Consciousness Cleanse: DAY 3 - THE GIFT OF RELEASE (Pt. 1)

First off, get your minds out of the gutter. Second, let me take a moment to revisit yesterday's undertaking.... the Gift of Self-Awareness. This was a tough one for me, as it requires that I make a list of all the people that I've wronged... all the things that I have done that have hurt other people... all the things that I have done that have hurt me. The most important aspect of this part of the cleanse is to look at all these wrongdoings as an OBSERVER, and not attach any personal emotions to them. It's very difficult for me. I guess I have always been a little tenderhearted. I have not always been the nicest person, but I do feel bad when I upset or hurt other people.

Being instructed to write a list of those that I have hurt did, in fact, make me feel a little emotional. For the most part, I go through life trying NOT to hurt people. It's not always the case. More than anything else, I probably feel pain from the hurt I have caused my immediate family over the last several months. For those of you who don't know me... or have just been outside of the loop... I separated from my wife of 21 years. In retrospect, we were two people that complimented each other in some ways, but were desperately different in others. It's difficult for me to look back on some of those memories without becoming VERY emotionally attached. At the same time, I know that in the end, Tiffany and I will both be happier people. In addition to the pain that I have caused Tiffany, I also have regrets about the way I interacted with my daughters. I have three daughters, the oldest 19 and the youngest 15. My middle daughter (who is 16) and I have always been fairly close. That is party because she has always been an inquisitive person and will constantly initiate conversations. She is also very social. My other daughters, while social to an extent, are not quick to initiate conversations. Being a man, I often don't know what girls really want to talk about. I have felt uncomfortable talking to them about anything besides music. I often felt that if they had "boy troubles" that they would go to their mother. They have always been very close to Tiffany, and I let those relationships flourish, without interfering too much. I regret that I didn't take a more focused role in their lives.

I am sure there have been other people over the years that I have hurt or offended in some ways. If you happen to be one of them, I am truly sorry for any hurt that I may have caused you.

THE GIFT OF RELEASE

The central focus of the next 24 hours will be RELEASING those things that have weighed down on me over the past 24 hours. One of the most important things we can do is to let go of things that may diminish our internal flames. I often think of the wise words of Eckhart Tolle in any of his published works, but most importantly his book, THE POWER OF NOW. One of his most recurring topics is that of letting go of the past and not dwelling on the future. I have a dear friend who is going through a lot of uncertainty in her life, and I often think of how her life would be easier if she didn't dwell so much on the future. While it is important to NOT move through life blindly, it is equally imperative that we don't bog ourselves down with those things that we can't control. The only part of our lives that truly matters is the present.... those things that we are currently experiencing. Suppose we have a root canal coming up three weeks down the road. We are frightened to death of the dentist, but it needs to be done to save the tooth. If we dwell on it for those three weeks, not only will it cause us discomfort the day that it takes place, but it will ruin the three weeks leading up to it. If we make it a point to NOT pay heed to the dreaded thoughts, we can continue on with a happy, productive life, with only a couple hours of discomfort (the root canal) along the way.

The first exercise that I am told to do is to think of all the mean things that have been said to me over the years. All the times that I was told I was weak or overweight. The times that I was picked last to play sports, in junior high (which was nearly every time). And then there were the times throughout my adolescence that I was told I had a "bad attitude". Yes, in retrospect, I probably did. I felt bad about it, but I had a hard time controlling it.

Next, I am to list the negative things that I have told MYSELF. "You're worthless and weak.... what are you going to do with your life?!?" Well... that's easy. "I wanna rock". Seriously, I have told myself negative things throughout my life. I have often chided myself for not having a college degree. For not having the successful life of my brother. For not pursuing a better education to allow myself the opportunities for any career I wanted. For having bad acne (adolescence). For having acne scars (now). For being a little overweight (up until 9 months ago). For being insensitive (almost all the time). For not being a good husband or father (often). For being spiritually weak (on a regular basis).

