A Tribute to my Grandpa Gerald Skelly SR

5 Hour Spin Class time to Kick the Weight Loss into High Gear

Well here we are, over 2 weeks into 2012. I though I might have already been below 280 but I have been close. I was down to 283.5 the other day. I was sure I would be below 280 after the 5 Hour spin I did last weekend. I weighed myself after the workout and I weighed more than I did before I started. I think It was because I did it the right way. I drank a lot of water and electrolytes and I consumed about 1500 calories while burning over 3500. I could have lost water weight and maybe taken my calories down but I would have hurt the next day.  Overall it was good.

    I am signed up to do the Minnesota Red Ribbon Ride again this year and this was my start to training. The RRR is a 300 mile ride across MN in July to fight AIDS HIV. I am also going to do the Men's Cancer ride this year on Fathers day in tribute to my grand father Gerald Skelly. Grandpa Jerry is a big reason I have come as far in life as I have. He taught me to always value education and community service above all else. He also inspired me to work out and lose weight. Grandpa is still fighting to stay around after a battle with bladder cancer and a month long hospital / nursing home stay. He is currently at home for Hospice.

     I know guys get cancer but other than skin cancer I never thought about it. I have been doing some reading and my weight loss is the best thing I can do to lower my risk of cancer. The Mayo Clinic has a newsletter that talks about the causes of cancer. I have read it a couple of times. High weight paired with poor diet and sedentary lifestyle continually rank as the highest factors. I know what I have to do and I am going to do it.


My diet is still heavy on spinach, grapefruit, and green juice.  Breakfast for me is 2 cups of coffee, a banana, 2 organic eggs, 2 slices of dry Ezekiel bread, a half cup of green  juice and vitamins. I take the whole foods Iron free Multi vitamin, glucosamine, calcium, and salmon oil. I also take an Emergenc every couple of days.


Recently I have added almonds and soy nuts to my diet. I try to eat small meals of 100-200 calories throughout the day. I also drink a little over a gallon of water a day.


I think I am going to start P90X soon and may sign up for Crossfit this summer in SLP. We will see, I usually bike 2,000+ miles over the summer and I need time for everything.

That's it for me. I hope your 2012 is going great and I hope your fitness goals are getting met day by day.


Peace,


Gabe

Grief A New Year and Weight Loss

Well, here we are in the new year. I have been up and down already. Yesterday I hit the scale at 283.8 and today at 283.4 it seems like the weight loss is working. The last month has been a roller coaster  of emotions. My Grandfather had a surgery and spiraled downhill over the holidays. He seems to be getting better now, but we had a moment when we thought we would lose him. 
     It was after I was standing in the hospital room with My friend, mother, grandmother, and the priest all gathered around grandpa. We did the Catholic last right, It was very hard to get through. The next morning I woke up and realized that grandpa may not live next week, or tomorrow but we have him today. When you get into the mindset of living day by day and being thankful for each new sunrise it changes the way you  view things. We take to much for granted. As I spend more time in the ICU and around the Doctors and nurses who are on the front lines of life and death I see something. A nurse talked to me about how most people don't realize that it is a gift to breath on their own, it is a gift to walk, to see, to talk, to be able to eat and digest food. I am really learning to think more deeply about what I do with the time I have.

     Through this all I have been keeping up with my workouts. I ran a mile the other day around the track, I didn't want to but I did. I was thinking about something one doctor said. He said that because grandpa had been in cardiac rehab for 17 years before this hospital visit he may have a chance. Grandpa knew that the human body needs to be worked to be healthy. I need to continue to workout even when things are hard and I don't want to. Some day it might be me in the ICU and I want the same chance grandpa has to win.
     I have done a small amount of grief eating. Trying to control myself. Honestly it goes from me feeling like I can't eat anything to wanting all the bad things. I grew up like my grandmother seeing food as a comfort, now I need to change the way I see food. 
    Simply put we are what we eat. If you eat bad for you fat food your brain will function less and your body will clog and eventually have problems. This year I continue to pledge to myself and to you that I will eat clean good food. 
    After the last month I see life in a new light. It's something we need to cherish and protect. We need to not waste time because Time is something we can never get back. If a friend calls you and wants to go out for coffee Go. If a relative invites you over for dinner try your best to make it. If you kids want you to read to them, do it. We never get the time that is passed back. 

     I know one thing for sure, I will not look back on my life and have a long list of things I wish I would have done. I will have a long list of things I tried. I may not love everything and I will not succeed at everything but we must take the road less traveled and open ourselves to life and all of its possibilities.


