Determined To Succeed

Remember the movie “Tron?” In it Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges plays a computer programmer who literally gets sucked into the virtual world of games and computers. The filmmakers back then knew, or at least had a sense of, how much technology was sucking us into our computers, and that was back in 1982.

It is so easy working from home to get sucked into the virtual world vortex. It really is. I can see how kids these days don’t go outside and play as much as we did. At your fingertips you not only have access to the news and happenings of the world but you also have media networks like Twitter and Facebook handy – enabling you to visit and “communicate” with literally hundreds of friends, all at the same time.  Nowadays, I work from home and, during the course of my day, I not only answer e-mails but I network using these wonderful media tools with friends and business associates all over the country. However, the end result is that it easily becomes 5 or 6 o’clock and I haven’t gone outside to enjoy the smattering of nice weather we’ve been having in southern New Jersey or gotten up to workout.

It wasn’t all that different when I didn’t work from home.  I’d get up, get ready, get in my car and sit in traffic with idiot drivers just to sit at work for 8 or 10 hours. Hell, in the winter I would get to work sometimes when it was dark outside and leave when it was dark outside, not once leaving my desk unless I had to use the restroom or grab a quick Coke out of the vending machine.

The past few weeks I’ve been feeling nostalgic and I now know why. I am rapidly approaching the one year anniversary of my mom, JoAnn’s, death from pancreatic cancer. I have had a hankering to reconnect with so many things, especially from my youth – music, photos, foods, friends and, most of all, my Sweet Home Chicago. I remember so many wonderful things it’s hard to tell you guys about them because they all want to come out at the same time and they get bottlenecked in my throat. But I will share one thing with you this morning – “Piggy” in the park after school.

At about 4 o’clock or so my friends, Pierre, Rachette, Richard, Liz and I (plus some other peripheral friends) would gather in the park directly behind my building in Hyde Park. We’d play a game called “Piggy,” a variation of softball that included no running of the bases but a batter who was at bat until the rest of the players made an “out” by catching the ball using a very uncomplicated set of rules. It was fun and we did this most days after school. We’d be out there so long our moms, God love ‘em, would come out and tell us it was time for dinner. I have so been thinking about those times, and I’ve so been thinking about my mom, whom I miss very, very much.

But why do I bring all of this up this morning? I do it to illustrate a point, at least a perceived one, about activity (or lack thereof) and weight loss. It used to be in the late-70s/early-80s we’d actually go out and play. We’d actually get out and interact with our friends face-to-face. If we wanted to talk to them we’d actually ring them up or knock on their doors. We didn’t have the technology that allows us to text someone, or tweet, when they’re standing right next to us at the mall, in a restaurant or yes, at the park.

Hell. Do kids even go to the park anymore?

I became and obese child, in part, due to a lack of physical activity. I may have played “Piggy” outside but it wasn’t enough, especially when you think about the quality and quantities of food I was consuming. And that was in a pre-PDA, pre X-Box, pre-social media age. The problem lies in that technology isn’t just for kids anymore and we adults can easily get sucked into the vortex of inactivity because we’re spending too much time in the virtual world and not enough time in the real one.

Yesterday I told you guys about how I’d re-gained a hard-fought-for pound. Well, that pound is gone and it took a few of his ouncie friends with him. I am down to 237.8 today thanks not only to lots of physical activity helping a friend move but also just taking the time to run to Chick-fil-A and grabbing a grilled chicken sandwich instead of having crap as that wonderful little voice inside my head keeps saying. But what about today when I don’t have to help a friend move?

So many of my friends on Twitter actually tweet that they “unplug” for a while to go and do something real – feed the kids and wash some clothes, or wash some kids and feed some clothes – and I have to do the same. We all should. I will unplug, at least for a bit, and get out and enjoy the sun, get some vitamin D – maybe even go and see a nesting pair of ducks at Cooper River and wish them well. I made a promise to myself to workout, not gain my weight back and achieve my goal. That will not happen if I’m sitting here at this wonderful box of light waiting on an e-mail that might or might not come in the next few microseconds.

No matter whether we are adults or kids, outside time is important. Time for us is important. It helps us reconnect with what matters most – our families, our real friends (not virtual ones) and most of all, ourselves especially if we are to achieve our weight loss goals. Not to mention the really cool added benefit – it’s damn fun, too.

