Ice Cream, Cinnaburst Bread, and Burger King Tacos

Wow I haven't written in a while. Honestly it's because the days are all kind of melting together. I'm really happy things are starting to open up again.
As much as I'm excited to get out and start doing things again, I've really enjoyed the lockdown stuff. Not enjoying the death and the complete destruction of our economy. Really enjoying being home and spending more time with my weirdos. Also really digging re-discovering the things I love to do. Baking is a huge part of that. I've loved trying new recipes. My sister, mom and I have been doing the signature challenge of season 6 of the Great British Baking Show. It's been incredibly fun to try new things. It's also fun to realize that a lot of British desserts are terrible. Each week we do the signature challenge and everyone that tries it gets to vote. Whoever gets the most votes is star baker for that week.
What that's done is rekindle my love of baking and of trying new things. I made a copycat cinnaburst bread from Great Harvest the other day. Turned out pretty good. I need to tinker with it a little bit. I'm just really digging having the time.
I've gone back to office three days a week. That's good because it allows me to get more stuff done faster, but it is hard to leave the weirdos.
We moved to Sandy a few weeks ago. We live in an apartment across from the River Oaks golf course. I really like the grounds and the golf course across the street. It's really pretty. The only problem is the apartment itself. It's about the size of a smart car, but not one of those roomy smart cars. Seriously it is really small. Once the lease is up we'll hopefully be able to move into some kind of house. I'm anticipating house prices will fall, but we'll see. If we don't end up getting into a house we'll move into a different apartment. Hopefully the size a Prius. I don't like to be greedy though. I'd just like to be able to turn around in the shower without the fear of it becoming my tomb.
The place has 3 pools, so the girls are excited for them to open. I am too. I love to swim. I'd do it every day if I could.
It's interesting the two factions that are arising in Utah right now. There are the people who are screaming that nothing should be open and are watch-dogging everyone. Then there's the people that are screaming that this is all a lie. I maintain what I've said from the beginning. Come to the middle. Be aware and be cautious. Don't live in constant fear. Be smart but live your life. Cause seriously the extremists on both sides of this issue are causing more problems then we need to be having with all of the other problems. Just come to the middle. Interferers and busy bodies on both sides. Come to the middle and find serenity.
The ice cream website is up and running! Go to www.jjsicecream.com and order. It's been really interesting what has been popular and what hasn't. The thing I didn't think would work as well as it has is custom orders. The idea is we can literally make any flavor of ice cream you'd like. If you have an idea for one you've always wanted to try, or had a flavor once that you've always wanted to have again, or are having a party with a particular theme, we can make it for you. It's honestly making me stretch as a cook and I really dig that. I've had some pretty difficult requests so far. Bring it on.
Go check out the website. We're having a sale right now. Put in MEMORIAL20 at checkout and receive 20% off!
Thanks for reading! I'll get more consistent again now that the world is moving. Go check out the podcast too. We reviewed Village Baker this week and had the Great Burger King Taco debate.

Why Do You Think You Suck So Much?

I haven't written in a couple of weeks cause seriously what is there to write about? The insanity that is gripping our country on all sides? Yep. But seriously I don't want to write about it. So I won't. That's the best part about not being in school anymore. I can stop writing whenever I w
I've hit 70 pounds of weight lost since January 2019. It's pretty awesome but I've still got like 50 to go. The good news is I can actually pat myself on the back now. All these t-shirts that I love are now fitting me and actually looking good. It's fantastic but that's pretty much all I wear now. Which is awesome.
I've hit a plateau the last few weeks and it's frustrating at times. I'm losing inches but no weight. That's probably a good thing but I've decided that going to youtube for answers is a mistake. The reason? Most of these physical trainers are jerks and d-bags. They're the type of people in high school that you couldn't stand. Every video that comes up has a list of 5 things that you should be doing for any particular topic, and then it usually says "You're probably doing this wrong". That drives me insane. The thing is everyone says this is the right way to exercise or to eat but it all contradicts each other and each one is designed to make you feel like you're an idiot who just can't understand weight loss or fitness like they do. It's the reason I hated The Biggest Loser. For ratings they'd have these serious discussions that would basically be, "Why do you think you suck so much? Seriously how did you become such a fat load?" It would drive me insane. I'm fat cause I like cheeseburgers and cookies and I didn't want to limit myself to one. I'm fixing that now and feeling really good so quit telling me how much I'm doing wrong and how much you're doing right. I get that they're passionate but be passionate without being a d-bag. Quit telling me what I'm doing wrong. I guess I could stop looking at the videos on youtube but I'd rather rant about it.
It's certainly hasn't been an easy journey. With all the time on my hands I'm working out twice a day now which is fantastic. I highly recommend DDP Yoga, especially if you have back issues. Next month will be 3 years since I started having sciatica. It really really sucks. However it has gotten so much better since I started doing yoga and losing weight. I've done cortisone shots, physical therapy, chiropractors, acupuncture and ozone therapy and the only thing that has made me feel consistently better long term is yoga and weight loss. It's nice not to be in pain every second of every day. If you have any pain like that I'd highly recommend it. The thing I love about it is you start at your level. I think the reason most people say they don't like yoga is they start off in a class that's above their skill level and it's way too hard. You start at the beginning and work up to the more advanced stuff. I just started to really be able to do down dog the other day, and this was after months of building up the muscles. I'm totally OK with that because I started at my own level and worked my way up to this point. I plan on moving forward. As I've strengthened the back muscles and dropped weight I've felt the pain go away more and more. It still hurts, just not as frequently and not as long. It's awesome.
Our LLC has been approved, so as soon as our checking account is set up we'll go live with JJ's Ice Cream! I'm really excited about it. The website is jjsicecream.com. You can pick your own flavors or do custom flavors. We're also starting our with a special four pack: The Mormon 4-pack. The flavors are Chocolate Mormon Mocha (made with Pero), nursery punch, buttermint and green jello. They've been tested and they are super good! We're coming up with the jack-Mormon 4 pack as well. It's still in the works. I'll let everyone know when the ice cream business goes live. Please buy some and tell your friends!
Thanks for reading. Now that things are a little more positive I'll get to ranting about ridiculous things again.

