Determined To Succeed

Hey there and happy Monday. Did you all enjoy your holiday weekend? I hope you guys got a chance to re-juice the batteries a bit, at least. I know I did.

One thing that amazes me about the Fourth of July is how much holidays turn into food expos. Think about it (and we are putting Thanksgiving, Passover and Christmas aside for this), we make all our holidays – and “holidays” – about food in one way or another. It’s Memorial Day/Labor Day/Fourth of July? Let’s BBQ! It’s St. Patrick’s Day? Let’s eat corned beef and cabbage! It’s Cinco de Mayo? Let’s fiesta! Mother’s Day/Father’s Day? Let’s take ‘em out to brunch! It seems like eating’s all we do, especially in this country.

The grillin’ and eatin’ I did over this long 4th weekend wasn’t about “filler,” the meals you and I can have at cookouts (like a hot dog or hamburger, potato and macaroni salad) that fit in-between your “real” meals of lunch and dinner. No, it was about three things – eating things that were healthier (steak and chicken grilled not fried). It was about trying to be frugal (saving money by buying food to make instead of going to a restaurant to eat out). Finally, it was about staving off the urges to eat badly when going to do things over the holiday weekend (like attend fireworks and go to the movies).

Boy they know how to get ya’ going to the movies, don’t they? As soon as you open that big glass and steel door the smell of hot buttered popcorn hits you and it’s all over. You are almost helpless against it’s alluring aroma. As you then make your way over to the concession stand like a zombie you then see all the candy, Coke and other food treats that await your hard-earned money. But I always do my best these days to go to the movies on a full stomach so I can thwart their evil plan and just go be (hopefully) entertained for a few hours.

AMC Theaters even offered kick-ass coupons if you went to the movies yesterday (because typically it is one, if not THE, lowest attendance day in the movie biz all summer). You could get a popcorn and soda, any size, for a buck each. Awesome idea, awesome deal. But I did my best and ate a good breakfast before hitting the cinema (I like trying to sound British every now and then).

For the most part I did O.K., and I even had a sandwich from Wawa for dinner with milk (and alright, alright, a small bag of chips) just before fireworks. That helped me resist things like hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes, sodas (pops).  And speaking of hot dogs, going to the movies made me miss the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest (thank God).

Have any of you ever seen that, um, spectacle? People from literally all over the world (including one who just wanted to “crash” the event and compete without following the rules set forth by – get this – Major League Eating) compete to see who can down the most hot dogs (and buns) they can eat in ten minutes.  The winner, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, took the “mustard belt” for the fourth year in a row, gulping down a whopping 54 dogs! 54! That’s approximately 16,038 calories!

In my crazy life I once served as judge to a hot dog eating contest and it is the grossest thing you ever want to see. These guys dip the whole hot dog and bun in water to shove it down their gullets and it’s nasty. The thought of wet bread makes me gag and if you ever want an appetite suppressant watch this thing once. Ick! It truly will kill whatever appetite you might have for hot dogs for quite a while (I think I just threw up a little in my mouth just thinking about it).

And while I know most of us – O.K. safe to say 99.9% of us – won’t shovel in hot dogs at a rate of one every 11 seconds (the rate the winner of the Nathan’s contest winner) I hope you did try to eat better this 4th of July. It is totally possible to still enjoy the sights, smells and tastes of the Fourth without eating too much bad stuff in the process. And that is truly a great way to celebrate freedom…

…freedom from the extra calories and unwanted pounds, that is.

P.S. – One food fest I miss, though (and is “worth the splurge”) is Taste of Chicago. Held the last week of June – July 4th(ish) it is a downtown Chicago street food festival like no other. Over 70 local Chicago-area restaurants set up shop and you can sample everything from alligator (yep, and I’ve tried that once in my life. ONCE!) to veggie platters. It is amazing! I do miss it, even though you sooooooo need to workout before and after because you will consume a lot of calories. I try to do it every few years, especially now that I’ve dropped weight. That’s all my poor body could handle. And they do have small “Taste” portions you can try so you don’t get a full order of something, which is good.

Happy Monday, everyone! Today is the Memorial Day holiday and I am sitting here at my computer thinking about the week I have coming up this week. It’s going to be weird, fun, trying, adrenaline-filled and cool. And I just need to keep my cool when it comes to food.

Here’s the deal. This coming Saturday is the first live audition for people to possibly win their own show for Oprah and her new OWN network. You guys already know I have submitted a video entry to the “Win Your OWN Show” contest and, according to the rules, anyone can do both the live audition and the recorded one. So I am throwing caution to the wind and doing both, myself.

Here’s the rub. The live auditions are Saturday and they are only seeing the first 500 people of so. What that means for yours truly is I am thinking I will have to get there pretty darn early on Saturday morning to get in line. There is also the distinct possibility that I will have to get in line a day or two early to secure my place in the first 500 as I am sure this will bring out thousands and thousands of people.

