Determined To Succeed

Well, here it is. Sunday (thank God). The Oprah “Win Your OWN Show” live audition is over and I am slowly recovering from a very physically draining (sitting, standing and walking all day in the hot sun tends to do that to you) and mentally draining day. I wish I could sum up how wonderful, cool, scary, amazing, screwed up and taxing it all was but I will give you the highlights (laced with some cool weight loss-related things, too).

I arrived on-site at the Kohl’s in Linden at roughly 2:00 a.m. and there was already a line of people (some there since 9:00 a.m. Friday morning). Even though they didn’t let us park in the Kohl’s lot all of us parked in the adjacent TGIFridays parking lot and formed a very nice and orderly line (which wouldn’t mean anything in the end, but I’ll get to that later). People were jazzed, even that early, and you could feel the electricity starting to build, while off in the distance the glow of the nearby White Castle called to me like a beacon to a ship…

The early morning dragged on, and the parking lot was feeling like a concert ticket atmosphere – a cross between Deadhead and Parrothead shows. The “line” grew and was respected and we all became more and more nervous. The woman next to me dared to run to the White castle and brought back french fries. They smelled so good…

But I had to keep one thing in mind – I WAS NOT – I REPEAT NOT – GOING TO USE A NASTY ASS BATHROOM, whether it be at the White Castle, the gas station on the corner or the port-a-potties trucked in for our benefit. Ick. Just ick. So I was determined not to eat or drink too much, at least until the Kohl’s (and their decent bathroom – yes, I checked) opened at 7:00 a.m. So I snacked on the granola bars I brought. At about 4:30 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. I broke down and had the first of five Gatorades.

The problem was that Oprah’s people on-site had no clue how to handle the wristband situation and when the time came they had close to a thousand people clamoring for spaces in line and later, wristbands. And the ways we lined up were so bloody disorganized it didn’t matter whether you were there at 9 a.m. on Friday or just rolled up, you had just as much chance to get one of the first bracelets as those who had been waiting. It was the worst situation I have ever seen, and potentially dangerous, too.  I so made me want to run and hide in that beacon of delicious White Castle comfort food delight…At several points, including our makeshift early “line,” they had us in great position to begin handing out wristbands to avoid that mess. But noooooooo. At least I had my cooler of water/Gatorade, granola bars and my dream.

At least they said everyone was guaranteed to be seen.

The day wore on and my number, #837, wasn’t going to be seen until the afternoon – like 3 or 4 in the afternoon so I hung out and hung around. People watching was priceless. Like the “rhinestone cow”girl,” a 50-something woman who (no kidding) wore sequined disco boots, sequined western-style vest/jacket, cowboy hat who had a portable karaoke machine singing, of course, “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Or the two hoochie-mamas in their sequined “Daisy Dukes” (so high you could see the bottoms of their asses), low (LOW) cut tank tops and 5-inch (no kidding) heels. Or the older 60-something lady dressed head-to-toe in bright pink with a hat that would make anyone at the Kentucky Derby jealous (bless her heart), or the…oh I could go on. It was awesome entertainment, which kept my mind off one thing – nervously eating.

Overall I did extremely well. I did grab a much-needed sausage, egg and cheese sandwich and coffee from Starbucks at around the time my body told me it was way-past lunch time (in actuality 9:30 a.m. or so). I also just grazed all day on granola/breakfast bars with the saving grace being my Gatorade. The sun, when it came out from the clouds, made it at least 15 degrees hotter and more intense. I sweated like a pig and smelled just as bad by the end of the day. But I did burn off an extra pound so, believe it or not, my friends, I am at my goal of losing that two pounds before June 9th.

What? What did you ask? How did my audition go? It went great. Turns out the casting director I met with in-person was the same as the one who took a gander at my video so he was impressed I showed up to do both. He totally appreciated me coming out (as they all had to know what a cluster-mess it was in the beginning) and said “look for a phone call soon.” So I am so keeping my fingers, toes, eyes, arms, feet and hands crossed for that call. Lucky number 837.

