Blankbaby

Checked up

The list of things I'd need for an unplanned overnight hospital stay wasn't as long as you might think.

As I was packing my bag I got it down to:

• Laptop


• iPad (though this is a luxury that could be skipped)


• Kindle


• Phone


• Chargers for all of the above


• Long cables for all of the above

And that's it! I figured the hospital would have my medication so I wouldn't need to bring mine, and I'd be wearing a gown so no need for a change of clothes! Toiletries are also provided, so I could travel very light!

Why would I even thinking about this as I packed my bag for work last Friday? Earlier in the week I realized I wanted to try to get "VIP" status in the Wellness program the University I work for runs and which I participate in. Some folks I work with think this is just a way for the University to gain access to more information about their employees so they can... do something nefarious. I think it is just a cheap way for them to project the idea that they might care about the staff a bit. Either way, if you get enough points you can trade them in for Amazon gift cards, which means I can fund book purchases. Therefore, I participate (plus all of my doctors work for the University associated health system, so I don't think I'm telling anyone anything they don't already know!).

Anyway, one of the things you have to do in order to get VIP status - a status which, I should mention, I know not what it imparts but which I want more than anything in the world - is a biometric screening.

The University used to hold these screenings every year. You'd go into a room that usually held sullen studying students and walk to various tables where people in white coats would take your blood pressure, check your blood sugar, and your cholesterol. They'd write all those numbers down for you and then explain what they meant. Sometimes there'd be a little delicious treat as well.

Thanks to the pandemic the University hasn't had one for a couple of years, but you can either go to a clinic and have it done OR do it at home. What a world!

I started the process of ordering an at home kit. At the very beginning of the process you're asked a couple of things: weight, height, that sort of thing. They also ask you for your blood pressure.

We have a blood pressure machine, so I looked for it (Marisa found it, in the place she told me to look but where I was unable to find it. She double-checked the same place, and lo, there it was) and slapped it on my arm.

After displaying several increasingly frustrating error codes it finally gave me a blood pressure reading. I would soon be on my way to being a wellness VIP!

According to the machine my blood pressure was so high that I shouldn't be able to see and I should take off the cuff and go directly to the emergency room.

This was mildly concerning considering my family history is full of obituaries that include the phrase "massive heart attack."

I felt fine. Clear vision, no pounding headaches, nothing.

I took a moment and calmed myself. Then I took another reading.

It was high but not super double dangerously high. I decided that I probably didn't need to go to the emergency room, but that I could consult with Dr. Google.

That wasn't a great idea, to be honest. I spent another couple of days being frustrated with my blood pressure cuff's ability to take my blood pressure at all after those two readings. It would just display a wide variety of error messages.

And at this point I was now afraid that I didn't think I was experiencing any symptoms because I had been experiencing them for so long that I no longer knew they were symptoms.

The only way to clear this up was to schedule a checkup (which I was overdue for anyway) and see what they said. I figured I'd have to wait a while but when I opened the online scheduling options I found an appointment for the next day at 7am.

7am is very early for almost anything, but I do love getting the first appointment of the day. That way I know I can avoid most delays and get in and out quickly.

I snapped up the appointment. I also assumed that I would go to the appointment and be told that I had to head to the emergency room (I'm an optimist!). Given that thinking, I did the only reasonable thing and packed a bag for an extended hospital stay (the contents of which you already know).

I went to sleep ready to wake up, shower, and be in the waiting room of the doctors' office before anyone else in the house was awake.

And that's what I did! In fact, I was there at 6:45am, 10 minutes before ANYONE else showed up to the office. This includes the front desk person... so I was sitting in a dark waiting room. Which, of course, lead me to think I had the date and time wrong so I checked about 14 times before the front desk person arrived, settled in, and checked me in.

I didn't end up in the emergency room. Turns out my blood pressure is fine. I do have high cholesterol, though, so I'm eating egg whites for breakfast now which is... exciting.

