My lovely wife has often suspected that I suffer from a mild case of dyslexia. Mostly because I am constantly inverting or screwing up numbers.
To lend further credence to my lovely wife's suspicions, check out this comment from some anonymous soul about this weeks weigh-in.
"124? Dude, that's not a gain - that's a huge loss (I mean, typo)."
So yeah, that should have said 224.8.
Funny thing is I typed wrong again just now.
Could just be a case of wishful typing.
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Weigh-In Week 74
As predicted a gain.
124.8. That's what it said on the scale. A gain of 3.8 pounds. That holiday weight just didn't want to go away. Back on track this week. I can not end the year above 220. Which means, I have to get some insurance before the holidays. I'm going to try my darnedest to get under 220 for next week. A tall order I know...but I need the motivation.
Sorry about the lack of photos. I manged to lose our camera...or it was stolen, not sure which one yet. Either way it will have to be replaced.
I stopped on my way into work to offer a ride to an injured runner. He was an older guy limping along. It looked like he'd pulled something and he was going nowhere fast. I figured it would be good karma to offer a hand. I know I'd want someone to stop if I was far from home and the temp was hovering around 10 degrees.
Turns out the guy was only a few blocks from home and didn't need a ride...although he apparently needed someone to talk to. He took ten minutes to tell me his whole life story before telling me he was fine. Nice guy though and not a bad way to break up the boredom of the morning drive.
Have a great weekend everybody. Ours is packed with family fun, hope yours is to.
Tony
12/05 224.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
124.8. That's what it said on the scale. A gain of 3.8 pounds. That holiday weight just didn't want to go away. Back on track this week. I can not end the year above 220. Which means, I have to get some insurance before the holidays. I'm going to try my darnedest to get under 220 for next week. A tall order I know...but I need the motivation.
Sorry about the lack of photos. I manged to lose our camera...or it was stolen, not sure which one yet. Either way it will have to be replaced.
I stopped on my way into work to offer a ride to an injured runner. He was an older guy limping along. It looked like he'd pulled something and he was going nowhere fast. I figured it would be good karma to offer a hand. I know I'd want someone to stop if I was far from home and the temp was hovering around 10 degrees.
Turns out the guy was only a few blocks from home and didn't need a ride...although he apparently needed someone to talk to. He took ten minutes to tell me his whole life story before telling me he was fine. Nice guy though and not a bad way to break up the boredom of the morning drive.
Have a great weekend everybody. Ours is packed with family fun, hope yours is to.
Tony
12/05 224.8 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 74
Excuse me, can someone fix this broken record player?
There will be a gain this week. Sorry to disappoint. You deserve better. I deserve better. I will do better next week.
Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
12/04 221 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
There will be a gain this week. Sorry to disappoint. You deserve better. I deserve better. I will do better next week.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
12/04 221 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Weigh-In Week 73 and Race Report
I got a little overwhelmed by leftover turkey and balck Friday super shopping and trips to see Santa and general holiday laziness and never quite got around to weighing in as I promised.
Sorry, but really I can't imagine there were too many people frantically hitting refresh Friday morning to see how my Gabble Gallop race went.
First the weigh in.
I forgot our scale at home so I weighed myself on my in-laws scales. Yes I said scales. One scale had me at 219 on Thursday morning. The other had me at 222. I'm going to make the official weigh in weight 221, since my mother-in-law thinks her digital scale is about 1 pound off from ours at home.
Bummer that I bumped back up over 220 again but sadly not unexpected. It's going to take a bit of a miracle to get back down under 220 this week. I just couldn't resist all those yummy pies!!!
As for the race, it was a ton of fun. Not my best race...in fact it may be my slowest time yet. But Laura and I had a great time getting up early and heading down to the lake. Laura ran into a bunch of people she knew, and I think she was a little proud to be one of those "crazy people who would get up and go for a run on Thanksgiving morning when it's only 22 degrees outside." I know I was pretty proud.