And what? What else did you ask? Did I avoid the White Castle? I sure did. It would have been far too easy to give in and grab a 10-pack to go, with fries and a drink (what I frequently used to eat as I used to have one 5 minutes from where I lived) but I didn’t. Did it tempt me? Hell yes, it did, especially since I have fond memories of me and my mom going to get White Castles on some weekends when we felt like hopping the bus to 79th Street in Chicago.

I am exhausted, wiped out and sort of brain dead, but I feel juiced and great. It was an awesome experience, like waiting in line for concert tickets. It is in lines like that that the best of humanity comes out. Totally. Through that immediately-shared experience people talked to one-another and it was awesome. That alone was worth the hour-and-a-half drive, the damn-near 20-hour day (when it was all said and done), the waiting in the heat and sun, the incredibly interesting and entertaining sideshow of characters…

…and the foregoing of White Castles, no matter how good they taste any time of day.

Happy Hump Day! It’s Wednesday and the last full day of all things conference, Atlanta and not really knowing whether or not I am truly doing ok or badly. I’m not saying I am purposely going off the deep end with what I’ve been eating but I do know I haven’t worked out at all (something I know I absolutely should be doing) and I’ve been eating foods way out of my norm.

At this point I think I should say even though I am here in the South I have yet to have an authentic Southern meal. I know, I know. I keep griping about that and it’s just a happenstance of my hotel and its proximity to the convention hotel. Nonetheless, I have been eating a steady diet of what’s available in either my hotel or the convention hotel – some of it good and some of it bad.

For example, I started out my day with a grande (medium) Cafe Latte from Starbucks and a granola bar. OK, not so bad so far. Then, later on ( pushed having lunch until like 2:00 PM because the conference had a late dinner scheduled tonight) I had three medium slices of roast beef (absolutely delicious) and just two (I swear) mini egg roll thingies. For dinner, we were served roast beef, carrots and two pieces of boiled garlic shrimp. I do admit I had two rolls, also. But with no butter. And…OK…I will also admit I had a medium piece of red velvet cake (totally good and worth it).

You’re thinking “OK, that doesn’t sound too bad.” Right? Well, with me, the guy who can gain weight by looking at an egg roll funny and not exercising regularly and a couple of pounds come to visit and pretty sdoon, they’ll invite a few of their friends, too.

On the other hand the reason I don’t feel too terrible about all this eating is because I am walking my ass off at this convention. That is not a slam by any means, just a statement of fact so I hope that all that walking, talking, schmoozing and boozing (well, not so much boozing) is helping work off and balance out the calories I am ingesting.

What does all this mean? It means, in my new Zen way of not being all angry at myself for every little ounce I may or may not gain back during a trip, that I’m going to get home Thursday and immediately jump right back into my routine – my regular meals and my regular exercise regimine. And I can’t wait. It’s what we all should do once the insert-the-name-of-your-event-here is over and we’re back into our lives.

One really cool trhing is how many people are coming up to me introducing themselves and talking about their weight, asking me how I did it and what the secret recipe is. When I tell them there is none, that I lost weight with improving my diet and exercising, I can see their faces drop a little but not too bad. Then, I tell them how freaking hard it is for me, particularly in a convention/social setting and they instantly relate to how much of an ongoing thing this weight loss journey can be. That’s nifty. I hope people see they can do it.

But I so hope they have more will power than me, though. Why?

Because there’s a visit to my personal Mecca needing to be done – a trip to World of Coca-Cola. yep, you guessed it – not only does one of my Kryptonite foods hail from Atlanta it also is in close proximity to the convention. I so can’t wait. You will hear all about that tomorrow.

So stay tuned…and wish me luck surviving the temptation of ice-cold Co…oh, you know the rest.

One-hit wonders. You gotta love ‘em.

Songs like Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy,” Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen,” Sugar Hill Gangs “Rapper’s Delight,” Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love,” Frankie Smith’s “Double Dutch Bus,” Oxo’s “Whirly Girl,” Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax,” Frank Stallone’s “Far From Over” and more are awesome novelties. I’ve made many a mix-tape in my day that included these songs and have a few of them on my iPod today, even though the bands themselves faded into the obscurity of only being remembered as one-hit wonders.