And the great thing about my hospital bag? It also makes for a good "go to work" bag. That's where I headed after my appointment which is slightly preferable to the emergency room.

These drugs are making my heart beat correctly

Yesterday I woke up early to go for a 4 mile run. Usually I run after work, but I wanted to get my run in early just in case I ended up in the hospital. Gotta get my 10,000 steps!

You see, I had my followup cardiologist's appointment at 9am and I was worried it would go along the same lines as my last appointment.

I'm happy to report that I didn't end up in the hospital after my appointment. My cardiologist told me that I'm very healthy, other than my arrhythmic heart, and that this isn't something that people die from. It is annoying, but not deadly.

That was nice!

He was also yawning a lot as he spoke to me. I sense he isn't a morning person.

But how does one live with an out of rhythm heart? Turns out I have two options:

* Take a few pills every day for the rest of my life.
* Let them stick catheters in my heart, burn some flesh, and hope that stops the arrhythmia.

I opted for the drugs for the time being as I've been in aFib frequently over the last few weeks but popping a pill pretty much stops it. I'm hopeful that taking a couple of pills regularly will solve it for the time being (and so far it is! Though I've only taken the new combo twice thus far).

I'm on a drug called flecainide, which Wikipedia tells me is the 273rd most commonly prescribed medicine in America. It is a sodium channel blocker that stops arrhythmic heart beats which is pretty cool. Interestingly, though, one of the potentail side effects is making your arrhythmia worse, so that's not great. It seems to happen in very few people but I will be ever vigilant!

If the drugs stop working, or I get tired of taking two pills twice a day, then my heart will get ablated! Basically, they burn away some groups of nerves in the heart and that SHOULD make the arrhythmia stop.

My doc tells me that for about 85% of folks it works on the first try. And if it doesn't work you try try again and that bumps up the effectiveness to 90%. The only downside (other than surgery) is the heart heals itself. So it is possible for the flesh to repair itself and for my heart to go back to its oddly beating ways.

Overall, I'm pretty glad my heart conditions aren't more serious because while the doc was very knowledgeable and answered all my questions he wouldn't actually recommend one way over the other. I thought it wise to wait until after the holidays to schedule surgery, but I think come February my heart will be burnt from the inside.

Current heart rate: 47 BPM. And I'm in Sinus Rhythm.

7 miles on the treadmill

The other day I tweeted about the 7 mile run I did outdoors:

I know lots of people run much further than this, but I'm proud of today's run. I have ran this far outside in... A long time. And while my pacing wasn't great I did beat my own internal overall goal. Woo. pic.twitter.com/SWlS2d94P7

— Scott McNulty (@blankbaby) August 11, 2019

All of this long distance (for me) running is the result of a Runkeeper 10k training program I signed myself up for.

I’ve been running 4 times a week for the last couple of years and I found myself in a figurative rut. I’d just go out and run 3.1 miles (that’s a 5k for my metric friends) and be done. My timing was improving but it got a bit boring. And I was certain that I couldn’t run longer distances.

Enter the Runkeeper training program. I figured if I could do a 5k I could just do two of them back to back. And today I ran 7 miles again, though this time on the treadmill:

Running on a treadmill for an hour is pretty boring (hurrah for an iPad and WiFi in the gym) but it is much easier to control your pace.

Now, I’m not going to fib here. Since Declan and Sammy have come home it is tougher to find time to run. Major thanks to Marisa and her mom who is in town helping us for a bit. They have graciously agreed to let me sneak away 4 times a week to get my runs in and I appreciate it.

I do still hate running but I’ve come a long way from my days in highschool when I couldn’t run a 15 minute mile.

Give me your money (to give to Colorectal Cancer research)

Most of you know that my mom died of colorectal cancer. It sucked. Having cancer of any kind sucks, but colorectal cancer is highly detectable (though they were way too late for my mom).

In her memory I am, once again, running a 5K to raise some money for colorectal cancer research!

Last year I managed to raise a bunch of money, and I hope to do the same this year. Any amount is greatly appreciated!