Happy Sunday, my friends. As the sun shines it’s early morning light over southern New Jersey I am still feeling nostalgic. Yesterday I listened to and wrote about “Proud Mary,” but today my nostalgic brain thinks not about music but TV.  So talk a quick walk down Memory Lane with me before you start your day or as a nice break from it…

“Now the world don’t move to the beat of just one drum. What might be right for you may not be right for some…”

Do you remember the “just say no” anti-drug campaign from the very early 80s? I was a kid when Nancy Reagan made her guest appearance on television’s number one show at the time, “Diff’rent Strokes,” to tell Arnold (”whatchu talkin’ ’bout, Willis”), Willis, Kimberly and kids all over the country to “just say no” to drugs. (Crap, now’s I’ve got that damn show theme running through my head…bah)

A weight loss journey is a constant thing. If you’re not on the road to losing (or re-losing as I am) you are on the weight maintenance road trying to keep those dreaded pounds from coming back (I’m kind of walking that path, too). And on this constant road I think about how many tempting food situations come up in the course of the day. When shopping at the mall I pass the food court, Godiva Chocolatier or Auntie Anne’s delicious (evil) pretzels.  When I see friends we sometimes go to a bar with not-so-healthy bar food or, like last night, stay at their house ordering really-not-so-healthy pizza or cheesesteaks, cheese fries or fried mushrooms. Damn! And even when I try to be good and go to the grocery store I pass aisle upon aisle, endcap upon endcap and impulse buy station after impulse buy station of tempting snacks (like Hostess Twinkies or cupcakes, Milky Way bars or – gulp – Coca Colas).

It’s enough to knock a food-a-holic like me around and throw me out of whack.  What do all of these situations have in common?  They are all situations that make me have to make smarter choices and “just say no.” Now, how many times during the course of the day do I “just say no?” I have no freaking clue but it’s a lot, I assure you. And it always seems worse on weekends. We’re always surrounded by food but it’s up to us to be strong and steel our resolve and “just say no,” at least in that particular instance, to the extra calories we don’t need.

Can you tell I’m kind of getting twitchy about snack foods? Earlier in the week I described my self-imposed moratorium from Coke as like, well, going through detox. Sometimes there’s such an overwhelming urge to have a snack I literally have to make myself walk away from the item in question to avoid getting and having it. Since I’ve been so nervous about weekends lately I’ve tried to steer clear of bad situations and meals like the ones I described above and “just say no.” (he says as he knocks on the wood top to his desk), mainly because I have lost another pound. Damn, these final fifteen are a bitch. They really are.

But am I perfect? Hell no. I sometimes do give in to a small dessert here or there, or a candy bar or doughnut with my coffee because, as I’ve said before, if I don’t I will be a miserable bastard not just in detox but more akin to a zombie searching for fresh brains to eat. These small tastes taken in moderation keep me sane and also continuously teach me that these things are treats not normal occurrences.

Like the theme song says, what choices might be right for you (or me) may not be right for others so I make my food choices and they are for me that day in that moment. Sometimes they are bad but most times they are good. I want to keep these hard-earned pounds off my body once-and-for-all and I always hope and pray I have way more many good food choices (like grilling foods, eating at home, walking away from the sweets and soft drinks, etc.) than bad ones. Because I like seeing a 238.1 on my scale instead of a 239. I hope you guys can, too. We are all struggling together. Believe me.

And I will apologize now if I’ve put the “Diff’rent Strokes” theme in your heads, too. Your 80s retro TV misery certainly has company. It ain’t leaving my mind any time soon, either…

There are times, my friends, I honestly don’t know what to write for my blog. My mind is a complete blank.  Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. I start the day today with an empty page that is just staring back at me, knocking on the screen and saying “hey you. Yeah, you. Get to typing already.” I even look to my crunchy (extra sugary) cup of joe from Dunkin’ Donuts to wake me up and give me inspiration but it doesn’t (especially because today’s cup is “off” and doesn’t taste so good).

I’ll start by updating you on how I did yesterday playing tour guide in Philadelphia. I was so sure I would be eating a ton while out and about enjoying the sights of Philly – the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, National Constitution Center, Art Museum and Old City. But thanks to some excellent will (Bill) power and lots of walking I ended up not eating cheesesteak after cheesesteak, which is awesome. I even lost a pound in the process.