Organization Will Set You Free

Another week down. When did we become so cynical? It's amazing to me that anytime any piece of good news comes up about this virus it's immediately squashed. It's actually incredibly ridiculous. I consider myself a reformed cynic. It's in my nature to be cynical but I've worked for many years to be an optimist. As a result my cynicism tends to come out as intense hatred of Olive Garden and Cafe Rio. At least I know my cynicism is well deserved.
It's not that I think we should only be wide eyed optimists. Excepting the hard truth of this virus is an important part of taking our own responsibility to help stop it. However any time there is any piece of good news or anyone trying to show any optimism in any way it is quickly squashed. It's OK to have good news regarding the situation we're in. It's OK to know that things will get better. It's OK to hear about good things people are doing. When I look at the media all I see is people saying no one is doing the social distancing. At the same time I see the parking lots empty and the streets empty. There are a lot of people taking this seriously and doing what they're asked to do. There are people who are not and those people need to pull their heads out.
Enjoy the good news that you see. Embrace it. Share it. There is a tremendous amount to be grateful for, even during this time. It's important to be educated and to not underestimate what this virus could do to our country. Be the good you want to see. You'll be amazed at how quickly things will start to look up. Like I wrote last week, find something that makes you happy and do it. If there's a hobby you used to do and now you don't, start it again. If there's something you always wanted to do, start. You've got time. Make it good.
For Priya's birthday she got a toy guitar from Coco. Priya likes it a lot but Mirinda fell in love with it and often would sit on the couch playing it and singing. So I bought her a ukulele. She's so excited about it. The only problem with buying a 6 year old a ukulele is that you've bought a 6 year old a ukulele. She wants to really learn how to play it and I have no idea how to play one. So I guess I'm using my time of social isolation to learn how to play the ukulele so I can teach her how to play it. It should be interesting. Plus I have like 4 Hawaiian shirts that finally fit me again and I need an excuse to wear them.
Something that has constantly occurred to me this week is this: Organization will set you free. I really do believe that. When you always do what you need to do first, then you'll be able to enjoy the things you want to do more. Each morning this week the girls have got up and been given about 10 minutes to do what they want to do and to wake up. Then they start exercising for 10 minutes. It's either Mickey Mouskercize or DDP Yoga for kids. DDP Yoga for kids is being offered for free right now, by the way. After the exercise they have breakfast. These girls never eat breakfast. After exercising they finish their entire breakfast. Then it's homework and get dressed. Since they know exactly what to expect every morning it is so much easier to get them to do it and to give them incentives to do what they need to do. After they've done everything they get to have fun. There is much less fighting and arguing when they know what to expect. I think one of the problems is we have in our mind as adults what should be done and how it should be done. We don't always vocalize that to the kids and as a result they are left trying to guess what we're thinking and sometimes it looks like we are just being unfair or mean when there may be a good reason for the way things are being done. That's where organization comes in. Setting clear expectations and then following those expectations helps kids so much. Not always. Kids are still going to be kids. They're still going to have good days and bad days, good moments and bad moments.
I'm convinced that organization is the key in all this. Organizing priorities, organizing tasks, organizing everything. That's my suggestion this week. Get organized in whatever you need to be organized in. Let the kids help. Let them come up with suggestions and help to organize a plan. They will own it more if they have a hand in creating the organization.
Always do what you need to do first. My dad always told me a story about a fisherman who went out all day and caught four fish. When he came home he was very tired. He knew he had to clean the 4 fish but he thought he would sit down for 15 minutes and rest. After 15 minutes the 4 fish had become 6 fish. The thought of that made him more tired so he rested for another 15 minutes. Now he had 8 fish to clean. That was an overwhelming thought. After an hour of resting he had 20 fish to clean. The thought of that many fish was too tiring to him, exhausted as he was. He gave up and the fish didn't get cleaned.
In reality there was still only 4 fish. But because he decided to do what he wanted to do instead of what he needed to do first it felt like too much to do as he rested. Clean the fish first. Then do what you want to do. You'll enjoy the things you want to do so much more because the things you need to do aren't constantly on your mind expanding and growing until it just seems like there's so much to do.
Just remember this will end. Stay home and stay safe. Make a plan. Get organized. Find the joy where you can. It will get better. And if you need a good laugh or a recommendation on takeout, listen to my podcast.

Now Is the Time. Tomorrow is Good Too.

Take another deep breath. It will be ok. We're going to beat this thing. We knew it would be a bad week. It's time to get more serious about the social distancing. No really it is. Like seriously. Suck it up for a few weeks. I know it's hard. We're not used to it. Could be worse. Could be raining. Oh wait...
Can I offer a different perspective on the quarantine and social distancing and working from home? Someone asked me the other day how I was doing. I said I haven't been this relaxed in years. I'm not kidding. I have thoroughly enjoyed this week. I have not enjoyed the deaths and the spreading virus. I have not enjoyed the hysteria from one segment of the population or the complete disregard for others from another segment of the population. I have not enjoyed the ridiculous fighting that our government has done and is doing. I have not enjoyed seeing friends be laid off because of all this and struggling.
Here's the thing about all of that. All I can do is control what I do to help slow this virus. I can work from home. I can wash my hands often. I can keep my home clean and sanitize each day. I can practice social distancing. I can have my family do all of those things as well. I can not panic buy. I can support local businesses as much as I can and within reason always keeping in mind the issue of social distancing. I can and am doing those things. I'm doing that because it's the right and responsible thing to do. I can choose not to be afraid of the coronavirus but to be wise about the way I handle things.
The numbers we're seeing can be scary but the CDC warned us this would be a bad week. It will get better. It takes time. Stop listening to every news story that comes out to be honest. You absolutely need to be informed, but there is a tremendous amount of ridiculous and false information out there. I think a lot of it is analyzing where the information is coming from. If it's from CNN they have an obvious and open bias leaning to the left. If it's from Fox News they have an obvious and open bias to the right. Find the truth in each story and critically analyze it before sharing it. Cause holy crap people. Quit being so scared about every piece of information that comes across, but also quit being so flippant about each of our responsibilities. Just stop. If each of us would do what we've been asked to do we would see this thing drop off rapidly.
With all of this I said I haven't been this relaxed in years. I really mean that. The reason is I have time. I haven't had time in a long time. I have time to do the things I really love to do without feeling guilty that I'm not spending enough time with my kids. I've spent all day every day with them and it's freaking amazing. I'm working out twice a day now. I've had time to use my smoker more. I've had time to research new recipes for things I want to try. I've had time.
I fully realize we're all in different situations. I can only speak to my situation. Because there's not much I can do about what is happening in the world other then do my part, I'm choosing not to be scared. I'm choosing to take this time that's been given and improve myself and my family.
Maybe there's a hobby that you used to do and you just don't have time for it anymore. Start it again. Discover the love for it again. Maybe there is something you've always wanted to get into and just haven't had the time. Now is the time because you have time. Maybe you've always wanted to really get into exercising. Now is the time. It would be a shame to not take this time to improve ourselves. It really would. With limited access we might need to get creative with what we do. That's OK. Do it anyway. Figure out what it is you have always wanted to do but felt you were too busy and start. You've got to be home anyway. You can be at home bored and miserable or you can figure out how to use the time effectively. You can come away from this a better person or more jaded.
That's all I'm saying. Redefine what this time means for you. Do what you can to help others and do your part. We'll get through this. The time will pass either way. It can pass with us as a better person, or it can pass with us the same. The choice is yours.
The girls started exercising every morning. Some mornings they do yoga. This morning we found old episodes of Mickey Mousekercize on YouTube and the girls absolutely loved it. They did it for like 20 minutes and wanted to keep it up. Those kids amaze me. We had all these plans for this time of year. Priya's birthday party, Lagoon opening, and Disneyworld next month. All of those things aren't happening right now but they never complain. They're just happy to be here. I'm trying to be more like them. Deal with the large problems and the small conveniences and just live.
This week on Snooty and Slackjaw we did an episode on take out places. Please go listen and patronize some of these places. I went to R&R BBQ today. They have a great drive through system available and they were extremely grateful. Go check out the episode and go to one of those places this weekend. Hopefully we'll get the LLC approved so we can start the ice cream company. What better way to be quarantined then with some excellent ice cream?

Come to the Middle. It's Warm Here and We Have Cookies.

