Goal Weight: 225 lbs.

February 2, 2006 314 lbs.
March, 3, 2007 278 lbs.
May 18, 2008 247 lbs.
May 28, 2008 244 lbs

Total Weight Loss to Date: 70lbs!
19 lbs to go!!!

This is off-topic, but still worth noting. Today, I felt better and decided to go to the Griffith Park Observatory.The weather was PERFECT! Slightly cool and cloudy.

Parking was scarce, and the nearest spot was about a mile and a half away. I almost drove home, but decided to park in what seemed to be the closest spot.

Then, my uphill battle began. It was a gorgeous hike, and I took many pictures along the way, and even at the top. The walk back down was great too.

This slideshow shows some highlights. Enjoy!

I had a chance to see this movie a couple weeks back and I LOVED it. If you are a runner, want to be a runner, or just want a good laugh, then this is the flick for you!

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=IcTNIAWetRI]

This isn’t a post on “running” per se, but it’s still important to update my health status. Tomorrow, I was supposed to run the Brentwood 5k, but I am going to pull out. I will run my next 5k in Salt Lake City in June…yes that’s right, I’m coming home!

Here’s what happened:

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been coughing up a lung. It’s been non-stop particularly at night, so last night I went to the Kaiser Hospital (again) and got myself checked out.

First, I spent about 30 minutes on a nebulizer to help open up my airways a bit. I felt much better after this. Then, after an examination and x-rays, the docs determined that my asthma is caused by “chronic allergic rhinitis”, which I’m told is a fancy term for hayfever. Allergies. That’s what all this asthmatic nonsense has come to.

Last night, I had internet access, so I did a bit of research. I found out that about 80% of asthma cases are related to allergies. 80%! I don’t know how accurate this report it, but it sounded somewhat official.

In any case, I’m now undergoing a treatment of Prednisone (steroid), Flonase (steroid), Sudafed PE (otc), and Sinus Rinse (otc). Please check out Sinus Rinse. This is a really cool product and ANYONE can use it, regardless of your sinus issues. It’s a great way to clear out your sinuses.

I should be done coughing in no time, and back on my feet. Until then, I need to find something that can occupy my sick time. Any suggestions?

This is a test post using ScribeFire. In the past, I’ve used the WordPress interface to update this blog.

Goal Weight: 225 lbs.

February 2, 2006 314 lbs.
March, 3, 2007 278 lbs.
May 18, 2008 247 lbs.

Total Weight Loss to Date: 67 lbs!
Total Reduction of Inches from Waist: 6!

Next week, I will run in the Brentwood 5k in you guessed it…Brentwood. I will report back my timing. I suppose I should set a goal. My last 5k was 42 minutes, which was a PR.

I’m slow…I know it…but let’s see if working out has helped. If I can’t beat this time, then I will have to tweak my program a bit.

It’s been far too long since I last wrote. I’m sorry for that, but I am in “off-season”. My next “season will begin later this year.

As mentioned before, my goal this summer is to get myself in great shape. I’ve reduced my fast food intake (to just about none), eating portioned meals throughout the day, and staying physically active five days a week.

Over the past two-three weeks, I’ve started using the Concept2 rowing machine. This is a machine that will really get you going. It’s a great cross-training workout because it’s low impact and helps build muscle throughout the body. One of my trouble areas is a weak upper body, and this has been helping me build muscle in key areas for my marathons: back, shoulders and arms.

Ok before I get into my next topic, I’d like to give you all a short story. When I moved to Los Angeles just over three years ago, I was severely overweight. I’m still overweight, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was in 2005. I weighed 314 pounds! Today, I am happy (but not yet content) with my current weight of 247!

67 pounds! Gone. I don’t want to see them again. Ever.

Having said that, I would like to cut myself down to 210-220. There’s still a long road to go.

Why am I blabbing about all this? Well, it’s 104 degrees outside right now and I can’t do much. So I decided to start cleaning out my closets. I dumped three boxes of clothes into my living room and sorted through them. Turns out that 90% of the clothes no longer fit because they are ridiculously large.

Pants that are XXL, 44 waist, shirts that are XXL (big big big).

Taking these out to the donation center was a bit rough for me. I was saying goodbye to my former self. My clothes. MY clothes.

Going through these clothes brought back so many wonderful and painful memories: Clifford’s birthday party, my first job interview in LA, the clothes I wore when I got laid off, and even my favorite shirt.

Today is a new day, and tomorrow will be as well. It was just nice to go through these garments, one last time.