DONATE

100.9

A few weeks ago I posted about my weight, and the fact that I didn't think I'd meet my personal goal of losing 100 pounds by my birthday.

And I totally didn't do it!

However, I hopped on the scale on Friday and it told me that I had lost 100.9 pounds. Woo! I wasn't too far off my birthday deadline, so I'll take that as a win (plus I had several slices of birthday cake, which I don't regret at all!).

That means I'm 127 pounds below my highest weight, which is crazy! Of course, since I am a big fan of round numbers I have decided I should try and get rid of 23 more pounds for a total of 150 pounds down... we'll see how that goes.

My 5k Report

I ran my second 5K race ever yesterday! You can read all about my first experience in 2008 (so young!) on this very blog. Mayor Nutter (who was the mayor of Philadelphia at the time) was there, and I met him so that was cool. And Marisa took what is my favorite picture of the day:

That's me pointing to the Mayor's back. How security didn't escort me away I'll never know.

Much like my first 5K experience, signing up for this one was something of an impulsive decision. I wanted to support the cause of getting rid of colon cancer in my mom's memory so it seemed like a good idea. Of course, I hadn't actually ran outside, or really at all, for months and months and months before I signed up.

I had been doing an hour on the elliptical for several months, so I didn't think it would be too bad to get back into the running habit. To train I went out and did exactly what you aren't supposed to do: I ran a 5K run to see how it would feel.

Reader, I ran my fastest 5K ever! At this point I considered becoming a professional runner, but the benefits aren't great.

A week later, I ran another 5K and BEAT my previous time again!

Then we went on vacation and I ran along the coast of Oregon… and didn't beat my record. However, I did get chased by a couple of dogs so that was fun.

I ran a few more times in Philadelphia and before I knew it race day was upon me. Marisa, sadly, was off being famous so she couldn't be there. My brother and his girlfriend came down to watch me race (though they weren't there at the start, since really it isn't that exciting. And due to a coffee mishap they missed me crossing the finish line, but it is the thought that counts!).

I showed up, pinned my number to my t-shirt and waited. I hate being late for things, so I was an hour early for the race. I could have helped myself to some snacks… but I don't eat before I run since I imagine myself vomiting along the route (this is also why I don't eat before public speaking).

I’m ready to run this 5k! pic.twitter.com/EznWtuMMvP

— Scott McNulty (@blankbaby) September 9, 2017

Since I had so much time on my hands I checked out the giant colon:

Only the finest 5k races feature giant inflatable colons. pic.twitter.com/Ae61rCfU9f

— Scott McNulty (@blankbaby) September 9, 2017

Soon it was time to start the race. I was surrounded by people in much better shape than me (some of whom were wearing nothing but their underwear. I was wearing the pair of boxers they gave to runners [it was an undy run] over my running shorts… doubly secured).

And off I went! My goal for this race was simple: pace myself. During my practice runs I was so excited to be running outside that my first mile would be super fast (well, for me) and then the second mile would be slower, and the third mile would be me jogging/walking and hating life.

I didn't want to walk at all during the 5K, and I didn't want to expend all my energy during the first mile. How did I do?

Check out my Runkeeper stats:

I am very proud of how darn consistent I was able to keep my pacing. How did I manage it? Well, I had set Runkeeper to tell me my pace at 1 mile intervals, which really meant that I couldn't adjust at all. Before the race I set it to alert me every .5 mile (which I didn't think would be too annoying) and it worked like a charm.

Now, when I registered for the race I had two fears:

• I would be the fattest person running.
• I would come in dead last.

I'm happy to report that only one of those fears was true, which made the fact that the second didn't come true all the sweeter.

Sure, I was the biggest guy running (lots of people did the fun walk) but I wasn't the slowest person. Hurrah for me!

Now, I was very far from being the fastest person but I did come in 9th in my age group (104th overall). That's something.

The run itself was pretty good. I made sure to run along the far edge of the road so people could easily pass me (since I wasn't running very fast). We ran 1.5 miles one way, turned around, and ran back.