It sure helps a lot to have two awesome in-laws who are willing to take care of and bathe twin 2 year olds and cook a dinner for 12 at the same time, just so the kids can go be wild and crazy.
Here are the race results:
28:27.4 Was the official time
I finished 366 out 910
I was 299 out of 401 Men
I was 58 out of 97 Men 30-39
My pace was 9:10 per mile.
I think everybody's times were a little slow. It snowed like crazy from 5am to 9 am the morning of the race so by the time we started at 9:30 the roads were crazy slippery. I think being so careful not to fall wore me down faster and as I got tired I slowed down even more to avoid slipping, resulting in a slow last 1.1 miles.
In the long run (no pun intended) I was out to have fun, so mission accomplished.
Tony
12/01 221 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Sorry, but really I can't imagine there were too many people frantically hitting refresh Friday morning to see how my Gabble Gallop race went.
First the weigh in.
I forgot our scale at home so I weighed myself on my in-laws scales. Yes I said scales. One scale had me at 219 on Thursday morning. The other had me at 222. I'm going to make the official weigh in weight 221, since my mother-in-law thinks her digital scale is about 1 pound off from ours at home.
Bummer that I bumped back up over 220 again but sadly not unexpected. It's going to take a bit of a miracle to get back down under 220 this week. I just couldn't resist all those yummy pies!!!
As for the race, it was a ton of fun. Not my best race...in fact it may be my slowest time yet. But Laura and I had a great time getting up early and heading down to the lake. Laura ran into a bunch of people she knew, and I think she was a little proud to be one of those "crazy people who would get up and go for a run on Thanksgiving morning when it's only 22 degrees outside." I know I was pretty proud.
It sure helps a lot to have two awesome in-laws who are willing to take care of and bathe twin 2 year olds and cook a dinner for 12 at the same time, just so the kids can go be wild and crazy.
Here are the race results:
28:27.4 Was the official time
I finished 366 out 910
I was 299 out of 401 Men
I was 58 out of 97 Men 30-39
My pace was 9:10 per mile.
I think everybody's times were a little slow. It snowed like crazy from 5am to 9 am the morning of the race so by the time we started at 9:30 the roads were crazy slippery. I think being so careful not to fall wore me down faster and as I got tired I slowed down even more to avoid slipping, resulting in a slow last 1.1 miles.
In the long run (no pun intended) I was out to have fun, so mission accomplished.
Tony
12/01 221 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 73
I almost forgot.
I am expecting small up tick on the scale tomorrow due to a lack of workout and a big lunch today. Hopefully only temporary.
The weigh in and thanksgiving day race report will be up sometime on Thursday or Friday.
Have a wonderful, merry Thanksgiving everyone.
Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/26 219.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
I am expecting small up tick on the scale tomorrow due to a lack of workout and a big lunch today. Hopefully only temporary.
The weigh in and thanksgiving day race report will be up sometime on Thursday or Friday.
Have a wonderful, merry Thanksgiving everyone.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/26 219.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Quick Reminder
The Guess How Much I Weigh contest will be tomorrow (Wed.) with a weigh-in on Thursday, Thanksgiving.
See you tomorrow.
Tony
See you tomorrow.
Tony
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Weigh-In Week 72
219.4!!! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2.6!
Hurray. Back below 220 again and feeling good. This is going to be a tough week to stay on track but I am determined to keep this good streak going right on through the holidays.
I really want to reach Christmas with some progress from where I was last year.
You know what, that's kind of the wrong way to look at it. This whole thing was about getting healthy, not just losing weight and that has been what this year was about. And on that end I have made some huge changes.
So let's rephrase. I would really like to get down to or close to a new low by the end of the year, but if I don't I will celebrate all of the amazing athletic accomplishments I have had this year and feel no regret about the the year I have had.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
11/21 219.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
A little less to go
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 72
This has been a good week. I finally feel like I am back on track for the first time in a month. I should be looking at a nice size loss this week (fingers crossed) and if all goes well today, I should be back under 220 by tomorrow morning (double fingers crossed).