It’s especially awesome because, true to form, it’s Friday and I am stressing a bit about the weekend. I know I shouldn’t, especially since I’ve been much better about recognizing that sometimes it’s this stress that actually causes me to overeat. So I head into this weekend better than I have the past few. I am now in day three of my Coke detox, which is good, and I only had one soft drink all of yesterday – my can of TAB. Yes, TAB. That TAB. Do you guys know how much crap I got for that in e-mails yesterday? I feel like such a throwback. Not “yabba-dabba-do” throwback but close.

Anywho…I have also been stressing lots lately in light of gaining some pounds back. I think constantly about what I’ve been eating – “should I have this?” and “can I have that?”, particularly if I am out with friends. Grrrrr. It’s all about choices, I know. But sometimes those choices seem constant and the constant bombardment of them gets my mind into a frazzled “I’m really sick of this” state.  I am human, and I get sick of having to walk away from the stuff I know is bad and calorie-filled but tastes so damned good. I love me my beef fried rice, my strawberry ice-cream, a really nasty burger and my ice-cold Coca-Cola. I start wishing I could eat like Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep did in “Defending Your Life,” with no consequence at all to the waistline or weight. I just get fed up, tired and my brain starts meltdown with all the thoughts running through it.

So I guess starting my mind with a blank slate today is kind of good. My mind is cleared like the clouds that cleared away to reveal the sun here in southern New Jersey. And with this clearer mind I can focus on tasks and choices as they come up instead of worrying about a ton of things at one time before they are even presented – like worrying about what to eat, when and where.  Do you guys obsess about eating like this? It may not happen often but it does for me on occasion.

Thankfully. My mind is clear as a bell this morning. A liberty Bell that is…

Maybe it was all that Coke I was drinking?

Because I write a weight loss column (and am a freelance writer) for the Courier-Post newspaper in southern New Jersey I get to do a few very cool things. For example, I got to cover the Pearl Jam concerts closing down Philadelphia’s beloved Spectrum sports and concert venue. It was very cool being with these photographers from other papers who had their thousand-dollar cameras that each had thousand-dollar lenses taking pictures of the band while I am there with my simple point-and-shoot digital camera – the kind you take on vacation – taking photos this/close to Eddie Vedder. Amazing.

Another of the cool things I get to do is interview people who can offer insight into weight loss. I’ve interviewed personal trainers, doctors and other “big loser” weight loss success stories – all of whom I hope help my readers find the motivation to start or continue a weight loss journey.

Yesterday, I did something daring and bold. I decided I wanted to do an interview with two people very close to public pulse of weight and weight loss. Dr. Sanford Siegal (creator of the famed “Cookie Diet”), who has decided to dig into his own pocket to pay Donna Simpson of New Jersey the sum of $50,000 (!) if she agrees to stop trying to get to her 1,000-pound weight goal and start losing. And Donna Simpson, herself. I’ve written about her before. This woman has a desire to become the “fattest woman in the world,” and is well on her way to doing it. Currently weighing between 600-700 pounds she consumes 12,000 (that’s right – 12,000) calories a day to get to her goal weight. I want to interview her to hear for myself WHY she wants to slowly eat herself to death. WHY she wants to get to such a point she can’t function on her own anymore. WHY she wants to not be able to leave her own house, tend to her poor children who have to see her do this to herself thanks to an enabling husband, and most importantly WHY she wants this kind of attention on herself for GAINING the weight you, me and everyone on a weight loss journey struggle to lose every single day.

I may be off my rocker but when I think of “goal weight” I think of actually trying to LOSE weight and set healthy weight goals. Like losing 5, 10, 20, 50 pounds, maybe more. Not gain the equivalent to two-times the amount of weight I lost to finally get to my weight loss goal. That’s, quite simply, crazy talk and I want to hear from her mouth (I can’t quite bring myself to say horse’s mouth since she’s eating like one) her reasons for doing this.

I have to admit it’s hard trying to remove my personal feelings from the questions I am devising for this woman as I have to retain a level of distance between myself and the subject. But I can’t help but be passionate about not only her seemingly lame-brained weight goal but also her seemingly intentional need for attention using a perverted, reverse cry for help. Like she’d be somehow invisible without it all. Is this a cry for help? Does she want to not be in this situation (her life, relationship, be a mom, etc.) and this is how she sees getting out of it? Does she want this attention and would she try to get to this goal without it?Does she even have any self-esteem and/or respect left? Might you want to lose it once you’ve gotten to 1,000 pounds? And, if so, do you think that will be as easy as packing the weight on?