In the exercise, I am told to imagine that each of the negative things that have been said to me, either by others or by myself, is a pellet of pesticide. Then, after pondering about the plethora of negative things that I have been told over the years, I am to imagine that all these pellets are put together into a brick. How big is the brick? How heavy is it? Truth be told, in my life, my brick would be much smaller than many people's.

I will conclude Day 3, tomorrow... and continue with another exercise where I rank several "emotional" traits, on a scale of 1-10. It'll be fun, so come back to see just how "passionate" I am.

Consciousness Cleanse: DAY 2 - THE GIFT OF SELF-AWARENESS

I am concluding Day 1 of my Consciousness Cleanse, which has focused on The Gift of Desire. Today, the core of my focus was on my desire for inner peace. Unfortunately, from the moment I clocked on at work, I was thrust into a world of inner contention. Our office (I'm a Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service) has been under scrutiny for not being as productive as other offices. I truly dislike the fact that the Postal Service has moved from being a "service" oriented organization to a "numbers" oriented business. Management does everything to try and squeeze as much work out of us as possible, with no incentive. I was told by my first supervisor (as a Carrier) that 'the only reward for hard work in the Postal Service is MORE work'. A more fitting statement has never been spoken.

Anyhow, today we had the displeasure of an upper management person visiting our office, where our management was pacing back and forth as if they were the Gestapo of the Third Reich. Intimidation was their sole purpose. Between those mind games and the fact that they completely changed our normal protocol to make themselves look better, I was livid. Immediately I was forced to take deep breaths and say to myself, "Lose my temper, lose my life". I was fighting feelings of anger for the next two hours, as I prepared my route for the day's deliveries. Once I made it "to the street", all was well. Throughout the rest of the day, I practiced my usual exercises to maintain some sense of inner peace. It worked... for the most part. Let's just say that my language dramatically improved once I was not in the negative work environment of the office.

Day 2- THE GIFT OF SELF-AWARENESS

For the next 24 hours, my focus will be on that of "self-awareness". During this period of the cleanse, I will turn my attention to that which is secretly (or maybe not so secretly) robbing me of my soul's desires. or standing in the way of my fulfilling them. During this time, I am supposed to work through the process of un-concealing and embracing any unprocessed shame, guilt, hurt and remorse. It is only through releasing the past that we are able to open ourselves up to a new, inspiring future. During this time, I am expected to reflect on any of these past actions as in impartial observer. I need to be AWARE of my behavior, but not overly identified with it.

To do this, I need to dig deeply into the past and acknowledge the things that I wish I had never said or done, and to admit to the choices I've made or failed to make that robbed me of happiness and self-respect. It is only by acknowledging these behaviors that we are not proud of, that we can purge them from our consciousness, creating room inside our consciousness, enabling us to reach our greatest potential.

CLEANSING RITUAL

Today, I must take an honest inventory... a "searching and fearless" inventory (as stated in many 12-step programs) and NOT a bitter and blaming one... of all the undigested experiences that are still creating toxicity within my mind and body.

At this point, I am to create a journal, answering a few thought provoking questions.

• What do I wish I had never done?
• What do I wish I could forget?
• What do I wish I could do differently?
• What behaviors have I participated in that intentionally or unintentionally brought harm to others?

I must also make a list of everything that has gone wrong in my life that I have taken too personally.

In addition to this, I must answer these questions:

• How have I punished myself?
• What do I do to beat myself up?
• What are all the reasons I believe I hold on to them?

The most interesting thing is that once I answer these questions, exposing many of the things that I have been dragging around for many years, I am instructed to do NOTHING about them. The very act of getting this "inner residue" outside of me and onto paper will have a transformative power of its own.

The final step is to write down what would be available to me if I allowed ALL of my human behaviors, thoughts, feelings and experiences to live outside of myself... a short distance from me... from now on.

SOUL FOOD
My darkness is an absence of light.

THE 21-DAY CONSCIOUSNESS CLEANSE

What is the condition of your flame right now? It is healing, after a somewhat negative day at work. I have spent some time with my daughter, taken a refreshing nap and enjoyed some time away from the rigors and stresses of the world.


