Steve Bargelt

Tour de Pierce 2008

Steve Bargelt — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:56:26 GMT

John is a much better writer than I am and he does a much better job of describing the 2008 Tour de Pierce than I would so take it away Johnboy!

I had a great time even though it was way to hot for us Northwesterners. I was pretty dehydrated by mile 42 (the last rest stop) I tried to catch up and drink a few bottles of water there but we all know that it is too late once you're feeling the effects. At lunch afterwards at the Powerhouse I started feeling pretty lethargic and my hammys started cramping (which was a freakin' RIOT - yes guys really do just laugh at other guys in pain).

Moving Time: 3:10:13
Distance 49.31 miles
Moving Speed (mph) 15.6 avg. - 44.2 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,207 / -1,207

My MotionBased Track

Scott, Leslie, Scott, Me, Erick, Brandon, John, Chuck

Me!

Me, Brandon and John

You can view the entire photoset at Zooomr, Picasa Web Albums or Flickr. YEs I'm covering all my photo sharing bases. I like Zooomr becasue it keeps the original size while the other two shrink the pictures. Check 'em all out and tell me if you prefer one over the other for viewing my photos.

Crowd Control Robot: Coming to Costco?

Steve Bargelt — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:47:45 GMT

Anyone who knows me well knows I have a Roomba that vacuums my house for me. I love my Roomba. I talk to him like he is a pet or a friend. I get upset when the "little guy" gets stuck in a closet (whish does not happen very often and is always my fault!). Well the makers of my little domestic cleaning device, iRobot, are marketing the new weapon -- it is one of their Warrior X700 tracked platforms paired with Metal Storm technology

You remember that gun that electronically fires up to a million rounds a minute (theoretically) by Metal Storm? They're strapping them to iRobot's X700 to create a serious killing machine with the flexibility of firing anything from explosive rounds to "less-lethal" ones, making it suitable for urban assaults, "border patrol," "crowd control" or my personal favorite, defense against a zombie apocalypse.

As an aside... the Metal Storm logo reminds me of another company's logo. Help me figure out what company that would be. I'm thinking it is a video game company and Sierra Entertainment came to mind but I couldn't find a logo that looked like Metal Storm's.

Amazon.com: iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver: Kitchen & Dining

ASIN: B000UUBCNO

WIN Susan!!

Steve Bargelt — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:21:16 GMT

I am not religious. At all. When I read the following story I knew I had to "pray" or at least send good vibes to Susan through whatever force or being, real or imagined is possibly out there:

Like Dandelion Seeds

I don't personally know Elden or Susan. I read Elden's blog daily and it (crazy as it sounds) bring a ton of entertainment and inspiration into my life.

Please also read:
Has It Been Only One Day?

(Hey Dad does that radiation mask bring back some horrid memories? I still have yours and use it as a Halloween decoration every year!)

Pilgrimage to Fatty's

Steve Bargelt — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:13:02 GMT

Yesterday the Fat Cyclist (aka Fatty to his ~~close friends~~ strangers who read his blog) announced his Inaugural Fat Cyclist Triathalon sounds like an amazing event! I'd love to attend. So here is my proposed road trip from the Seattle/Tacoma area:

Wednesday June 18th: Start out in my motor home, after work... like 5PM from Kent, WA. Drive to Boise, ID.
Thursday June 19th: Arrive in Boise at about 1AM. Sleep in RV. Wake at whenever... 10. Ride bikes, on the road, mountain, whatever. We will contact locals to figure out exactly what to do.
Thursday June 19th: Leave Boise in RV by 2PM, arrive in Idaho Falls by 7PM. Meet up with my niece & family for dinner & drinks. Party. Sleep in RV.
Friday June 20th: Wake whenever, ride bikes, mountain, road, whatever, again talk to the locals before we get there.
Friday June 20th: Leave Idaho Falls in RV by 2PM, arrive at or near Fatty's Home by 7PM. Sleep.
Saturday June 21st: Fatty's Triathalon. YES!
Sunday June 22nd: Drive from Fatty's to Boise, ID. (option 1 - stop, sleep, ride, option 2 - drive home)
(optional - based on decision in step 7!) Monday June 23rd: Drive from Boise, ID to Seattle/Tacoma, WA.