I am going to work really hard to minimize any gains that may show up next week due to Thanksgiving. I'm doing the Thanksgiving morning run with my lovely wife and then I hope to get one or two more workouts in while we are off celebrating the Holiday. I really don't want to go 4 days with no workouts!
Also, due to the holiday, next weeks way in will be on Thursday morning. No way am I weighing the day after Thanksgiving.
Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/20 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
I am going to work really hard to minimize any gains that may show up next week due to Thanksgiving. I'm doing the Thanksgiving morning run with my lovely wife and then I hope to get one or two more workouts in while we are off celebrating the Holiday. I really don't want to go 4 days with no workouts!
Also, due to the holiday, next weeks way in will be on Thursday morning. No way am I weighing the day after Thanksgiving.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/20 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Jonsing For Tri Season
I have been getting to know a guy in my building who is a hardcore Iron Man triathlete. We seem to be working out in the gym at the same time a lot lately. Today we spent an hour trading training tips.
You may think that I did all the listening but this guy was asking me a bunch of questions about my weight lifting routine. I felt a little like a ten year old kid trying to explain to a big league all star how to hit a t-ball. None the less it had me feeling really good about the changes I have made in my life.
The fact that I can have a conversation about working out with a guy like that and not have him laugh in my face in the first 15 seconds says a lot abut how far my commitment to training has come.
Our conversation also got me jonesing for triathlon season...and it got me thinking about starting to do more cross training in the gym over the winter to be better prepared for my triathlons next summer.
I singed up for my Thanksgiving 5K this morning. I doubt I'll set a new PR during this race, but I am starting to fell like it could be a good race. I'm excited to have some goals again...even if just for a brief time.
Tony
11/18 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
You may think that I did all the listening but this guy was asking me a bunch of questions about my weight lifting routine. I felt a little like a ten year old kid trying to explain to a big league all star how to hit a t-ball. None the less it had me feeling really good about the changes I have made in my life.
The fact that I can have a conversation about working out with a guy like that and not have him laugh in my face in the first 15 seconds says a lot abut how far my commitment to training has come.
Our conversation also got me jonesing for triathlon season...and it got me thinking about starting to do more cross training in the gym over the winter to be better prepared for my triathlons next summer.
I singed up for my Thanksgiving 5K this morning. I doubt I'll set a new PR during this race, but I am starting to fell like it could be a good race. I'm excited to have some goals again...even if just for a brief time.
Tony
11/18 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Weigh-In Week 71
The punishment is over!!!!
Turns out the worst part about the punishment is the embarrassment of posting these pictures. I was very close to not posting them. There is something weird about voluntarily posting pictures of your bare belly. Believe me I get no exhibitionist thrill out of this.
222! Thats what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2 pounds.
Not quite the 4 I had hopped to lose...then again after gaining 2 pounds over the weekend, I did technically lose 4 pounds since Monday. Turns out spending the weekend raking leaves may be good exercise for the muscles but it doesn't burn as many calories as one might think.
Just have to make it through this week to avoid more consequences, and I am determined to make sure that happens!
Looking at these two pictures side by side does go along way towards making me feel better about posting bare belly pics. It's amazing what losing 40 pounds and hitting the gym for a year does for a guy. Just imagine what the picture on the left would have looked like when I was at my heaviest of 288. On second thought, don't imagine that...dear good please don't imagine that!
Even better. Here is a picture of 222 me superimposed over 262 me. Check out how much less space I take up now!
Looks like my sweet, wonderful, lovely wife and I are going to do some kind of run on Thanksgiving morning, so I've got something new to train for. Which is exactly the motivation I need right now.
Up until Wed. I was having a seriously hard time getting back into the swing of running. Things finally feel like the are starting to click though.
This week big winner would have been my dad. He nailed it right on the head with a guess of 2lbs.
Next week I am determined to be back under 220...and stay there for the rest of the year...or forever... which ever comes first.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
11/14 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Turns out the worst part about the punishment is the embarrassment of posting these pictures. I was very close to not posting them. There is something weird about voluntarily posting pictures of your bare belly. Believe me I get no exhibitionist thrill out of this.