The way out was great. I was chugging along. Passing some people, having some people pass me. No big deal. Then I turned the corner, passed the water station (no water for me, thanks. Don't want to vomit) and ended up behind 3 teenage girls walking side by side on the race route. It was clear that they were friends since they were chatting amongst themselves. No big deal, but they were blocking the entire half of the road. I sped up, swerved around them and passed them.

No big deal.

Well, having seen an old fat guy pass them they decided they needed to speed up themselves and so they passed me. And kept running. Until they started walking again. And, you guessed it, I had to pass them again since I was running at a consistent speed.

Once again, they saw this… and decided to run pass me again.

And then they started walking side by side again.

So I passed them, again.

And this was with about .7 miles left, so I was pretty sure they would run past me and beat me to the finish line… but I didn't see them again.

Therefore I assume I beat them. Take that, teenage girls who I am sure have no memory of me even being there!

According to the race chip I ran the 5K in 31:39 which gave me an average pace of a 10 minute 11 second mile (3 times in a row!).

And then I ate two bananas and drank all the water:

I am done! My fastest 5K yet. And thanks to everyone who donated! Plus there were free bananas! pic.twitter.com/SfKHjDfILn

— Scott McNulty (@blankbaby) September 9, 2017

When I ran my last 5K (9 years ago) it took me 33:03, so I improved without really trying. Hurrah for me.

And a much bigger hurrah to everyone who donated to the cause. I was almost the top fundraiser for the race (I was bet by $75 but I'm ok with that).

50 pounds

I knew there was a problem when I had to limit myself to wearing 7 out of 71 of my Hawaiian shirts.

Ok, don't get hung up on the fact that I have 71 Hawaiian shirts. That's not what this post is about.

I'm blessed, or cursed, with a very good self image. The upside? When I look in the mirror I think to myself, “My, what a handsome young man!” That's great! Everyone should like the way they look, if you ask me.

The down side? The fact that I had gained back lots of the weight I had lost without noticing.

Sure, my pants were snug. But there's an easy solution to that: new pants! And during the winter I wear sweaters which are very forgiving to an expanding belly.

Of course, I knew something was up when several of my Hawaiian shirts didn't fit. Even some of the “fat” shirts I have on reserve (for you skinny people out there those are the shirts I know are a little big, so I can always be certain they'll fit even if other shirts seem to have… shrunk) didn't fit. No bueno.

I've been down this road before, and I've even lost over 100 pounds! When I finally hopped on the scale I found out that I had gained back 70 of those pounds (over the course of several years, but still!). I did find some solace in the fact that I hadn't gained it all back; cold comfort.

Clearly, I needed to do something. But what? Previously I cut carbs out of my diet completely and had seen some great results. The problem with this is that I would stop eating carbs for several weeks and then black out only to awaken surrounded by the crumby remains of several cakes, empty husks of bread, and chip bags drifting down our hallway like tumbleweeds.

What I'm saying is the carb free lifestyle isn't sustainable for me.

But then I cracked the weight lose secret, and I'm going to share it with you right now. Are you sitting down, people, because this is big! Roswell aliens big. Jimmy Hoffa's corpse big!

The best way to shed the extra pounds? Eating sensibly and moving more!

WHAT?!

Now, I know that doesn't work for everyone, and that truly sucks. Hell, it doesn't work for me!

I've known forever that I should eat sensible portions and exercise. But if I could do that I wouldn't NEED to do that, if you catch my drift.

At the tender age of 40 I've come to the conclusion that I have no idea how to eat like a normal person. When left to my own devices I make the worst food choices, though to my credit I also make those choices a lot resulting in consuming a staggering amount of calories.

That leaves me with a problem: I know the solution to my weight problem but I'm seemingly incapable of doing it. What is a fat guy to do?

I found the answer, as one does to so many of life's problems, in Oprah; praised be her name.