- Peace,


Gabe

Happy New Year in 2011 I lived Life Out Loud and lost 30 pounds

Well here we are the new year has come!!! What happened in 2011 Well I started off the year at somewhere around 320 and I knew I needed to make a life change. It was a struggle, weight loss and keeping it off is like getting married. You take a vow to yourself, through sickness and in health to death do us part.

I had some injuries along the way but I close out the year down a solid 30 pounds from last year. I had some really tought struggles around the holidays and when I hurt my head. My knee also went out for a couple of weeks and I have tennis elbow but I wouldn't give back the experiences for anything.


I rode the Red Ribbon Ride, Played lots of dodge ball, Came in 7th in a Triathlon and set a new personal best in the swim.


I am going to start the new year off by pledging to lose 20 pounds in 2012 and keep it off. I am starting the year off by signing up for not only Gladiator but also Boxing and I am keeping up on Dodge Ball Every Friday. I may even sneak in a 5 Hour spin or two in training for the Red Ribbon Ride.


What strikes out in my mind are a couple of phrases I keep hearing to remember for 2012.


Live Life Out Loud.


Love the Life you Live and Live a Life you Love.


Always give your best whatever it may be and you will feel good about your effort.


Have faith and Hope that things are constantly getting better. 


Life is not short if we live it with all we have.

I hope you have a great new years. My offer to you is this. Come train with me, bike with me, start clean eating with me. I can tell you this, if you really commit yourself to weight loss you will lose weight. It is a lot of hard work and can seem like it's not fun some of the time.


 Instead of the saying my grandma always says to me "a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" just remember no food will ever taste better than feeling thin and healthy feels.

I am thankful for my health, I am thankful for a body that allows me to walk and exercise, I am thankful for my sight and hearing, my family and friends, I am thankful I

Well here we are the week before Christmas .  Yesterday I weighed in at 284.9  that's lower than I have been in over a year. I was looking through some pictures of when I started my new job. There is a picture of me at the sales convention holding an award we got and I look fat. I had a pretty good size double chin which is much smaller now. My new hope is that I have no fat on my chin by next year. 

I did some shopping this week because of all the holiday sales. I went to gap and tried on a new pair of jeans. Believe it or not I'm down a pants size. This makes me very happy. All the cardio and spinach are paying off!!!

 Over the holidays I still need to watch what I eat. Christmas eve I am going to do an hour on the treadmill in the morning and make sure I eat a healthy breakfast and drink lots of water. Lets pledge together that we are not going to over eat on Christmas or new years. 

Some tips I can offer for holiday eating . 

1.Don't drink eggnog or other fatty drinks, pay attention to how much you drink and make sure you drink water instead of pop. Limit beer and any drink made with pop or 

red bull. 

2. Eat nuts and vegetables or even cheese over cookies and sweet treats. Stay away from fatty dips and chips. 

 

3. When eating dinner pay attention to how much you eat and stay away from fatty foods. Eat salad and vegetables over meat and hot dish.

 

4.For desert have one or two but not 10 over the course of a party.

I have one month until the national sales seminar again. I know I am going to be leaner than last year. I am around 285 now I  am going to shoot for 280 by the seminar. I really need to keep up the cardio and not let myself lax on my no bad food diet but I am sure I can do it.

I think this holiday season it's important for us to give thanks and be great full for what we have. I am still heavier than I want to be but I lost a lot of weight this year. 

I am thankful for my health, I am thankful for a body that allows me to walk and exercise, I  am thankful for my sight and hearing, my family and friends, I am thankful I live a life I love. 

Here come the Holidays Duck and maybe you'll miss getting hit by Fat

Above is one of the many reasons I am heaver than I would like to be. When we had my son I put on 70 pounds that I have fought with ever since. I also put on 90 when we had my daughter. I am no longer the 6 foot 4   215 pound 4.5% body fat person I was before I had kids. I am doing well in my book, we are expecting our 3rd and I am at 288.5 today. That's down from almost 320 last Christmas. Around this year I start thinking about seeing all of my sales friends at our annual National sales convention in Florida. Last year no matter how hard I dieted or worked out or starved or took diet pills I could not get below 300.

     This year I find myself below that and looking back at the struggle. I have the hard core family dinners to come but I think I can fend them off. I need to duck and cover sometimes when a family member throws cookies my way, some people just don't care if you are on a diet they want you to try their food. 

     Some of my fat friends are the worst. We share stories about how we are trying to lose weight but then push bad food on each other during the holidays.  I don't know if it comes from deep insecurity or us having  a hate for fat people that pushes us to do it. I know when I was thin I was annoyed by fat people and now that I am not thin I find myself upset at how much I put into how we look.

