Customer Blogs

One of the benefits of becoming healthier is to embark on things you would not have considered doing before losing the weight. My son had some septic work done a while back and as a result had gravel scattered over about ½ acre with no grass. He had some grading done and was in the process of trying to gather and rake rocks before attempting to seed. In the past I would have felt sorry for him trying to attempt all this manual labor by his self but my fear of dropping dead of a heart attack trying to help would have been greater.

My wife and I went by for a visit today and found ourselves on the end of a shovel and rake. He didn’t ask for any help but you could see it was a daunting task for one person. I’m not sure how much help we were but I know he appreciated each shovel we moved. As I was shoveling I made a mental note of how this was similar to my workouts at Sport & Health. In addition to using the body and getting extra exercise this is what I’ve been rehearsing for this last year, living life, even if it means digging, raking and moving gravel. Can you dig it?

I had a great workout with my trainer Brain at Sport & Health this afternoon.
I'm once again an Even Steven, no loss, no gain this week. It's funny how the body knows where your set points are. As I've stated earlier, my current weigh is where I was for many years before gaining all the weight I did, I guess now it thinks it's where it needs to be.

I also picked up my next order of diet-to-go food at Sport & Health after my workout.
I'm feeling a little sore after today's workout, especially in the upper back shoulder trapezoid muscle. The weather in Maryland has been exceptional today reaching into the 70s.
It's kind of funny considering I still need to take the chains from my tractor from the blizzard last month.

Well, that's enough for now, hopefully the weather is nice where you are at, enjoy your weekend!

Happy Friday Everyone

When I was losing weight weekly there was always something to talk about daily.
Now I find myself pondering what to write about so I though I'd write about my thoughts opposed to what I'm doing today.

For several months I’ve been stuck and that’s pretty much on my mind lately.
I know I need to take it to the next level to bust through this plateau. I do go to the gym Sport & Health three days a week but I may need to start doing more? I could swim; walk, etc. to compliment my workouts.

Mentally working out more than three days a week is a bit overwhelming because I’ve made quite a commitment already. I’d be lying to say it’s as easy now as when the weight was melting off fairly quickly on a weekly basis.

Know I'm very happy and not complaining, my life is so much better now!
I'm just trying to get mentally ready to commit to taking it to the next level.

Tomorrow is another workout and weigh in day at Sport & Health with my trainer.

Happy Thursday Everyone

I had a good workout today at Sport & Health and as I stated on an earlier post my trainer increased the weights I’m using on various exercises. I must admit that I struggle on a few of the new exercises. For example on the farmers walk where I carry two 50 pound dumbbells back and forth across the racket ball court my arms and hands are burning the last set. I’ve been doing three sets of three and not only is it physically challenging but mentally as well. Your body and mind says drop these things and during the last set I’ve considered setting them down but haven’t as of yet. It kind of reminds me of that feeling you get when you’re holding your breath under water and you feel like you can’t do it for another second but somehow you manage.

Anyway, I’d like to mention a fantastic substitution meal I had tonight for the first time.
I was scheduled to have Red Snapper Fish but I’m not a fish guy so I had DTG Turkey Barbecue Melts instead. The melts came with Cole Slaw and kind of reminded me of eating pulled pork barbecue sandwiches, they were really, really good and I think I could eat them every night.

Happy Wednesday Everyone

I spent most of the day doing some DIY projects. My DTG breakfast hit the spot it was plain and simple, I had an Apple Oat Bran Muffin, Apple Butter, Apple Juice and yogurt and a couple cups of coffee. Lunch today was 1 ½ Grilled Turkey Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Mushroom & Artichoke Salad and Apricot Pudding. I'm sure I would never have tasted Apricot Pudding before diet-to-go, however I actually like it!

Tomorrows another workout day at Sport & Health, hopefully I can get an early start. I was complaining about not liking the time change but it was nice to be outside working later today with the evening sun opposed to drop lights. I'm not sure why, but the day just seems to fly by so quickly, for that matter, the whole week does. I've got 1 1/2 years under my belt of being retired and I guess the workweek goes by like my weekend use to when I worked. Back to the old adage, time goes by quick when you're having fun.