View Larger Map

My motor home sleeps 7 adults comfortably... yes 7 without sharing a bed. Really. There are only six seat belts for the drive though. The bigger challenge will be to pack up 14 bikes! I'm considering renting a covered trailer if there is enough participation!

Currently only one bed is taken but the offer is out to my riding buddies who get first dibs! After that I'm offering to pick up anyone interested along the way... any ~~friend~~ regular reader of Fatty's is a ~~friend~~ potential Hitcher of mine!

If you are interested contact me through my blog or post a comment. Of course no promises... this could fall through at any time!

Windows Home Server: HP EX470

Steve Bargelt — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:05:23 GMT

I've been running Windows Home Server since the beta days on a huge, inefficient server that I built from scratch a few year ago. Earlier this year the SATA RAID controller started acting funny - telling me that drives were bad yet on a drive scan or reboot they'd be fine. After enough scared I decided to upgrade to a HP EX470. Smart move! I love it. It is tiny and it "just works." I finally have all of my content moved over and have the other server shut off!

I've also decided to try and use the EX470 as my SageTV server. My only concern is that it won't have enough power to record two (or more) incoming HD streams from my HDHomeruns. I will find that out this coming weekend! If not there is still hope. Donavon over at Home Server Hacks posted two excellent upgrade articles: HP EX470 CPU Upgrade and the HP EX470 Memory Upgrade. Kudos to Donavon for taking the time to write up such easy to follow instructions.

How to Boost Your Willpower (New York Times Blog)

Steve Bargelt — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:12:53 GMT

Good article in the NYT back in early December regarding willpower.

How to Boost Your Willpower - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog

However, the research does help explain why dieters who eat several small meals a day appear to do better at sticking to a diet than dieters who skip meals. “You need the energy from food to have the willpower to exert self-control in order to succeed on your diet,'’ said Dr. Baumeister.

Reading to be a better developer

Steve Bargelt — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:02:00 GMT

From Hanselman:

In my new ongoing quest to read source code to be a better developer, I now present ... in an infinite number of a weekly series called "The Weekly Source Code."

My goal isn't quite as lofty as Mr. Hanselman's... my goal is to read and understand new source code every other week throughout the first half of 2008. I also doubt that my list will be infinite.

My initial list:

Microsoft Robotics Studio Service for Vex - this one is purely for fun. Well and I hope to learn something!
Paint.NET. You can get the source from SkyOrb.
NetTiers WinForms Layer
Keith Brown's Password Manager (PWM)
Coding4Fun Developer Kit 2008 Vol 1 (BETA) (Idea from Scott Hanselman)
LINQ to Amazon
AForge.NET by Andrew Kirillov
C#.NET del.icio.us API - I use the http://del.icio.us social bookmarking service and this is a C# API for that service. Simple, but fairly clean. I don't usually take the time to abstract thing this much, I'm a bit (a lot) more sloppy, and I'm always impressed when folks take the time.
The Weekly Source Code 9 - WideFinder Edition

First and foremost I'm looking for great WinForms source to read (of course there are exceptions on my list). Anyone have any great suggestions? Post them in the comments.

Mobile Phones: Map it with GOOG-411

Steve Bargelt — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 19:27:53 GMT

I love Google 411 - it is one of the best enhancements (application?) for my smartphone. SmartPhones are great but as anyone who has used one while driving can attest they can be dangerous. With great power comes responsibility! I will admit that I've used Google Maps for Mobile and Windows Live Search Mobile while driving- NOT SAFE. Yes, Windows Live Search has added voice commands but they don't seem to work very well for me. Oh well, I'm sure MSFT will get it nailed. Until then I have my phone setup to voice dial Google 411- all I have to do is say "Call Goog" and my phone dials the number. Once connected I've never had the service let me down; it always understands what I'm asking for and the results are always relevant. One of the coolest features is that you can say "map it" and the service will send you a text message (pictured at right) with an address for the business and a link that will open your mobile browser and allow you to get driving directions or see a map of the business that you are interested in.

Thanks for the tip on mapping, LifeHacker: Mobile Phones: Map it with GOOG-411

1-800-GOOG-411 has added a new feature - the ability to get maps of the businesses that you're looking for texted to your mobile device.