     Everyone has something going on that you don't see. If we know people are trying to lose weight, we need to encourage them. Sabotage is never a good way to deal with family or friends that are over weight even if it might make us feel better seeing someone else eating that food we would secretly love to eat.

     I am back into my workouts and trying to get below 285 by Christmas. I know I can do it and I know you can keep away from foods that are bad or you this holiday. And if you want a fun workout join me at the Uptown Minneapolis YWCA Friday 6:45-8 for adult dodge ball,  you'll be glad you did.


 - Gabe

Happy Monday 12 Days Of Christmas Fire side Caribou Coffee and Cookies

Cracked My Head On Thanksgiving Up a few Pounds time to work out

Well It's been a wild ride since my last post. I was down a lot before thanksgiving. I was feeling really good, I ate dinner on Thanksgiving and didn't over eat. It might have been partially because I grabbed the metal top of a pan that had just come out of the oven and burnt my hand right as I was dishing up my meal. I sat for just long enough for my food to get nice and cold =)

Next I was still feeling good and I went outside to play food ball with my cousins and my kids. Well Somehow I got onto the street to catch a ball.  I ended up falling backwards with all my weight landing on my head first.  I remember putting my hands under my head because it hurt really bad. I remember thinking I shouldn't get up, then pulling my hands out from under me and they were covered in blood. Well soon after I went to the ER where I got a Tetanus shot, 5 X-rays of my jaw and 3 staples in the back of my head.  I couldn't eat any desert because it hurt to much to move my jaw.

The last week I have not been working out because I have had bouts of being really dizzy and tired. I got the staples out and clearance  to exercise Friday. Saturday I did the 2 hour Spin for World AIDS day at the Midtown YWCA. I did put on a few pounds not exercising and eating because I was feeling upset and not my regular self. Now its time to burn it all off and then some. Tomorrow I get back on my clean eating and working out at the Y. 

I hope you all had a Great  Thanksgiving and if you added a pound or two don't despair we can take them off.. 

 - Peace , Gabe

Bentleyville Tour of Lights 3 million lights Duluth MN

285.8 and Fighting the Thanksgiving Eating Binge time to Run

Greetings everyone,
 I have been doing the NanoWRIMO this year. It keeps my writing time down. I want to let you all know I have not been easing off my workouts. I weighed in last week at 285.6 at my lowest. That is lower than I have been in over a year and a half. I am fitting into shirts that I have not worn in a long time. Man it feels nice, I am also 5 holes into my belt that I have been at 1 hole into for  a long time.

I don't think it's just the way I eat but it plays a big part of it. I do think Spinach is a super food it seems to really help me feel good and regulate my hunger and weight. I also find that I eat less on the days I have a grapefruit and when I have eggs for breakfast. I have read journals that say all of these things can make you want to eat less. I don't know if they will work for everyone  but they are helping me. Of course the main thing is will power. I have always been a good self motivator. Do I want to walk for an hour on the treadmill after work when I am tired and sore? No way, but I know it will make me feel good and it is good for me in the long run. 

 One thing that is for sure, exercise will help you feel good. It fights depression and lots of other things that happen in the winter. I also get a big boost out of group fitness classes and dodge ball in the winter. I say keep as busy as you can but make sure you get time to sleep and workout. 

This week for Thanksgiving I am going to try to find a 5K I can do. If I can't find one and someone to do it with I will do a 5K+ at my house on the treadmill before we go to the grandparents for dinner. This year I have a lot to be thankful for, my weight loss it a big one. I also am very thankful for my immediate and extended family, that I have a  warm house, food to eat, good health, and a people to share them with. I hope you have a super Thanksgiving and be thankful because Life is great and it is only limited by what we can dream.


Thanks for Reading,


Gabe

Gtmd11 Minnesota Give to the Max Day 2011 @givemn

Triathlon and Gladiator Losing some weight Chobani Greek yogurt

So what have I been up to this last week or so. Well I am down to 287.9 based on my new scale at home. I got a new Weight Watchers one that weighs up to 400 pounds, it's glass and has a digital readout. I have been eating one solid meal of spinach a day. For dinner I have been doing a cup of Chobani Greek yogurt with a half cup of Kashi Go lean crunch. I have been trying to stay away from carbs except for some Ezekiel bread that I buy frozen and have with my standard breakfast of 2 organic eggs over easy. I also drink about a pot of coffee with skim milk, a gallon of water, and a cup of green juice a day. I am still trying to keep the eating clean. I didn't eat much candy on Halloween. I won't say I didn't eat any but not much. 