My wife is out and about and has kindly offered to pick up my next order of DTG food.
I'm getting kind of hungry so I hope she gets home soon!

Happy Tuesday Everyone

I had a doctors appointment in Virginia today with a doctor I hadn’t seen for 1 ½ years.
The first thing the doctor said was, you’ve really lost some weight, and I replied yes I have about 100 pounds. How did you do it, I replied, prayer, diet-to-go and Sport & Health? Before I had time to mention I also used a trainer, the doctor said kind of softly to himself, yea I got to get back to the gym to.

I have a minor surgery that I need that I’ve been putting off for several years. Obviously it isn’t life threatening or I wouldn’t have been able to put it off. I use to tell the doctor I really didn’t feel comfortable being put to sleep having surgery at my larger size. The doctor cornered me today and said well now that you’ve lost that much weight let’s get this surgery scheduled.

Although I’m not looking forward to any surgery any time any where, it’s nice to be able to feel more comfortable about having it. Can you imagine a doctor telling me that he has to get back to the gym, wow that’s something I never thought I’d hear?

I was very late getting home due to fighting Virginia traffic as well as the doctor was running about 2 hours behind schedule and the day quickly drifted away. On the way home I wish I had thought to bring my gym clothes but I wasn’t expecting to be out all day. I ended up stopping at Ross department store and was able to grab a T shirt and shorts for about 12 bucks. I was able to go straight to Sport & Health opposed to backtracking and going home for my clothes. I’m guessing I would have spent almost the same on gas going out of my way and returning to the gym? I had a good workout and Sport & Health was packed tonight. Sport & Health is having a March Madness sale and if you join during their 2 day sale March 15th and 16th you will pay a $0 enrollment fee and the rest of March is free. If you’ve been thinking about joining Sport & Health this might be the right time for you.



Happy Monday Everyone

It’s funny how the one hour time change seemed to really throw me off schedule.
I had planned on attending Church this morning but I just couldn’t seem to get it together and get going. My diet-to-go breakfast was one of my favorites a Plain Bagel
Cream Cheese , Orange Juice and yogurt. Lunch was also very good; I had a Meatloaf Sub, Creamy Veggie Salad and Diced Peaches. I really enjoyed the sub but wasn’t in the mood for the Creamy Veggie Salad. Dinner tonight was scheduled to be Cioppino Seafood Medley but I made a substitution and doubled up on several Mexican Style Burrito, Spanish Rice, Side of Refried Beans, Fajita Veggies and Salsa Cup dinners. My wife made some fresh salsa which I will add to my dinner.

I’m not really sure where today went, it just seemed to fly by. Tomorrow’s another workout day at Sport & Health.

Happy Sunday Everyone

Today here in Maryland has been rainy and overcast all day long with local flooding in various areas. I had some things I would have worked on today but most of them were outdoor activities.
I did the usual stuff like taking the trash to the dump and also visited a few local stores.

With some major snow storms just recently behind us it's hard to believe that tonight we Spring Forward by setting our clocks forward one hour already. I've never really been a fan of messing with the time but I do enjoy the longer spring and summer days. Driving around today it was kind of weird to see mountains of snow still melting in some parking lots while nearby flowers were blooming.

Not much more to report today other than I did pick up my order of diet-to-go food.

