The "Fused Cheese Burger"

I've been on a cooking spree ever since my wife let me do the grocery shopping. Now I know what to cook because I know the materials that I have. So this week I made a "Fused Cheese Burger".


Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
1 egg
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Cook in oven for 15 minutes at 375. Flip and cook for another 10 minutes.
Makes 4 Delicious Patties

Cloudy in the Head

It's officially Spring in Memphis, kind of. We were having some really nice weather until this week with showers and cold fronts moving in and out like bees in a hive. It makes my sinuses or allergies act up and I wanted to take it on with my best protection, DayQuil. So, I started yesterday taking DayQuil caplets before heading to work. We had our normal Monday meetings and then I started my work day around 9:30. When 10:00 hit, I could barely keep my eyes open. My head was really clouded and I couldn't carry on a coherent conversation. I've never had DayQuil hit me that hard before. I was determined to press through it and continue my work. People called me and I answered their questions with one word answers. I could barely look at my computer to type, I was in bad shape for sure. I couldn't wait to get home and go to sleep. Well, I finally did make it home and ate supper before going to the cupboard for my night time meds. I saw some NyQuil caplets laying around in the medicine cabinet but I couldn't find the box. I looked in the DayQuil box and low and behold, the NyQuil was in there. I HAD TAKEN NYQUIL BEFORE WORK!!!! I can't believe I did that without even noticing. No wonder I couldn't think straight. I don't know how I kept myself awake without passing out, especially sitting in front of a computer screen all day. Anyways, I won't make that mistake again.

Re-Striction

Well, I went the whole last week and didn't lose a pound. I guess this is where it gets harder. I didn't do anything crazy last week, I even turned down Sheridan's. So, I guess it's back to the strict diet of rice, protein, and fiber. So far, I'm starving like a Catholic after Lent. But, I'm bound and determined to lose my 5 lbs this week. I have to. I ordered my pants for the wedding that I am attending in June one size smaller than what the suit guy recommended. So, if I don't lose the weight now, then I will have to lose it later on a Prune Juice diet for a week. And I do not like Prunes. So, here I go on my dietary mission to save myself and the world. Well, maybe not so much the world as it is myself. Anyways, here's to heroes.

Also, if you haven't seen the latest video of Maple, here it is...

Weightless

I finally reached my first target goal! I weighed in at 219 lbs on Friday. I didn't eat that well over the weekend, but today I weighed myself again and I'm still at 219. I finally made it! I'm also close to benching 200 lbs, so I calculated if I continue my diet and continue my workout, then I can bench my weight in about a month. I have never been able to do that ever. So, I'm keeping up with the diet and working out so I can look forward to the awesome future I have in store for myself and everyone around me. If I feel good about the way I am, then I only have positive energy for the people around me. Sweet!

Funny story, and you've probably heard this if Brandy wrote it in her blog, but anyways. Chloe was talking in the car about what she learned in church. They taught her this last week that God is everywhere, in her heart and everywhere else. She then said that her and God were playing with her toys. She then got tired and went to bed as God continued to play. At this point my wife and I were touched that she felt like God was her friend and she could play with him. I know we often lose sight as we grow older that God IS everywhere and sometimes he just wants to sit with us. Anyways, God continued to play with her toys as Chloe was falling asleep. She then said that she sat up in her bed and yelled, "Shhh! Stop playing with my toys God, I'm trying to sleep!" Brandy and I laughed hard on the inside because laughing out loud makes Chloe embarrassed. But it was really funny!

Easter Pounds

Well, I didn't follow any good advice this holiday. But, the good news is that there's no holiday again until Maple's Birthday, which is in May. And with me working out now, the fat is burning faster and it's easier to lose that excess weight. When I worked out before in Athens, I never changed my eating habits because I assumed my metabolism would catch up with my eating habits and cancel it out. I guess essentially it did cancel it out which means I don't lose weight.