     My next goal is to keep my weight loss up over the holidays. One thing I know for sure is no Brie cheese wheels this year. Traditionally I bring a big 2.2 pound wheel to holiday gatherings over the winter season. They are a great deal at Lunds but for me they are not a great deal on the waist line. I can almost fit into my non fat person pants and my shirts are all starting to fit me well. I can't wait to fit into all of my clothes again.

 I did a Tri at the midtown YWCA and did better than I did spring of 2009. I was very happy with that. I came in 7th out of 27 people doing the full tri. My run was just over 10 min miles and I swam a 600 in 12min. I shaved about 25 min off of what I thought I was going to do it in. I felt great and can't wait to do it again.

I signed up for Gladiator at uptown starting today. Man was it hard. I need to get back into more weight training than I have been doing. It's going to be hard to keep up the same level of cardio and do weight training but I have to do it. 

Well I am going to keep at the weight loss and update you as I do. 


Always remember you are only limited by what you can Dream.


Peace,


Gabe

YWCA Fall Triathalon 2011 Gabe takes 7th

Friday

Nanowrimo 2011 Day 2 Happy Wednesday

ANGRY BIRDS Happy Halloween Minnesota Blizzard of 1991

Pumpkins at Jim's Apple Farm Minnesota's Largest Candy Store

Clean Eating Down Some Pounds

Well I have been keeping at it with my weight loss. I weighed out at 290 today after my workout. That's down almost 30 pounds from last winter. I have been really focusing on eating clean, working out, and keeping my stress as low as possible. I realized that when job stress increased over the past 3 years I responded with eating too much and the wrong things. I talked with a friend this morning again about how I would drink a mocha or two  a day and now that I just drink coffee with skim milk or a little cream. I know we all have stress at work and in day to day life, we just need to find constructive ways to deal with it. One things is for sure if you eat to deal with stress you will gain weight and that will create more stress.

     I have been working on doing mostly cardio with some weights thrown in. I love doing power lifts but I feel like for now it's just hurting my joints and not really helping me lose weight. We have cleaned up our food a lot in the last couple of months. We don't have anything in our house with corn syrup in it. We don't add sugar to things. We don't eat boxed foods or fast foods. I have also cut out all excess fat from my diet and added a pound or two a week of spinach to my diet. 

     I think a big key to a diet and making it work is taking the right vitamins so your body doesn't feel depleted. I take a multi vitamin and glucosamine along with fish oil and a half cup of green juice every day. 

     I am happy with my progress so far and I am going to keep fighting against being fat. I would love to hear your stories or to work out with you some time. Keep up the great work.  And Remember to LOVE THE LIFE YOU LIVE


Peace,


Gabe

Clean Green Eating No Corn Syrup or Processed Food

Dr Death Weddings and Fighting the Fat 1000 Calories at a time

So, It was a big weekend. Friday I worked out and played dodge ball so I figured I could slack a little in the eating. Eric brought over a vegetable take and bake pizza and I had 3 slices. I weighed in Friday afternoon at 291. I was very happy.

     Saturday, We went to the university of St.Thomas homecoming. It was a blast, I did a pretty good job not eating a lot of junk but I still had some chili fries and a vegetable wrap. I had to support the student organizations but I kept away from pop or beer. I don't need the empty calories and I don't usually drink either anyway.


So after St.Thomas went home and I took a nap. Saturday evening we went to a wedding in downtown MPLS. It was a blast. Again I kept away from the bad food, ate vegetables and some chocolate. I kept it to two drinks and then switched to water. It was still hard not to go back for seconds and thirds. The Fat Gabe really wanted to eat more.


Sunday we went to church then to the Patisserie for coffee and some bread. I have gotten into drinking coffee with just milk and instead of something sweet we all split a loaf of fresh bread.

Today I went to the Dr  for my yearly check up. It was great I started out talking about how I was very heavy last winter and I was down almost 30 pounds. He thought it was great and that I should keep at it. My blood pressure was 128/88  he said as I lose more weight it will come down. The funny party was when we talked about my weight.

 He said I need to decided that today is as fat as I am going to ever let myself get in my life. If I get close to what I weigh today I stop eating, run around the block 20 times and drink water for 3 days with no food if that's what it takes. MY Dr is hardcore about not being fat and I agree. I will not ever get fatter than I am today. As I walked out I saw a sign that said obesity in America costs us 15 Billion a year, that's a pretty high figure.

Tonight I worked out for a little more than an hour and burnt 1009 calories. I hope I can lose the weight before it catches up with my joints and I am keeping up the fight.

I will pledge to keep up the fight and I would love you to come along with me. Push away the candy this Halloween. Don't eat an extra helping at thanks giving. Do a run before the holidays and put down those Christmas cookies. Please Join me in the fight against the fat.