Brandon, Who Lives At Home

It was one of my most challenging years. I ended the year weighing more and taking more medications than when it started. It was a bad year, hands down, but there were somethings that made it better. We've heard all about the bad stuff so here is the good stuff that happened in 2020. Animal Crossing New Horizons Ive played the Animal Crossing series since it first debuted in the U.S and its had a place in my heart ever since. Being the lone human in a village, town, city and now island amongst animal peers is surprisingly fulfilling. What do you do? Well you grow fruits and flowers and now vegetables, help your friendly animal villagers with tasks, fish, catch bugs contribute to a museum, swim, decorate and expand your house inside and out, visit friends friends island etc. Its an incredibly low stakes game that's very charming and just has you smiling all the time. I'm currently experience a bit of burnout with the game, but to be fair Ive put in a staggering 1,205 hours ...

I've gotten back in control. The last few days I've been doing my 60minute workout, tracking my calories, drinking my water, and eating below my calorie range, and eating healthy. I believe I'm having sugar withdrawal, I've experienced a killer headache, cravings out the wazoo and muscle aches and pains. I know it will eventually pass but it's no fun at all. It's especially important I Stay away from sugar loaded things. My action plan is to continue this for weeks before making changes. The plan is as followed. I eat within an hour of waking up, I eat a lunch and dinner. Light snacks in between if necessary to curve hunger and avoid binges No trigger foods : donuts, cookies, snack cakes, honey buns, candy bars, peanut butter, pop tarts, granola bars, cold cereal Workout a min of 4 days a week. Mix between, home workouts and the gym. Log my food It sounds simple enough, but it never is. Blind perseverance will have to get me through, because t...

What a week its been, another week of the 3 mile formula and it was full of mostly ups. Yesterday I wrote how I got a goods night sleep and the day felt promising, and it was a great day. I did my full 3 mile walk yesterday, and was so incredibly proud of myself, I was unsure how it would go leading up to it, but once I got started I knew I had what it took to get it done. Had to push myself, sometimes it feels like I knock the first mile out fast, yesterday was not one of those days, but I got through it, and the second, and the third. It seemed like I sweat more during that session than I have any single day that past four weeks, at least that's how it seemed. So if we take a look at the numbers last week I did a grand total of  13 miles, the most week sum yet, but the month is officially over so lets combined my total miles. Week 1: one mile a day. Week 2: two miles a day. Week 3: a mixed bag because I was sick, but it equaled to the week before. And this week I did 3 mile...

Well guys, I couldn't do it. I could not make it to 3 miles today. I got just barely got over one mile and called it quits. My body just wasn't being receptive. I woke up with some back discomfort that seemed to be fading way, but came back right as I got ready for my walk. I also have not been mentioning whats been going on with my knee. Lately my left-knee has been getting stiff and maybe even a little swollen. Ive had problems with this knee since I took a tumble in high school and broke my fall with it. Its given me problems before, I was suppose to get it looked at last year but I couldn't  afford to go under the machine they needed to use. They told me that their best guess was that I have some kind of ACL or other ligament damage, but they wouldn't know until  they could use the proper machinery. I was prescribed some anti-inflammatory and some steroidal medication and that seemed to make a subtle difference. But when my knee starts to get heavy usage it gets st...

Good morning everyone, its Thursday! The toughest parts of the week are over, and now we are at home stretch before the weekend. I got to bed really late last night, and I slept  so-so, woke up with back discomfort that seems to have died down quite a bit. Ready to knock this day out, I seem to have a strange amount of energy and umph this morning so today's 3 miles better look out, I'm coming in strong!

I tossed and turned all night throughout my sleep, and I got to bed quite late, actually I normally do. I woke up kind of aching all over. Had an egg and bacon sandwich for breakfast in addition to my regularly water in take. I don't know if Ive discussed this or not but Ive been drinking a lot of water. I have this big bottle (pictured below) that I fill up first thing in the morning and drink. I generally drink about a bottle and a half before i begin my exercise at 2pm, and at least another bottle full before the day is over.   Today I began my 3 miles a bit sluggish.  I just tried to go in with enthusiasm, and perhaps I did, but my body just wasn't into it. I was just struggling with it so much today and couldn't wait for it to be over, once I got to the one mile point I thought " this could be it, this is enough, at least I did something." But I charged ahead in spite of the defeatist mind frame I was in. It just seemed longer than ever, but I did it. ...

When I was attending University, I was taking a English 101 course and the teacher was a sweet old lady who simply loved everything about her job. She loved reading, writing and all things that related to them, and she spoke about them with passion. Rarely have I come across someone with that much love for what they do. The one thing she would urge to us every single day, even when she wasn't feeling very well, was that we always charge ahead with enthusiasm in all parts of life. Ive used the line at least once, or twice in previous post, but its something that git burned in my head, and something that I believe we should try to do. With all that said I went into yesterday with one thing in mind, that my 3 mile walk must be started and completed with no bullsh--, I charged ahead with enthusiasm, and had one of the best workouts Ive had in the over 3 weeks I've been doing all this, so my English 101 teachers mantra serves a great purpose on motivating you to go into things th...