Happy Saturday Everyone

I had a family responsibility today that required me to be out of town for the day. Although I was unable to meet with my trainer and weigh in I did manage to make it to Sport & Health for an early 5 AM workout before leaving for the day. I just returned home and I’m too tired to go back out, so I will pick up my diet-to-go food tomorrow morning first thing. I’m always impressed and amazed at the commitment folks make to workout so early each day. I got up at 3:40 AM this morning to make my 5 AM workout and I see familiar faces at Sport & Health. These folks are truly committed to begin their day so early and then put in a full day at work. I’m thankful that working out so early is a rarity for me. When I was working I started work each morning at 5:30 AM and getting up at 3:40 AM was the norm. It’s surprising home quickly you get use to another schedule and getting up that early now seems very strange.
Happy Friday Everyone

Before retiring I would go by IKEA furniture a couple times per year during lunch or after work. Most the time I was just window shopping and I also would eat lunch while I was there at their cafeteria. One of their specialties is Swedish meatballs which I generally would get. Now I have to say, I really don’t know what is or isn’t a good Swedish meatball but I always enjoyed them and ordered them each time I would stop at the store.

I had totally forgotten about the meatballs until I could actually smell them soon after entering the IKEA. About a half hour after shopping an announcer came over the loud speaker and said after shopping why not take home a bag of our Swedish meatballs?
The announcer continued to say, or try our famous traditionally prepared Swedish Meatballs. Enjoy 15 meatballs served with ligonberries and mashed potatoes.
If that wasn’t enough as I was leaving, the exit to the store routes you right through the cafeteria.

I’m happy to say I didn’t eat there or take home any Swedish meatballs but I must admit the triggers and familiar place made it awfully tempting. Who would have thought a furniture store would have a cafeteria, sell food or if you wish they can bring the taste of Sweden to your next event!

Happy Thursday Everyone

I started my day with my diet-to-go breakfast of Blueberry Pancakes, Maple Syrup and Turkey Sausage. I waited until after lunch and decided I would try my workout today at Sport and Health because my back pain was easing up a bit. The workout went well and I took my time going through everything making sure I tried to keep good form and not put undo stress on my back. Upon returning home I ate a very late lunch of diet-to-go Orlean's Tuna Salad with a Honey Wheat Roll and Citrus Fruit Cup.

Tonight I’ll be enjoying my DTG Chicken Pizza, Broccoli Florets and Angel Food Cake
topped with Strawberry Cream Sauce. Mentally it felt good to return to Sport & Health; since I missed Monday I didn’t want to miss more days this week if possible.
Hopefully my back will still be feeling OK tomorrow morning, we’ll see?

Happy Wednesday Everyone

Today's post is identical to yesterday's post. All that's new is I have a few doctors appointments lined up to check on my back and another lingering medical ailment I'll talk more about later.
It's nothing terribly serious but I most likely will need surgery (in and out) sometime in May that will affect some of my workouts. I'm not sure if I'll be able to workout tomorrow, I'll take one day at a time and see how things are going tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday Everyone

Oh well, the back is still giving me a fit, so much so, that I knew there would be no workout today.
Hopefully another day of R&R and the heating pad will do some good for a moderate Wednesday workout.

I've heard this statement before and I think it's worth repeating, getting old is not for sissies.

My diet-to-go meals were good today and thankfully very easy to prepare.
Sorry for the short post and the whining.

Happy Monday Everyone

I woke up this morning with a sore back intertwined with aggravated sciatica. I'm guessing my increased weight workouts could have flared the back up? Most likely what finished it off was me carrying an assembled toilet up from the basement and across the house by myself yesterday.
The toilet wasn't all that heavy, just awkward and difficult to maneuver up the staircase.
So Steve why didn't you assemble it where you were going to use it? Answer, it was assembled seven years ago when we built our house and we upgraded to a different toilet so it was not used and left here assembled.

Anyway, today has become a day of rest for me just taking it easy and enjoying rest and my diet-to-go meals and of course the heating pad. Tomorrow's another workout day at Sport & Health providing I can get out of bed and my back doesn't spasm up.

Happy Sunday Everyone

I enjoyed my diet-to-go meals today and a break from my regular workouts at Sport & Health. The day wasn't a resting day though, I installed a toilet and pedestal sink in the bathroom I just finished the ceramic tile work in.

I'm thankful everything worked and that there were no leaks. It's been a full day and I'm about ready to shower and enjoy my diet-to-go dinner and a little TV.