222! Thats what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 2 pounds.
Not quite the 4 I had hopped to lose...then again after gaining 2 pounds over the weekend, I did technically lose 4 pounds since Monday. Turns out spending the weekend raking leaves may be good exercise for the muscles but it doesn't burn as many calories as one might think.
Just have to make it through this week to avoid more consequences, and I am determined to make sure that happens!
Looking at these two pictures side by side does go along way towards making me feel better about posting bare belly pics. It's amazing what losing 40 pounds and hitting the gym for a year does for a guy. Just imagine what the picture on the left would have looked like when I was at my heaviest of 288. On second thought, don't imagine that...dear good please don't imagine that!
Even better. Here is a picture of 222 me superimposed over 262 me. Check out how much less space I take up now!
Looks like my sweet, wonderful, lovely wife and I are going to do some kind of run on Thanksgiving morning, so I've got something new to train for. Which is exactly the motivation I need right now.
Up until Wed. I was having a seriously hard time getting back into the swing of running. Things finally feel like the are starting to click though.
This week big winner would have been my dad. He nailed it right on the head with a guess of 2lbs.
Next week I am determined to be back under 220...and stay there for the rest of the year...or forever... which ever comes first.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
11/14 222 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Guess How Much I weigh Contest - Week 71
Just a quick check in before I run to an all day off site meeting.
I should have a loss this week...as long as I can avoid the treats at the meeting. I don't think I am going to make my goal of losing 4 pounds though.
Not sure that I can take another week without TV, so wish me luck.
Does that sound desperate?
Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/13 224 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
I should have a loss this week...as long as I can avoid the treats at the meeting. I don't think I am going to make my goal of losing 4 pounds though.
Not sure that I can take another week without TV, so wish me luck.
Does that sound desperate?
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/13 224 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Guess Who's Crazy Busy
This guy, that's who.
Sorry for my absence this week. I've got a lot on my plate and not enough time to...eat it. Umm I don't think that is right.
Any way... the punishment is going well so far.
I am greatly enjoying my salads. No really I am. Sure they aren't the healthiest salads on the planet but at least I'm eating salad.
Skipping TV hasn't been too bad, although I will be more than ready to catch up on this weeks shows by the time Friday rolls around.
I'm not doing so good with the cooking dinner though. I'm making the effort but the timing has been tough. And honestly I just kind of forgot on Saturday night. I'm cooking tomorrow night though...even though Laura ordered all the grocery's
Tony
Sorry for my absence this week. I've got a lot on my plate and not enough time to...eat it. Umm I don't think that is right.
Any way... the punishment is going well so far.
I am greatly enjoying my salads. No really I am. Sure they aren't the healthiest salads on the planet but at least I'm eating salad.
Skipping TV hasn't been too bad, although I will be more than ready to catch up on this weeks shows by the time Friday rolls around.
I'm not doing so good with the cooking dinner though. I'm making the effort but the timing has been tough. And honestly I just kind of forgot on Saturday night. I'm cooking tomorrow night though...even though Laura ordered all the grocery's
Tony
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Weigh-In Week 70
224! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A gain of 6-pounds.
(I thought a 224 picture would be too depressing.)
Told you I had been bad.
New effort starts today...as does my punishment. I'm really looking forward to my salad for lunch!
I'll be spending the weekend raking leaves in the freezing cold rain and snow. That has to be good for dropping a few pounds. I am shooting to lose 4 pounds this week. A guys gotta dream big.
I just went looking for a picture of the last time I weighed 224. Turns out I have never had a 224 weigh in. Here's the cool / scary part, the last time I weighed more than 223 was way back in October 2007...over a year ago. Good motivation to lose this gain and lose it quickly...and never get back here again.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
11/06 224 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Heck Of A Lot to go
(I thought a 224 picture would be too depressing.)
Told you I had been bad.
New effort starts today...as does my punishment. I'm really looking forward to my salad for lunch!