One night Marisa and I were watching The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Oprah was a guest. She was on to talk about being Oprah, of course, but also to chat up her new cookbook. Now, you can't just write a cookbook these days (says the guy who is married to a cookbook author), you need a hook. Even Oprah, praised be her name, needs a hook! And this cookbook featured recipes, as cookbooks so often do, but each of the recipes included their Weight Watchers Smart Point values.

Turns out, as the kids say, that Oprah recently-ish bought part of that venerable weight loss institution Weight Watchers. And her cookbook was like a Trojan Horse to seduce unsuspecting guys named Scott into signing up for Weight Watchers.

Reader, I bought the book. I signed up for Weight Watchers. I weighed my food. I tracked my points. I went to the gym. I've lost 50 pounds in 5 months.

Let me repeat that: I've lost 50 pounds in 5 months!

Which means that I've managed to track my food every day for the last 5 months (I would say religiously but I'm an atheist). Warning, I'm about to sound like a Weight Watchers commercial but they haven't paid me a cent (Oprah? Feel free to send me some money. Or one of your favorite things.): it hasn't felt like I've been on a diet. But I've totally been on a diet.

What does it feel like? It sort of feels like I'm learning how to eat like a responsible adult. This isn't fun, I'll grant you, but it hasn't been horrible either.

Now, if you're not familiar with Weight Watchers let me give you the basics. You're assigned a number of Smart Points each day based on your height, weight, and what your goal is (losing weight/maintaining). Various foodstuffs are assigned point values based on a formula that takes into account calories, protein, and the like. You are allowed to eat as much food as you have points for, but once you're out of points you stop eating.

Still hunger? Good news! Vegetables and fruits are 0 points. Eat all you want!

You can sign up for a membership that includes in person meetings, but I don't like people so I opted for the online only membership. This gives you access to the Weight Watchers app which features a barcode scanner. Here's how that works: Pick up a bag of Oreos, scan it to find out how many points are in a serving, figure that isn't too bad since a serving of Oreos is clearly “the whole package,” double check the serving size, question everything anyone has ever told you, put the Oreos package down, and eat a banana.

The app is great because not only does it include a huge database of scannable food, but you can also use a point calculator to find out how many points things that aren't listed have (I've calculated how many points my favorite Sweetgreen salad is [16] and how many points my formally favorite Wawa hoagie has [so, so many points, you guys.]). Plus you can input recipes and it spits out how many points are in each serving (based on the number of servings the recipe makes). This has made Marisa happy since my previous diets of no carbs, dairy, or legumes would make cooking for me more challenging than it usually is.

A Brief Review of the Weight Watchers iOS app

Overall, the app does what it says on the tin. It allows you to easily look up and track your points, enter your weight, and it'll even sync with a FitBit or Apple Health to give you Fit Points (you get points for activities that you can use to supplement your daily points. I have yet to use any! But I accrue them like a mofo).

There are, however, a few areas for improvement:

• Without a network connection the app is pretty useless. It would be nice if there was even a limited database of foods on device (perhaps it could remember your frequently used foods?). Not a huge deal, but if you want to see a bunch of angry dieters just search for Weight Watchers outage on Twitter.
• Keep me logged in for Christ's sake! I don't know why, but this app seems to have trouble remembering me, and I'm starting to take it personally. Maybe if I lose more weight then the app will love me. IS THAT IT, WEIGHT WATCHERS APP?!
• While I love scanning food, for some reason you can't scan things to add them to a recipe that you're creating. This is dumb and should be fixed.

Thus ends the mini review of the Weight Watchers iOS app

That's the eating part, which lots of people tell me is the most important part, but what about the exercising (autocorrect, knowing me it would seem, kept changing exercising to “excess icing.” Thanks, iPad, you're a jerk.)?

For awhile I was running like a madman, but I've decided that I like my joints so I should probably do something else in the gym. I cast my mind back several years to when I lost these 100 pounds the first time around and recalled that most magical of exercise equipment: the elliptical. Have you ever wanted to kind of run while hovering a few inches off the ground and simultaneously staying in one place? The elliptical is for you!

