Jim's Place

Check out my "Greetings" video!

I justed added a short webcam video to my website. Just wanted to 'Hi!' to my family, friends and Body-For-Life buddies! I plan on creating a new webcam video every few days or so depending on what's going on.To play it just click on Download Greetings in the "Videos" column on the left side of the page. It should then download and play in Windows Media Player.

Just call me Dr. Jim!!!

I gotta tell ya! I'm a real piece of work! I just got off the phone with my endocrinologist. He wasn't sure what was going on with my medical condition lately, but I think I may have figured it out... For those of you who don't know, I have a hormonal disorder - pituitary failure - that causes the body to stop producing hormones. My treatment requires me to take all those hormones - thyroid (Synthroid), testosterone (Androgel), cortisol (Cortef) and growth hormone.

The last several weeks I've been frustrated with the scale sticking and suspected that at least part of the reason might be incorrect dosages of my medications - especially since they need to be adjusted every time my weight changes significantly. Too high of cortisol will cause weight gain and if you don't have enough your body can't metabolize fat. Since I have started doing long bike rides I've been concerned that the levels might be too low because endurance exercise depletes cortisol levels.

Little things do make a difference...

I haven't worked out since last week because I haven't been feeling too well. It feels like a stomach bug but with my underlying illness I'm always wondering if something else isn't going on.

I also haven't seen the scale move much lately and even my measurements haven't gone down hardly at all. So today I started looking at the big picture of my program and wondering when I would finally get down to my goal weight of 170-180 lbs. I'm grateful to have lost so much weight but I'm really anxious to break out of the 210 lb plateau and get below 200... As a result, I came up with a few areas I can improve on such as drink more water, more vegetables, etc...

But Body-For-Life is a party!

Greetings to my fellow Body-For-Lifers!

I know many people think of Body-For-Life or any fitness program as being a polar opposite to 'partying and having a good time'. I certainly understand the perspective. BFL requires focus, discipline, persistent effort and you could even view it as stressful at times. "Partying" on the other hand is perceived as a carefree, giddy, relaxed and stress-free state usually accompanied by indulgences such as food and drink. It's what so many people feel they need to escape their reality...

But Body-For-Life is about making your reality better. Many if not most people strive to escape the stresses and pains of life. Certainly job, family, relationships, financial and other pressures can make the "working for the weekend" approach to life seem quite appealing. I know several people who don't really enjoy their day-to-day existence that much and have adopted the perspective of "How can I get through the day with the least amount of pain?" The highpoints in their lives are often centered around escaping pain - not experiencing joy. They seek comfort but their focus on escape provides only temporary diversion and ultimately just adds more misery... They don't feel good about their bodies or themselves. On the outside they may be partying but deep inside they know something isn't right. But Hey! That's just life! Right? Go with the flow!!

My dinner with Udenia!

Had a great dinner last night with my Body-For-Life buddy Udenia at the Outback restaurant! I really enjoyed spending time with her. We both have a passion for fitness and life for that matter. She is such a contrast to so many people who are just going through the motions and really don't live with passion. We didn't quite solve all the world's problems but we sure got off to a good start! Click on the pictures below for a larger version.

To my Body-For-Life buddies who have fallen off the wagon...

I've noticed lately that several of my BFL buddies have been having issues with staying on track with their programs. Some have strayed...some have fallen off the wagon...and frankly, it looks like some may have even been run over a couple of times by that proverbial wagon! (Yuk! Yuk!) Although I haven't exactly fallen off the wagon, I can certainly relate...

I'm in week 4 of my third challenge and was thinking the other day about how I wanted to celebrate after I complete this challenge. I have dropped 95 lbs since I started BFL in January and a total of 120 lbs since early last November. By the end of this challenge I expect to be close to my goal weight of 170-180lbs. I'll be flying back to Texas to celebrate in October with my family. I have abstained from drinking since I started BFL but plan on partying a bit when I go back to Texas. But that got me to thinking...

First place in the local "Outpower Lance" contest!

Went to the local Trek bicycle store this afternoon. They were having a contest to see who could generate the most power on their indoor bike. Lance Armstrong (You do know who he is, don't you?!) generates 760 watts in a 30-second peak measurement. I was surprised that I was able to hit 713 and even more surprised that I had the highest number! I was just going to do it to get a baseline to see how well my training is going. I guess it's going pretty well! But frankly, with all the weight my legs have been having to haul up hills on the bike, they have had no choice but to be powerful! Anyway, it was a nice little victory and a confidence builder.

New photo albums!

Just created 2 new photos albums. Family Photos  is a batch of older photos I scanned in. The Big House  is of course the house we built on Altamesa back in 1974. Click on the links or simply go to the photo albums column on the left. BTW -- Here's a tip about viewing photo albums that you may not know about. When you're looking at photos you can easily go back to the main page of my website by clicking on the "jimsplace.typepad.com" link in the heading of the photo album.

A special Tour De France moment for me...

Yesterday I stopped by a local sports bar/restaurant to get something to eat. This place has a lot of plasma TVs and good food and is a nice place to watch sports. Well, as I was leaving I recognized an older white-haired man sitting at the bar...

"Hi guy! Remember me? I met you last summer in late July. We were sitting here having drinks and watching the Tour De France. You may not recognize me because I'm a lot lighter now...120 lbs lighter!"

He stared for a moment and then replied "Yeah, I do remember.. Holy crap! You've lost a lot of weight! Good job!"

I distinctly remember my conversations with him last summer because I wondered if he thought I was just another big-talking drunk bragging about how good I used to be on the bike... I had told him about my battles with chronic illness over the last several years (pituitary failure) and how as a result I went from a very athletic 180lb bike rider to 330 lbs, but that someday I was sure I would get my fitness back. Yeah, I'm sure I sounded like so many people hanging out in bars talking about the 'good old days'...

Santee will never be the same...

Guess what! I got to work out with my BFL buddy Udenia today! She took it easy on me so I survived! She's in San Diego this week for a conference. She's in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii. She gave me some good tips for working out on one of the cable machines that I hadn't tried yet. I really like her spark and enthusiasm. We had a lot of fun and it felt like we had been friends for years... Click on the photos below to see a larger version...