I have so many questions because I think it’s important to keep your head on straight when it comes to weight loss, and this woman and her “goal” is scary for two reasons. One, this WILL and IS getting her the attention she wants. And yes, I am included in that. Two – there might be people out there so weak-minded (and not in a cruel way just in a lost way) that might say “hey, I need and want attention, too, so I’ll do this too.” But while I am part of that media circus surrounding this story I also do it do say to all my readers “DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! THIS IS STUPID! THE HUMAN BODY WAS NEVER MADE TO WEIGH 1,000 POUNDS AND IF YOU DO THAT YOU ARE EATING YOURSELF TO DEATH!”

Yesterday I wrote about a dear friend in Chicago struggling to help save the life of one of her dear friends, “Elle,” who doesn’t want to address her own weight loss and health issues, and how that is killing her. How my friend’s friends have all given up and are willing to turn a blind eye to Elle who obviously is feeling so far gone it’s too late. But it’s not too late, neither for Elle or for Donna Simpson. I go back to my own weight loss tenets:

TELL EVERYONE to build a support system and to hold yourself more accountable

WHEN YOU CAN, PURGE YOUR “FAT CLOTHES” to give yourself no way back to being larger

LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO START AND BE BE FORGIVING OF YOURSELF TO CONTINUE

KNOW THIS WILL TAKE TIME – Sustained weight loss and maintenance should and will be a part of your life for the rest of your life.

KNOWING YOU ARE WORTH IT TO MAKE THE TIME – You are so worth this effort and work, and you are so worth the rewards you will see on your journey.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Keeping these in mind can and does help. Believe me, and I use them myself every day in my quest to re-achieve my weight loss goal of 225 pounds. And as of today I am down a pound. And as hard as that pound was to take off I will continue to whittle down, pound by precious pound, my number. It is that important. Quality of life is that important. And while I am no where naive enough to think the questions of one freelance reporter amount to a hill of beans in this crazy weight-gaining world, maybe the collective questions from us all, the offer from that doctor and the eyes of her own children will be enough to have her stop this insanity and return to the land of the living.

We will see. Stay tuned…

Good Morning, my friends. Even though it’s supposed to be the warmest day of the year so far today (close to 80-degrees) it is really foggy today. Sometimes we have that fog swirling around our own minds about how to combat weight and weight loss. Today’s fog is symbolic of the confusion I feel over the story of the woman in New Jersey who wants to the fattest woman in the world.

You guys have heard this whacked-out story, right? In case you haven’t,  New Jersey’s own Donna Simpson has reached a staggering 700 lbs, continuing her quest to be “the fattest woman in the world.” She wants to, I repeat WANTS TO, weigh in at 1,000 lbs. When I first heard that I couldn’t believe it but it’s true. She is doing this to herself!

This woman spends $750 a week on food, partially paid for by a website that caters to people with fat fetishes. She is also, sad to say, the mother of a 14-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl. Oh my God! What is she teaching these kids in her actions?! And, as I guessed, even Oprah Winfrey has contacted her. Of course she has. Who could resist such a story – a cautionary tale that could help millions of women with their own weight issues by showing a woman who doesn’t care about her own. A “don’t do this” kind of thing. But even her husband, Phillippe Gouamba, told ABC News.com he stands behind her. “I support her because I enjoy it,” he said.

Are you kidding me?

Now, world-renowned weight-loss expert Dr. Sanford Siegal has decided to dig into his own pocket to pay Donna the sum of $50,000 (!) if she agrees to stop gaining and start losing. He is paying her to save her life, and sent her a certified letter stating this.

Skeptics say that money and attention is Donna’s motive for pulling this weight gain stunt in the first place and I must say I have to agree with them. Would else would/could anyone do this to themselves? This has got to be some perverse reverse cry for help/attention. But, in order to get this new payday, she’s going to have to abide by Siegal’s rules in order to score the prize:

RULES FOR DONNA:

• $10,000 to IMMEDIATELY stop trying to gain weight and agree not to resume doing so in the future
• begin a weight-loss diet under a doctor’s supervision
• The remainder of the $50,000 will be paid in stages as Donna loses weight
• $10,000 for every 100 pounds Donna loses until she reaches 200 pounds, at which point she will have received a total of $50,000.