And with this in mind a long and strange week begins.

Here’s the deal. Since I don’t know what day the line will start forming I am not quite sure when I will heading up to make myself voluntarily homeless for this once-in-a-lifetime shot.  Yes, yours truly will be doing any and everything he can to make sure he is one of the first 500 in line so he is definitely seen and not heard.

Here’s the rub. I know fer sure (like totally) I will not be blogging on Saturday morning. And if I do have to be in line a day or two early I will not be blogging for those couple of days either because I just don’t think it wise to bring a laptop to the place where I potentially will be sleeping outside with strangers, and I sleep soundly. How soundly do you ask? Well, I’ve slept through one of Chicago’s two extremely rare earthquakes, thunder and lightning storms, you name it, and I don’t want my “Little Blue” (the nickname I gave my netbook) to somehow walk away.

And here’s the promise. You can bet your bottom dollar I will fill you in on ever aspect of everything I go through when Sunday rolls around.

As far as food goes I am at 237 even today which means Bill is a grumpy but re-committed lad. I told you guys yesterday I have been stress eating but after a day of some reflection, some tears and a bit of work I am better.  Being better means I already have this weekend in mind for what I will be eating, so I also have to scope out food sources at the shopping complex or nearby and make sure there is a Wawa (my convenience store of choice) so I can get healthier sandwiches, coffee and water (yep, good ol’ H2O and not Coca-Cola).

Also, I will be working out every day until I have to head on up and camp out. It will be a combination of cardio and weights so that my body knows I mean business because I should be just as committed to that (if not more so) than standing in a line with thousands of my best friends.

They say there is honor among thieves. I certainly hope that’s true especially when it comes to having to get out of line to go to the bathroom. OK, I know that’s T.M.I. but at least it made you laugh. At least I hope it did.

Have a wonderful day my friends, and remember our service people around the world today. It may be the third day of a three-day weekend for you. For them, and for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for which we honor them with this day, it’s about honor, duty and freedom…

…even having the freedom to be weird and camp out to eventually make an ass of oneself to a bunch of producers this coming Saturday. Only in the USA.

OK, how sad is it that Gary Coleman has passed away at the age of 42? I have to admit I’m in a bit of shock. Not as much shock as when I heard Michael Jackson or Brittany Murphy died but a bit of shock, nonetheless. I remember growing up and tuning in to “Diff’rent Strokes” on whatever night of the week it was on. Me and my friends always, ALWAYS, used to imitate Coleman’s Arnold character saying “whatchoo talkin’ bout, Willis?” And it wasn’t just the comedic timing and incredible delivery of the line…it was those damn chubby cheeks, too.

I had chubby cheeks when I was a kid, too, but was neither as cute nor had a fan base that kept wanting me to repeat a line over and over again. I never had a catch phrase. I was just a fat kid, and my chubby cheeks were the result of me eating badly, eating often and not exercising. Hell, if anything my catch phrase was “you gonna eat that?”

OK, that made me chuckle just a bit.

I think the thing that strikes me most is the fact that Gary Coleman died at 42. I will turn 40 in December and think the best years of my life are ahead of me and here’s this cat who’s just died and he was only 2 years (two-and-a-half years) older than that. Wow. It blows me away. And why do I feel like the best years of my life are ahead of me? You guessed it. Because I lost weight, weight that was definitely holding me back from doing things. Weight that kept more of the “real” Bill from being seen. Weight that very well might have killed me at or around 40.

So today, I get up (late again, so sorry) to write before trying to start my Memorial Day weekend. There are things I need to do (well, try to do) and Coleman’s passing reminds us (OK, me) ever so gently to get out there, do these things and live life the best we can. As much as I sit and write about and discuss weight (yes, the seemingly ever-present “Battle of the Final Ten”) I know in my heart I’ve already gotten to that goal before and I will again. I beat this. I overcame the weight thing before and these last few pounds are just a revisit of endgame, nothing more. I will never go back to being 400 pounds. I have too much riding on the investment I’ve already made in myself and it has nothing to do with money or position or things. It has everything to do with just being able to wake up every day and have the ability to do these things. I want to skydive out of a plane (yes, a perfectly good plane), I want to climb a mountain, do a stunt for a movie, bungee off a bridge (yes, a perfectly good bridge), meet James Earl Jones and tell him I got into radio because of him. I also want to travel the world more, go scuba diving and so much more…all of which are now possible without weight in my way.

That’s what I’m talkin’ bout, Willis.