I do an hour on the elliptical in two week cycles. The first week I go Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The second week's sequence is Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Having a schedule is super important because I know I have to go to the gym. And I can watch a nice BBC show as I workout (tonight I'll be watching the last episode of Series 3 of The Doctor Blake Mysteries, but I'll write another post about all the shows I've watched at the gym covered in sweat and grunting).

All of this work is paying off, but the sad irony is that while I've lost 50 pounds and I feel good about it I still need to get rid of at least about 50 more. If I stop and think about that it makes me want to eat a chocolate chip muffin (31 points) in a dark room, so I don't think about it.

However, when I have those chocolate chip muffin thoughts I remember the deal I made with myself: I'm going to use Weight Watchers for a year and see how I feel/how I did. My weight along the way should be trending downward, but the goal is still 7 months away.

This leads to an obvious question: what's my goal? Well, it would be nice to lose 100 pounds total so why not make that my goal?

All 71 of my Hawaiian shirts fit now.

Running progress 2

5 months ago I posted that I was trying to get back to being able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill. Then, a funny thing happened. I had to run outside for a screen shot for my latest book (which I'll blog about later), and it wasn't awful.

I've shifted to running outside almost exclusively now (though it is rough in the summer, so I still hit the treadmill from time to time.. I plan to tonight!). I haven't hit a consistent 10 minute mile outside yet, in fact, I'm pretty far from it. However, I have been concentrating on distance over time. What does that mean?

It means I ran 7 flipping miles on Sunday! Which is crazy.

Even crazier? It didn't totally suck.

330

You may recall that before I got married I realized that I needed to get back on the bandwagon and shed some weight. The good news is that I did, in fact, lose some weight (enough to look good in my wedding photos) but the bad news is that we had lots of great food during the honeymoon.

That, in and of itself, wouldn't have been a problem if I had gone back to the gym after returning home. I didn't. I also didn't stop eating like a mad man, and now I've gained all the weight I lost before the wedding back (and then some!).

What is a fat guy to do? Why, turn to a webapp that a smart Philly area developer just launched called Lose It or Lose It. The idea is simple: you decide on a goal (mine is to lose 30 pounds in 10 weeks) and the app lets you decide how much money you're willing to lose should you not meet that goal ($200 in my case). You weigh in every week, and if you don't hit your goal you are penalized a small bit. At the end of the 10 week period you get back all the money you put up if you meet your goal. If you don't meet your goal you get back the money you put up minus any penalties.

Fairly simple, I think. Check out my profile here. I'm certain that by mid-January I will be at least 30 pounds lighter (and I'll fit into more of my Hawaiian shirts!).

Sour Cream & Onion Quakes

Thanks to the whole Scott Gets Fit thing I've had to rethink my snacking behavior. Gone are the days when I would get 14 donuts and a pint of ice cream (that's a slight exaggeration, I would eat 2 donuts and a pint of ice cream max). However, it is silly to think that since you're trying to lose weight you can't have a snack.

Today I was at the store getting some salad dressing for dinner (well, to put on the salad that I was having for dinner) and I saw these Sour Cream & Onion Quake sitting on the shelf. I enjoy rice cakes, and I enjoy sour cream and onion so I thought it was prudent to give them a shot.

10 cakes is 70 calories, which isn't bad I suppose, but the important thing is that they are super tasty. I might be in love with the Quaker Oats dude (or is that Barbara Bush?).

A note to Philadelphia's street population

I don't want to make light of the homeless situation here in Philadelphia. There are lots of homeless people in this fine city, and I am sure there are a myriad of reasons why this is the case. As you might expect, some of Philadelphia's homeless population ask passersby for change for food (or what have you).

I've live in Philly for awhile now, but at heart I'm still a New Yorker and as such I have no problem ignoring/saying no to panhandlers. However, I guess I have a kind face or look like a sucker as most panhandlers see me as an easy mark, so I often get many requests for money.