I'll be spending the weekend raking leaves in the freezing cold rain and snow. That has to be good for dropping a few pounds. I am shooting to lose 4 pounds this week. A guys gotta dream big.
I just went looking for a picture of the last time I weighed 224. Turns out I have never had a 224 weigh in. Here's the cool / scary part, the last time I weighed more than 223 was way back in October 2007...over a year ago. Good motivation to lose this gain and lose it quickly...and never get back here again.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
11/06 224 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Heck Of A Lot to go
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 70
I managed to do a lot of self sabotaging over the last 2 weeks. I quit going to the gym and started eating way more than I should have. At first I convinced myself it was my right as part of the grieving process to let myself go...then I just got lazy and self indulgent.
So here's the deal. I am going to have a huge gain this week. I have stepped on the scale once in the past two weeks, and it was not good. I don't know how big this big gain is going to be but I know it's not going to be pretty.
I am ready to face the consequences. 3 weeks ago I made another promise to have 4 losses in a row. I did great on week one and took last week off. So tomorrow's weigh-in will officially be week two of the "4 Week Challenge". And I have every intention of taking my punishment like a man. This means:
1. I will have to cook dinner every night for the week.
2. No TV for the week from Friday to Friday (excluding the Girls Bedtime Movie)
3. I have to replace one meal everyday for that week with a salad.
4. The following weeks weigh-in photo will be a picture of my shirtless belly.
Man I forgot all about the salad for a week part. Oh that sucks!
But I have to be held accountable for my actions.
I continue to creep up heavier and heavier every time I fall of the wagon. That must stop.
And just to clarify, to have a successful week next week I only have to have a loss from this weeks weigh-in. I don't need to get back to the week one low... not that I would complain.
Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/06 218 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10 to go
So here's the deal. I am going to have a huge gain this week. I have stepped on the scale once in the past two weeks, and it was not good. I don't know how big this big gain is going to be but I know it's not going to be pretty.
I am ready to face the consequences. 3 weeks ago I made another promise to have 4 losses in a row. I did great on week one and took last week off. So tomorrow's weigh-in will officially be week two of the "4 Week Challenge". And I have every intention of taking my punishment like a man. This means:
1. I will have to cook dinner every night for the week.
2. No TV for the week from Friday to Friday (excluding the Girls Bedtime Movie)
3. I have to replace one meal everyday for that week with a salad.
4. The following weeks weigh-in photo will be a picture of my shirtless belly.
Man I forgot all about the salad for a week part. Oh that sucks!
But I have to be held accountable for my actions.
I continue to creep up heavier and heavier every time I fall of the wagon. That must stop.
And just to clarify, to have a successful week next week I only have to have a loss from this weeks weigh-in. I don't need to get back to the week one low... not that I would complain.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
11/06 218 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10 to go
Monday, November 3, 2008
A Eulogy For My Grandfather Ken Overholt
My grandfather passed away on October 27th at the age of 89. The following is the eulogy I gave at his funeral. I am not posting this in search of sympathy or because I am proud of the these words (which I am).
I post it here for two reasons.
1. My grandfather was an extremely important part of my life and he was a huge supporter of my journey towards a healthier life. Over the last few years every time I saw him he would always greet me with, "Hi Ya Skinny!"
2. Due to the random nature of the Internet hopefully this page will be stumbled upon by someone searching for "Ken Overholt" allowing my Grandfathers memory to live on.
My Grandfather
A Remembrance
About ten years ago I met someone at a party who knew my Grandfather from way back in the day, back when Grandpa was still selling cars.
This man said to me, “Your Grandfather is the best salesman I have ever met. There is not a thing in the world he couldn’t sell and not a person on the planet he couldn’t sell it to”
I won’t lie to you that made me proud. Who doesn’t want their Grandfather to be famous? But being a famous salesman is not what made me most proud of him.
Because even back then I had figured out something fundamental about my grandfather. At his core, being a salesman was not what defined Ken Overholt.
A salesman was what my grandfather was… it was not who he was.
