| In November I began another major project: WW. Yes, I now have something else in common with the Duchess of York. At the encouragement of my friend Gregg Smith, I joined Weight Watchers to get a stranglehold on my ever increasing tonnage. At the first week’s weigh in I could almost hear ring announcer Michael Buffer proclaim, “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready to rumble! In the tubby corner, weighing in at two hundred and twelve pounds, the Pirate of Pizza, the Chunky of Cheese, the Triple Chin Champion, the One, the Only, Garrett Miller….” The roars of the crowd were deafening. What influenced this decision? Let’s just say my “fat” clothes were too small and constantly being mistaken for a beached whale when vacationing was becoming tiresome. Through a drastic change in diet, in 10 weeks I lost 32 pounds and am back down to 180 (the first time I’ve been here in over 2 years!). Say it isn’t true? It is. What’s different? Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast changed from the bacon-egg-cheese bagel, extra hashed browns and a large orange juice to 1 cup of oatmeal and a giant glass of ice water. Lunch went from the Double Whopper with cheese and King Sized fries (with a Diet Coke, because I was, after all, watching my weight) to a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, a cup of fat free vanilla yogurt and a giant glass of ice water. Dinner shrank from devouring an ENTIRE frozen supreme pizza to relishing an ENTIRE bag of green beans-corn-carrots (lightly glazed with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.”) and yet another giant glass of ice water. I also rarely eat after 7-8 at night. What’s most amazing about WW is you CAN eat ANYTHING you want. Everything boils down to PORTION CONTROL which determines your ultimate success. Rarely do I feel hungry as I keep all of the healthy “Zero Point” foods within reach. I buy fat free everything. When I feel really lazy, I choose Healthy Choice dinners because the nutrition label tells you how many “points” the meal has. This has opened a whole new dining experience where the “good foods” can still be part of my normal intake AND I LOSE WEIGHT. The first week of January I begin “maintenance” to modify my diet to include other foods to maintain the 175-180 range I should be at. This fall the house went under the knife for yet another face lift. After remodeling the inside of the house these last 8 years and choosing to ignore the exterior in defiance of the neighborhoods ridiculous HOA, even I couldn’t take it any longer! The yard was a jungle. The paint was flaking off. It wasn’t likely it could have looked much worse for wear. The first project replaced the incredible eye sore RV and side gates. Next the front and back yards were stripped of several trees and shrubs, the remnants pruned to a manageable level. Finally the house received a fresh coat of paint and the back patios were finished to hide the beams and include surround sound for exterior listening pleasure. Dramatic. Stunning. About darned time. Several of the neighbors thankfully lent their positive feedback the changes. To celebrate the remodel, on December 7, I hosted “Christmas Chaos” inviting family, friends and neighbors to share in the excitement of the season. Much like the creative writing team scripting a wrestling event at the last minute, new rules were introduced to this year’s party, reminiscent of a Royal Rumble. Guests wore the requisite nametags, however this year each tag was numbered! The excitement overwhelmed the chill from the frigid December evening. Every half hour on the half hour, 5 numbers were called and the lucky guests selected from an exciting assortment of prizes. More importantly, I had the opportunity to spend time with many people I don't regularly get to update with. I was especially pleased to see John and Kathy Frances, Hector Velez, Matt Schanen, Vicki McKnight, Paul and Shirley Newell, Sandy Lunsford, David Carruth, Patrick and Rebecca Schmidt, my new neighbors and friends Adam and Raegan. If you attended, I greatly appreciate your time and enthusiasm! THANK YOU! You made this the best event ever! If you didn't make it, well, BOY DID YOU MISS OUT! BIG TIME! What a difference a year makes. For me, 2002 has been a time for personal and professional growth. It’s been turning lemons to lemonade in 365. How terrific is this! In closing, I'll climb onto my soap box for one brief moment to ask for you to count your blessings, and not just because you're hoping Santa brings you a new PlayStation 2, either! Tell those you care about that, well, you care. And most of all, be excited about the new opportunities and joys which are abundantly awaiting you. 2003 is going to be amazing! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God bless! Garrett / Y2G / G-Money / Hey You |
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