On a scale of 1-10, where would you rate it? Right now, I would rate it around 7. Earlier, it was down to 3-4.


Where would you like it to be at the end of the day? By time I go to bed, I would like it to be at 8-9.


What is your intention of the day? What intention can you create to strengthen and fuel your flame? Reflect on the questions I am faced with and attempt to let them be, knowing that they will dissipate on their own.


What is the primary feeling you want to generate from your intention? In the end, I want to feel no shame or guilt for past decisions and actions that I may have made. I know this may take time, but I want to be free of the shackles of negative feelings. I know that I can accomplish this through my belief in God and my belief in Christ.


What will you need to do to insure that your intention becomes a reality? The first thing to do is create this journal entry. By doing so, I will get these things from my inner being on to paper. From there, I must remind myself that I am just an observer and not harbor any negative feelings whatsoever.



What will you have to give up - a thought, belief or behavior - to ensure that you fulfill your intention for today? For the most part, I have accepted the belief that we are all imperfect beings and that we all have burdens of our own. Knowing this, I know that I am no different than most people. When I was a teen, I used to beat myself up with guilt, thinking that I was the only one in the world doing things that I had been told were "immoral", only to find out as an adult that most people I know did the same thing. I often reflect as to how my life may have been different if I hadn't convinced myself that I was "broken" and a horrible human being. It was devastating to my feelings of self worth and probably held me back from reaching my greatest potential. Today, I need to just remind myself that we each have our own burdens and trials that we deal with. Knowing this, it makes it easier for me to not become too emotionally burdened by my past actions.



What healing mantra - what sentence or phrase - can you repeat to yourself throughout the day to soothe your soul and manifest your intention? John 3:16



How many times throughout the day do you need to hear this? As often as needed.

Consciousness Cleanse: DAY 1 - THE GIFT OF DESIRE

As I begin the Consciousness Cleanse, I must point out the routine with which I am going to follow, each day of the program. Firstly (and most importantly), I am going to post my daily focus THE NIGHT BEFORE. The program is set to begin the day with introspection, but I find it begin my day in the evening, and allow myself the chance to go to sleep, pondering on my following day's cleansing principle.

The second part of the routine is, as follows: I will begin by naming the topic of the day's focus, followed by a description of what I am attempting to accomplish. Third, each day will have a series of cleansing "rituals", which will on occasion contain personal items. At the conclusion of each day, there will be a worksheet that will describe how I am feeling on each day of the program. Although the worksheet will be identical, each day will have it's own detailed responses.


Today's focus is THE GIFT OF DESIRE. Although the word "desire" is often associated with things of a romantic or sexual nature, desire is what drives us to truly reach our greatest potential. To quote Debbie Ford, 'Desire is the spark that ignites the flame of your soul and illuminates your innate creativity, imagination, and vision. It is the impulse that gives you the ambition and the energy to share your unique talents with the world.'

'Desire is the most important catalyst for bringing about radical change... ' Debbie Ford



CLEANSING RITUALS:

Make a list of all your desires - both things that you want to achieve in the outer world and those that you want to feel inside.

At this point, I will list several of my desires. Following each desire, I will specify if the desire is that of my "outer" world, or my "inner" world.

• Complete and total "inner peace" (inner) *
  
• Free of Anger (inner)
• Free of Hate (inner)
• Full of love for all mankind and living things (inner)
• Be forgiving of all wrongdoing against me (inner)
• Lose 5-10 pounds (outer)
• Return to school (outer)
• Establish a comfortable savings (outer)
• Be financially independent (outer)
• Improve my talents, especially guitar (outer)
• Compose my own song, lyrically and musically (outer) *

Included in the list are two items with asterisks. These two topics, one from "inner" and one from "outer", are to be the two focal desires that I will make a big part of my 21-day Consciousness Cleanse.