Who Ken Oveholt was, was a dreamer.
My grandfather looked at the world differently.
In his eyes every piece of junk had the potential to be something great.
This is the way he saw people too. In his eyes every person had the potential for greatness.
This is what made my Grandfather such a great salesman.
It’s the same thing that made such a great man.
He wasn’t selling things, he was selling happiness.
I believe that every car he sold, every machine, everything, was simply his way of trying to make people happy. He was doing his part to make their dreams come true.
For my grandfather being a salesman was never about making a sale, it was about giving people joy, the only way he knew how.
Ken Overholt was never Willy Loman, if anything he was Walt Disney.
Over the past week we have had the opportunity to gather together to grieve and rejoice, to share stories and to talk about what Grandpa meant to each of us.
Every single person at some point said the same thing; most of them had the chance to say it to Grandpa himself.
“Ken, This is what you gave to me."
"Ken, This is what you taught me.”
It was obvious to me that Grandpa’s dreams were infectious.
But I guess that has always been obvious to me.
I am so very fortunate to have had such a close relationship with my grandfather my whole life.
We worked together, we played together and he always encouraged me to follow my dreams.
All that time we spent together has had a major impact on my life.
It is one of the foundations of who I became as a person.
Because I too am a dreamer and a schemer.
And we all know my grandfather dreamed up a lot of schemes.
To Ken Overholt every musical instrument had the potential to make beautiful music…whether he knew how to play it or not.
Every car had the potential to be a vintage Oldsmobile convertible.
Every boat has the potential to take you some place you’ve always dreamed of going
And every lamp had the potential to shine bright… no matter how old or rusty it may be.
Thank you grandpa, thank you for teaching me to chase after my dreams. Thank you for teaching me to always see the potential instead of the limitations.
That is what my grandfather gave to me and I am eternally grateful.
I post it here for two reasons.
1. My grandfather was an extremely important part of my life and he was a huge supporter of my journey towards a healthier life. Over the last few years every time I saw him he would always greet me with, "Hi Ya Skinny!"
2. Due to the random nature of the Internet hopefully this page will be stumbled upon by someone searching for "Ken Overholt" allowing my Grandfathers memory to live on.
A Remembrance
About ten years ago I met someone at a party who knew my Grandfather from way back in the day, back when Grandpa was still selling cars.
This man said to me, “Your Grandfather is the best salesman I have ever met. There is not a thing in the world he couldn’t sell and not a person on the planet he couldn’t sell it to”
I won’t lie to you that made me proud. Who doesn’t want their Grandfather to be famous? But being a famous salesman is not what made me most proud of him.
Because even back then I had figured out something fundamental about my grandfather. At his core, being a salesman was not what defined Ken Overholt.
A salesman was what my grandfather was… it was not who he was.
Who Ken Oveholt was, was a dreamer.
My grandfather looked at the world differently.
In his eyes every piece of junk had the potential to be something great.
This is the way he saw people too. In his eyes every person had the potential for greatness.
This is what made my Grandfather such a great salesman.
It’s the same thing that made such a great man.
He wasn’t selling things, he was selling happiness.
I believe that every car he sold, every machine, everything, was simply his way of trying to make people happy. He was doing his part to make their dreams come true.
For my grandfather being a salesman was never about making a sale, it was about giving people joy, the only way he knew how.
Ken Overholt was never Willy Loman, if anything he was Walt Disney.
Over the past week we have had the opportunity to gather together to grieve and rejoice, to share stories and to talk about what Grandpa meant to each of us.
Every single person at some point said the same thing; most of them had the chance to say it to Grandpa himself.
“Ken, This is what you gave to me."
"Ken, This is what you taught me.”
It was obvious to me that Grandpa’s dreams were infectious.
But I guess that has always been obvious to me.
I am so very fortunate to have had such a close relationship with my grandfather my whole life.
We worked together, we played together and he always encouraged me to follow my dreams.
All that time we spent together has had a major impact on my life.
It is one of the foundations of who I became as a person.
