Start Anew And Pray

Start Anew Today. I am.

Also, please pray for Woodland Park Middle School in San Marcos, California and all connected to it as they lost one of their middle schoolers last night.

What Am I Eating Today? Part I

In an attempt to allow you to see that you can do what I am doing, today (and possibly the next few days) I am sharing what I eat.

Breakfast 7:15

1/2 banana blended with 2 scoops Isagenix Isalean Shake, water and ice cubes.

I was making shakes with cold water and that was good, but I discovered that
the official recommendation of adding ice cubes is better (because the shake
is creamier).

More later.


Keep walking!

Just Get Up & Do It...I Did!

How easy is that? I just decided to take a break and I know the dog appreciated it. I walked a mile and now I'm back. I know you can do it, too!

I'm taking Diet 360 and RAW ONE for Men from Garden of Life, who sponsors my blog, and I'm feeling better every week. I slept all the way through the night for the first time in weeks last night.

Another Down Day

Some people might see the title of this post and assume it's a downer, but it is definitely not. I've titled a bunch of posts recently in a similar way and I wanted this to be different, but it could have read,

"I've Lost Over 15 Pounds In 17 Days!"

This morning the scale read 112.5 kilos, which is another .3 kilos down from yesterday. Just in case you're wondering - no, I'm not hungry all the time. I'm RARELY hungry at all. Once in a while I get hungry for a few minutes before it's time to eat. I can live with that and I know you can, too. (Maybe you don't have a weight loss goal because you simply don't need one right now. Is there someone who could benefit by reading my blog? Who do you know that would like to be motivated,encouraged or inspired by my unfolding story? Copy & paste this URL - http://theBigManWalking.blogspot.com and send them an email or message! Thank you, by the way...)

Let's do the math. I started at 119.6 kilos 17 days ago, so by subtracting 112.5 kilos we get 7.1 kilos. We multiply that by 2.2 and get 14.2 plus 1.42 which equals 15.62 pounds lost in 17 days. My total weight is now 247.5 pounds. I had actual cream in my coffee this morning. Today I didn't have anything but coffee and tea until around noon. I don't do that everyday, but that's just what felt right. I was not hungry. If you've been reading my posts you know the name of the book and you can see Amazon links on the right side of this blog. Get yourself or someone else a Christmas present! Are you ready to make a New Year's Resolution? That's how Big Man Walking got started in 2008.

Keep WALKING!

Lost Almost 15 Pounds In 16 Days

This morning I stepped on the scale and saw a number I haven't seen before - 112.8. When you multiply 112.8 kilos by 2.2, you get 225.6 plus 22.56 which equals 248.16 pounds. I'm now safely in the 240's and it's been a dozen years since I was there. I started at 119.6 a little over two weeks ago and that difference of 6.8 kilos is 13.6 plus 1.36 which equals 14.96 pounds. I'm sure a lot of people would say that that is close enough to 15 pounds. What do you think?

I think I like Perfect Weight America!

Keep walking!

I Lost Over 11 Pounds In 7 Days

Yesterday I had some challenges with pain in the middle of my back and I don't really know if it was related to the cleanse that my wife and I are on. We did this same cleanse during the summer and I had no problems. I ended up taking an Alleve in the morning and again in the evening and last night I had trouble getting to sleep which is not typical for me unless I'm excited about something. After using the jacuzzi a couple times and both my wife and me massaging the middle of my back, it seems to be much less of a challenge today. Marianne and I went to San Diego this morning and I watered the front while she watered the back of the house we are attempting to sell. I had only small twinges every once in a while compared to the howls yesterday afternoon as the Alleve wore off. Some of you may be wondering, "Why is he telling us all this?" I don't know if the cleanse has left me without enough calcium or magnesium or what have you, but we picked up a supplement this morning. I think if that is what's happening then it is in combination with the possibility that (as much as I don't want to share this...) I haven't walked enough recently. So this is full disclosure for those of you who are thinking about doing this cleanse. To be fair, however, I don't really know the exact cause of the back situation as it just came out of the blue. Maybe I've been sitting in this chair too long.

This morning the scale said 114.4 kilos, which is .2 kilos or .44 pounds less than yesterday and that brings my grand total after 7 days on the Perfect Weight America cleanse to MINUS 11.44 pounds!


Keep Walking!

