Friday Food Fix - Mushroom and Garlic Quinoa



How I Found Freedom In Spinning My Wheels

The feeling of absolute freedom is exhilarating. I can hear the wind whipping by my ears, feel it flowing over my body. It is probably the closest I can say it would feel like to fly. This feeling makes me feel fast and agile. I can see tons of beautiful countryside in a short time while still being able to take it all in: The sights, the smalls, the sounds. It is a time of reflection and meditation. I time to center myself. It is one of the few times I feel truly alive!

How I Prepared for Surgery Part 3 - My Soul

The final thing I did to prepare myself for surgery was probably one of the most emotional and religious experiences for me. This is a very tough topic to write about so I will do my best to do so with tact and reverence. This part of preparing for surgery made me look deep into my soul and ask some really tough questions. The last thing I needed to do before surgery was prepare my soul. The hardest question I had to ask myself was what if the worst should happen? How would I handle it?

How I Prepared for Surgery Part 2 - My Mind

At the 2012 Heart Mini 5K in Cincinnati, Ohio - This walk nearly killed me, but was a great preparation for surgery.

This is the second post in my series on how I prepared for weight loss surgery. The first post covered how I prepared my body for the surgery and offered a few tips to those who may not be able to follow the same course of action that I took. This post will deal specifically with how I mentally prepared for surgery and all the changes I was going to need to make to be sure I was successful.

How I Prepared For Surgery Part 1 - My Body

Many people over this last year have asked me what I did to prepare for my weight loss surgery. There were many things that I did and not one was more important than another. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that your preparation heading into surgery and especially the liquid diet the week or two prior will be the hardest and  most important thing you do as a part of your journey. You will work hard to prepare your mind, your body, and to some degree your spirit to go though the surgery. Once you do have the surgery the hardest part is over. If you can survive the months before taking the plunge then everything you do after will be a piece of cake in comparison.

Friday Food Fix - Protein Fruit Sorbet

Protein Fruit Sorbet

Everything I Learned About Motivation, I Learned from a Teenage Pastor!

When I was in high school many many years ago, I was a part of a church youth group. I spent a ton of time singing in the choir, listening to sermons, and going out door knocking. It was a major part of my life back then. During this time, I had a friend named Eric Foust (Picture below with his daughter). Now Eric was an interesting individual. He always had such an amazing and positive outlook on life that you couldn't help but gravitate towards him. One of our youth leaders once jokingly said that he was so friendly he was annoying. I am laughing now just thinking about him, his goofy nature, and this comment. It really is too true. He is now pastor of his own church in Cincinnati, Ohio called Triumphant Baptist Church. I don’t think I ever told him this, but I owe a large part of my success to him.

You see, back when we were in high school he had a catch phrase that he used. He at first used it to be serious about some point he was making, but slowly over time it sort of became a joke. I believe he heard another pastor use this phrase in a sermon on tape and thought he would steal the idea, but the exact origins are unknown to me. The only thing I remember is the indelible mark one little phrase left on my life and that is:

My Journey: Just The Beginning

This video is a chronicle of the major milestones I have attained so far on my journey to health. So far I have lost almost 210lbs. and have done some amazing things like bike races, 10k walks, and swimming across the Ohio River and back. There is still a ton that I want to accomplish though. I want to run my first 5K and 10K in the next 6 months. I want to run my first half marathon at the Flying Pig this next year, I want to run my first full marathon at the Walt Disney World Marathon in 2016, to finish my first Olympic triathlon at the Cincinnati Triathlon next year, to finish my first half Ironman race in 2016, and my first full Ironman race in 2017. I also want to document a trip bikepacking the Colorado Trail in Denver. It is a 585 mile trail that I want to ride before the end of 2017. 

My First Post - How a Hockey Game Broke Me To My Core

Have you ever felt so humiliated that you just wanted to crawl into a corner and cry? Now try doing that and still having to keep on a brave face because it’s your birthday and everyone is there for you. This exact thing happened to me several years ago.