I didn't write last week because I was too annoyed. I'm still annoyed but I figured I'd write this week. Here's what I'm saying. Come to the middle. It's warm here and we have cookies. I still hold that the coronavirus is not a maniacal serial killer that is coming to kill you and your entire family. I also hold that if you are not doing your part to help stop the curve then you are not being responsible and you are putting others at risk.
Here's what I think is at the heart of it. We started hearing from the media about this virus and much of it was about getting clicks because it's a business and it's a big news story. From this you had two different groups arise. One of the groups bought into the hype and we had dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. This is the group that rushed to the Costco to buy up ridiculous amounts of water and toilet paper and baby wipes for some reason. This is the breakdown of that segment of the population. The stats were released for panic buying by state. New York has been hit extremely hard by all this and their panic buying was about 20%. Utah? 266%. I'm not kidding. We spent 266% in panic buying over the last few weeks. That is incredibly ridiculous! And guess what? That's not being prepared. If you are out panic buying when the crisis is already occurring you are NOT prepared.
When the earthquake happened the other morning I started to go through in my head all the things that we had prepared for. I realized I was pretty good. We have food, shelter and water with the ability to clean water if we needed it. The one thing I was worried about was fuel to cook with. We have some, but I was worried we didn't have enough if the big one actually came. I went to Sportsman's Warehouse to get some fuel. I got some canisters but not a ridiculous amount because you can actually use those for a long time. When I went to check out the lady in front of me spent $500 on supplies. Then after she bought all that she asked if they had any propane tanks. They said they did and she ordered three. I really thought about telling her how ridiculous she was being and how she needed to calm down. I chose not to because everyone was on edge and I didn't want to be on the news for having this lady fight with me. But seriously. 3? Now maybe she was buying them for multiple people so maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt, but if we are panic buying at a rate of 266% the chances are that's not the case.
If you are one that bought a ridiculous amount of stuff as a knee jerk reaction here's my suggestion. Look around your neighborhood and family and see if there is anyone lacking. Then share the ridiculous amount you bought with them. Don't take any money. Just share. Now is the time we get to show our quality as human beings. Yes you should protect your family and make sure they have enough. If you have more then you need show your quality and serve others. This can either be the breakdown of society or our finest moment.
The other end of the spectrum are the ones who hate the media and who believe this isn't a real problem. I'll admit in my last post I was a little too cavalier about the issue and have since rethought my position. There are still many who are going about their lives as if nothing was wrong. Please don't. Wash your hands often. Go to youtube and check out Alton Brown's tutorial on hand washing. It's funny and also really informative. Disinfect your house. Each night I'm now taking a clorox wipe and wiping down high use areas of the home. Doorknobs, light switches, fridge handles, sink handles, counters, remotes. Basically anything that gets touched a lot. This is not being over reactive. This is being safe. If you run out of clorox wipes don't panic. If you have bleach you're going to be OK. Mix 1/3 cup bleach with a gallon of water in a spray bottle. Clean the area with soapy water, rinse. Then spray on the bleach solution and allow it to air dry. That will sanitize effectively.
But really do your part to help stop this thing quickly. That's what I'm saying. Come to the middle. Don't freak out but don't act as if nothing is wrong. We've got idiots down at spring break that are not helping the situation. Don't be that person.
Initially it's two weeks but of course it's going to be longer. It just is. It takes time. Here's the good news:
There is a Utah company that can now produce 50,000 tests per day. The test results come in about 2 hours which is much better then what we have been able to do. They are distributing them and I'm sure more companies will start doing the same. As we have the ability to test more we can quarantine more quickly which will help stop the spread of the disease. This is great news! It's not being talked about.
Here's more good news. They are finding that anti-viral medications are working on the virus. The malaria medication choloroquine has been working on eliminating the virus. More study and work needs to be done but FDA has approved it to be used in treatment. Cases are starting to show that those that were given the drug with mild to moderate cases are being able to get better. This is great news! More studies will be done. As we can test more effectively and find drugs that will kill the virus we will see cases go down over time and get a handle on this. Other drugs are being experimented on as well.
This will all end. It will take some time but it will get better. Shipping has not stopped. If we stop the panic buying more of the items we need will be coming in and we'll be OK. We may need to get a little creative with the food options for a little while but suck it up. This will get better. Focus on the positive and do your part. Show your quality.
Another thing when the check from the government comes in. I have a few suggestions. If you need it to pay bills because your job has been effected by this then absolutely pay the bills. If you're doing OK financially I have two suggestions. One is to patronize local restaurants. So many of them are doing take out options. Use them. You're still doing your part but at the same time helping the economy. The other suggestion is to put the money in the bank. Recessions are a normal part of the economy. Don't waste this money. Save it for when times are a little tight. You'll be glad you did.
Sorry this was a little ranty today but I'm tired of the doom and gloom. It will get better.
As for me, today is Priya's birthday and I'm excited to celebrate it with her. I can't believe that little weirdo is 5 years old. Her first birthday here she didn't really know what was going on, but now she definitely does. She's highly anticipating getting Elsa powers for her birthday and I think she'll be pleasantly surprised. The problem is now Mirinda wants Ana powers for her birthday. In the book Elsa is the winter witch and Ana is the summer witch. Maybe Mirinda will be getting a flame thrower for her birthday. We'll see.
Thanks for reading! We've got a new podcast episode coming out today so please give that a listen and share it! Also the ice cream business is almost ready to go. What better way to quarantine yourself then with home delivery ice cream?

Take a Deep Breath and Relax. It Will Be OK.

Everybody take a deep breath. Good. Now calm down. The coronavirus is not a mad serial killer intent on slaughtering you and your entire family. It is something to be concerned about and you should take necessary precautions. Buying toilet paper and water at the Costco are not those precautions you should be taking.
I had no idea this was a thing until I went to the Costco on Wednesday. People are insane. I knew one of the employees there and she said one guy came in to buy an entire flat of bottled water. Seriously everyone just calm down. And why toilet paper? I really don't get it. At all. It's knee jerk reaction but it's not really being prepared.
I firmly believe in emergency preparedness. I've got a large supply of toilet paper. I just didn't buy it the other day because somehow the coronavirus is going to effect the toilet paper supply. I've got a 6 month supply of food, along with a supply of water and the ability to make clean water any time I need to. Both of my vehicles have a 72 hour kit in them. I am an advocate for emergency preparedness.
Here's the thing about this virus. Since it has come out 20,000 people have died from the common flu. Yes it is contagious but it is not the rampant killer that we are fearing it to be. News organizations are businesses and the coronavirus gets traffic to their business so of course they are going to talk about it a lot. About a month ago I had a talk with my girls about this flu and we make it a point to wash our hands frequently. When we come home from anything I have them wash their hands. We don't go to see anyone who is sick. We don't have any plans to go to China anytime soon. Chances are we'll never come into contact with someone who has the coronavirus but if we do we'll take the necessary precautions so it doesn't effect us. That means if your kid is sick don't take them to Primary on Sunday. Stay home. You won't be smitten if you do that. You might be.
What this has done is made me review how prepared I am. I realized we needed 72 hour kits at work because if something does happen there's a good chance it will happen while I'm at work. As a result we purchase 72 hour kits for everyone in the office. I hope we never need them but if we do we'll be glad we have them. So just calm down and be wise. If you feel you aren't as prepared as you should be, make a plan to get more prepared. Start now. End of rant.
Very little can dampen my spirits right now anyway. The sun has decided to stop cursing us with winter and things are starting to move towards spring. I don't mind cold weather in March as much because I know even if it snows it won't last long.
Last weekend we had a staycation in downtown Salt Lake. We stayed at the Radisson and had a fantastic time. The girls love going on adventures as we call it. We got to swim twice which made them happy. I also promised them they could go to the Disney store and pick out something they want. They both got a Minnie hiking backpack and are so happy about it. It has a compass, flashlight, bug holder, plastic apple, and canteen. They are adorable walking around with them on. We went for Priya's 2 year anniversary of being a part of our family. It's amazing how much fun those two weirdos can make anything.
We're going to Disney World next month and the girls can hardly contain their excitement. Disney World is a lot different and it's overwhelming just how much stuff there is to do there. And to eat. If anyone has a suggestion I'd gladly take it. Unless it involves Frozen. The second movie came out on DVD and holy crap it's been our lives lately. At least I don't despise this one as much. I'm indifferent to it.
Update on the ice cream: we've decided on a name. It's going to be called JJ's Ice Cream (Jeff and Jim Bob). Our website will be up next week and we'll start taking orders hopefully next week. If you'd like to pre-order let me know on Facebook Messenger or text me if you have my number. We'll gladly take pre-orders. I'm really excited about this because I love to make ice cream. Don't ask me to make lite ice cream though. Ice cream shouldn't be lite. Just don't eat it every day. Unless you buy it from me. Then feel free to eat it every day.
As always thanks for reading! If you want to pre-order hit me up.