PS: I know my friends in the Philly area are not gomna like me too much for saying this but one of the things I want to see is every major Chicago team win a respective championship in my lifetime. I’ve seen the Monsters of the Midway, the Chicago Bears, win the Superbowl. I’ve seen the Chicago White Sox win the World Series. And no doubt everyone has seen the Bulls’ NBA trophies in the years of its dynasty led by Michael Jordan. And now, “Here Come The Hawks, ” The Chicago Blackhawks who play tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. I am thrilled. The team has not won the Cup since 1961, the longest current cup drought in the NHL. At 49 years, it is the second longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history. So let’s go Hawks…

…now as long as I can keep my healthy lifestyle going long enough to see my beloved Chicago Cubs win that ever-elusive World Series…

T.G.I.F. my friends! I hope you guys had a great week. Well, it’s finally here – the three-day Memorial Day Weekend.

I know I don’t need to remind you guys that Memorial Day (formerly known as Decoration Day) is traditionally a holiday observed on the last Monday of May and commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. It is because of this ultimate sacrifice I want to begin my blog honoring the brave men and women who fight (and die) in service to our country. I may not believe in some of the reasons our military personnel are pressed into service but I will always support the people who defend my right and the right of every American to be able to say that. So to all of you, thank you for your service to our country and good luck to you all.

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial start of summer and most of us look forward to this weekend for two reasons – the aforementioned  three day weekend and cooking out. For as long as I can remember have always enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the many foods we grill and barbecue all weekend long.

Going to my mom’s friend, Rosalyn’s, house we cooked out a lot. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, chips, chicken, cole slaw, beans, greens, you name it. And it was all good. When I grew up I enjoyed going to my friend’s houses to have the same wonderful foods as we sat in their back yards talking about any and everything, solving the problems of the world (we were always right, of course) and enjoying the (hopefully) warm temperatures (sometimes in Chicago you never know what you’re gonna get temperature wise).

But my perspective has changed slightly since those good ol’ days of not worrying about what and how much I was eating. I’ve lost the weight of a grown man since then so of course I go into this weekend slightly cautious. Not because I’m going to deny myself the flavors of the weekend (I am damn well going to have a hot dog or piece of barbecue chicken) but cautious of the amount I eat.

You see, if we aren’t careful, we could easily eat a day’s worth (or more) of fat and calories in just one Memorial Day meal. And there are some of you out there who might be lucky enough to have two or three cookouts to go to. So, just remember the following tips to get you through and keep you on-track:

First, a grilled hot dog on a bun, an eight-ounce hamburger on a bun and/or two chicken drumsticks with skin on all have over 300 calories. If you want to cut calories take away the buns  and go with skinless chicken. There are also low-fat hot dogs, veggie dogs, veggie burgers and turkey burgers that make delicious meals, too, and a turkey burger with all the trimmings is a darn tasty way to grill and cut back on calories.

Second, choose a side dish that isn’t creamy, like cole slaw (which can also have a lot of sugar) or potato salad (with mayo).  I know those are awesome and delicious but remember this is about the amount you eat. So if you’re going to have multiple meats (hot dogs and hamburgers) be willing to cut back on the sides. You might want to try a slightly spicy black bean salsa as an alternative.  I have made this myself and it is not only delicious, but it’s full of protein, fiber (to lower cholesterol and improve gastrointestinal health) and lycopene (tomato containing phytonutrient). It is perfect for cook-outs, and you can even spoon some onto a salad to boost taste and nutritional value.

Third, condiments can kill in terms of calories (and boy do I love alliteration).  Ketchup has the most calories, with an ounce being almost 30 calories, and sweet pickle relish having roughly 20 calories per tablespoon ( and c’mon. I know you and I both tend to put more on than just a tablespoon per hot dog or burger). In the condiment world mustard is your friend. French’s yellow mustard, for example, has zero calories for a teaspoon serving.

Fourth, who can resist their sweet tooth? Show of hands? I know I can’t. My sweet tooth is notorious (and wanted in 29 states). Odds are your cookout or  picnic will have a sweet dessert or two. Remember the golden rule – if you’re gonna cheat, cheat with a liquid. Have a popsicle. Heck, if there’s not one in the house maybe the Good Humor or Mr. Frosty truck will drive by and you can grab one. Although they are empty of nutrition, each popsicle contains only about 40 calories and takes a long time to eat, helping to satisfy your cravings.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to bring your own healthier foods especially if you think there won’t be many (or any) healthier alternatives.Carrot sticks and hummus, baked tortilla chips and that slightly spicy black bean salsa salsa, a three bean salad (remember the darker the bean the better it is for you), cold sliced watermelon, cold Clementine oranges, and corn on the cob (with no butter!) are all great choices. It’s not as rude as you think, especially when you bring enough for everyone to share and can tell everyone of your weight loss goals and what you are doing to achieve them.

Yes, forewarned is forearmed and in the case of a weekend built around enjoying the foods of summer knowing how to control your intake will not only help you lose that weight but also allow you to have and enjoy many, many more Memorial Days to come.