All you need to do is call the number, say "map it", and the text message will come to you with a map of what you're looking for right there on your phone. It's an easy way to figure out where you need to go

Google just freakin' rocks. Hmmm... I wonder how long it will be before the major carriers file a lawsuit against Google for lost revenue or some such made up lawyer talk... since no one in their right mind should ever pay for 411 service again.

Setting up my AT&T 8525 and Windows Mobile Revisited

Steve Bargelt — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:28:07 GMT

Back in May I posted about setting up my AT&T 8525 and Windows Mobile and a few hacks and tweaks... this post is basically a complete replacement for those posts and is the result of using the phone daily for over six months. I've tried many applications, hacks and tweaks in the past six months and here is a list of the applications I have installed and how I set each of them up. A ton of credit goes to GollyJer for pointing out most of the applications I've tried!

The first major change is now my device is running Windows Mobile 6. You can get the official WM6 ROM from HTC's site - although the site says that the update will only be available until February 1st, 2008.

Install WisBar Advance: $9.99. WisBar advance is probably the best investment you can make for your WM5/6 device. Too many features to list but on my device it replaced HandySwitcher ($9.00 itself) as my default task switcher and does a ton more like providing a cascading start menu, allows you to add/remove functions from task bar, skinning & themes and so much more!
- MY APPLICATION SETTINGS
  - Apply Skin: Vista 2
  - Settings:
    - Taskbar
      - Others:
        
        Uncheck
        
        The network icon uses the default icon
        The phone icon uses the default icon
    - Startup
      - Check "Run WisBar after a soft-reset
      - Enter 5 in Delay startup seconds
Install PocketBreeze: $19.95. Today screen replacement. This is one app I've used from day one. I still love it! This application crams a ton of information onto your Today Screen (see top 2/3rd of my today screen in the picture at right).
- MY APPLICATION SETTINGS
  - Options
    - General
      - Height: 180
      - Landscape Height: 100
    - Tabs Bar
      - Check Hide top tabs bar
    - Interface
      - Uncheck Paint Vertical Tabs
Install Spb Phone Suite: $19.95. This application replaces all of the functionality of Phone Alarm from my original list and it provides so much more. Although I love WisBar Advance if I had to pick only one application to buy/install it would be Spb Phone Suite. For how I use my device the two killer features of Phone Suite are
1. "Photo Speed Dial" - see the five small pictures at the bottom of my today screen? All I have to do is touch those pics/avatars to dial those individuals. Very cool.
2. "Reject and reply with SMS" - this feature allow me to ignore a call and reply to the caller with a canned SMS text that you pick from a popup list. Yes you can edit the list. This is great for rejecting a call while you are in a meeting... in three taps (Ignore, Yes, Tap message) you can respond to the caller with a SMS that reads "In a meeting."
- MY APPLICATION SETTINGS
  - Check Call Filtering
    - Feature Options > Accept all but black list > Add > Private Caller
  - Profiles
    - Feature Options > Custom > Speaker Volume 20% and Ring Volume 20
  - Today Plug-In
    - Feature Options > View >
      - Uncheck Operator Name
      - Missed Calls & messages
        
