An Open Apology to My Pharmaceutical Sales Friends

Based on my visit with the Doctor yesterday, I must make an apology to those whom are employed as Pharmaceutical Sales Reps. Based on my new weight, blood preasure, and cholesterol levels...I doctor instructed me to quit taking one pill and is likely going to change me to a different, smaller dosage of another. So, while I am still supporting the drug industry - it is to a lesser degree now.

The only other significant development is that for the first time in my recent history (15 years) the doctor said if I didn't lose anymore weight, he wouldn't be terribly concerned. However, following standard protocol, I did get the "But, the more you lose, the less likely...."

So onward and DOWNWARD I'll continue to go...

Whats Up Doc?

Today is the big day. In just a few hours I see my family doctor for the first time since December. In the post Going, Going, GONE! I talked about my last visit and the possibility of being placed on diabetic medicine.

Since that time I have worked very hard to lose weight and exercise all with the goal of avoiding the label of diabetic and the possibility of being removed of all other prescriptions I take. Today we shall see how far I've come...

As of this morning I've lost 88.5 lbs. (now 246.5), my waiste size has went from 50" to 42", and I am now able to jog 2-3 miles a day.

Stay tuned...

My Baby

Pressing On!

Today brings the accomplishment of another goal on the journey to 200 lbs. A few months ago, I half jokingly wondered if I could be at 260 lbs. before my next doctors appointment. I then said - with the belief that it wouldn't be possible - a dream would be 250 lbs. Today, with a full week before my scheduled appointment - I tipped the scale at 249.5 lbs. GRAND TOTAL LOSS = 85.5 lbs. in almost exactly 4 months.

I've always wanted to do the following:

First, I'd like to thank God who made all this possible! I'd also like to express my appreciation to my Treadmill (The NordicTrack C2500), the UT TRECS Facility, my family, and of course my coworkers whom continue to find new ways to motivate me.

The next goal - lose 15 lbs. for a total of 100 lbs. by July 1, 2008.

See you at the finish line!

Dilbert Like Office Policy

I received the following "Policy" in an email today and thought it was funny enough (read as true to my situation at work) to share:

Dress Code:

- You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.
- If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
- If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
- If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.
Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor; you are able to come to work.

Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.

Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.

Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders' category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Break:
- Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.
- Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
- Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

The Management

This week several of my coworkers and I are traveling back and forth to Chattanooga to conduct interviews for a position we're hiring. The normal course of events when I spend any amount of time in Chattanooga is to find a Sticky Fingers BBQ resteraunt. If your a BBQ sauce fanatic like me, you'll enjoy the 5 different varieties they offer - Tennessee Wiskey being my favorite.

So far this trip has been different...

First of all, in my last blog entry I describe the day of trangression I had over the weekend with sushi. The thought of digging a deeper hole was unbearable. So, I decided to try something different that would offer a much healthier and lower calorie option.

Based on some quick internet research (thank you Google) and the recommendation of some locals, we chose to eat at BoatHouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar for lunch. Having recently taken the plunge and tried raw oysters, clams, and mussels and knowing that they have very few calories, I decided to try the El Scorcho Shellfish Stew and Bread.


The dish looked amazing when they delivered it to the table...the bowl of soup had a tomoto based broth with onions, green peppers, fresh cilantro, and lime juice that had some other sort of spice (it was spciy hot!). The bowl was garnished with fresh avacado and slices of lime. Included in the soup was 3 oysters, 4 mussels, 4 clams, and 2 LARGE shrimp. A perfect sized meal that (minus the avacado that I left as decoration due to the calories) was low in calories and very tasty.

I'd recommend this place as the food was very good, the atmosphere was good - especially since it is located on the river and offers a pretty decent view...

81 Steps Forward - 2 Steps Back

OK, So the fact that I'm human was confirmed again this weekend...after loosing 81 pounds, I had a moment of weakness this weekend and visited Makino's All-You-Can-Eat Japanease Sushi Buffet. One plate lead to the second and on to the third! The total damage - 3.5lbs. Ouch!

So, Sunday, I worked the treadmill really hard and brought the gain down to only two pounds. Man was that SUSHI good!

59.25% = One Big Dumbbell

Today's weigh in confirmed that I've reached another milestone in my epic quest to lose 135lbs. As of this morning I have now lost 80.5 lbs. in just under 4 months. As a short term goal I'm trying to get to < 250 before May 22 - my next doctor's appointment - as I hope to get off (or reduce the dosage) of my medications.

