I almost forgot....

LOL thanks Dee, you always know just what to say. I am happy with how far I have come. I'm walking 2.5 to 3 miles everyday and I was struggling to do 1 mile a little over a year ago. That lets me know I've come a long way. I've never been a real superstar athelete, but like most guys I grew up playing sports and had a lot of small athletic achievements along the way. I can't believe sometimes that I let myself get so out of shape, but with respect to LL Cool J, its about time for a comeback.

A solid comeback. You're doing so well; pretty soon that ticker's going to show us an even hundred pound loss.

Hi Cannon. It looks to me like you've started really well at the gym. I'm sure adding a weight component will be a real benefit, even if it's a little more restricted than you'd ideally like.

It is good to be aware of how far you've come. What you've done with your weight already is such a significant achievement, that you can be a source of inspiration to yourself.

Here's to you coming back from your week away, a little lighter again this year.

cannon you have done great so far keep up the excelent work !!

Ok on my trip I know that I am going to be tempted to snack and that means candies and chips. There are many healthy options for food--there is a DB Wong's which is a Chinese bbq. By being smart you can really eat well there for very few calories since you pick the ingredients and can load up on veggies and lean meat. They have an amazing farmer's market with dozens of little shops serving ethnic food. By being smart I can eat well there. I know I'll be doing a lot of walking and that's another bonus. I am going to make some snacks that are healthy and travel well, but they have to taste good too or I know they'll stay in a nice neat pack while I chow down on something I shouldn't. If anybody has any suggestions I'd love to hear them, but I have fairly healthy recipes for Puppy Chow (a rice checks and peanut butter based snack) and Anzac Biscuits. I think I can make them healthier. I know that failing to plan only leads to regret so I'm going to take this week as a challenge.

Woh, Cannon. You make Anzac biscuits!! I sorta thought that if people in other countries had them they would have been known by another name. I just spent the weekend ignoring a container on my bench. I didn't make mine though - they had genuine fat and sugar in them, still as you say, they may be comparatively healthy. Taste is a matter of taste isn't it? If I was trying to include emergency supplies to make sure I didn't eat badly from hunger, I would probably take, nuts, crackers, beef jerky, and vege juice boxes.

That does give me a good idea. There is a store not far from here I mentioned a long way back that makes their own jerky and I've always wanted to try it. Maybe I'll hit there when I'm shopping today.

Hi Cannon. About the beef jerky -- just keep a close eye on the sodium content. Some of them are really salty. Hope you have a great trip.

My bag lunches almost always include granola bars. I love them. And, of course, any fruit that doesn't have to be refrigerated is fair game.

I think since its a jerky store, I can make sure its low sodium. As for the granola, I'm passing on the biscuits for now because I found a really nice homemade granola recipe to try.

Aw the jerky store is no more. I did get a healthy jerky at the store. I got some reasonably healthy snacks which is in my mind a start in the right direction. I an going to let my membership at the hospital expire after this month and move on to Cardinal Fitness--a local chain of gyms. There's one that's close by, costs $20 a month without a big longterm comitment and has free weights and access to trainers. After discussing things with Steve and Trusylver I feel I'm making the right decision. I'll keep working out at the hospital in the meantime.

Good deal! I'm sure it will work out!

Congrats on finding some good snacks to take along. Best of luck with starting a new gym next month. That's a great price!

Great foresight on the snacks! Trailmix is another good idea for quick snacks.