If Priya Kills Me Please Avenge Me

On Sunday it will be two years since taking custody of Priya. I can't believe it's been 2 years. Honestly. I'll never forget the first day I met that kid. I had to go to India early due to some issues with the court that weren't getting resolved. Her orphanage was inside of a state hospital. State hospital's in India are not fun places and it's hard to see so many people suffering. It took 45 minutes to find the actual orphanage once we were inside. Luckily I had the driver with me or I would never have found it.
Finally the moment came that I got to meet her. Her name was Shourya at that time. I am glad we changed it. There are people here who have a hard time pronouncing Priya for some reason so I can only imagine what she would be going through with Shourya. Still that name is better then 75% of the names we give kids in Utah.
She wasn't sure what to think about me at first. It's weird for a lot of these kids to see a white guy for the first time, especially a huge white guy. I brought her a coloring book and crayons and she liked that. She showed me how she liked to dance and she gave me a kiss but wouldn't sit on my lap. After a few hours I went back to the hotel. The next day I came back again with a ball that lit up. She absolutely loved that. It was amazing to sit and play with her knowing what chances she would have in the US that she wouldn't necessarily have in India. That's nothing against India. It's an absolutely amazing place with amazing people and I honestly believe everyone should visit there was in their life. I just knew we had the means to help her now and was filled with gratitude for that.
When I left that second day she started to cry. That was one of the most horrible moments of my life. I knew that I was leaving her there in the orphanage while I went back to the 5 star hotel I was staying in. I also knew there was nothing I could do about it but wow I felt like a piece of garbage.
I came back every day to spend time with her and every day she would cry when I left.
Finally the day came to take custody of her. She was a little scared at first but she calmed down. I'll never forget the moment we walked into the hotel she looked up and said, "Wow!". She had a bath and then all she wanted to do was stand by the window and look out at the city.
That kid constantly amazes me. She is so sweet and loving but doesn't take crap from people and will tell you exactly what she thinks. She's been through a tremendous amount in her short life and it doesn't seem to bother her.
I've loved seeing how Mirinda and Priya have bonded too. Both have helped each other out. Mirinda watches out for Priya and takes care of her. Priya has taught Mirinda how to use her imagination and role play better.
If you've ever considered adoption I highly recommend it.
To celebrate the adoption day we're doing a staycation downtown. It's going to be a lot of fun. Initially we were going to go to St George but we realized we're going to Disney World in April so it was a better idea to save the money for that trip. The girls can't wait to go to Disney World. I'm excited too. The thing about Disney World is you can't wrap your head around it. There's so much stuff to do you won't be able to get it all done. There's so many places to eat as well. The trick is to just relax and let the kids have fun.
That's really the trick with going to Disneyland or Disney World. If you try to do everything you're going to be miserable. So either go for enough time that you can do everything or just be content with what you are doing. If the kids want to play in Toon Town for hours let them. You're building memories.
I don't think I ever gave an update on the Elsa powers that Priya wants. They have a toy now that you can wear on your wrist that will either shoot out water for silly string. She's getting that for her birthday but she wants it now and bugs me every time she sees one in the store. I keep saying that her birthday is coming soon but it falls on deaf ears. I am afraid that she's going to use the toy to find some way to kill me. If she does please avenge me.
My buddy Jim Bob and I are going to be starting a home delivery premium ice cream business. If you haven't seen or heard of this before you order pints of ice cream. It's especially fun for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, special events, etc. The problem is if you've ever looked at these deals online they are ridiculously expensive. We can do it a lot cheaper and (not to blow my own horn) I'm quite good at making ice cream. We can really do any flavor you can think of and it will be delivered to your home. We're even thinking about doing a subscription kind of thing. We'll get more details out when we have them but if you have something coming up and would like to purchase some, let me know.
As always thanks for reading! And don't forget to avenge me.

The Cast is Off and Daddy Coach

The cast is off and Priya couldn't be happier about it. She's a little tender but is enjoying walking around without a weight on her foot. Let the good times roll now. Their best friends love to go to Airborne. There's a new one in The District. I told the girls we'd go once Priya's leg is feeling better and they're pretty stoked about it.
I can't figure out dinner with these girls. Mostly Priya. I will make something and it is a hit and the next night she won't eat any of it. It makes no sense. Last night I made french toast. The last time I made french toast they didn't really like it. This time they both at the whole thing. I also made BBQ pork this week. Last time I made it Priya loved it. This time she would hardly eat any of it. These girls haven't gained any weight in like 5 years. They're both still at their birth weight. Mirinda is 33 pounds. I need her to gain 7 more pounds so we can stop using these stupid car seats. I get that they're safe and necessary. The problem is these kids never stop moving. Whatever food I do give them gets burned off like tissue paper in a fire. This is a good thing that they're active and love to do stuff. All I'm asking is for 7 pounds right now and then she can wait another 5 years to gain more weight. I wonder if I put a 7 pound weighted vest on her. Would that work? I'm afraid to Google it.
I rode in the back of a hatchback Honda Civic when I was a kid. There was a bill in the legislature in Utah to require kids to be in a car seat until they were 12 years old. Seriously? At 12 years old I was 6 feet tall and had a full beard. I always hate when the legislature starts meeting because we have the worst bills come up for a vote and then it becomes national news. It's always some hick legislature who had a buddy who had a problem once and now we have to have some ridiculous legislation around this one problem their buddy had.
Since getting Mirinda and Priya I've noticed how good of a throwing arm both of them have. They have great aim and can throw a ball a long way. I've thought about putting them in tee-ball for a while. Last year Priya was having her hip surgery and I didn't know how bad it was going to be so I was worried about putting Mirinda in and not giving her the attention she needed for it, and worried that Priya would be upset that she couldn't play. So I decided to wait a year. This year I showed them a couple of YouTube videos about tee-ball and asked them if they wanted to play. They both were enthusiastic about it so I signed them up. They're going to be on the same team which is easier and better. Mirinda is so small some of the younger kids on the team are going to be bigger then she is.
I came home to tell them I signed them up and they asked who was going to teach them. I told them I play baseball and would teach them and they would have a coach to teach them as well. There's an episode of Peppa Pig where her dad comes to teach the class basketball and Peppa calls him Daddy Coach. The girls asked if I could be Daddy Coach. I said sure I'd volunteer. I figured I'd be an assistant coach and it would be a lot of fun to do that with the girls. I emailed the head guy to let him know I'm interested. He immediately responded and said, "Great! I'll put you down as the head coach of the tee-ball team for the 3-5 year olds." So I'm the head coach now. The girls are super excited. I've been going to YouTube to find drills for a tee-ball team. It will be interesting. If anyone has any Valium let me know. Or whiskey.
I'm super excited this week because the podcast is going to be on the Radio Ronin network. If you don't know what Radio Ronin is, it's a podcast network started by Jimmy Chunga. He was on 107.5 The End and 101.9 The End back in the day. I have been a fan of his for 20 years and one of my dreams has always been to work with him in some way. When he said yes we could be on the network we were at Cold Stone. I'm pretty sure I jumped up on the table and reenacted the bar scene from PeeWee's Big Adventure. If you haven't listened to Radio Ronin it's a really funny podcast. They talk about everything. And now you can listen to us on there. Or you can in a few weeks.
As always thanks for reading!