Happy Saturday Everyone

Today I worked out with my trainer Brain at Sport & Health, lost one pound this week and picked up my next DTG food order. I forgot to mention that when I picked up my food earlier in the week a female gym member at Sport & Health observed me getting the food and made a comment. She looked my way and said, so you get your food here, I replied yes, held up the bag and said, you see I’m finished shopping already.

She then asked, so how’s it working, I think I caught her off guard when I quickly replied, pretty good, I’ve lost 100 pounds so far. When you first lose weight you want to sing it from the roof tops, however after getting use to the idea I’ve learned to talk about other things now and then.
I’d never seen this woman before and one year ago I’m sure I would have blurted out my daily weight loss total before ever discussing my quick shopping excursion by holding up a bag.
I guess in the past, my weight would have been the first thing I would have commented on before someone else got the chance to, thankfully its no longer the main issue.

The neat thing about losing weight is I feel SO MUCH better and have begun living life again opposed to just talking about it.

Happy Friday Everyone

Today I worked out with my trainer Brain at Sport & Health, lost one pound this week and picked up my next DTG food order. I forgot to mention that when I picked up my food earlier in the week a female gym member at Sport & Health observed me getting the food and made a comment. She looked my way and said, so you get your food here, I replied yes, held up the bag and said, you see I’m finished shopping already.

She then asked, so how’s it working, I think I caught her off guard when I quickly replied, pretty good, I’ve lost 100 pounds so far. When you first lose weight you want to sing it from the roof tops, however after getting use to the idea I’ve learned to talk about other things now and then.
I’d never seen this woman before and one year ago I’m sure I would have blurted out my daily weight loss total before ever discussing my quick shopping excursion by holding up a bag.
I guess in the past, my weight would have been the first thing I would have commented on before someone else got the chance to, thankfully its no longer the main issue.

The neat thing about losing weight is I feel SO MUCH better and have begun living life again opposed to just talking about it.

Happy Friday Everyone

I just have the energy for a very short post. I finished up all my ceramic tile work and spent most of the day grouting the bathroom and shower. I just want to thank my wife who came out and helped me after baby sitting all day. She had the worse part of the job wiping all the grout joints and tiles with a sponge. My diet-to-go meals were great today, French toast for breakfast and Reuben sandwiches for lunch, not sure what dinner is yet. Tomorrow’s another workout day with my trainer at Sport & Health.

Happy Thursday Everyone

I made it to Sport & Health early this morning and got my workout in so I’d still have plenty of time to do some tasks today. I finally finished installing the remaining ceramic tile I’ve been working on and all I need to do now is finish grouting and then seal it.

My diet-to-go breakfast today was whole grain pancakes and sausage and lunch was stuffed potato skins. I made a trip to the dump and finished a few more tasks and found myself needing to take a hour nap this evening. I actually believe the extra weights in my workout kicked my butt.

Happy Wednesday Everyone

I haven’t eaten dinner yet but my diet-to-go break was delicious. For breakfast I had a Greek Style Burrito, Chicken Sausage and Fajita Veggies. Even though lunch was greek it didn’t stop me from adding some fresh salsa to it. Lunch today was Tomato Pesto Meltover and Apple Cake and I also added more of that spicy salsa to lunch as well.

I had plenty of DIY projects to work on today and tomorrow’s another workout day at Sport & Health. I visited the diet-to-go web site and saw a link to (The Nutrition Diva) Monica Reinagel who is a board-certified Licensed Nutritionist and a professionally-trained chef. There’s a podcast you can listen to that lasts a few minutes titled (Why We Overeat) that has some good insight and tips. In addition to selling good tasting nutritional food it looks like diet-to-go is providing us with additional resources to help us with our lifestyle changes as well. Keep up the good work diet-to-go! I wonder if diet-to-go has any resources that would allow us to download nutrition related MP3s we can download and listen to as we walk or workout on our MP3 players?

Happy Tuesday Everyone