dropping my dad off. 

I spent the next couple of hours in and out of the bathroom.  If you have seen the movie Dumb and Dumber just picture Jeff Daniels in a Mansion losing his mind, of course one of the times I had to go I was in a shoe store right next to the employee break room where one of the sales kids was trying to eat lunch, I fought so hard to try and not make noise.  It didn’t’ workout very well…

Following all of this misery from my bowels, I found myself no longer needing to go to the bathroom, but with a pain in my chest that felt like something was stuck.  It didn’t quite feel like heartburn but just pressure. 

At dinner my brother gave me a Tagamet, because he carries them around like gum.  I didn’t feel much better, but I didn’t want to miss a chance to eat Peking Duck.  I haven’t had it in more than 6 months.  I fought my way through about 4 or 5 rolled pancakes. 

I would regret this later.

After dinner I dropped my parents off, and found myself descending into deeper and deeper pain.  My mom had given me a Korean digestive drink which normally helps, but this time it seemed to add more fuel to the fire.  When I got home I took my dog for a 2 mile walk thinking the walk would help me burp it all out.  At the end of the walk I felt a little better, but not cured of the pain.

In trying to get ready for bed I lay down in bed for 15 seconds and got right back up.  The pain had returned and this time felt more intense.  I found myself sitting on the toilet, just hunched over.  I wasn’t going to the bathroom, but the position provided some emotional relief to the situation. 

I took a gamble and consumed another tagamet.  After 15 minutes it gave me enough relief that I could sit in bed, I slowly slid down the headboard until I reached a position that I could fall asleep in.  It must have worked.  I don’t remember falling asleep or getting up again. 

I am at a loss about how you keep the wolves at bay.  I have to still learn to say no.  I realize it’s not my parents fault for me getting sick, but it was my fault for putting myself in a situation that I didn’t want to be in.  It’s bad luck, but it’s symbolic of the sabotage that can occur when I put other people’s feelings ahead of my own well being.  I’ve done this for years. 

Having said that, this struggle is something that outsiders (those who don’t struggle with weight)can’t understand, they just don’t get what it takes from a mental stand point to completely change how you eat.  Every time I eat off the plan I have placed another obstacle in front of me, it doesn’t negate the hard work, but just creates more hard work. 

I don’t know how to find the balance between living up to your obligations, and roles in family dynamics, but I do know I have to say no when appropriate.  Had I just said no to my mother I would have first not gotten sick, but second I would have been able to really enjoy my first real cheat meal since being back from California.    

I’m still pissed off.  What’s worse is that my state of being at dinner was so shitty I don’t think I made my dad feel very good about father’s day.   I don’t know what the answer is…