Pooping Toys for Valentine's

I never thought I'd be buying a walking poop toy that poops out candy but there I was at Smith's this morning buying a walking poop toy that poops out candy. The girls were so happy with it. Their nickname for me is poopy daddy. I can't tell if it's endearing or derogatory. I'm going to go with some from column A and some from column B. I just wish I was in the meeting where someone pitched that toy idea. Then I think why can't I come up with stuff like that. I think I'll call the suicide hotline and ask them.
The girls are very excited about Valentine's day. I remember how much fun it was in school too. Unless you got the antacid hearts. There was always a kid that brought them in for everyone. When you have a box of candy that mixes flavors like wintergreen and lemon, you should really rethink you're career path. And if you're the parent who bought those for your kid to take shame on you. Also shame on you if you bought them a Whitman's Sampler. The Whitman's Sampler was forged by the devil himself.
Really though Valentine's candy is not great. Next to the Valentine's candy they had already set up kiosks for Easter candy. That's where it's at. That Cadbury Creme Egg will put you right into a diabetic shock. I eat one a year and I'm good. That should be the next internet challenge to see if you can eat two of those in a day and still be conscious.
Priya gets her cast off next Thursday. On a daily basis she tells me how much she doesn't like her surgery. I don't blame her. I can't wait for the cast to come off just so the tantrums will subside. Right now it's separation anxiety from me. She freaks out anytime I need to leave. It was a 45 minute tantrum on Wednesday because I needed to go record the podcast. (Why yes I have a podcast. You should listen to it. And share it. And comment. It will change your life for the better. Or not. At the very least it will kill 10 minutes.) She didn't want me to go but she didn't want to come with me. She finally calmed down and we had a talk later that night about not ever doing that again. We'll see.
The interesting thing is the different ways the girls have tantrums. Both are extremely stubborn which is good in a lot of ways. With Mirinda though you can reason with her after you get her to calm down. You can't reason with Priya. However 10 minutes later they're both as sweet as can be.
They gave me a huge Valentine card and they had both written sentences on it which is so cool. You get used to reading and writing everything for them and all of the sudden they can do it on their own. It's a weird feeling. I heard someone describe raising children as having a dog who slowly learns to talk, read and write. Somewhat accurate.
If you have back pain you should be doing yoga. Seriously. Mirinda and I do it every night now and I have been amazed at how much less pain I have from sciatica. We do one that focuses on core for 15 minutes and I feel amazing afterwards. Mirinda asks to do it because she loves it so much. I've had sciatica for 3 years in May. Since them I've met with my doctor, done physical therapy, cortisone shots, seen a chiropractor, went to an acupuncturist and did ozone therapy. The cortisone worked but only for 3 months. The ozone therapy did help but after a little while it stopped helping. The chiropractor did help my hips get into place but not much else. The only thing that has really worked is yoga. I highly recommend it. I do DDP Yoga. It's Diamond Dallas Page. He was the wrestler in the 90's who did a tag team match with Karl Malone against Dennis Rodman and Hulk Hogan. After his career was over his body was in such bad shape he could barely walk. He started doing yoga and it brought his body back. His style of yoga is all about resistance so you're doing strength training with the exercise. I recommend it highly.
When did we stop honking? I don't mean honking just to be a jerk but honking to let someone know their behavior is incorrect. The other day I was behind someone at a red light going straight. We got a green arrow only but the guy in front of me wasn't paying attention and started driving straight. The car on the other side who had a green arrow started turning left and they barely missed each other. No one honked. That car needed to know they did something stupid and dangerous so they could fix the behavior in the future. I'm sure they thought the guy turning left was in the wrong. Once I got the green light I drove and that car turned into their neighborhood. I seriously considered following them. Not to harass them but when they stopped their car to roll down my window and inform them of what they had done and tell them in the nicest terms possible to stop being an idiot. I decided it probably would be construed as harassment or I was risking a punch in the mouth so I didn't. But seriously there is a reason we have horns. Again we don't need to be a jerk but if someone isn't following the law honk at them. They need to know. I had a guy pull out in front of me and I had to slam on my brakes. When I passed him he was oblivious. It does come back to the self-entitlement that is rampant in our culture and all of us do it to some extent. If someone is not following the rules of the road honk at them. You don't need to flip them off but they need to be aware that what they are doing is not correct.
As always thanks for reading. We're doing a contest this week on the podcast. If you share it on your Facebook or Instagram page you'll be entered into a drawing to have lunch with us. Our treat and your choice.

Walking and Yoga is a Winning Combination

Priya is now walking pretty well on her own with no walker. She's frustrated and I don't blame her. Holy crap that girl has thrown some tantrums this week. She doesn't like to not be able to do things on her own and she is more stubborn then Mirinda. That will serve her well in a lot of areas in her life but come on kid. It's all about patience. I often say that is the benefit of being an older parent with young kids. You have a lot more patience then you do when you're in your 20's. The drawback is you have no energy to keep up with these weirdos. Between the two of them they have enough energy to power a mission to Mars.
We started doing a lot of yoga this week. Diamond Dallas Page was a wrestler in the 90's. He's the one who had a tag team match with Karl Malone against Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman. After wrestling his body was so messed up he could barely move. He started doing yoga and it brought his body back. He has a yoga program now called DDP Yoga and it is really excellent. The girls love to do it. I really like the exercise and it's really helped with the sciatica. It will be 3 years in May that I've had sciatica and man it sucks. I'm hoping dropping 120 pounds will help as well. Or just cut my leg off. Either way.
It is so fun to see these girls start to understand things. Mirinda is really starting to be able to read and I love to see it. We always knew she would be developmentally behind. She's been in early initiative programs pretty much since she came to the US. Now with the adderall it has really helped her to be able to focus and learn things. I love to see how happy she gets when she does something on her own. The girls want to try out tee-ball this spring. They both have really good arms and I think they'll love playing.
I started strength training this week. My chiropractor has arms as big as tree trunks. The last time I saw him he notice I had been losing weight and asked what I was doing. I told him intermittent fasting and exercise and he asked if I was doing strength training. I told him I was only doing cardio and he spent the next 5 minutes explaining why strength training was important. I started this week and I really agree with him. I feel like I'm getting a better workout in a shorter amount of time.
It's another thing that convinces me that the key to weight loss is small changes over time focused on a health lifestyle. I have always hated weight lifting. Sophomore year of high school I decided I wanted to play football for some reason. The issue is I was absolutely awful at football. Just horrible. I didn't have the killer instinct and I just didn't care. I'd go to weight lifting and think, "Man there are a lot of jerks in here." It's not that anyone who lifts weights is a jerk. It's just in that situation that was the case. I remember someone telling me at practice that their opponent is their enemy on and off the field. I remember at 16 thinking that was incredibly stupid.
Because of that I've never been one who likes to lift weights. This week though I was surprised by how much I am enjoying it. It's already starting to get a little easier each day. If I had started with weight lifting last January I wouldn't have kept it up. I've been focusing on what I could do until it became habit and I love doing it. Then it became my decision to start the next thing so I owned the solution instead of someone telling me I should do this or that. When you own the solution you're motivated to get it done. I am really digging this whole thing.
I'm also really loving how much the girls like doing the exercising. I so much do not want them to go through the same things I have with weight issues. As I've said before no one told me to eat those cheeseburgers or the entire sleeve of cookies. I chose to eat that. I just want to help them make better choices early so they don't get to this point. It's amazing when they tell me we need to exercise.
As always thanks for reading! Thanks for all the support and love for Priya and Mirinda as well!