Last night, as I was trying to be good having a healthy portion of pasta and sauce, I was tapping my feet to a few of these tracks when another great one-hit wonder came to mind. Chumbawamba’s big bar anthem called “Tubthumping.”

Yes, for those of you who do not know, there was actually a group named Chumbawamba and their big hit was “Tubthumping.”

The lyrics of the song are fun.

“He drinks a whisky drink. He drinks a vodka drink. He drinks a lager drink. He drinks a cider drink.”

That got me thinking. We always count the calories in the things we eat but don’t bat an eye to the calories we drink. Everything from our morning lattes to our weekend martinis (and ice-cold Coca-Colas) have calories, too, and sometimes lots of them. Going into the weekend it’s time to arm ourselves with knowledge and think before we drink.

Let’s go through your day (assuming you are working on this Good Friday) eliminating food and focusing on just what you might drink.

Imagine starting out your day all sleepy and waking to the sounds of your clock radio playing Big Country’s “In a Big Country.” You need caffeine and stat. So you head to Starbucks to enjoy a delicious Cinnamon Dolce Latte – Espresso with steamed milk and cinnamon dolce flavored syrup. Topped with sweetened whipped cream and cinnamon dolce topping. Sounds yummy, right? Well, that little number will not just cost you several dollars but 260 calories in the process.

This is before we even start the work day.

Right around lunchtime you head to the vending machine after listening to Baltimora’s “Tarzan Boy” for a pick-me-up – one 20 oz. bottle of Coke or other soft drink. I say 20 oz. because that size is in most vending machines. That’s another 240 calories right there.

Then you and your friends (all over 21 of course) go out for happy hour after work to celebrate this warm and beautiful weekend. You hit a favorite bar (which just happens to be playing “Tubthumping”) and have a couple of Chumbawumba’s suggested bar drinks. In order, here are the calorie counts for each…

…a 1.5 oz. shot of whisky is about 100 calories each.

…a 1.5 oz. shot of vodka is about 100 calories each. Since I like martinis I get to kick this up to 155 calories for each 2.5 oz. glass.

…an average 12 oz. Yuengling Lager drink is about 130 calories each.

…and an average 12 oz. Woodchuck hard cider drink is about 200 calories each.

Finally, we head home listening to Ollie & Jerry’s “Breakin -There’s No Stopping Us.” We choose a glass of nice red wine with dinner. On average, there are approximately 100 calories in a white or red wine, per glass. However, the type of wine also decides the wine calories.

So add all this up and what does it mean? It means by the time you hunker down for the night on your nice, comfy sofa to end the work week, your favorite guilty pleasure reality show or action movie you’ve consumed close to 1,000 calories in drinks alone. And that doesn’t count what you ate during your day.

When we eat too many calories, we feel stuffed. When we drink too many calories, we don’t feel that full feeling. And if our tummies won’t tell us when to stop, we have to use our brains. Beverages are just like food. We can (and should) enjoy them but in responsible moderation (especially when it comes to alcohol). And always remember that good old standby water. It quenches thirst and still has zero calories.

Armed with this new knowledge, everyone trying to lose weight throughout the weekend can continue doing his or her best to eat better, drink better and cut down on calories. And if we stumble and gain back a pound or two (as I know all-too-well these past few weeks) we can still hold our heads up in our various holiday parties singing some of “Tubthumping’s” other lyrics…

“…I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down.”

Now that I think of it, all the songs I listed and other one-hit wonders would make a great workout mix for any iPod as you and I work off those extra one or two weekend pounds.

What do I want? What Do I want?

How many times have we asked that very question to ourselves standing at the counter of our usual coffee shop or restaurant? That is the very question that usually starts my day when I am in line or going through the drive-thru getting my morning coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Some people like Starbucks. Some like Seattle’s Best. In these parts (Southern New Jersey) some people choose Wawa (hey, don’t make fun of the name – Wawa kicks every other convenient store’s butt) my usual is a Dunkin’ Donuts medium hot coffee with extra cream and extra sugar (it’s bad I know but I like a little coffee with my sugar). But today was slightly different. I was feeling a bit hungry today. I wanted some breakfast-type thing, and the more people in front of me the more time I have to anticipate, test my taste buds and make a decision about what my coffee would be washing down.