        Options
        
        Check Show unread VMail Count
        Uncheck Show unread MMS count
  - Photo Speed Dial
    - Menu
    - Uncheck Confirm Dialog
    - Feature Options
      - Add your "Fave Five"
      - Order your "Fave Five"
Install Vista II Dialer FREE
- MY APPLICATION SETTINGS
  - Install JPLDialer_VistaII dialer skin
Install VistaHide Battery Gauge - copy shortcut to \Windows\Startup
Install Pocket Controller Pro (actually the device portion is auto Installed by desktop application on first connect (See below)
- System - Settings - Pocket Controller
  - Uncheck:
    - Display Icon in System Tray
Install Mapping/Searching/Local Information: Yes I'm still trying to decide which to use: Google Maps Mobile or Windows Live Search.
- Install Windows Live Search: Free. Now with voice commands (that NEVER work for me)
- Install Google Maps: Free. Now with My Location (that NEVER works for me)
- Add 1-800-GOOG-411 to your contacts and add a voice tag. Seriously. This ROCKS! FREE 411 service. I've used it at least 10 times in the last two weeks... much easier to use while driving than the two applications above.
Install PTT Fix: Use the SJ Sleuth_PTTFix.cab. Free. This allow you to re-map the PTT Button (which you will do below)
Install HTweakC: Free. Small application that allows you to pick registry tweaks from a menu so you don't have to hunt in the registry. Very nice.
- Bluetooth
  - Improve BlueTooth stereo sound > Excellent
  - Enable Auto Suspend
- SysTray
  - Check Hide Battery Icon
- Check Hide Wireless manager Icon
- Phone > More Tweak
  - Disable SMS Sent Notification
Other mobile registry tweaks. Listing of Hermes specific tweaks at xda-developers.com - I have implemented the following:
- Kill the startup sound (DAMN that was loud!)
  - HKLM\SOFTWARE\HTC\StartupAnimation
    - Enabled - change from 1 to 0 to turn everything off and permanently fix the volume issue
Install Microsoft Voice Command (to \Device not \Storage Card). $39.99. I'd have to say that this one is totally optional. IMHO probably not worth $40. Obviously the selling point is that you can voice dial any contact without having to do any voice training. The other features are okay - like bringing up a contact by saying "Show Joe Blow."
Other device settings
- Start > Settings > Today
  - Items
    - Uncheck ALL except Pocket Breeze and Spb Phone Suite
    - Order Items so that PocketBreeze is on top and Spb Phone Suite is second
  - Appearance
    - Pick Windows Default
- Start> Settings > Buttons
  - Button 3 - Map to <Today>
  - Button 5 - Map to Voice Command
  - Button 5 (Press and hold) - Map to Comm Manager
Install Desktop PC Software:
- Pocket Controller Pro - $35.95. Kind of expensive but great this really is a great application. Basically it that allows you to control your WM device from your desktop PC. Tons of great features but the best is the ability to send text messages that I type on a normal keyboard!
- Free Registry Editor: Free. This doesn't actually install on your device. It installs on your PC and allows you to browse you device's registry remotely.
- WebGuide4: ~~$18.00~~. Now FREE! Another application that is not installed on my mobile device but I thought it was worth mentioning. I am using Vista Media Center (aka VMC or Vista MCE or just MCE) at home to record TV. WebGuide4 is an add-on that allows you to control MCE via a web browser. Even better there is a mobile version of the site. Very cool. I can control MCE remotely from anywhere (with adequate cell coverage, of course!) and even stream TV to my device. Here is a great review of the mobile components of WebGuide4. ~~If you use this application pay the guy! Seriously - it is worth every penny~~. Microsoft decided to pay the bill for you!
Hack the Vista WMDC Picture - yeah I did this. Yes I'm still embarrassed to admit it.

winsnap + flickr = screenshot bliss

Steve Bargelt — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:31:07 GMT

Via Tim Heuer @ winsnap + flickr = screenshot bliss:

i recently started using the latest version of winsnap and figured i could integrate my other photo tool of choice (flickr) into the mix. for me, the screenshot thing has always been a multi-step process: take the screenshot, save image, upload to flickr. well it dawned on me that i could use the same command-line interface that i use with flickruploadr and integrate that into winsnap...and boom, two clicks to heaven.
here's what i did...first use winsnap -- it is awesome. it's light and fast. it has subtle, yet effective post-shot image manipulation that you can use. i keep it in my system tray and run on startup. i also make the default screenshot be a "region" so i can precisely capture what i want. the latest version also does vista aero glass well.

Personally I use Gadwin Printscreen and this little trick works with it as well. Cool tip, Tim. Thanks!

DaBoyz Fit Club Triathlon

Steve Bargelt — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:27:58 GMT

One of my goals is to compete with my friends in the First Annual DaBoyz Fit Club Triathlon:

details from Kiltsurfer's Fitness Blog by Scott

We have been talking about it for a while and decide on April 20th.

This triathlon will follow the Biggest Loser on NBC style. We do a 24K triathlon.
- Bike 20K (12.4 Miles)
- Treadmill 3K (1.9 Miles)
- Swim 1K ( .62 Miles)

NYT article on losing weight

Steve Bargelt — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:33:38 GMT

Great article entitled "No Gimmicks: Eat Less and Exercise More" on the New York Times site. I love it. People always ask me what I've done to lose weight and I tell them, "I eat less and I exercise more. I wish I could tell you it is easy but it is not." You'd be surprised how many of the people I give this advice to look dejected... as if they were hoping I would say that I took a magic pill. Here is a philosophy I've totally adopted:

Gradual weight loss, achieved on an eating-and-exercise regimen that you can sustain indefinitely, is most likely to be permanent weight loss.