In Dr. Siegal’s opinion Donna Simpson is committing a prolonged suicide. Human beings are not made to weigh 1,000 pounds – let alone consume 12,000 calories a day (Donna’s minimum intake)! Donna has children and a husband who she should be thinking of spending a long life with not shortening her minutes by each bite she takes.

I do not know how this story is going to end (although I have my fears about how it will end up – with her dead and her kids messed up because they think this positive attention, especially from dad, and money is cool) but I hope Donna Simpson shuns whatever paydays she’s offered from reality shows, magazines, websites, whatever, and takes this Dr.’s money instead. It may not be as much as she would get but at least she’d have many more years to enjoy her family – and they her – instead of eating herself to death…

…and adding more and more to the fog swirling around inside her head and my own over why the hell she’s doing this in the first place.

Damned evil Chinese food!!!!

OK, I had been doing great all weekend. You heard me recount over the past few days what I’ve eaten and, with very few exceptions, had been doing OK. That is until I had egg foo young last night. I figured it was my reward for eating so well, particularly the past few days with the personal trainer dude. So, since I had been good and exercised (I lots of cardio yesterday), I could indulge in what the egg rolls the other day couldn’t sate – my taste for a Chinese food dinner. Man, did I turn out to be wrong.

For the record, I was fairly good with the meal. I usually go for a main entree, egg rolls and maybe fried rice of some type. But yesterday was different. I was trying to be good so I just had an order of egg foo young. I didn’t even have my customary Coke with it (I had diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale instead). So I plopped down and watched one of my favorite action movies, “Kill Bill: Volume One” (or as I like to joke “Kill Me: Volume One”) and enjoyed my fried eggy goodness.

Again, I say, damn! I always try so hard to be good and eat what I should. And I get so freaking frustrated that I seem to work so hard for several days, even a week, to lose just a pound or so just to have it come back after one meal the very next day. What the $#%& is that?! I wish it were the other way around – we could lose seven or so pounds a week and eat something and just gain back a half-pound or so. Grrrrrr.

Today is a rainy, dreary Monday here in New Jersey. While some states, like my home state of Illinois, had snow and colder temps, today is the perfect day here to work out – and work off that blasted egg foo yuck. And there will be no reason NOT to work out. It is on today’s TO DO list, along with the other things I’m going to try to accomplish. One thing is for certain, though. I am sooooo going back to following my new and improved meal plan. It seemed to work. That and combining weight training and resistance with cardio should bring that pound off.

I can’t tell you how glad I am to actually have a plan for this. It used to be I’d gain weight and not know WHY the things I did were bad and HOW I was going to deal with it. Thanks to this entire weight loss journey I know I am prepared for taking that extra pound off and all the other extra pounds I want to re-lose, as well. It is very much one day at a time and one pound at a time. Each pound down being a reward and that to me makes me know I will do this.

That is why I know we can all do this. It may feel like an impossible battle most days but it’s not. Having egg foo young for dinner and gaining a pound is just a stumbling block. Nothing more. Just like a cookie, pint of ice-cream, slice of cake, pasta dinner, etc., are stumbling blocks. Now, it’s time to pick ourselves up from the weekend. Dust ourselves off and keep on moving forward. Failure is only permanent if we let it be – and I’ll be damned if I let this pound I gained back become permanent.

Please tell me you guys watch SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND on Starz. It is truly my favorite show on TV these days. And even if you don’t watch it the name alone would probably tell you all you need to know (well, almost all because there is no way I could – or should – describe all the intrigue, language and sex that show has to offer).

In this incredibly violent, sexy R-Rated show our hero, Spartacus, is a slave at a school for gladiators. He trains under the watchful eyes of his school’s owner and its lead instructor, who (literally)  cracks the whip in order for the men to train longer and fight harder eventually become the best and strongest gladiators in all of Rome.Yesterday, I went for the second of two free appointments with a personal trainer and I have to say two things. Damn, my muscles ache today (how cool that it that I actually feel it working) and I actually feel like I am training to be a gladiator.