SOUL FOOD
"My soul's desire is the voice of God"

THE 21-DAY CONSCIOUSNESS CLEANSE

What is the condition of your flame right now? My flame is in good shape. Although I had a somewhat frustrating day, I am free from conflict at this time. I have settled in for the evening, have been doing productive things, and will soon be engaging in Yoga and meditation to help accomplish my goal of inner peace.

On a scale of 1-10, where would you rate it? 7


Where would you like it to be at the end of the day? 10 (naturally)


What is your intention of the day? What intention can you create to strengthen and fuel your flame? The intention of my day is to focus on keeping my demeanor in check. To not lose my temper and to try and maintain a feeling of peace within myself, at all times.

What is the primary feeling you want to generate from your intention? I think it is pretty evident that "inner peace" is what I want to generate from today's exercise.

What will you need to do to insure that your intention becomes a reality? I have found a mantra that I can repeat to myself every time I feel anger surfacing. In reading MEN'S HEALTH magazine, I came across an article that talks about how research is showing evidence that our lives can be shortened if we are angry people. A mantra that was described in the article said something to the effect of, "Lose my temper, lose my life". Whenever I feel a loss of patience and a surge of anger, I will take a step back and repeat this phrase to myself.

What will you have to give up - a thought, belief or behavior - to ensure that you fulfill your intention for today? I must give up the thought that anyone or anything would intentionally set out to hurt me. In doing so, I will not harbor any ill feelings towards anyone or anything else.

What healing mantra - what sentence or phrase - can you repeat to yourself throughout the day to soothe your soul and manifest your intention? In addition to the mantra mentioned above, I will also remind myself of the simple phrase shared, in song, by one of my favorite musical groups, TALK TALK. It simply says, "Life's what you make it...celebrate it".

How many times throughout the day do you need to hear this? It depends on how my day goes. In essence, it could be as few as 2-3 times... or maybe as many as 10-15.

My New Undertaking - "THE 21-DAY CONSCIOUSNESS CLEANSE"

I have recently discovered a book by Debbie Ford, (founder of the Ford Institute for Transformational Training, called, "The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse". This book, or rather "program", is designed to cleanse the consciousness of the negativity, pain, hurt and "baggage" that we have been dragging around. Many of us are hurt in different ways, from the time we are born. In many cases we carry around negative feelings from the time we were small. In Ms. Ford's book, she brings up the notion that it is impossible for us to completely heal from our pasts by just feeding positive things into us. If the space inside our consciousness is occupied by negativity, positive messages, whether in the form of books that we read or guided meditations, may offer a short-term solution, but won't completely heal us from the hurt that we carry with us. In order to completely heal from those things, we need to clear our consciousness of the negativity, leaving a space for the positive things in our life to occupy.

Over the next 21 days (give or take a few) I am going to attempt to go through the 21 step program to try and free myself from any hurt and negative energy that may occupy my consciousness. I often look at myself as a rather optimistic and upbeat person, but I know that deep down inside, I carry my fair share of baggage, like most people that call this planet "home".

In addition to the activity of going through this Consciousness Cleanse, I am going to attempt to chronicle each day's activity on this blog. I hope it will give you, the reader, an idea of what each of us can do in order to find total inner peace. It's something that very few of us enjoy in our lives, but something that we ALL need. It is my hope that each and every one of us can arrange our lives so that we can find a complete sense of happiness and peace. By doing this, not only will our lives become a more fulfilling experience, but it will help the planet to become a better place to live.

The Amega Wand: A life changing tool...

First, let me point out.... I feel weird even doing this blog post. It isn't my style. However, because of the positive changes in my life, I feel obligated to share it with you.

The item I am talking about is the Amega "wand". This pen shaped, metallic wand is taking the world by storm. Having created waves all over Europe and Asia, it finally made it's way to North America, just last year. What is it, you ask? Let me explain.

