Time for a Break

On the weight loss front, things are at a standstill, but that's OK. After losing 56kg/122lbs, it's time to stabilize at this weight for a while before continuing on. It's recommended by many experts, and this "set-point" is one I've been at before, and my body seems to be comfortable here. I fully intend to go further, but I'm going to take this time to let the forces regroup before striving on toward my goal. But not too much time! :-) 

I'm taking two weeks off the gym, because I haven't given my body a break for seven months. But I have a new appointment with a new trainer in just a little over a week, so I'm fully intending to recommit and keep on working at it. On the food front, I'm not changing much. I'm happy with the way I've been eating, don't consider it a diet, and it feels completely right to me. 

So I'm going to spend at least two or three months NOT being as obsessed with the scale as I have been to date, and just see what happens. If at the end of that period I'm no longer losing, then I will start "twisting the knobs" on various aspects of my life (i.e. exercise quantity, type, nutrition, etc.) to get things moving again. But now is a time for rest and compassion, because I've been pretty hard on myself for the last year, and now it's time to sit back and just enjoy the benefits I've already gained and will never let go of again before moving on to the next phase. I've got a lot to be proud of. 

Repub VP Candidate Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

From Wikipedia:

Palin is pro-life, pro-contraception, and a prominent member of Feminists for Life. In 2002, while running for lieutenant governor, Palin called herself as "pro-life as any candidate can be." She opposes abortion for rape and incest victims, supporting it only in cases where the mother's life is in danger.

Palin opposes same-sex marriage and supported a non-binding referendum for a constitutional amendment to deny benefits to same-sex couples. [!] Palin has stated that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

Alone among the candidates in the 2006 gubernatorial election, Palin in a televised debate supported allowing both creationism and evolution in public schools and the next day clarified her position to one of allowing the debate of alternative views. She tried marijuana when it was legal in Alaska, but she does not support re-legalizing it, stating concerns about the message it would send to her children.

Folks, she ain't no Hillary. 

Our New House!

We signed for our new house last night! It's in a small village of 550 people about 15 minutes from where we currently live. I've avoided saying anything about it here in order not to jinx the deal, but we got exactly the house we wanted for exactly the price we wanted and exactly the conditions we wanted! We take posession on 15 April 2009 or sooner if we wish. Still working out the mortgage with some major remodeling funding, but looking good!

BEETS, North Holland, Free-standing house (1989) Idyllicly situated home with a volume of nearly 580 m3 with a connected garage (100 m3) and shed on 1093 m2 land at a peaceful location. The home has a beautiful view of the “De Beemster Ringvaart” (the Beemster Ring Canal) and open fields. Swimming, fishing, sailing and skating are among the many possibilities this offer.

Ground Floor: Grand entryway, half-bath, stairway, L-shaped garden-facing living room with gas fireplace, sliding door to the garden and a separate door to the garden, large L-shaped kitchen/dining room with walk-in utility room with external entrance.

1st Floor: Hallway, 3 bedrooms, full bathroom with separate bath/shower.

2nd Floor: Large storage attic with folding ladder.

More pictures here.

My British Hunting Trip

Had a nice but challenging weekend in London. Nice because of the people I saw (which in the grand scheme of things is the most important), and challenging because I came up against some of the least attractive and most destructive parts of my psyche.



I'm going to remain purposely vague here, but suffice it to say that my life transformation from overweight, handicapped bachelor to fit, responsible married man - though highly successful in most terms - is sometimes proving challenging in psychological terms. Often in ways that I don't expect. The long and short of it is that I've managed to mostly cage the beast of EXCESS in my life, but every once in a while it breaks out and I have to chase it down and put it back. And most of this weekend was spent running all over central London (literally) hunting its big, bad, ugly ass down, tossing it back in the slammer and then doing damage control. Didn't leave much time for anything else.



The damage is controlled - no one was permanently injured - but it pretty much ruined my weekend except for serving to remind me of my role as zookeeper/game warden. And reminding me that I need to find alternative outlets for the beast's needs besides potentially destructive excess. Because I've come too far to let it take control again.



Thanks for tolerating my purposeful obfuscation of the exact turn of events this weekend. That way hopefully you can relate to it better in your own way as well.

My Weight Loss Progress To Date

SEE BELOW FOR NEW POSTS!

My current passion is the serious weight loss process I'm involved in, where it's my sacred intention to lose 40% of my body weight in two years or less. For that reason, this posting will recur every time I have an update until I've reached my goal, showing my current statistics in both kilograms and pounds (for my loyal American readers!). New blog postings will continue to always appear under this one. 

Thanks to all for your ongoing support and encouragement!

To see a list of my qualitative weight loss goals, click here.

The Kitchen Style We Love

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