Anticipation

Food Log:  Breakfast: 2 slices of homemade wheat toast, 2 fried eggs.  Lunch:  Fried rice, carrots with ranch dressing,   Dinner: Ranch chicken, mashed potatoes, peas.  Day snacks: 1 banana, 1 CLIF Bar, 2 small oranges, 1 apple, sliced with peanut butter.  Night snacks: None.

Activity Log: Walk of life (at work). 1.5 miles.

Thoughts: I have been trying real hard this week.  I hope it pays off on the scale tomorrow.

Personal Fitness

Food Log:  Breakfast: 1 bowl of Rice Chex cereal with milk and 1 sliced banana.  Lunch:  2 slices of homemade wheat bread (buttered), 3 slices of ham, 3 slices of real cheese, 1 portion of creamy pasta,   Dinner: Fried rice, 2 small oranges.  Day snacks: 1 banana, 1 small bag of pretzel thins, 1 granola bar, 2 small oranges.  Night snacks: 1 slice of ham, about 10 cheese balls

Activity Log: Walk of life (at work). 1.5 miles.

Thoughts: I helped out with my son's Boy Scout troop tonight and they were discussing the Personal Fitness Merit Badge.  As they were talking about all of the health risks like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc., I felt reinforced in my desire to shed the pounds.  I hope the boys were paying enough attention to stay healthy.

A Manifesto on Fat

I ran this rambling narrative of my past and future weight loss efforts on a side podcast that I run  called "Strewn Along The Path".  I thought it was quite appropriate to share it on here as well. So here you go:


To download, right-click here and then click Save

The Walk of Life

Food Log:  Breakfast: 1 English muffin, 1 fried egg, 1 cheese single, 1 slice of ham.  Lunch:  Minestrone soup, dinner roll,   Dinner: 1 Breaded chicken patty with meat sauce and shredded mozzarella on top, corn, 1 dinner roll (buttered).  Day snacks: 1 apple, sliced with peanut butter; 1 banana, 1 CLIF bar, 1 cup of applesauce.  Night snacks: 1 Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, 6 pretzel thins.

Activity Log: Walk of life (at work). 1.5 miles.

Thoughts: For months where I work there's been one or two people, sometimes more, who go on a walk around lunchtime.  One of the guys worked out a loop that incorporates some residential areas, and along a couple canals that run through different areas of town.  One canal runs right by our office.  The city only diverts water through the late spring, summer, and early fall.  Anyway, I emailed everybody yesterday and said I was committed to going on the walk every day from now on.  Today one of my friends from work sent me an invite to a recurring daily event titled "Walk of Life".  I asked him if we needed to sing the song while we walked.  But as I thought about it, that is a pretty good description.  Walking is a great way to get exercise!  I might not work up as much of a sweat, or getting my heart rate up as much as I could with many other activities, but it is still an effective and enjoyable way to lose weight.  I've done it before.  And who knows, I might do some more intense exercise later on, but for right now, walking will do.  It will help me lose weight and hopefully extend my life.

Back to work

Food Log:  Breakfast: Scambled eggs with ham, onions, and peppers; 1 piece of toast (buttered).   Lunch:  2 dinner rolls; two cheese singles; 2 medium slices of ham.  Dinner: tuna fish ( mixed with salad dressing) on an english muffin; 1 bag of Lays chips; carrots; ranch dressing.  Day snacks: Small bag of pretzel thins, 2 small oranges, small bag of chicken strips, carrots, ranch dressing.  Night snacks: 1 dinner roll, 1 slice of ham, 2 cheese singls, 1 mini Reese's peanut butter egg, 1 handful of pretzel thins.

Activity Log: Canal walk at work. 1.5 miles.

Thoughts: I was a bit worried about being back at work because I tend to munch a lot more there.  But I did OK.  Water, water, water.  I avoided the cake that somebody brought in, and I didn't even eat everything I brought with me.  Lesson for the day: Kryptonite is to Superman as Kelley's dinner rolls are to my will power.

Happy Easter!

Food Log:  Breakfast: 2 pieces of toast (buttered); 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1/4 glass of orange juice.   Lunch:  3 handfuls of pretzel thins, 3 cheese singles, about 8 Cheddar Jack Cheese-It crackers.  Dinner: 3 slices of ham (plus pickings), asparagus, mashed potatoes, 3 deviled eggs, 2 rolls (buttered)  Day snacks: 5 mini Resse's peanut butter eggs, 15 jelly beans, 1 hard-boiled egg.  Night snacks: None.

Activity Log: A walk around the neighborhood. About 1 mile.

Thoughts: I definitely over-indulged on dinner and snacks, but it was soooo good.  I know--it's no excuse, but I will not be eating like this every day.