I'm Down - 8 Pounds In 3 Days

This morning I weighed myself and I was 115.9 kilos. Marianne and I started this cleanse Sunday morning when I weighed in at 119.6 kilos. The difference is 3.7 kilos and that is just over 8 pounds. I had a headache from about noon on Sunday until bedtime Monday because all we drink is water and that means caffeine withdrawal. Tuesday I had just a shadow of a headache and today it's just a shadow of a whisper. We did this during the summer so I expect that tomorrow there will be an energy surge. This is the cleanse from Perfect Weight America and I highly recommend it. I also see it as a healthy way to lose weight.

Order Perfect Weight America

Forest Home Weekend

Let's see. How to start...

Sunday of this week I weighed myself and it was not great, especially keeping the whole year in mind. I weighed 118.5 kilos. I started the year at 123.2, so there is SOME progress. (It's definitely better than going backwards.) The difference between those two measurements is 4.7 kilos, so multiplying by 2.2 we get 10.34 pounds. That's 1 pound per month. I'm back on high protein/lo carb and expect to get some walking in this weekend at Forest Home. Forest Home is a christian camp in the town of Forest Falls, which is above Redlands. My wife, Marianne, and I are doing KP this weekend at Solana Beach Presbyterian's all-church retreat as we usually do and that will keep us on our feet a bit. There's quite a bit of walking back and forth in the normal course of the retreat. I've never really kept track before so I will be curious to see how much walking we do actually.

I do believe it's time to modify the goal for the year. With all that's going on in life I'm not prepared to lose nearly 40 pounds in under two months. That's ok. I'm in this for the long haul as I hope you are not matter whether your goals concern physical health or something else. I had a physical a couple months ago and everything was in the normal range. My hdl cholesterol (the good kind) was slightly low, but nothing to be concerned about.

I think 15 pounds from here to the end of the year is doable. I've done it before as I'm sure many of you have. I'll be thinking about 15 or 20 over the weekend.

I'm excited about the new president and excited to be going on retreat. "See" you when I get back. Keep walking. Keep moving ahead.

Almost 5 Miles And Many Hours Left

This morning I started off with a four mile walk and I haven't done a lot of walking since, but I'm close to five miles. That's the goal that a lot of people set for their entire day - 10,000 steps.

If you have been walking or exercising a little less than a month ago, today is a good day to get back to your more ambitious pace. It doesn't matter what that number is, because you're not competing with me and vice-versa. If you were doing a mile a day and now you're down to a fraction of it, today's the day to get back "up there". If you were doing ten miles a day and have slipped to six, you can choose to be right back at your more challenging pace.

Today is the day!

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Six Miles Again (Finally)

Totalling my car a week and a half ago took more wind out of my sails than I originally thought. Today, however, I finally got back over the six mile mark. Tomorrow's Easter. A good time to turn over a new leaf. Or make a resolution. Or set a new goal. Or change your life.

That reminds me. I prayed on December 31, 2007 for God to help me with my new year's resolution. I will soon be down 20 pounds and I have walked nearly 460 miles (and Sport Chalet replaced my pedometer with zero hassles!). Marianne says I seem to have more stamina. Seems to me that the good Lord has kept up his end of the bargain.

Ask and you shall receive.


I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Sport Chalet Replaced My Pedometer

My pedometer went on the fritz and I gave it a day to right itself. No such luck. This morning I went down to Sport Chalet and they replaced it no problem. I like those guys. I find it a whole lot easier to keep track of five miles or so walking when I don't have to count the steps in my head.

Tuesday I weighed in and didn't mention it. 115.4 kilos - down again!

How Life Can Almost Change

Last night my son and I were driving home from his induction into the National Honor Society and we stopped at Vons. After a little shopping, we got on San Marcos Blvd. and turned left onto Rancho Santa Fe Rd. and within seconds our lives almost changed. Someone turned left right into our path and we ran smack into them. Thank God for airbags. I'm a little sore and Stuart is a teensy bit sore and the other guy seemed fine. I think the Buick is totaled. I am so glad we weren't driving the smaller car I used to have.