The Amega wand is one of many products created and marketed by Amega Global, a worldwide layered marketing company. The company has created products that utilize "Zero Point Energy" technology, which was first proposed by Albert Einstein and Otto Stern, back in 1913. Here is a more in depth definition:

Zero-point energy is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have and is the energy of the ground state. The quantum mechanical system that encompasses this energy is the zero-point field. The concept was first proposed by Albert Einstein and Otto Stern in 1913. The term "zero-point energy" is a calque of the German Nullpunktenergie. All quantum mechanical systems have a zero-point energy. The term arises commonly in reference to the ground state of the quantum harmonic oscillator and its null oscillations.

Zero-point energy is sometimes used as a synonym for the vacuum energy, an amount of energy associated with the vacuum of empty space. When the term is used in this way, sometimes it is referred to as the quantum vacuum zero point energy. In cosmology, the vacuum energy is one possible explanation for the cosmological constant.^[1] The variation in zero-point energy as the boundaries of a region of vacuum move leads to the Casimir effect, which is observable in nanoscale devices.

The belief is that the products distributed by Amega utilize and energize the Zero Point Energy, which is at the core of all molecular compounds. This means the cells of your body, as well as those inanimate objects around you. Amega offers an array of items, which help with an array of things... from energy to healing. At the end of this post, I will put a link to the Omega Global website, which offers more information about the products. For now, I would like to talk about my exposure and subsequent conversion to the products.

I was first exposed to the Amega wand through my mother-in-law. I should point out that as long as I have known her (now 21 years), she has ALWAYS been involved with multi-level marketing... to no avail. Along with her obsession with companies like Amway, Melaleuca and others, she has always been fascinated with holistic forms of medication and Alternative Medicine. DMSO is something that she has been pitching to us for years and years. While I believe that DMSO has it's place in Alternative Medicine, I think her take on it bleeds into the... well... eccentric. DMSO cures EVERYTHING, as far as she's concerned.

So, when Cheryl (my mother-in-law) approached me with the Amega wand, at first I just rolled my eyes (to myself, as I didn't want to hurt her feelings). She would go on and on about her wand, wanding her food... wanding her water... wanding the room... wanding herself... wanding us. Eventually, she began pestering Tiffany and I about attending one of her meetings, where they would talk about the benefits of the Amega products, as well as actually use the products on people. Tiffany had attended one of the meetings without me, and had been wanded by several people in attendance. She had injured her rotator cuff, while lifting weights, and had been in pain for at least two months. While remaining committed to her exercise regiment, she felt like she was being held back by the injury. While working with a personal trainer, he would try and utilize exercises that would help her to condition the muscle, while not agitating it.

When she attended the meeting of people interested in the Amega products, she was wanded for several minutes. According to her description, it felt "warm", and the pain, for the most part, totally subsided. Within a week the injury had fully healed, and to this day, she hasn't experienced any further discomfort. Tiffany was not a full blown convert, but she was definitely liking what she felt.

Eventually, I attended a meeting with her, and experienced the power of the wand, for myself. The gentleman conducting the meeting tried several different tests on me. First, he had me stand up and hold my arm out. He tried pushing down on my arm, while commanding me to stand on both feet, not moving. Because it was his two arms versus my one arm, not only did my arm get pushed down, but I lost my balance, forcing me to move one of my feet. He then commenced to wand my body, rotating the wand in a clockwise motion (the wand ALWAYS needs to be rotated in a clockwise motion, in order for it to work properly), because this is the way all things in nature rotate. From the sun and it's orbiting planets to the nucleus of the atom, with it's rotating electrons.

Following his wanding, he did the same test. When my arm should have been more fatigued, I actually held more resistance, while being able to maintain my balance. The gentleman then did the same experiment, except this time, he wanded a circle on the floor and then asked me to stand in the circle... with the same result. A cynic might accuse the man of not pushing with all of his might, on the second attempt, but I assure you, it was evident that he was exerting all his energy.