Not that my personal trainer ever uses the whip but when I go I do think of him as Spartacus’ lead instructor, pushing me harder and training me up to become the best I can be. Even doing something seemingly as simple as leg lunges he teaches you, if done correctly, how much it works out the leg muscles and burns fat. And boy does it burn. When I was losing weight I did whatever exercises I could just to burn the weight off. But now my trainer works to burn off fat which is what I need to happen now. I am at that stage where toning would DEFINITELY be beneficial.

Every time I did mountain climbers, leg presses, dumbbell pulls, hanging ab crunches, “Superman” back exercises, medicine ball leg lifts, you name it, I felt better and stronger for having done them. I think about how many people before me have trained on the same equipment, done the same exercises and followed the same plan to become the best gladiators they could be and now I was following in their footsteps (or in this case, lunges).

Does it sound hokey, sure. But if you watch that show you will understand that the ground on which they train is sacred to them. It is where blood and sweat meet with legend and that it’s an honor to train at this gladiator school. After completing these past two sessions I feel the same way. I may ache today but my body and mind are better for having done it, the gym an honored training ground (ok, minus the blood but there was sweat and lots of it).

As part of that training here is what was prescribed in my meal plan and actually what I did:

Meal 1 ½ Grapefruit and 3 Egg Whites (instead of egg whites I had egg substitute and a clementine orange)

Meal 2 1 ½ Whole Wheat Pasta, Can Tuna, Balsamic Dressing (I didn’t have this at all, instead opting for a simple cup of cereal and milk. It’s what I felt like having at the time)

Meal 3 6 oz. Yam, 4 oz. Turkey, 3 cups of cauliflower (I did have the turkey, and instead of yams and cauliflower I had broccoli)

Meal 4 2 Yogurts (I totally had these)

Meal 5 8 oz. Pork Chops, 3 Cups Mushrooms, Salad (I replaced this meal with slices of ham and brussel sprouts along with a diet iced tea from Wawa and a diet ginger ale)

In the show, when the gladiators train, they always mention weaknesses. In the arena, if an opponent sees them they are exploited. My weaknesses are snacking. Even though I snacked on yogurts, cheese sticks and Jello packs I need to curtail them, too. They are my weaknesses and I know it.

Today is Saturday, and at least in New Jersey it’s going to be a glorious day somewhere around 70-degrees. As I wrap up today’s writing here’s what’s on today’s menu:

Meal 1 Oatmeal (I’ve already replaced this with cereal for this morning)

Meal 2 String Cheese and Yogurt

Meal 3 Lean Cuisine (Glazed chicken or Herb Roasted Chicken)

Meal 4 Apple with Peanut Butter

Meal 5 Steak, String Beans and Salad

Also, I can’t wait to get outside and get to the gym. It may not be under the watchful gaze of my instructor but the training stays with you. It keeps you motivated. It keeps you going. It keeps you moving forward so that when you’re there, alone, working out you can see your potential self. I am one of the cheesiest people I know but I swear to you when I am done with a good workout all I want to to is throw my hands in the air and scream…wait for it…

…I AM SPARTACUS!

It is raining in southern New Jersey. A slow, steady rain that makes a day perfect for movie watching.

Going to the “show” as we called it was probably the top on the list of favorite things to do with my mom. On Sundays when I was a kid we’d get the Sunday paper, a couple of fresh sweet rolls from the bakery and her coffee and we’d read the paper. But while she read the news I’d flip to the entertainment/movie section to see what movies were going to open up that following Friday, read about the celebrities starring in them and see what the new posters looked like.

My mom started taking me to the movies when I was five years old. At least I think I was five because I knew I saw a couple of movies before “Star Wars” and I saw that when I was six. Hell, I not only went to the movies that young I saw crap no child should see. Stuff like “Jan Michael Vincent’s “White Line Fever,” and Diane Keaton’s and Richard Gere’s “Looking For Mr. Goodbar.” Those films were “Rated R” but my mom did something every parent should do…

…she told me “son, you know everything you see up there isn’t real.”

That simple sentence was all it took to take away the fear of horror flicks, the seeming brutality and reality of murder/thrillers and the danger of action movies. In other words, it was my mom wrapping me up in a security blanket of knowledge. That even though she surrendered me to the film for two hours she never stopped protecting me from what I saw on-screen. That was awesome and I will always love her for doing that.