Yesterday I had a decent nights sleep, but I have woken up with some back discomfort, I feel like I always do. My bed isn't the best but I manage, I also noticed I have a bit of a cough, one of those sharp itchy coughs that makes you feel like you need to force another to get that feeling from the back of your throat out. I also notice a bid of lingering throat pain, but its different than before now. Seems Ive traded off some symptoms for other ones, but all in all I almost feel back to normal. Its Monday and its not going to be the easiest week because last week was so inconsistent, but Ive already prepared my mind for whats to come, wont have another week like last week even though I'm not 100% recovered from this cold. My body is able, so here goes, stay tuned.

Honestly, I'm feeling a bit better than yesterday, and I feel as though I can charge into next week on a clean slate and full of enthusiasm. I had a rocky road last week, but I road it just as well. And although I had my faults I didn't throw in the towel, and I believe I handled everything rationally and with logic. I still think back to the time when setbacks like the ones I occurred last week would have spun me into a spiral of doubt and irrational behavior. Progress is progress. Today turkey is on the menu for dinner, with a side helping of multiple episodes of the Twilight Zone. Here's some cool news, Ive been noticing how I'm getting gradually more space in confined areas, first my friends car, and now the shower, it hadn't dawned on me just how much more space I had till I dropped my shampoo, and normally the maneuvering would be awkward and snug, but I had a lot more space. Its a small, subtle, but huge victory. Here's my weeks recap I did for YouTub...

 I can not begin to explain to you how much I feel like garbage, I had another so so nights sleep, but woke up at 6AM, again with a freaking headache! I don't remember how long I was up, but I eventually fell back to sleep. Ive been informed my cold my actually last a week, which is devastating news. Ive always been that lucky guy to be sick a couple days. Its like boom, one day sick, second day sick, third day things are back to normal, so this just seems so drawn out and I'm not happy. I seemed to be doing a bit better yesterday too, my congestion seems to have peaked today. My nose feels so rough to the touch, its crazy! I'm suppose to do 3 miles today, but I really just don't freaking feel like it, like honestly. I struggled with 2 yesterday, and I just want to do nothing and be sick today, like ffs. I'm going to try to walk something today though, I cant make any promises. Stay tuned.

To combat my cold I had been using Mucinex for the past few days with subtle to no effect. Today I opted for DayQuil and its certainly doing a better job, I can breath a bit better, the only thing it didn't seem to remedy was my headache which has been persistent all day. That being said I was able to do two miles today, it was still a bit of a struggle, but I got it done, and I'm thankful.

I've been thinking, fantasizing really, about what my life will look like once I'm thin. The idea of walking into any old store and being able to buy cloths gives me butterflies of excitement. The idea of going to the movies or to a restaurant with my friends and not having to worry about sitting arrangements, or wondering is this booth too small , am I too much into the isle, or  just not having to worry if people are staring at me, judging me, these ideas are wonderful. Thinking of the future me, the thinner me, and being able to do the things I want, being more confidant, being able to blend in, its all exciting. Id be lying though if I said I didn't wish I could get to that point a lot sooner. The year has only just begun and I'm doing all the right things, but I know I have so much time and effort ahead of me. When I was in high school I use to want to look like singer Usher. Being big in high school was rough, but that's a story for another post. I am so det...

The week has begun and that means an increase to my exercise routine. Previously I mentioned I was doing Leslie Sansone 's in-door walking routines, I started initially with a single mile, then two, and now I'm doing 3. Honestly, this one was a lot more intense than I anticipated, had me sweating and huffing in no time. Its a 46 minute set and halfway through I was begging for it to be over, but I didn't quit and charged ahead and until I completed it. I cant recall a time in recent memory Ive been so proud of myself! That being said, its clear to me that 3 miles a day for the week is going to be tough, and its going to take a lot more endurance and determination than previous weeks. But I'm committed to this new healthy active lifestyle and wont slow down now. Here is the video I'm doing for the week

When I finally decided that exercise was going to need to play a role in my life, the state of Ohio, where I live, started its arctic freeze temperatures. Initially I planned to walk once, or twice a week at a local park, but the cold weather made that less of a logical option for me. For a brief moment, I thought eh Ill just eat well and wait to start walking in spring , but luckily I snapped out of it. I decided I had to be resourceful, so the cold scared me from walking, so what, find a solution, and I did. I looked up some in-door walking videos on YouTube, I originally got the idea from an old video I remember about an overweight man that lost over 300lbs, and he started it simply by walking in place. So I took a page from his book and sought something I could do in-doors. What I found was a 14-minute video set by Leslie Sansone that equals a mile, and is considered a multi-muscle workout. It was a shock to my system to suddenly attempt walking a mile, even if it was in-doors. ...