Following this experiment, the man then asked me if I was experiencing any pain. I am a Letter Carrier, by profession, and often experience chronic aches and pains, related to my job. It just so happened that this particular day, I was feeling aches in one of my ankles. He proceeded to wand my ankle for several minutes, before asking me if the pain had decreased. It had! To my amazement, not only had MY pain decreased, but there was a gentleman that showed up simply to have a chronic condition of his own wanded. He wasn't even affiliated with the company, but had faith in the healing powers of the wand.

By the end of the meeting, my mother-in-law signed me up with the company. In addition to doing this, she was kind enough to buy me a wand. For the following ten days, I couldn't believe how excited I was to get the wand... to really try it out.

As stated, I often feel chronic aches and pains related to my job. One such chronic pain was in my left elbow. Because I spend at least two hours of each day cradling mail in my left arm, I had adopted the condition commonly known as "tennis elbow". I had seen a doctor, and all they did was prescribe me a brace, as well as Ibuprofin. I wore the brace, and I took the pain medication, but the aching persisted. After getting my wand, the first thing I did was take it to the elbow. I have not been pain free, the entire time, but most days I can honestly say that I don't feel any pain. My knees, which have had a similar chronic pain (dating back several years), have also been (mostly) pain free. In addition to my chronic pains, the day I received the wand was also a day when I had been experiencing an abscess in one of my teeth. This has been something that has come and gone for the better part of the year. Sometimes the pain was unbearable, but by time I could get around to see a dentist, the pain had usually subsided (it seemed I was always experiencing these extreme bouts of pain on weekends). Not only did the pain not get too extreme, but it quickly dissipated, going away after about 24 hours. The infection even worked itself out, without the aid of an antibiotic.

So, two months later, and you can see me wanding myself... or one of my family members... on any given day. Another thing I use my wand for, is to energize my water. It may look silly for me to stir my mug (at work) or glass (at home) of water, with my wand, but it honestly changes the way I feel. In addition to the added energy that it gives the water (thereby giving me), it actually alters the taste it. I kid you not. Somehow, the Zero Point Energy energizes the food, altering it's taste (in a good way). In the second meeting that I attended, a lemon was presented. The lemon was cut in half, with one half being taken from the room. The other half was wanded for several minutes. At the end of the wanding cycle, the other half (it being the same half that was removed) was brought back in to the room. We were all given a small sample of the wanded lemon, which actually tasted like a sweet lemon. Then we were given a portion of the unwanded half, which was noticeable more bitter. And when I say noticeably more bitter, I mean it was SOUR.

I have used the wand on my sister and her husband. She had been suffering from a chronic knee pain (caused by running), he, what appeared to be a mild case of Plantar Fasciitis (a condition that I had suffered a couple of years ago, resulting in a surgery). After wanding them both for only a couple of minutes, they both reported less pain, in addition to a "tingling" sensation that was experienced by my sister. She has since raved about how she hasn't experienced any more of these problems that had been plaguing her. Even my brother-in-law's heel condition seems to have fixed itself.

My mother-in-law eventually purchased a pendant (an Amega product that utilizes the Zero Point Energy technology, in a fashionable silver pendant, to be hung around one's neck) for Tiffany. She had been wearing it, but hadn't noticed any changes. In the third meeting that we attended, a woman attended who had medical experience. She was also married to a doctor, and an avid Amega fan. It was at this meeting that she announced that IF you happen to be on anti-depressants, that you should only wand yourself for three minutes or less, as the wand fights against your medications, creating a physical conflict. This made sense, as not only had Tiffany's experience not reaped any positive experience, but she seemed more anxious than any time in recent history. So now, we only wand her for short periods of time... and I get to wear the pendant on a regular basis. I honestly have not felt this good in a long time.

I know that many of you may be shaking your head about what I have said, and I don't blame you. I would be right there with you, if I hadn't experienced it for myself. If you are a local friend that has a medical condition, and you would like to try it out, let me know... I'd be happy to wand you. If you want to research more about the products available, you can go to www.eamega.com.