I've lost a lot of weight and added a lot of muscle over the past six years. Overall I'm down 71.6 pounds and I'm sure I've added quite a bit of lean muscle mass as well because I'm stronger than ever. As if you needed another reason to shed the pounds here is another interesting tidbit from the same article:

Based on 7,000 studies of 17 kinds of cancer, it concluded that being overweight now ranks second only to smoking as a preventable cause of cancer.

Wow. I know many of my friends, family and colleagues would never smoke because of the health risks, but many of them are overweight. Now here is more solid evidence that being overweight can kill you.

2008 Goals

Steve Bargelt — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:42:31 GMT

Get my weight down to 220. My first goal is to hit 228 before the 2008 STP on July 12th
Improve my eating habits
1. Continue to:
  1. track my daily food intake at The Daily Plate
  2. avoid fast food
  3. track my weekly progress in my special Excel spreadsheet
  4. take my daily supplements (Nature's Plus Source of Life Liquid Multi-Vitamin and Udo's 3-6-9 Blend)
  5. eat 6 small meals per day
  6. read Men's Health and other health and fitness related information (blogs, books etc.)
  7. drink lots of water while cutting out soda and most juices (even diet soda)
  8. blog about my progress
2. Stop buying my daily latte
  1. Buy an inexpensive coffee pot for the office
  2. Save 150 - 200 calories every day
  3. Save $5 per day
3. Eat more whole foods especially fruits and vegetables
Participate in the first DaBoyZ Fit Club Triathlon (DFCT)
- April 20th, 2008 - save the date
- Train with the DaBoyz at least once per month before the DFCT
Participate in the Ocean Shores Sprint Triathlon: Swim: .25 mile out and back in Duck Lake. Bike: 12.3 mile loop around Ocean Shores. Run: 5k run out to the beach and back.
Mountain Biking - simply do more of it. Try to hit the dirt 20 times in 2008... contrast that with 2007 where I only managed to get out 6 times (at least that I tracked at MotionBased - I may have been out a few more times without my Forerunner 305 or 60cs)
- Increase my trail riding skills
- Increase my fitness
- Have fun and bond with Derek!
- Buy a new mountain bike! Okay this is more of a reward than a goal.
Complete the Flying Wheels Summer Century
- June 14th 2008
Complete the 2008 Seattle to Portland. This year... two days... on a tandem... with Derek.
- Detailed training plan to come soon
- July 12-13 2008
Take the Marymoor Velodrome track racing class
- April 27th or May 24th - alternatively wait until after completing 2008 STP
- Participate in at least one track race after completing the class
Increase my hill ability before the end of the year. The motivation is that in early 2009 (February) I plan on doing the Second Summer Tours Maui Original Sport Edition... which includes a one-day ride with 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) of elevation gain to the top of Haleakala!
1. Ride the Chilly Hilly route at least three times in 2008 and note progress (2675 ft, 815 m elevation gain):
  1. February
  2. August
  3. October
2. Ride the Cascade Bicycle Club's High Pass Challenge: September 8th, 2008. 7500 foot (2286 m) gain. Good prep for Haleakala!
Commute by bike to work at least 10 times (25-30 miles one-way depending on route):
1. Participate in Bike to Work Day - Friday, May 18
2. At least 7 one-way trips
3. At least 3 round trips
4. Buy a new commuter bike! Again this is probably more of a reward than a goal!
Gym? I want to set a realistic goal. I think three times per week is doable. Still thinking about this one. I'd rather spend time on a real bike... so I don't want to seem like I'm not achieving this goal if I'm riding three times a week! I do not want to set myself up for failure but I am going to leave this goal on the list... as I do want to get to the gym as often as possible.
Dress professionally more often. I mean that I want to wear Dockers to work more often than I wear jeans to work. Kind of that whole look good/feel good thing going on here. This also plays into one of my rules for living - that when you go down a size you buy new clothes and get rid of the old stuff. So when I replace my old clothes I'll buy more slacks and nice shirts!