We waited for the police and paramedics and they checked me out and let me go. I haven't walked today as much as I would have liked. One car and three people meant I'm right back on the [driving] horse several times today. I still have some time tonight for walking. I'll say it again - Thank God for airbags.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Sometimes I Get Really Busy

This week has been so much busier than normal. I got home last night after 11 and someone else was using my computer! My hope is that I can give more detail later today. Just got done baking a cake for my son's party and now the last minute preparations and then picking up some pies and then it's the climbing wall (for the kids at least). Through all the busyness I have been walking and encourage you to do so, too. Feels like a lot more than just a few days since I set my record of 14 miles in a single day. And I am STILL walking, just no new record. Keep it up. Send this the URL for Big Man Walking to a friend who might need it more than you.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

45 And Lowest Weight In Years

Today is my 45th birthday. My weight has not been this low for a couple years and if the trend continues, tomorrow or the next day I will be at a weight I haven't seen for a dozen years! Rest assured I am still walking. I will get up after this post and see if I can get my 8 am to 4 pm mini-day to 10,000 steps. If you view the right column on this page and click on "Walk Out!" under Walking Links, you'll see that I post my minutes/miles 3 times a day.

Yesterday I was swamped preparing for a 40 minute presentation last night to a group of college bound high schoolers at Reality Changers. I was so adrenalized after I got home that I couldn't get to sleep until around 3! So, I'm a little tired right now. I'm going to walk and get back to you after my birthday and the Toastmasters speech contest tomorrow.

Please keep in mind that you walk a little EVERY day and some days you get inspired to do more and some of those inspired days you do A LOT more. That's the way it's working for me. I believe it's because I'm simply not stopping. If you don't see a post, which happens about 10% of the time, you can know I'm still walking. Remember to check my "Walk Out!" for my current numbers.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Start Walking In Paris

Yesterday I had a friendly phone conversation with Lucille Shaw, a financial advisor at Finances for Life. Lucille is a friend from Expressions Unlimited, my home Toastmasters club. Click here to see a photo of her and two other walkers from a recent post. Lucille is on the left.

While I started walking because I know I really, really need to do something about my health while I still have it, Lucille has been working out regularly for a while. She told me that when she was at the University of Illinois, she walked in some pretty nasty weather as a student. This experience turned her off to walking for a while and over the years she has done plenty of exercise in the gym. A few years ago, she and her husband visited Spain, Italy and France and she made reservations at hotels that were within walking distance of the museums and other sites she wanted to see. In Paris and Barcelona Lucille didn't have to fight snow while walking and she found out that she might actually like walking at temperatures above freezing. She even does half-marathons now.

What a fun way to rediscover walking!

You might find walking fun or you might be doing it to get in shape or lose weight or all three. Take that first step at home or in some exotic location, but take that first step. Then take another. And another.

I am walking. (So is Lucille.) You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Three Miles Before Sunrise

This morning I woke up a little early and decided to talk a walk and wake up, so I got the dog and off we went. I expected to walk at least a mile, yet I found what I have found many times before: more energy as we went on our way. Lost in thought about a story I'm thinking of writing, I had gone a mile almost before I knew it. I simply turned and went the other way. You see, it's just not that hard once you start doing it. Longer distances start to seem more "normal" and doable. Even walking before most of the neighborhood is awake is a tenable situation.

There are a lot of lights in our suburbia, especially within our development. With Mellow as my companion, this is a pretty comfortable way to wake up. Visible crime is rare here. It's been six or seven years since two teenagers mugged one of the neighbor kids and that was seen as an aberration by everyone in the neighborhood, except maybe the victim. So I felt good about this walk. You've got to decide whether your neighborhood is safe in the early morning darkness. Or maybe you're fortunate enough to live somewhere that that doesn't even cross your mind. For those of you who think it's just fine, consider getting up earlier than normal to get your walking started.

Gene Griessman, a professional speaker who also does a great Abraham Lincoln, includes that advice in 99 Ways To Get More Out Of Everyday. That is, get up an hour earlier to accomplish more or to get that "extra" thing done. It seems simple enough, but I know lots of people who might say, "Ooh, I could never get up that early." Well, you CAN if you stop telling yourself that you can't. When I first stepped my toe in the water of walking last summer, I even got up about four one morning to take a walk. You can if you allow yourself to think differently. I originally found Gene Griessman on Zune where I downloaded all of his stuff for free once I paid the monthly fee and I've also seen him on ITunes and MP3.com. His ideas can save you a lot of time and help you get more done. Will I walk this early tomorrow. Maybe. Maybe not. But I did today.

Super Bowl Party Price

My extra really good friend who I mentioned in my last post has a wife who can really cook. She made really yummy stuff for the Super Bowl Party at their house and I ate a lot of it. She made some pretty healthy fare like turkey meatball soup as well as chocolate cake. I ate a lot of both. I went into the situation with my eyes wide open. I knew there would be consequences on the scale at Tuesday morning weigh-in.