But there was one time though that made me smile above all others going with my mom to the movies. It was summer of 1982, which was a decent year for films. We took the 6 Jeffrey Express bus downtown from Hyde Park and transferred to the 151 Sheridan and headed to Water Tower Place, Chicago’s signature downtown mall. Unlike most malls we’re used to this mall was built up (a necessity for any mall constructed in the middle of downtown Chicago). And nestled inside on the mezzanine level back by the Lord & Taylor and popcorn shop were the Water Tower Theaters (which, unfortunately, no longer exist).

That day I was so excited. We were going to see “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” for the up-teenth time. You see, it was no longer playing at the theater across the street from us (my beloved Hyde Park Theater) so we had to go downtown to see it. The film (tied with the newest “Star Trek” as the best “Trek” film ever) was amazing and was over all too soon. But my mom, my beautiful, sweet and wonderfully sneaky mom said “Hey. Wanna see E.T.?”

I was confused, but I took my mom’s hand as she quietly led us into the theater about to show E.T. I was so scared. We were being so bad sneaking into a “free-ture” (free feature) but I didn’t care. My mom was at that moment the coolest mom, ever, and she was sneaking me in to see the biggest movie of all-time (at least in the days before we knew what the hell an “Avatar” was).

We watched E.T. (and yes, I cried) and it was awesome. I was having such a great movie day with my mom. And afterward, as we left the theater we walked by the teenage ushers, who I was convinced were going to throw us both in jail and throw away the key. But they did nothing. They said nothing. Hell, I don’t think they even noticed – or cared. And if they did, who cares.

The most important thing in the world was that I was with my mom, the person to whom I owe my love of movies. And while I never will be able to repay the wonderful feeling of that special day 28 years ago (God, has it been that long already), I hope she knows how much I think of her every time I go to my local multiplex…

…or stay home on a rainy day, curled up on the couch, watching my favorite movies.

Those are the best days ever.

I am sitting at my computer so happy I could shout. My best friend, Mike, and his wife had a bouncing baby boy last night and I’m beside myself with joy for them! So a huge shout out to them today.

And while it may not be a Chicago-like blizzard we’re getting socked with snow here in southern New Jersey pretty hard. It’s pretty cool, though, actually. At least I think so. I was getting reports yesterday on Twitter and Facebook of “runs” at the stores for the usual stuff – milk, bread, survival supplies. Bah. Like this stuff won’t melt…

…oh well. People, it ain’t “THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW” so chill.

Heh, chill. I kill me sometimes.

It’s funny, though. When I got the news about Mike I was so happy I just wanted to eat something. Is that weird? Maybe it was my adrenaline going full-tilt as I got the news from our friend, Sue, but my first instinct was to grab a bite. Hmmmm…..I totally admit to having a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter and jelly, too after hearing the news about Mike’s baby.

Also last night I was watching a movie I had never seen before, “Unforgiven.” It’s a pretty great flick. I know, I know. I’m a little behind the times but I was never big into westerns as a film genre. As I watched this great flick (as I try to see all Best Picture Oscar winners when I can) I found myself munchy again. This time I ate on the last of the Clementine oranges I had in my fridge.

Man, I am so glad I didn’t have really bad snacks in the house. Watching the snow fall outside all hunkered down on the couch watching movies, as well as hearing great news about friends, made for some pretty strong snack cravings.

But I am at 232.3 today which is awesome. I am continuing to trend downward in my weight and it seems that “Bill Power” is working (ok, I know it was cheesy but I use the name when I can). Like I’ve always said seeing that lower number on my scale is better than gorging myself on Milky Ways, ice-cream (although I get a taste for that, too, when it snows for some reason), chocolate cake and more. And I am more than happy I cleaned out my supply of cold and tasty oranges as I watched my western “shoot-’em-up” thinking of being a new “uncle” and of wintry songs…

…let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow.

However, I find it interesting to think about what seems to trigger “snack attacks.” Just something I am thinking about on this Saturday. So whether you’re getting ready for a weekend out and about or, if you live in the east like I do, staying inside because of the snow storm, be mindful of snacking. Even grabbing a soda is a snack (although that would be great too right about now. See, I am not immune to it, either).

But I am just trying to be good, watch what I eat, exercise and get back down to the sweetest snack of all…

…my goal weight realized.

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