THE FUTURE:

The aforementioned Second Summer Tours Maui Original Sport Edition in February of 2009. Including a one-day ride with 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) of elevation gain to the top of Haleakala!
Climb Mt. Rainier. No hurry. Maybe 2009 or 2010. I will do this in my lifetime.

2007 Accomplishments

Steve Bargelt — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:41:41 GMT

I got rid of 20.8 pounds (9.43 kg). I am down from 266.8 pounds (121.02 kg) to 246 pounds (111.6 kg).
Went from a size 40 to size 36 jeans (damned Dockers... still wear a 38... but they are a bit big!).
I spent over 85 hours on my bikes:
1. Completed the 2007 Chilly Hilly. It sucked. I'll never do it again. Let me clarify: I will ride the course but never again on the official organized day!
2. Trained for the 2007 Seattle to Portland bike ride (one day version) and made it 150 miles in one day despite having to take several weeks (6 total?) of training off for medical reasons.
3. Completed the 2007 Dam2Dam (50 mile version) with Derek on our new Trek T1000 Tandem. In addition to a great ride and having a great time we raised money for a very worthy charity... the Mike Utley Foundation.
4. Overall I rode 1,200+ miles (1,930+ km)
5. Overall I climbed 42,206 feet (12,864 meters)
I ran 3.4 miles (5.4 kilometers). On sand. While on vacation. In the almost ever-present Washington Coast mist and rain. To ~~some~~ most this may sound like a ho-hum accomplishment but for me this is a big deal. See I can't run. I really can't. Not sure why, really. I can ride a bike seemingly forever but I can't really run for more than about 5 minutes. So in September I found myself at the beach with no bike (WTF was I thinking?) and in desperate need of exercise - so I recruited Derek to ride his bike next to me while I attempted to run a 5k. It hurt. It hurt really bad. I did walk some... or quite a bit actually but I ran the majority of the 5.4k. It took 51 minutes... but I did it. One reason this is important to me is that I want to finish at least one triathlon in my life... and I don't want to look silly doing it.
I joined a local gym. Yes the garage set up served me well for three+ years but I've outgrown most of the equipment.

Getting Healthy Part 1 of Infinity

Steve Bargelt — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 10:00:58 GMT

This is a posting of an email that I sent out to several of my friends a couple months ago. It was meant to be sort of a realistic, slap in the face, tough love, round-about motivational email to the best bunch of friends a guy could ever hope to have. We all struggle with weight problems. I have had some success over the past few years so I wanted to share so of my insight with them. The text has been slightly modified from the original email (my parents read my blog!).

I'm under 250 for the first time since 2004 and I guarantee that I'm in way better shape than I was in 2004. I recently bought my first pair of size 36 pants since 1986. Seriously. I might weigh more that I did in high school but I'm stronger and leaner. I'm in the best shape of my life, without a doubt. I can do 50+ push ups. I can do dips. I can almost do a chin up! I can ride a bike like crazy.

Crazy, I know. Life is pretty good. YES, I still need to get rid of 20+ pounds (228, baby!). I am happy with where I am, but I'll be happier where I'm going! So now you're thinking, "great, Steve, thanks for rubbing this all in. WTF you trying to say? I'm gonna kick your ass next time I see you!"

Well I wanted to say that so I can say this:
I struggle every freaking day with getting rid of excess pounds, exercising more and getting healthy. I haven't taken a magic pill or suddenly found a new fad diet that works (NONE of them do. Period. G'head argue with me. I dare you!). I obsess over everything I eat and try to exercise as much as I possibly can while still maintaining a semi-sane personal life. That is it. Eat less. Exercise more. Sorry. I wish it were easier. I wish I had better news. Getting in shape is the hardest thing I've ever attempted. I'm succeeding right now but you know what the dirty little secret is? I am still in serious jeopardy of failure. I could eat and sloth my way back to 320 pounds. My guess is that it would take less than two years.