Priya's Surgery and Mirinda's Unquenchable Cheerfulness

One more surgery down for Priya. Poor kid. Thankfully this surgery was much easier than the last surgery on her hip. This one was to take out the metal bar and screws that were in her femur to help strengthen it. All weekend she told me she was scared. I don't blame her. Especially after the last one and how hard it was she had a right to be scared. We talked a lot about it but it didn't really help.
We had to be at Shriner's Hospital at 6:30 Monday morning. There's nothing quite like waking 2 kids up at 5:45 on a Monday morning to take them to the hospital for a surgery. It would have been nice if we were going to the airport to go somewhere fun. Instead we were driving in the snow to let them cut Priya open. I have to say she handled it like a champ. Mirinda and Priya rode with me because I needed to take Mirinda to kindergarten later on. Priya was crying in the car until I suggested we sing some songs. Once we started singing the tears went away. Honestly the biggest help in all of it was Mirinda. She has an unquenchable cheerfulness about her and it was so much help in the car.
It was almost instinctive for her. She knew she was the older sister and she needed to take care of her little sister. She was singing songs with Priya, making her laugh, and getting her mind off of what we were doing. I couldn't have been more proud of the two of them.
We got to the hospital and Priya was still pretty cheerful. The nurses came in and started to prep her for the surgery, but Mirinda got in the hospital bed with Priya and cheered her up. I was amazed constantly by the whole thing.
Before taking Priya into surgery they gave her something to help her remain calm and holy crap it was hilarious. Priya is already pretty chill most of the time but she was extremely chill once it kicked in. They got to roll to the surgery prep room in the bed together and when they got there they both got a lion stuffed animal. It was so cute to see them together. There's a video of it on Facebook.
The surgery went really well. It took a little longer then they said it would so I had started to stress out. The reason for it was some of the bone had began to grow over the metal bar and they had to chip some of it away. That's a good thing. It means the leg is becoming very strong and is healing really well. That is such great news to hear.
They warned us that she would be made when she came out of the anesthesia. She was. Super super mad. She cried a lot but eventually fell asleep again. Once she woke up she was her normal cheerful self and was so proud of herself that she had done the surgery. I was so proud of her. After she was awake and the pain was under control they let us go home. It's amazing to think that they actually chipped part of her bone away and a few hours later she was home.
She was in pain for the first few days but the pain killers helped it. Two nights ago she started taking steps again and last night the bandage came off. Now it's just her little body healing up and she'll be good to go. So another surgery down.
Hopefully that's all the surgeries for the year. She has to have ear surgeries next year so that will be fun and exciting.
One of the things Priya was upset about is not being able to do Just Dance. I told her I would hold her while we did just dance. That's an even bigger workout then before. It's really difficult to hold a 27 pound kid and be a solid gold dancer at the same time. Somehow I manage.
For some time Priya has been asking for Elsa powers. She wants the ability to freeze people. I love the imagination she has but it's really starting to concern me for two reasons. One is she told me if she gets Elsa powers she's going to freeze my heart, then take me to her castle that she built. There she will spank my bum and eat my eyes. I've seen a lot of crazy stuff in my life but holy crap that stuff is terrifying.
The other thing that is concerning me is she is dead serious (pun intended) about getting these powers. She's told me that Santa Clause will bring them to her. She's also asking for them for her birthday. I don't want to disappoint the kid but come on. I'm trying to think if there is a science kit or something that will let you create ice. My sister suggested dry ice but with Priya's tendency towards cannibalism I don't really want to give her the tools to make a bomb. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Either to let her have Elsa powers or to satiate her blood lust. I'm open to suggestions. 
The year of January is finally over. Now we can get through the dark days of a day longer February and we'll be into Smarch. At least in Smarch if it snows it will melt the next day. We will see the sun again. Believe it. Just believe.
I'm so into this healthy thing I can't believe it. It's super super fun. Last week I went through all of my shirts that haven't fit and a ton of them fit now. I've got a whole new wardrobe and I really dig it. Just keep going.
Thanks for all the prayers and good vibes for Priya. Let's get her all the way better and enjoy not being in constant dark and cold.

All Warm Fuzzies This Week

Alright so maybe I went a little too far with the whole d-bag thing. Sorry about that. I was in an especially ranty mood. As my buddy Jim Bob put it I took it a little too far. I apologize if anyone was bugged by the post.
Today I thought I'd talk about something a little lighter. Politics.
Totally kidding. I want to talk about Just Dance. If you've got kids you wish would exercise more, get this game. It's on X-Box, Playstation and Switch. It only comes with 30 songs which is a good amount. However for $25 a year you can get an extra 400 songs. My girls absolutely love this game. If you have difficulty finding time to exercise get this game. It is a freaking workout and it's fun to do. When I was home over the holidays I started having the girls do this every morning and telling them we needed to get up and exercise. They love it to the point that they'll come up to me and tell me they need to exercise.
I love seeing them do this for a few reasons. One is I don't want them to have to struggle with weight like I have. I want them to develop these good habits early so it's always a part of their lives. In addition I'm concerned about Priya. She is super skinny now but she has a sweet tooth. I worry that as she gets older if she doesn't develop these good habits she's going to have issues with her weight. With her body and the problems it has it will make everything worse if there is a weight issue so I'm glad she loves to do it. We do Just Dance most days now. They've got a lot of Disney songs and kids songs as well as adult songs. Mirinda has fallen in love with the Macarena to my great shame and disappointment. If nothing else buy the game just for "I Need a Hero" cause it is the funniest, strangest thing you will ever see.
The only issue with the expanded service is it has Let It Go. That's the song we do first. Always. The girls have actually dressed up in their Elsa and Anna dresses to do that song. Priya is more interested in dancing to it, though she does sing a little. Mirinda is more interested in singing to it. That works out because Priya gets super mad if she doesn't win and Mirinda couldn't care less. They won't let me do the song with them anymore because I won too many times. No great loss.
It's not that I'm trying to beat my girls at a video game. I'm just trying to work out so I'm going to do it at 100%. Also I'm a good dancer. As a result I usually win. You haven't lived until you've seen a 3 foot tall Indian girl in an Elsa dress chewing you out for beating her at a video game. I highly recommend it.
The other fun thing is they have Bollywood songs. We dance to those most days. That is an arm workout like you wouldn't believe. I absolutely love that because the girls are getting exercise in as well as listening to Indian songs.
Those kids never cease to amaze me though. Priya counted to 100 the other day and Mirinda read her first book to me. It is really cool seeing them understand they can do things on their own. Mirinda took out the garbage all by herself the other day. I couldn't have been prouder of her. These girls make everything fun. I can't imagine life without them.
Here's the good news: we're halfway through January! Then just make it through February and we'll be money.
We do have a new podcast episode out there. It's for Sweeto Burrito. I've talked about the virtues of Sweeto Burrito for some time. I highly recommend it! Please go listen and let us know what you think.
As always thanks for reading! I promise less rants in the future. No, I can't promise that. I promise less lengthy rants in the future.

Stop. Just Stop.