Because I too am a dreamer and a schemer.
And we all know my grandfather dreamed up a lot of schemes.
To Ken Overholt every musical instrument had the potential to make beautiful music…whether he knew how to play it or not.
Every car had the potential to be a vintage Oldsmobile convertible.
Every boat has the potential to take you some place you’ve always dreamed of going
And every lamp had the potential to shine bright… no matter how old or rusty it may be.
Thank you grandpa, thank you for teaching me to chase after my dreams. Thank you for teaching me to always see the potential instead of the limitations.
That is what my grandfather gave to me and I am eternally grateful.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Granpa Ken
Hey guys,
I am going to take this week off.
Last week my Grandfather made the decision to discontinue dialysis which he has been on for the last few years due to kidney failure. He has been moved to hospice care and is surrounded by his loving family.
As you can imagine writing about my weight loss issues is the last thing on my mind. So, for the fist time since I started this blog there will be no Guess How Much I Weigh Contest this week.
My grandfather was an amazing man who lived a pretty amazing life. I was very fortune to have an extremely close relationship with him and he had a great influence on the way my life has turned out.
All of Grandpa's family spent this weekend together at his side, sharing stories. It was an uplifting experience and has helped immensely with coming to terms with this transition.
Please keep my Grandma in your prayers.
I'll see you next week.
I am going to take this week off.
Last week my Grandfather made the decision to discontinue dialysis which he has been on for the last few years due to kidney failure. He has been moved to hospice care and is surrounded by his loving family.
As you can imagine writing about my weight loss issues is the last thing on my mind. So, for the fist time since I started this blog there will be no Guess How Much I Weigh Contest this week.
My grandfather was an amazing man who lived a pretty amazing life. I was very fortune to have an extremely close relationship with him and he had a great influence on the way my life has turned out.
All of Grandpa's family spent this weekend together at his side, sharing stories. It was an uplifting experience and has helped immensely with coming to terms with this transition.
Please keep my Grandma in your prayers.
I'll see you next week.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Weigh-In Week 69
218! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of .6!
A small loss this week, but considering how crazy the week was, I will take any loss I can get.
Have a great weekend everybody!
Tony
10/23 218 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10 to go
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 69
(ed. Note: It's Friday morning and I just realized this never got posted yesterday. I must have hit the wrong button)
Sorry I have been absent this week.
I was sick on Monday, Swamped making up for it on Tuesday and in meetings the last two days. Despite some heavy stuff going down this week I am still determined to keep to my goal.
I even managed to squeeze in 2 workouts on Tuesday to make up for my sick day.
Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
10/23 218.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10.6 to go
Sorry I have been absent this week.
I was sick on Monday, Swamped making up for it on Tuesday and in meetings the last two days. Despite some heavy stuff going down this week I am still determined to keep to my goal.
I even managed to squeeze in 2 workouts on Tuesday to make up for my sick day.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
10/23 218.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10.6 to go
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Weigh-In Week 68
218.6! That's what it said on the scale this morning. A loss of 1.8 pounds.
Week one of the new Weight Loss Challenge down.
I get the feeling you guys may be as feed up with this whole yo-yoing weight thing as I am....or maybe your hust getting bored....and really who could blame you.
Only two votes this week. Teresa came the closest with a vote of 1.2.
Hopefully things will be a little more exciting in the next few weeks with some big losses.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Tony
10/17 218.6 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
10.6 2 go
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Guess How Much I Weigh Contest - Week 68
I feel like I am starting over...for many reasons.
1. Weight: I was above 220 pounds for the first time in months. An my weight has been staying on the high side more and more these days. I have had this goal of getting to 208 for more than 6 months now and I have made no real progress. Basically, when it comes to weight I am right where I was last December, almost a year ago. Granted that means I have maintained my weight loss for a year now, but I feel like I am really ready to start making progress again.
2. Workouts: I majorly changed up my workouts this week for the first time since last March and between the fumbling of figuring things out, the sore muscles and the butt kicking run, I feel like I am at the begging again. Which is good, because it means I am making progress.
