Piece #71 - A Weight Watcher

If I were to go back in time and tell myself something that would really shock me (other than being married), I would have to say that it is my significant weight gain over the years. When I was growing up I was often teased about me being really skinny. When I first met my future wife, I weighed 135 pounds and my height was 5'10". I was actually a little depressed that I wasn't a little taller and a little bigger. I was never a weakling because I worked out all the time and was very active; I just never showed it. I tried to pack on muscle thinking that would make me look bigger, but it didn't work. I was probably fortunate that I didn't know about those GNC muscles shakes. I think I'd be a lot heavier now if I had started on those things! Nonetheless, I still felt like a 90 pound weakling and nothing was going to chance that.

One trait that I always attracted me to women was their height. I liked women who were taller because I wanted them to be roughly the same height as me. I was never really concerned about their weight because if they loved me for me, then weight was never an issue. Thankfully, Jaimee was a little taller than me, but that didn't bother me, ironically, she was the same weight as I was too. I still remained active with sports and other things so I still really wasn't packing on the pounds, but little did I know that something was going to drastically going to change...my age.

This goes out to all you 'kids' who are in your 20's or 30's I have news for you...when you hit your 40's all bets are off. As I got older, I started learning the hard way that what I eat doesn't always get burned off as fast as it use too. When I started teaching I found myself not being as active as I use to be. I was chasing around toddlers early on in my fatherhood, they started to grow to a point where I wasn't needing to chase them any more so I found myself getting work done, but not working out. Before I knew it, I was looking down and I was having a harder time being able to look at my feet. I past a plateau recently and that was I had now weighted in at over 200 pounds. I never thought in a million years that I would ever hit that weight. It's kind of funny because I'm not fat all over, mostly in my stomach. I look like I should give birth at any time. I still have my skinny legs and my skinny arms, but my chin and stomach have significantly expanded over the years. This weight gain was not what I had in mind when I was younger; I had to do something about it.

I know that having this large belly is a death sentence. I really want to either lower it or get rid of it all together. There is a large part of me that would love to have plastic surgery, but I have no idea if that would make a difference let alone being able to afford it! I'm trying to figure out why I'm still increasing in weight. I can tell you that having the stress in the work place can be a huge factor, and I think that is what has happened to me. My diet didn't chance and usually I lose weight during the school year because I'm constantly running up and down three flights of stairs every day. This year (2014) has been unusual because I didn't lose the weight. Right now I'm trying to eat a little less and exercise more. I have a feeling that it's going to be an uphill battle. To be honest, it really bothers me and tends to motivate me to fix my problem. If you're having a hard time losing weight, I completely understand. It's not easy to do, but most of all you have to remain disciplined and dedicated to getting the weight off....good luck!

{UPDATE - I'm leaving what I wrote in tacked, but I think I know part of my problem. I was given a medicine called Mirtazapine a few months ago and I found out recently that a side effect is...weight gain! Needless to say, I will not be taking this medicine and we'll see if this makes a difference.}

Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes or Android!]:

Song: "Forget And Not Slow Down"

Artist: Relient K

Album: Forget And Not Slow Down

Here a video to the lyrics of the selected song!

First, this is NOT me...but it could be!

Piece #111 - First Impressions

"You already know that making a good first impression can go a long way. But forget all the advice you've received about dressing to impress or putting on a cheesy smile. Turns out, the true secret to building a lasting connection reaches much deeper than what you wear." "According to Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School professor who has researched first impressions for more than 15 years, everyone (consciously or subconsciously) asks two questions when they meeting someone new: Can I trust this person? And can I respect this person?" This quote comes from Reader's Digest and I actually found this rather compelling because I never really heard of this before. I've addressed this topic of first impressions in the past but, I have to admit that this idea is interesting. I guess since you hear a lot of things from a smile, the outfit or what you say make the difference; however these two questions have me a little perplexed. I think it depends on the ...

Piece #1 - The Beginning

I guess like embarking on any puzzle, it must always starts with the first piece. So to begin, I have Asperger's Syndrome, in other words I'm Autistic, and so this literature will be about my struggles with this disorder as an adult. I was first diagnosed back in the summer of 2004. If it wasn't for my twin daughters, I might not have ever known all the questions I have ever had in life; to them, I will always be in their debt. Growing up, you are never really aware of any differences until the judgment years...6th thru 12th grade of school. A time when one always tests their own humanity against others; meaning, how will I measure up against other students. In my eyes I seemed to be just like them; two arms and legs, ten fingers and toes, head and body...nothing unusual. Yet, for some reason, I was treated a little different than everyone else. That's one of those things that you can't quite put your finger on, but I observed on many occasions how kids would talk...

Broken Piece #2 - Susan Boyle

For those of you who are not sure who is Susan Boyle, she was the second place winner to the show "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009. She sang the famous song from Les Misérables "I Dreamed the Dream". Since the show, Susan had been making guest appearances on a variety of shows and recorded several albums. Susan's first album alone broke several chart-records and was very well received around the world. I believe why she had such incredible appeal was because she was a perfect representative of all the 'regular people' in the world. She didn't come in flashy or striking but, modest and humble. When a person like Susan is thrown into the whirlwind of concerts, parties, media, and money, it's very difficult to stay grounded and not having your own personal world torn apart. Sadly for Susan Boyle, her tiny universe is crumbling. First, she did have a health scare when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes that prompted her to lose weight. Se...

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