I really appreciate all the positive feedback I received from last weeks post. It's not an easy thing to talk about weight issues but the support does mean a lot!
The holidays are over. The tree is down and the Christmas lights are down. Priya cried both times that happened, but it was time. Now it's the dark days of January. Happiness will be found again in March and the sun will return.
My girls are way into Just Dance on the Switch. I love that they want to do it. I love to dance and it's fun to see them get into it so much. Here's the problem. We always do "Let it Go" first. I now listen to that song at least once a day. Even worse I'm really good at dancing to it. I got a Mega-Star rating on it the other day. I rock it as Elsa. That's even more depressing than January. That's saying something. It is fun to watch those weirdos dance though. There are a lot of Disney songs so we have a rule that we each take turn picking a song. That way we do two Disney songs and then a regular song. I'm trying to broaden their music knowledge.
Priya got really used to me being home so much over the holidays and is having a tough time going back to normal. As a result she's become super clingy whenever I need to go anywhere. I don't blame her. I'm pretty awesome to be around. Hopefully it's only for a short time.
The other day she was cuddling with me and as a joke she bit my stomach. We've talked about biting. A lot. So I got mad at her and told her she couldn't bite people. That sent her into uncontrollable sobbing on my stomach. I calmed her down and explained that I loved her but she couldn't bite. Once she calmed down she blew her nose on my shirt. This made me get mad again because don't blow your nose on my shirt, which made her cry again. So I calmed her down again while explaining that she can't blow her nose on my shirt. In a nutshell that's what it's like to be a parent. You get bitten and snot blown on you and you love them anyway and comfort them.
I saw something at Chuck-a-Rama that has bothered me all week. The family in front of us were trying to pay for their lunch. The dad was a veteran so he wanted the military discount, but he didn't have the correct ID with him. The girl behind the counter was young and was just doing her job. She said she needed the correct ID or she couldn't give them the discount. They freaked out and asked for the manager. The manager came over and the woman that was speaking for the family said they come here all the time and how dare they question them and they were very offended. I was proud of the manager for speaking up to them and telling them she did recognize them and would give them the discount but they needed to bring the correct ID.
This is what bugs me. We've become such d-bags. Seriously. We're offended by everything and everyone. It's is absolutely ridiculous. The thing is we've all been a d-bag at some point in our lives. We might not have realized it but we have been. I know I have been. It's not something we usually set out to be, but we've all done it. I don't care what your beliefs are or what you've done in your life you have been a d-bag to someone.
Maybe your the one in the left lane driving 67 miles per hour and telling everyone they don't need to drive any faster than that. If so, you were a d-bag. It's not your job to police that left lane. On the other side maybe your the one in the right lane tailgating someone that is going slowly. If so, you were a d-bag. That person was in the correct lane for their speed and you need to go around them.
Maybe you are the d-bag that won't move into the intersection to turn left but stays behind the white line so nobody else can go. Or maybe you're the d-bag who turns left long after you have a red light. Maybe you're the d-bag who needs to get something out of a backpack or stroller or answer a text message so you stop in the middle of a walkway to do that and make it difficult for everyone else trying to get by.
Maybe you're the d-bag that is driving slowly or erratically because you're looking at your d-bag phone. If that's the case, you're the worst d-bag of all.
Here's my point: we've all been d-bags at some point in our lives. The idea is to get out of our own heads and our own worlds and be self-aware. Think about how we're effecting the lives of those around us and adjust. It doesn't mean we need to be constantly stressed about our actions, but just be self-aware. Know what's going on around you. Stop getting offended at ridiculous things. One of my favorite quotes is, "A fool takes offense when none is intended, but a bigger fool takes offense when offense is intended." I really do believe that. Stop getting offended. Stop believing you are the only one who matters. Stop the entitlement. I get that this family wanted the veteran discount. They deserve the veteran discount. I'm grateful to that man for serving our country. However the poor girl behind the counter was just doing her job because they didn't bring the correct ID. That's the entitlement factor that we have embraced in our culture. None of us is more important than anyone else. When we realize that life becomes a lot more about being self-aware and everyone getting along better.
The good news is even if we've been a d-bag, we can adjust. We can find ways to be more self-aware and get out of our own worlds. We can choose to not be offended. We can choose to stop being self-entitled. Each of us have to decide to start doing that. If we've been a d-bag about something, own up to it and make decisions to be better. None of us is perfect. As a culture we've become so self-obsessed that we can't see how entitled we've become.
Alright, I needed to get that off my chest and I'm good now. As always thanks for reading! We've got a couple of new podcast episodes coming out soon: Sweeto Burrito and Proper Burger.