Now it seems my eating habits change everything and the working out is just a bonus. I eat healthy for 3 days and I lose 6 lbs. I eat a lot of unhealthy for 2 days (Easter) and I gain back the 6 lbs I lost. So, now I'm back on the healthy diet and I've lost 3 lbs in one day. Man, it's crazy how that happens. My stomach feels empty at times though, the same as it was in Korea when I first moved there.

I remember when I first moved back from Korea and started eating American food again, the salt was so overwhelming that my tongue would swell after every meal. Especially pizza or any heavy bread item. Then I would run in b-ball or something and salt would pour out of me like Skittles from a rainbow. People would see me and say, "What is wrong with your face?" I had no idea what they were talking about. So, I do know how much salt is in American food and I can't wait to taste the Korean food again to see if I still like it as much as I did when I left.

Well, I'm back on track and I'm giving away all of my Easter Candy if anyone is interested.

Down in the Count

Well, I started on Monday, but really started on Tuesday. Brandy did this bake off competition that only she was competing on Monday night. So when I came back from working out, she had baked rice krispy treats and a chocolate creme pie. I decided that the rice krispy treats were the best to take to work, because pies have never done well in the past at our office. So, I decided to sacrifice and eat the pie. Then I remembered it's the last night for dessert for a while and ate half of the pie. So...I really started my diet on Tuesday.
My beginning date is 3/30/10 at 226 lbs.
Today is 4/1/10 at 222 lbs.
I have a ways to go to get to 200 lbs but I'm working on it. I pretty much have to lose that weight because I am in a wedding in June and I ordered my pants a size smaller than what I am now. So, yeah, here I go. So far I'm on track. I should get to 200 in about a month. Then I just have to maintain it until then. Of course there will be some hiccups on the way, such as the Easter dinner that we're having this Sunday. I can't pass up that opportunity, but I have been passing other opportunities like the Easter candy and a hamburger with the bun. Of course it's been hard. I feel hungry about an hour after I eat, but I remember getting used to that in Korea, so it's all good. Anyways, keep me in check you guys and thanks for the support and advice. Happy Easter Everybody!

4/2/10
Weighed in this morning at 220. How exciting! I haven't been under 220 since my first year of marriage.

Rice Weight

Long time no read. It turns out if you eat healthy food and don't exercise, you lose weight faster than exercising and not eating healthy food. Well, that puts me back into blogging. I moved to Korea for a year and didn't really exercise, but you can't do anything but eat healthy there. That way I lost 30-40 lbs in my year there. Since I've been back I've lost 5 more pounds and have maintained that weight. I've started working out with my friend Matt 3 times a week and that's going well. But I need to lose 20-25 more pounds to reach my goal weight. So, tomorrow i begin my diet or rice.
It started with my friend Matt. It turns out he's gluten free, not by choice but his body doesn't like it. So he doesn't eat anything made with grain or wheat and stuff. It turns out that's a lot of food out there. Did you know that hotdogs have gluten in them? Isn't that crazy? Well, he lost a good bit of weight and he looks thin and he believes it to be his eating habits. Now, his eating habits are boring; rice, vegetables, chicken, almost every meal. But to sacrifice some flavor to reach my weight goal is what I have to do. I start on my rice diet tomorrow. For breakfast I can eat eggs and fruit. For lunch it's rice and something else. This something else could be beans, vegetables, or some kind of meat. I want to make it a variety thing to mix it up from the norm. Matt eats the same dish everyday, but I don't want to be that monotonous. For supper I will eat the same thing but maybe have a touch of cool whip with fruit for dessert. I will try this all the way up to my other friend's wedding, Adam Poore. His wedding is in June, so I will do the diet up to that, and hopefully continue afterward. But I can't promise anything.
Anyways, I started this blog so you can hold me accountable. I will blog as much as I can and be completely honest. If I break my diet you'll be the second or third to know, so you must hold me accountable for my actions. This serves a double purpose, it helps me to stay on the diet and it makes you feel important. Also the diet serves a double purpose, I lose weight hopefully and I save money because what I eat is really cheap. SO, wish me luck and I hope to see your comments soon.
Also, I will start to put more pictures up of our girls again.