If you start to get warm, unzip

Food Log:  Breakfast: 2 hashbrown patties; 2 eggs, fried.  Lunch:  2 flautas, tortilla chips, sour cream, and salsa.  Dinner: Green salad with grilled chicken strips, 1 hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, cucumber, and ranch dressing  Day snacks: 4 pieces of Starburst, 5 mini Twix bars, 2 small "Cutie" oranges Night snacks: 2 small Snickerdoodle cookies, 1 Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich

Activity Log: Short hike to Cline Falls, plus some exploring.  About 1 mile round trip.  It was a cool day, but we probably bundled up too much.  We were peeling off layers as we hiked.

Thoughts:  I should point out that I haven't been listing what I am drinking because I have pretty much limited myself to water.  No orange juice, apple juice, sodas, milk, etc.  I will, of course, have those things occasionally, and I will log them accordingly, but I will not be writing "water" with every meal.

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First Official Public Weigh-In

The Numbers: I weighed in this morning at 426.8 LBS.  That is 2.8 lbs. down from last week, and 4.6 lbs. lost overall.

Thoughts: I didn't make the best food choices in Vegas, but I did cut down.  We generally only had only about two meals a day; and didn't have desserts.  For example, we went to Outback Steakhouse for a late lunch.  We shared a Bloomin' Onion, but then I just had a bowl of soup instead of a steak with potatoes, etc.  It also helped that we were walking everywhere and I didn't want all that food sitting in the pit of my stomach while walking, a lesson I learned the previous day.

Back from Vegas

Food Log:  Breakfast: 2 pieces of wheat toast, 2 eggs fried.  Lunch: 2 hot dogs on 1 piece of toast, open face, homemade chili over the top, and shredded cheddar cheese.  Dinner: small piece of salmon, creamy pasta, broccoli.  Day snacks: small handful of pretzel thins, banana with peanut butter. Night snacks: 1 medium bowl of homemade buttered popcorn, plus a couple handfuls.

Activity Log: short walk

Thoughts:  First day of logging, I think this would be boring for a person reading this blog, especially if I do this everyday, so I think I will add one picture per day to make it somewhat interesting.  But in the end, this blog is for me to stay honest and on track.

The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!

I've made too many compromises already, too many retreats. My weight goes up, and I give in. My fat assimilates entire pant sizes, and I do nothing. Not again.

Two weeks ago, I reached the highest weight that I have ever recorded: 431.4 LBS  That is appalling!!!!  I tried to be better the next week, and I did lose two pounds.  But I can do better than that.  One thing about being this fat, the weight does come off faster at first.

I forgot to weigh in this morning, but will do so first thing tomorrow.  I am hoping all of the walking I did in Vegas this week will pay off.  I did try to eat less as well, having only two meals most days. We'll see.

The Beginning of the End

Hello, I am Marshal Latham and I am morbidly obese.  {Hi Marshal}  And I think it is safe to say that I'm far beyond the clinical definition.  I say this not in  pride, but in shame.  All of my previous weight loss successes don't matter.  I'm beyond where I started from the previous attempts.

I'm sure most people look at me and think, "How could somebody let themselves get so fat?  Why doesn't he do something about it?"  The answer is:  I love food.  I get a lot of enjoyment out of eating, and for the last three to four years, I have not been very disciplined in limiting myself.  I know I am unhealthy.  I know I am getting older, and my body will not hold up much longer.  I know my capacity to lose weight quickly is also diminishing.

So what's new?  What will be different this time around?  Up until last year I have been able to continue to still physically do the things that I like to do like hiking, camping, etc.  After a trip to Yosemite last summer and just getting back from a trip to Las Vegas, both of which required a lot of walking/hiking, at least the activities I wanted to be a part of.  And I found my self limited by my weight and my body.  Yes I am getting older and am a middle-aged man, but the sheer weight of my body is taking its toll.  And I just moved to an area that is overflowing with hiking trails and wonderful hiking destinations, etc.  It is one of the reasons I moved here.  And now the thought of not being able to do those things is crushing.

Plus, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, to quote Dave Ramsey regrading debt.  It applies to weight loss as well.  In fact, to carry the catch phrases even farther, I am going to eat and train like no one else, so that each day I can LIVE more and more like no one else.

So how am I going to do this?  Again, channeling Dave Ramsey (along with Richard Dreyfuss/Bill Murray), it takes baby steps.  I can't do it all at once,  But I can start somewhere.

Right now, I just need to eat a lot less: reasonable meals, no seconds, only light snacks, mostly fruits, with some veggies.  I will also get some form of exercise every day, mainly walking.  I am not going to count calories, or WW points, but I know that it is important to track the food that I eat, and to be accountable.

I am going to use this new blog to log what I eat, and the exercise I do each day, and I may some pictures as well.  My friend, Big Ankelvich, used to post pictures of everything he ate throughout the day on his blog in his effort to hold himself accountable. I won't post everything, but I will probably post some regularly.

Weekly, I will post my weight and how much I have lost (or gained).  I have always been embarrassed to tell anyone how much I really weigh, even my wife, but I think that is part of holding myself accountable.

We'll take it from there and see how it goes.