Never, Never, Never Give Up

Wow I did not write much in December. It wasn't intentional, there was just way too much to do. And now it's January and everything is cold and dark and sucks. I'm pretty chipper about it.
Christmas was absolutely wonderful. The girls had a great month. We had several conversations about the idea that Santa is not going to come into their room on Christmas night. Like at least 5 or 6 conversations. Some of them lasting 45 minutes. Mirinda finally fell asleep at 1 AM. Last year it was 2 AM, so we're improving. Both of these moments of finally falling asleep involved threats on her life.
I took a lot of time off over the Christmas holidays which was fantastic. Got to spend a lot of time with the girls. They're obsession with Frozen is becoming alarming. I asked them the other day when they were watching Frozen if we could watch something that wasn't awful. They didn't agree. We did go to see Frozen 2 on Christmas Day. I didn't hate it. It was adequate. Olaf is the most annoying character Disney has ever created. Ever. And the 80's music montage song with the schizophrenic guy was dumb. Other than that it was adequate.
The girls made it to midnight on New Years, and they were actually in a good mood. They liked the whole new year thing. It's extremely fun to see them enjoying these things as they get older. They make everything fun anyway. Priya cried when we took the Christmas tree down. I comforted her by telling her it would only be cold and horrible for 3 more months. I think it helped.
I wanted to take some time today to write about my weight loss journey this year. I haven't talked about it much. I lost 42 pounds this year. I'm pretty proud of it, but wow there's still a long way to go. I've learned a lot of things about weight loss and about myself that I wanted to share.
One thing I've learned is weight loss is an extremely personal thing. Each person loses weight and maintains weight differently, so what I'm writing about may not work for everyone. It is meant to be helpful however.
I started out New Years Day in 2019 sitting with my family for lunch. My mom had us go around the table and say what our New Years Resolution was. I didn't have one. I don't normally. I don't think I need a day to make decisions to change or improve. If you want to improve, make a plan and start. My mom said she was going to exercise 5 days a week in 2019. That struck me as a really good idea. I had joked for a long time about never exercising but honestly it was time to start. I wore XXXL shirts and they were starting to get tight. I absolutely didn't want to move to XXXXL shirts, so it was time to make a change.
The problem was I had done this before. I had gotten the motivation and decided to wake up at 5 AM every morning and work out. I had done this several times. Each time it lasted about 2 weeks. January at 5 AM couldn't be worse, and waking up early to do something you know you're going to hate isn't very encouraging. I know there are people who do that and love it, and that's impressive. I'm not one of those people.
The other option was to work out after work. That's a problem because I'm swarmed the minute I walk in the door by my little weirdos, and between getting dinner ready, cleaning and spending time with the girls I wouldn't be able to work out consistently. On top of that I want to spend time with them, so the evening wasn't going to work.
As a result we decided to start a wellness initiative at work. Everyone was allowed 30 minutes a day to work out in the gym at the office building. I started to do that every morning at about 10 AM. That worked for me. At first my only goal was just to complete 30 minutes each day. I was on zero resistance on the elliptical. I didn't care. I just wanted to do it. I hated it at first. No one likes starting an exercise regimen. I decided I needed to find a way to start loving it.
My biggest problem is I get bored when I work out. When I get bored I focus on how tired I am. When I focus on how tired I am I think I should stop. I turned to Impractical Jokers. I love that show. I laugh at every episode. I found if I watched that I would laugh and ignore the exhaustion or the pain, and suddenly the 30 minutes were up. I still watch it every time I work it.
Over the year I have kept up the 5 days a week. It's been an interesting process because there will come a day when I'll realize that I'm not getting a very good workout so I'll increase the resistance or the program and the workout is harder but I'm getting more from it. I started out at zero resistance and now I'm at 16. The thing goes to 20. I really like the way I feel when I'm exercising regularly. I have more energy and can do more. It's impressed upon me how important it is to find what works for you with exercise. I can balance something that isn't very fun with something I enjoy.
When I first started exercising I lost about 15 pounds over the course of 3 or 4 months. I wasn't watching my diet I was only exercising. My body responded to it pretty well. After I lost that weight I didn't lose anymore at all. I didn't gain anything back, but I wasn't losing. I was OK with that. I was keeping up what I said I would do, and my shirts weren't quite as tight.
In September I started realizing I was unhappy with my appearance. It wasn't really a being mean to myself thing, I just wanted to look better and feel better about myself. I've got an entire wardrobe I can't wear. Literally I have an entire closet full of clothes that are too tight to wear. It's incredibly frustrating. It was also my fault. Nobody told me to eat those cheeseburgers.
I started thinking about what to do about my weight. I've been on fad diets and yo-yo diets. I didn't want to do that again. I wanted to lose the weight and then maintain. My biggest issue was I was not going on a diet. A diet indicates I'm going to start at some point and then stop at some point. I wanted a lifestyle change. I started researching intermittent fasting and I really liked the idea behind it. The idea is to not eat for 16 hours, but to eat for 8 hours. That seemed like something I could do for the rest of my life. Here's the thing about intermittent fasting: if you eat whatever you want during those 8 hours you're not going to lose weight. You might maintain, but you're not going to lose. On top of that, you still have to watch what you're putting in your body. It's not just about weight loss. It's about a healthier lifestyle and the weight loss comes as a result of that. You can go on Keto or the low carb diet and eat a pound of bacon or a huge burger with no bun and lose weight, but is it healthy? It so is not.
The first few weeks of the intermittent fasting was tough. It's hard to retrain your body when it's used to eating all day. However, I had a goal and kept pushing through it. The nice thing about intermittent fasting is you get to drink water. It sucks to be hungry AND thirsty. After a few weeks I had lost a few pounds but wasn't seeing the results I wanted. I kept it up because my goal is not weight loss. It's a healthier lifestyle and weight loss will come as a result of that.
My mom told me about a drug called phentermine. It's an appetite suppressant and a stimulant. She had gone on it and had positive results. I decided to try it.
I met with the doctor and told him what I had been doing and said I needed some help. He prescribed the drug for me, but warned me that it's not a miracle drug. He thought I was only lose 2 to 4 pounds on it. I liked that because it seemed like a challenge to me.
I'm here to say it's not a miracle drug, but it can help. What I found is it helped me change the way I thought about food. Each day I felt that I needed to eat a big lunch because I was afraid of being hungry. When you consistently eat big lunches your capacity for eating larger meals increases. Then at 2:30 or 3:00 I would feel like I needed a snack because it was midday. That's a dangerous slope to be on. Suddenly on an appetite suppressant I didn't feel hungry. I felt full. When it came to midday and my mind would say I needed a snack, I would stop and think about it. I realized I didn't feel hungry so I didn't need a snack. It was a mental battle the first few days. There was the part of me that was afraid of being hungry and the other part of me that realized I wasn't hungry. I had to ask myself each time this battle came up whether I wanted a snack or wanted to lose weight. Most of the time the answer was I wanted to lose weight. Not always. There are times when the answer is I want to eat. One night in December we were at the Festival of Trees. I hadn't had time to eat much dinner and I was starving. I really wanted to eat but kept fighting myself all night that I wanted to lose weight. Mirinda was hungry and wanted a cheeseburger after we left so we stopped at McDonald's to get her one. My mind kept telling me I should get a cheeseburger or a spicy McChicken but I kept fighting. Finally I got home and realized that I was actually really hungry. Normally I would have a bunch of cookies or something like that. Instead I had a glass of milk and one cookie bar. When I got done with that I was completely satisfied. I learned that sometimes you need to give your body what it wants. Just give less than what you would normally give. Have one cookie instead of ten. Other times you need to master yourself because the goal is a healthier lifestyle.
After a month of being on the drug I met with the doctor again. I had lost 17 pounds. He walked in and said, "Well that worked." I agreed. He cautioned me again that I probably won't see that much weight loss in a month. Good. Another challenge. He did tell me that he had another patient who had gained weight on this drug. I couldn't understand how anyone could gain weight on this. I'm not hungry. I eat lunch and dinner and have an occasional snack, but I am not hungry for anything else. He said this guy wasn't watching what he was eating, wasn't exercising. Basically wasn't doing what I was doing. It was good to hear. It's not a miracle drug. You have to put in the work. You have to be committed to the goal of a healthier lifestyle. There are bad days. There are days when you really want to eat something you know you shouldn't. Sometimes you do. You don't beat yourself up when you do. Have the snack. Make it a good one and have less of it, but enjoy it.
Lifestyle change is not about making yourself miserable. It's about choosing one thing each week you can do differently. Whether it's a goal for exercise or food, or something you need to start doing or stop doing, do it one week at a time. The issue is we have these grand plans and we eliminate everything in our life that tastes good or is unhealthy and we're going to spend our life at the gym and put all these rules on ourselves that are going to make us miserable. We're motivated for a little while, then we find out how much it sucks and how miserable we are and the motivation leaves. We go right back to old habits and nothing changes. Instead of that start with one thing this week that you can change. Make it small. Then next week pick something else you can change. Keep up what you have done and choose new things. Small changes over time lead to lifestyle changes for the rest of your life. I can't imagine not working out now. My stomach has shrunk now to the point that when I do want to eat more I find that I'm full and I don't like the feeling of being stuffed. My clothes are starting to fit better and I'm almost to the point I can wear XXL shirts again. I have an entire wardrobe waiting for me.
That's my advice. Don't make it about only weight loss. Make small healthier decisions on a weekly basis and watch it change you and your body. It becomes habit which then becomes a part of your personality. Then you start to learn how your body responds to what you put in it and what you do to it. This makes it easier to tailor your lifestyle to a healthier one. All this leads to a healthier weight.
I lost 42 pounds in 2019. My goal is 50 pounds in 2020. I'm going to keep moving forward with this. When I get to the weight I want I'm going to maintain. I'm not going through this again. It sucks. It sucks gaining weight and slowly realizing that clothes you wear don't fit you anymore. It's much better to stick to healthy behavior and habits. It doesn't mean you can't have that ice cream. Eat the ice cream, just have a scoop or two instead of the entire thing of Ben and Jerry's. It was one of my favorite snacks.
In saying all this I realize that each body is different. Each person is different. This is what has worked for me. The method I've used may not work for you, but I do believe the principle is the same. Don't make huge sweeping changes all at once. Start with one thing today, then build on it. Be patient. You may not see results right away but over time you will. Just don't give up. I'm looking forward to writing about this again next January 50 pounds lighter than I am now.
Just don't give up.