A good tactic for begging is trying to create some sort of a bond, either real or imagined. Someone who looks kindly upon you will have a harder time saying no. I get this. Sadly, most people who ask me for money often take the wrong tact.

Picture this: It is a spring day in Philadelphia. Our hero Scott (that's me!) is walking across Rittenhouse Square with a song in his heart and a spring in his step. As he meanders across the square a fellow makes eye contact and initiates conversation. It is clear to Scott that the man wants money.

'Hey, big guy! Have any spare change?'

And there you have it. Panhandlers of all types call me 'big guy' in the hopes that I will look upon this nickname with fondness and take out my big guy wallet with a grin on my big guy face and give them all my big guy money and be on my big guy way (no doubt to a big guy destination).

Here's a tip, Philly homeless people, drawing my attention to the fact that I am a 'big guy' isn't a service I consider worth paying for. Generally speaking, pointing out someone's shortcomings isn't the path to riches (Dr. Phil is an outlier here). When you see a short guy do you call out, 'Hey! Short stuff! Gimme money!'

I bet you don't.

In conclusion, if you want me to give you money don't call me fat. And you can take that to the big guy bank.

Progress

Calvert DeForest, a.k.a Larry 'Bud' Melman, is no more

Calvert DeForest died today. You might remember him from David Letterman's show where he played the character Larry 'Bud' Melman. He always got a laugh from me, what with his odd delivery of pretty random stuff (my favorite kind of humor).

Death has been in my thoughts a lot as of late. Well, perhaps not a lot, but more than usual. A friend of mine recently died due to complications from surgery and I don't think he was much older than I am. Not to mention the sudden, and entirely unexpected, death of Star. It really makes you think about what you're doing with your life.

Death is also a great motivator, at least for me. It is the main reason I have managed to shed 75 pounds in recent months. Death is a constant thought in the back of my mind as I go about my day. I really don't want to be another person who dies because they didn't take care of themselves (though heart disease does run in my family. Hurrah!). I'm not afraid of dying, really, so much as not willing to miss out on everything that will happen after I'm gone. I don't believe in an afterlife, or reincarnation, or anything along those lines. This life is the only one I get, and I damn well better enjoy it.

Heavy stuff, huh? I promise I'm not depressed! I'm a pragmatist when it comes to my own death (cremation, I think, is what'll happen to my body since I doubt any of my organs are harvestable... but the doctors should check. If they can use it, they can have it!) but I am against it happening to other people.

The benefits of stepping outside your comfort zone

Just so you know that all that comfort zone bellyaching is all that isn't the only thing going on in my pretty little head, here's something more upbeat.

As you may, or may not, know I'm a fat guy. 6 months ago I decided to do something about it (mostly because my doctor was like, ' You do want to live past 50, right? Because at the rate you're going that ain't going to happen.' The fear of death is a powerful thing). I catapulted out of my comfort zone and started going to the gym at work. Now, keep in mind that I work on the campus of a University. That means that there are lots of good looking people in the prime of their lives all over the frickin' place, and the most fit of them seem to gather at the gym to judge the less fit (and older) patrons.

The gym wasn't a comfortable place for me.

A few months into it though, I stopped caring about what the slim, goodlooking people might think of this fat geek getting all sweaty in their gym and started to enjoy the impact that regularly working out had on my life. If I hadn't crossed the border of my comfort zone I wouldn't have lost 71 pounds (and counting) AND (this is the reason for the picture) I wouldn't be wearing this shirt today.

I bought this shirt a few years ago, and when I got home I realized that it didn't fit me. It was a little tight, so I put it in my closet thinking I would be able to wear it shortly. A couple of years (and probably 50 pounds) later, there was no hope that this shirt would fit me.

After several months outside of my comfort zone (and being covered in sweat), the shirt fits and I look pretty darned good in it.

The moral of the story? Umm, always hang onto shirts that don't fit you... or something.

Christmas Past/Present

The Christmas edition of the series called, 'Look how good looking I am,' or 'Was I really that fat?' The first one in the series can be found here.