I'm pretty confident that I will not let that happen. I'm really confident that my friends will not let that happen! The only way to make sure I don't regress it to realize that it is a possibility and to be proactive in my fight against weight gain. See I've realized that you have to want it more than anything. You have to want to see your abs for the first time in your life (yep, still looking for mine). You have to want to be able to keep up with your kids (or puppies!). You have to be willing to challenge the status-quo even when you skinny friends look at you like you're stupid (I have a story about this but I'll save it for a future installment).

Bottom line is that getting in shape is HARD but luckily I've found several things that do help in this constant struggle. Obviously, your mileage will vary.

Eat at least 6 times per day. This is a no compromise bullet point for me. I can eat roughly 2400 calories per day and still get rid of 2 pounds per week. So I can eat meals of 300, 300, 600, 300, 600, 300. Roughly. I have this on a yellow-sticky on my monitor at work.
Eat whole foods. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain bread), fish, chicken, lean beef, fruits, vegetables, fruits, vegetables. Oh and eat some vegetables and fruit! Personally I probably eat too many meal replacement bars (as in they are not a whole food) but I'm trying to work on that.
Drink water. Drink only water. Currently, I allow myself coffee in the morning and on occasion, a Diet Monster in the afternoon.
Track your food intake. I track everything I eat during the week at The Daily Plate ( http://www.thedailyplate.com/diary/who/deitysteve) I do not force myself to track weekend eating... I should!
Don't eat fast food. Ever. Okay, it is nearly impossible to NEVER eat fast food. So:
- My first choice is ALWAYS Taco Time. Get the light meal (light chicken taco, cup of white chicken chili. The whole meal is like 250-300 calories or something) with water and NOTHING ELSE.
- At McDonald's eat the grilled chicken burger with no mayo (STOP: Do not order 2 or 3 of them, no fries, no coke).
- Wendy's has baked potatoes and salads.
- If you follow the above, you will get hungry later. When that happens, eat a handful of nuts or raisins or a small bowl of truly healthy (Kashi brand is my first choice) cereal.
When you can fit into a smaller size:
- buy new clothes. It feels GREAT!
- throw out (or give away) the old larger clothes. DO NOT keep a comfy "football watching shirt!" you'll just feel like you can eat bags of potato chips while you wear it!
Read Men's Health. There is no way in HELL that you can follow all of the tips provided in even just one month of Men's Health - but some tips will stick and you will start to see reoccurring themes (like Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids rock your health... I currently use Udo's 3-6-9 Blend on a daily basis).
Take a multi vitamin. I use Nature's Plus Source of Life Liquid Multi-Vitamin
EXERCISE. This is the tough one. We are all busy. Very busy. You HAVE TO DO IT. Ride your bike. Lift weights. Walk around your neighborhood. Hike. Kayak. Whatever. Get your friends and kids into mountain biking so they'll bug you to get out and exercise! Just do something (anything) and do it often.
Read all you can about fitness and nutrition (do not include fad diet books!) You do not need to follow a particular book's religion but you will start to see themes appear like eating more often, eating whole foods, carbohydrates are not the enemy (as fucktards like Dr. Atkins has America believing. Yes pure white sugar is the evil and HFCS is Satan but Oatmeal is not evil. Brown rice is not evil!) My list on Library Thing is a good place to start. Here is the order I'd suggest:
- Core Performance Essentials
- Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook
- Other Core Performance Books
- Abs Diet Books
Surround yourself with like-minded individuals. Do not hang out with dudes who go to Taco Bell for lunch every day! I'm lucky that: I have a friend who lives very close to me and is a diabetic (diabetic = seriously motivated to eat right and exercise!). My next-door neighbor and friend an avid (insane?) cyclist and health nut. My boss is into healthy eating and exercise. I said "I'm lucky" above but I'd really like to think that more that luck, I choose to associate with these individuals. I make every effort I can to work out with my diabetic neighbor. I will drop almost anything to ride with my neighbor (which brings up another good point... train with guys who are better than you... it will push you farther than you'd go by yourself!). A couple examples of why I think this is important:
- When my neighbor has me over for dinner we have grilled tilapia, brown rice and steamed asparagus
- When my diabetic friend has me over for dinner we have grilled chicken and lightly breaded, fried zucchini (Olive oil is not evil!
- Honestly... before reading this, what would you have fixed me if I were coming over for dinner? Would we have ordered pizza? Grilled greasy burgers? You get my point, right? ;-)