Here's what I figured out about my strength training: My routine is pretty solid, but I have gotten lazy. In doing some research I realized that I am doing the right exercises but My weights were way too low. I found a few good articles on how to determine how much weight I should be using, and in some cases I was under by 30 pounds or more. After getting to the right weights on Tues. I could really feel a difference. The first time I have a good sore from lifting in months.
As for running I did some hardcore interval training yesterday and it really kicked my butt. I manged to do 3.6 miles at a and average of 9:30 a mile but I had to walk a lot more than I have had to in months. So interval training is definitely going to become a more permanent part of my workouts. At least once a week, and probably twice a week most weeks.
HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART:
The Weight Loss challenge I set for myself a few weeks ago was really good motivation. So I am going to do it again...but bigger and better. This time around I am guaranteeing 4 WEEKS of WEIGHT LOSS...in a row. Starting with tomorrows weigh-in.
If I fail to lose weight in any of those weeks I will suffer the consequences for that week.
The Consequences:
1. I will have to cook dinner every night for a week.
2. No TV for that week from Friday to Friday (excluding the Girls Bedtime Movie)
3. I have to replace one meal everyday for that week with a salad.
4. The following weeks weighing photo will be a picture of my shirtless belly.
4 weeks, 4 Consequences.
All inspired by your suggestions from the last challenge.
The goal here is to be at 208 by Christmas and to be at a new low (under 213) by Thanksgiving.
Step right up, step right up.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
10/16 220.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
1. Weight: I was above 220 pounds for the first time in months. An my weight has been staying on the high side more and more these days. I have had this goal of getting to 208 for more than 6 months now and I have made no real progress. Basically, when it comes to weight I am right where I was last December, almost a year ago. Granted that means I have maintained my weight loss for a year now, but I feel like I am really ready to start making progress again.
2. Workouts: I majorly changed up my workouts this week for the first time since last March and between the fumbling of figuring things out, the sore muscles and the butt kicking run, I feel like I am at the begging again. Which is good, because it means I am making progress.
Here's what I figured out about my strength training: My routine is pretty solid, but I have gotten lazy. In doing some research I realized that I am doing the right exercises but My weights were way too low. I found a few good articles on how to determine how much weight I should be using, and in some cases I was under by 30 pounds or more. After getting to the right weights on Tues. I could really feel a difference. The first time I have a good sore from lifting in months.
As for running I did some hardcore interval training yesterday and it really kicked my butt. I manged to do 3.6 miles at a and average of 9:30 a mile but I had to walk a lot more than I have had to in months. So interval training is definitely going to become a more permanent part of my workouts. At least once a week, and probably twice a week most weeks.
HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART:
The Weight Loss challenge I set for myself a few weeks ago was really good motivation. So I am going to do it again...but bigger and better. This time around I am guaranteeing 4 WEEKS of WEIGHT LOSS...in a row. Starting with tomorrows weigh-in.
If I fail to lose weight in any of those weeks I will suffer the consequences for that week.
The Consequences:
1. I will have to cook dinner every night for a week.
2. No TV for that week from Friday to Friday (excluding the Girls Bedtime Movie)
3. I have to replace one meal everyday for that week with a salad.
4. The following weeks weighing photo will be a picture of my shirtless belly.
4 weeks, 4 Consequences.
All inspired by your suggestions from the last challenge.
The goal here is to be at 208 by Christmas and to be at a new low (under 213) by Thanksgiving.
Guess how much I weigh and win a fabulous prize.
To Recap:
Every Thursday I give you my stats for the week and you guess what you think the scale will say on Friday morning. The winner is the first person who guesses my weight / weight loss for the week without going over or the person who is closest without going over. Go ahead and click on comments at the bottom of this post and leave your guess.
I will post the winner when I post my weight on Fri. morning. If we get ten or more guesses I will have a prize for the winner.
Let the guessing begin. Good Luck!
Tony
10/16 220.4 lbs
NEW GOAL: 208
Lots to go
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