So I started thinking about my usual Dunkin’ Donuts Egg & Cheese Wake Up Wrap. How tasty that simple (and not very calorie-filled) egg and cheese would be. But then the smells hit me and I became distracted by the smells of bacon, sausage and the oh-so tempting bagels passing by me. That got me all discombobulated and I had visions of a big ol’ sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant. “Ooh, that would be good,” I thought as I took one step/person closer to the counter.

Then, matters got worse. I then got a good look at all the freshly-made doughnuts behind the cashiers. There were jelly-filled, chocolate-covered and muffin delights by the dozen calling out like puppies or kittens saying “take me home, take me home.” Grrrrr. I love a good Boston Crème doughnut, too.

I got one person closer. It’s almost decision time. What will I have? The simple Egg & Cheese Wake Up Wrap didn’t seem enough just then but I knew I shouldn’t have the bulk, fat and calories of a full-on breakfast sandwich. What will I have? What will I have?

Then it’s my turn. I step up to the counter and greet the cashier who is now looking at me with that “hurry up and order, there’s a hundred people behind you” look in her eyes. It was then that I made my final decision.

“One medium hot coffee with extra cream and extra sugar please,” I said.

Knowing her inevitable response I sturdied myself – “Will there be anything else?”

My answer was simple but definite. “No, thank you.”

It took all my will power (or in my case Bill power) this morning to resist the temptations of those foods. While I know I will eat any and everything in moderation on my weight loss journey, today somehow felt different like if I had had that sausage-filled breakfast sandwich or bagel with extra cream cheese it would have led me down a slippery slope all weekend. And that was something I was definitely didn’t want to do.

So I took my coffee and thanked the cashier, who acknowledged my thanks in the same nod she gave the next patron asking for their order, and felt better. No, I felt lighter. For while the person in front of me and the person behind ordered a breakfast sandwich and bagel with cream cheese, respectively, I knew in my gut I had made a smarter food choice today.

So what did I end up having for breakfast? Fruit…

…and a nice cup of hot coffee with extra cream and extra sugar.

It’s a bit wet today in the Philadelphia area today. However I wake up today feeling much better than when I started the weekend and why? Because I am back down to 237.6 as of this morning. Woohoo! Take that, calories and fat!

So yesterday I didn’t do much of anything except meet a friend for coffee at Starbucks which meant I had to definitely watch my calorie intake (it just felt like a good day to be a slug). So I started the day with a flavored coffee from Starbucks and a reduced fat piece of cinnamon cake from Starbucks. believe it or not I actually prefer the coffee and food of Dunkin’ Donuts but I was in a hurry so I grabbed what I could. Sheesh, that turned out to be quite filling as I didn’t eat again until, like, three o’clock, when I got myself together and headed to Wendy’s (the little red-haired girl I always mention) and got some chili with cheese and onions – mmmmmm – and a Jr. Frosty (I just had a taste). Both were excellent. It wasn’t until after eight o’clock or so I actually had dinner – a delicious spaghetti and meat sauce Lean Cuisine (they really are the best brand).

While I did snack a bit over the weekend with the decadent little 100-calorie snack packs of Hostess Cupcakes and Twinkies I DID NOT have a single Coca-Cola yesterday. In fact, I seriously cut back on my amount of Coke this entire weekend which was great.

So I start this rainy, wet week trending downward again but feeling great. I promised I would let you guys know what I ate this weekend and I did. So thank you for letting me share. How did you all do? Sure it was a weird weekend for me in terms of what I ate and where, but I also knew I needed some better food choices, better portion control and more exercise. Knowledge a new way of life brings you when you maintain weight loss.

I also enjoyed the delicious calories when they came because I’m not going to be a miserable, grumpy bastard when it comes to food.

This week, I continue to eat light, exercise and continue this new downward trend. Just two pounds to get back to the “Battle of the Final Ten.” After that, the goal is again in sight…

…off in the distance and through the rain.