Good news. I still lost weight. I think my buddy was a little concerned about whether I would burst or something, but I never reached the "ouch" phase of overeating that some of you might be familiar with. (Probably best to stay away from all-you-can-eat buffets...) I admit that there have been occasional times in my life when I have eaten to the point that my stomach hurts from the volume of food that I put away. Those of you who have never done this might be recoiling in horror or something close to it right now. On this Super Bowl Sunday I did not do that and I haven't done that for quite a while. Why am I telling you this? For those of you who have done what I just described, I want you to know that someone else who has done that, someone like you, can walk to lose weight and to get on a more healthy path. It can be done and you can do it.

This morning I weighed 120.8 kilos. That means I lost .4 kilos this week, which is .88 pounds. So the price of the Super Bowl Party was about three quarters of a pound when I compare the last couple weeks with this one. I can live with that. Can you?

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

---

Visit FreeRice.com and help the hungry by clicking on the title of this post. Click here to view Big Man Walking January posts. Scroll down to January 29th to see my previous weigh-in.

Two Average Days

Earlier this week I got off to quite a start with two record-setting days in a row. Starting the day before yesterday, I moderated my walking. By comparison to the record-setting pace of Monday and Tuesday, these last two days are average days. BUT, my average days are getting bigger. Both of these "average" days are five miles long. That's almost 20% more walking than my average day of a few weeks ago. Not too shabby.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

---

Yesterday Big Man Walking had a photo of three friends from my Toastmasters club. A fourth Toastmaster friend, Christine Burke, owner of La Costa Fitness Together, sent me an email that started like this-

--
unstoppable!

I'm thoroughly impressed! Congratulations on finishing the Carlsbad Half-Marathon!
--

SO, that photo is the finish of 13.1 miles that these women completed together. I'll mention one of them at a time in my posts. The one in the middle wearing 3222 is Linda Bedrosian. If you meet Linda, she will probably tell you how much she has gotten out of Toastmasters in the last few years. She's fun, creative, resilient and kind and she designs and crafts very, very nice jewelry especially for you. Her website is JewelryoftheEmpire.com.

Visit Linda's site as well as clicking on the title of this post to visit FreeRice.com.

7 Miles Walked Before 1

This morning I got an ambitious start by going down a long hill and by the time I turned around and started up I had gone nearly two miles. The hill has what seems like an increasing grade for .7 miles and that's a pretty good hill! I got to the top and my breathing testified to the work involved. I kept going to cool down and ended up doing 3.5 miles before 8:30. Other tasks up until right now have taken me another three and a half miles and the dog still hasn't done his thing. Soon it will be time for us to leave for soccer and I should get some laps around that field, so this looks like another big day. I am a little tired right now, but body tired, not brain tired. Plus, I checked the scale this morning and I was at 121.2 kilos, which means I lost another .7 kilos (or 1.54 pounds) again this week. Time for lunch!

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Almost 3.5 Miles By 9:30 Almost

My dog wanted to go out so we did a mile before 7:30 this morning and then I went to get the paper. A little while after coming back home I found my son was still sleeping and decided to do a couple more miles. I walked the "Big Block", which in my lingo is all the way around about a quarter of our "greater neighborhood". [Ya hadda be there?] For locals it's Xana Way to Alga, then Melrose north to Carrillo Way and back around to Xana in the simplest way possible.

During the descent towards Carrillo Way I noticed that I felt the lactic acid burn in my left calf more than in my right (a first) and I wondered if that might be because I'm right-handed and therefore probably right-footed, too. I also noticed that I was moving pretty fast and some people might consider this pace speed walking. I just knew it was cold and I was moving fast enough to keep warm. Maybe I finally reached the threshold of making my calves do some extra work. Half a mile later while I was coming up the hill I noticed that the lactic acid in my left calf had lessened and both calves felt the same another quarter mile later as the terrain leveled out. I'll ask Christine Burke at Fitness Together about it. When I got back home my pedometer said almost 3.5 miles and it was a little past 9:30 (on Saturday!).

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

---

I've mentioned before that one of the reasons I like walking and writing about it is that about 99% of us can do it. I found the site of someone who may prove that MORE than 99% of us can do it. Her name is Stacey James and she's a motivational speaker who was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident. The motto on her website is "Equipping people to rise above the challenges of life." She's at WalkingVictorious.com.

--

Remember FreeRice.com.