If you live in the Northern Utah area, and are interested in attending a meeting (honestly, it is a couple hours well spent), let me know, and I will forward the information to you. For those of you who think that I am somebody who is just trying to drive a business, I'm not. I am fully committed to the product, and if there is a potential of making money... well... fine, I'm not going to argue with that. That's the beauty of it... not only will this product change your life PHYSICALLY, but it has the potential of doing it FINANCIALLY, as well. The company is relatively new to America (after finding HUGE success overseas), so it is a good time to be involved.

If you have any questions for me directly, feel free to e-mail me at: zekethefreak3@gmail.com.

There are many products that I haven't even touched on, and some coming out in the near future that will revolutionize personal beauty care. Utilizing the Zero Point Energy wand and the beauty products soon to be released, you can give yourself a literal facelift, with only beauty products and the wand. In areas where these products have been tested, people have not only noticed a (very noticeable) decrease in wrinkles (the infamous "crows' feet, etc.), but have literally caused a lifting of the test subjects facial features. Not only that, but the benefits were documented to have been still visible EIGHT WEEKS following the simple application of the products.

It's exciting, my friends...whether we are talking the all-purpose "wand", the pendant or one of the bracelets (marketed to increase ones circulation, without increasing the heart rate), water energizer (used to energize the water, as well as removing the acidic compounds in water that have been linked with certain kinds of cancer) these products change the way we feel. They have changed the way I feel, and I know they will only continue to help me down the road. It's tough to honestly notice how much they have benefited me, because I don't know what I would feel like without them... but, one thing is for certain, I feel better now than I did 6 months ago...

Fitness Transformation 2010: An update!

I apologize to anyone that stumbled across this blog and perhaps, even followed it for any given amount of time. It is now the 15th of August, 2010 and I have been sitting at about 190 lbs. My lowest weight was 185, but since then I have not been very disciplined with my eating habits. Yes, I still try and eat a more nutritious breakfast (eggs and whole wheat toast), rather than cold cereal. I have my snack of string cheese and yogurt, but when it comes to dinner, I don't pay much head to my caloric intake. I even occasionally partake of a sugared soda beverage, as I have tried to give up caffeine, and need to satisfy my craving for soda with a caffeine free Mtn. Dew.

Either way, I feel healthy and have (at least) plateaued so that I am not gaining any more weight. I have even dropped off from my excessive workout routines, sometimes only working out once a week or once every two weeks. Summer has been incredibly hectic, and it has been hard to be disciplined about it. I will try and get some pictures taken, so that you can see how I look now, versus the grossness that were my first pictures.

Fitness Transformation 2010: Three weeks in...

Okay.... so, I've gotten lazy. I haven't been posting each and every day. It was getting a little tedious for me, and I'm CERTAIN that it has been tedious for you. Looking at each and every day, seeing the same menu items and a vague, yet similar workout. We are now three weeks in, and I spent most of the last week at a plateau.

Now, I have spoken to several friends, who have dieted at one time or another, and they all mentioned that your body will reach plateaus in your weight loss. I have heard a multitude of reasons, including the fact that your body realizes that it is losing weight, and begins to hold on to it's energy supply. This may or may not be true, but one thing is for certain, with my workout schedule, my fat is being replaced with muscle... and muscle weighs more.

Regardless, as of this morning (Saturday, April 3rd), my weight was 197.6, which is actually up .6 from yesterday's 197.0. I actually went out to dinner with my parents and brother, this evening, and had a hearty meal of fajitas (from Chile's), so I am not anticipating further weight loss this weekend, what, with Easter and all.

Another development is that Nick (our personal trainer) is no longer living with us, so he is managing our routines from a distance. He calls us with the exercises that we should be doing, and offers any suggestions to help with physical ailments that we may be experiencing.

Tiffany has been dealing with an inflamed rotary cuff (a shoulder injury), so she is very limited as to what she can do. I feel bad for her, as she is, by far, the biggest fitness enthusiast that I have EVER met. It's killing her, not being able to work her shoulders and chest.

Anyhow, that is the update... I will post any significant changes, in the future.... including another set of pictures and measurements.