The picture on the left was taken exactly one year ago, and the one to the right was taken a few hours ago. I really like my new glasses.

5 questions for me?

Colin asked and I answered.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am a successful dieter, but I suppose losing 48 pounds is a success. I'm still fat though (and phat).

What a difference eight months makes

Friday evening I was making my way to D&D when I came across Tim (he's the DM) on his way to pick up pizza for the night (many a D&D adventurer is fueled by pizza). I offered my assistance in getting the grub, and we got to chatting. Tim told me that he could really see a difference in me, especially in my face, and not just from when I started this whole fitness thing, but even from a few weeks ago.

As many of you know I have been losing weight (44 pounds so far), but I really don't see a difference in my appearance. I notice clothes that didn't fit before are fitting now (for example I am wearing a 2XL polo shirt right now, I haven't been able to do that in a long time). I explained this to Tim, and he suggested that I just look at a picture of myself from a little while ago and compare it to a recent one. This had occurred to me, and in fact I have done it but I didn't notice anything. Then Tim's genius was revealed, he said to compare close ups of my face. Brilliant!

I promptly forgot about the idea, until I put on my shirt today. I realized that I had taken a picture of myself sitting in my chair wearing this shirt months ago. Why not take another picture of myself wearing this shirt today and compare it to the other?

So I did, and that's what you see above. I really can see a difference (though ignore the different coloring as I adjusted the levels on the new pic, not so much on the old one).

Is it possible that I lost 44 pounds of face fat? I suppose not, but goodness me I wasn't looking too hot there, though my collar was popped. The real kicker, of course, is that the changes in my lifestyle which resulted in this weight loss were very simple. I mean, I don't really even miss much of anything (other than sweet, sweet Pepsi).

To recap: I have have gone from sexy to sexier in a mere 3 months, at this rate I'll be the sexiest man on the planet in under 5 months. Ladies, now is the time to get on the ground-floor of super sexy Scott. I'm just saying.

40 pounds in 3.5 months

I am awesome! Well, I don't know if I'm awesome but I am 10% lighter than I was a few months ago and that's gotta count for something, right?

I don't sweat, I glow

It is true! Check out this picture that I just took after coming home from the gym. I'm glowing like a pig!

Bra fat begone!

I'm fairly sure that is what the lady said in the promo for NBC 10's newscast. Is bra fat a big problem? I'm not even sure I know what bra fat is.

My ears check out

Woo! My ears are fine. Now they want to check my cholesterol, which I bet isn't fine. Wish me luck.

Scott Gets Fit

Everyone gather round and welcome the newest member of the Blankbaby Media Empire: Scott Gets Fit. That's right, I'm finally going to lose some weight and I'm going to blog about the process. I can't really imagine anyone wanting to read about me exercising, but who am I to judge what you're interested in. I explain why I started Scott Gets Fit here, so check it out and wish me luck!

Philebrity Fit Club

I have come to the conclusion that Philebrity is brilliant. They are having a Philebrity Fit Club (as I found out via Philly Sucks. I do subscribe to Philebrity, but I tend to skim).

So, dear readers, should I enter this contest that will no doubt humiliate me (good thing I am used to that)?

I mean, I am Philadelphia's Influential Blogger™, and I would wager I am also Philly's fattest blogger. It seems like a marriage made in heaven. Plus I would get some sweet 'kicks,' as the kids call them.

I'm finally doing it!

That's right, I'm getting serious about dieting.  My friend Joe forwarded a link to SparkPeople to me.  It is an online dieting site that creates a diet for you according to your goals.  It also plans your meals for me (which is super cool).  Best of all?  It is free!

My goals for this first step of my diet are as follows (I am supposed to do each of these things daily):

• Drink 8 8oz cups of water
• Get 10 minutes of cardio exercise
• Write in a journal

Not too bad, and in keeping with the third listed goal I am creating a new category called 'Fitness Journey.'  You all get to watch as I diet (and most likely ultimately fail).  It is all about the journey, not the destination.