"If You Want It Done Right...Do It Yourself"

My last few posts have been regarding the disappointing or mediocre BBQ I've had of late. So, with spring sprung, and summer quickly upon us, perhaps I'll have to get motivated and make some BBQ myself. As further motivation, I recently celebrated my 33rd birthday - for which I received various gifts of money for which I had no specific plans. Thats all changed!

The other day I ran to Kroger to pick up a few items for my wife. As I was heading to the checkout, I came across a small section of gas grills that caught my eye. Thats when I discovered my next purchase...The Char-Griller Duo. This unit is the best of all worlds - a gas grill - a charcoal grill - and, with a $60 attachment, a texas-style smoker.



My goal this week is to clean off the back deck at the house, preasure wash it, and remove my old grill and chairs. All of which to provide my soon to be new friend a nice and clean new home...

:)

Here's to a happy and productive summer of endless grilled / smoked items.

The Search for Smoke Leads South

After my disappointing experience at Ott's BBQ in Knoxville on Friday, the family headed out to Cleveland, TN on Saturday as my cousin was graduating from Lee University. After all the festivities finished, including a small family reunion and a brief tour around the alma matter, we decided to visit a local BBQ joint as the taste for BBQ had not fully been quenched on the previous day.

The wife and kids has eaten at a place called Jordan's BBQ before on one of their trips to visit Uncle Brad. My oldest had enjoyed a peanut butter and banana sandwich her last visit and aggressively suggested we go back their so she could partake of another. Having never been there myself, and the fact that my wife said it was good, I was agreeable.

The facility was what I would expect for a locally owned BBQ joint, had great atmosphere, and smelled of smoke! Ah, now this is how its supposed to be... Anyway, I ordered the combo dinner with ribs and a smoked chicken breast, corn-on-the-cob, and their hot slaw. Notice the semi healthy option for a side dish... Even better is that when the food came out, it actually covered the plate and didn't cost nearly as much as the trips to Ott's.

I have to say, I'm much more of a baby back ribs kind of person and Jordan's serves spareribs. Nevertheless, their ribs were very tender, had a good sauce (not great), and had a semi smokey flavor. The smoked chicken breast was very moist and tender, yet again, just a slightly smokey taste. The sides, well, they were sides...not a huge fan of the hot slaw and the corn was .... corn.

I would certainly eat there again and it was much better than Ott's. However, my top three or four BBQ favorite eating destinations are still secure in their rankings...

Ott's to keep driving!

Being a BBQ enthusist, I've been eager for the famed Ott's BBQ to reopen. For months I've saw blogs of folks recounting just how great the sauce was. Having opened last week, the Prodigal Pig, yours truly, made the trip over the hill (If the wind blows just right I can smell the smoker cooking) to see what this Ott's was all about.

The renovations to the resteraunt looked fantastic - although somewhat upscale from many of the BBQ joints I've frequented. Since it was a nice evening, the family decided to sit outside on the patio. Having two smaller kids, I gave my wife my order and then took the kids outside to get situated.

I should have know something was wrong with the place shortly after my wife appeared on the patio with "the" look. You know the look, the one where something was expensive or where she just encountered bad service of some sort. Turns out that in order to finance the renovations, Ott's has set their prices too high and skimped on the amount of meat they include.

Having recently acquired a taste for french food, I still held out hope in that sometimes small portions of excellent quality food more than make up the difference. Since I've been on a diet and exercise campaigne, I didn't really need the USUAL amount of pork I have been known to consume. Which brings me to another negative point...not a single available side dish had the hint of being healty (no side salad, green beans, corn-on-the-cob, etc.). So I opened up the sandwhich and was amazed at the lack of pork. Nevertheless, I charged on. The first bite of my sandwhich was nothing spectacular, in fact, not even half-way good. The pulled pork had very little, if any, smokey flavor. Further, the meat had large pieces of fat still attached. Hoping that the sauce would add value to the meat, I grabbed a bottle and covered the bun liberally...what a mistake. The sauce, to me, had an overwhelming pepper taste...

So, my first trip (and perhaps only) to Ott's was a HUGE disappointment! As the title suggests, perhaps next time I "Ott's" to just keep driving...for further down the road is Buddy's BBQ which, in my humble opinion, is MUCH MUCH better and less expensive. Better yet, continue on to Famous Dave's or the Bread of Heaven.