I decided to go on a "diet"

I guess you might call it a diet, or maybe just changing my eating habits, whatever it is seems to be working so far.

I know I said there would be no New Years resolutions for me, and that was kinda true. I latched on to resolution that my wife and daughter made, to lose some weight and increase activity to get in better shape.

It's pretty much the South Beach diet, limited grains, minimal sugar, lots of protein. I have also been increasing my activity and making sure I do at least 1.5 miles on the treadmill every night and getting some sit ups and weight training in as well. The "detox" stage kinda sucked, no sugar or grains for 2 weeks. But now that I am past that stage, it has gotten easier to maintain. I am still hesitant to eat the grains, and look for whole grains whenever I can. The sugar calls to me - the temptation is certainly there. I have been able to find some sugar free desserts that help me manage.

I started out at 277 pounds and after 1 month I am now weighing in at 263. So, 14 pounds is nothing to be upset about. Keep in mind I am 6'4'', so I'm not a small guy. I have had a few people mention that my face looks slimmer and my pants are a little looser in the waist. I would love to get to 250 ultimately, but I am using 5 pound increments as my intermediate goals. So, the next goal is 260.

The loss has slowed down, but I will keep working through and when I hit 260 - it will be posted.

Helio Gracie has passed away

Helio Gracie - the father of Brazilian jiu-jitsu has died at the age of 95. I wrote about him previously and listed my favorite of his quotes.

The impact of his fighting style cannot be accurately measured, but it might not be a stretch to say that modern MMA would not exist without this man.

An important figure in my life has died

I recently found out that my favorite high school teacher, and big influence in my life, has passed away at the age of 61 after a long struggle with cancer. I'm still reflecting on his passing and the over all influence he has had in my life. I hadn't talked to him in 20 years or so, but I though of him often. He taught my American History, World History and Current Events classes. I also worked as a student teacher for him during my senior year.

As I was able to travel around the world, and see a number of the places he had talked about, I always heard his voice in my head. That voice reminded me what that place was, it's history, and why the history was important to the world. It was great to finally see the places with my own eyes and take in all the senses involved with it. A number of the people I was traveling with had no idea what these places were and I kind of felt bad for them, that they had not been taught what these places were.

The textbook for our Current Events class was a subscription to Newsweek, which we examined each week and had assigned articles to read and often were able to choose an article of our own choosing. This class begin to show me how to look at what was going on in the world, and the way it was reported. As I reflect on this, I would have been nice to have both Newsweek and a publication from outside the US. In the years since, I have learned to appreciate the views of foreign publications - especially when reporting on US news.

In addition to being a great teacher and influence on my world views, he was a great hockey fan. I had attended many games with him and other students over the years, minor league games mostly. These games were much more affordable, and as he once told me, these players try harder. I liked it because there were more fights and you could actually get close to the action and meet the players afterward. I guess it's fitting that the old Sports Arena is being torn down and the next time there is minor league hockey in Toledo, it will be at a new arena.

So the life of my teacher, Arthur Marquardt, has come to an end, but he will live on with the influence he had had on me and others. My thoughts go out to his family and friends and everyone who misses him.

No resolutions for me...

I always find it interesting that at this time of year everyone seems to ask "What are your New Years resolutions?" The concept seems good, review your life and find the areas where you could make some improvements or changes. As if this is the only time of the year you can do that.

We all should be reviewing our lives and behavior constantly and making the adjustments as necessary to be better people, better friends, better spouses, better parents...just better.

Maybe I am making a resolution after all - to be a better person and make the changes that are required to have that happen.