One of the highlights of my year, every year, is the Hawaiian Islands Ministries Christian equipping conference. In a lot of ways it is like a big family reunion for the Christian community in Hawaii. There's a real sense of unity and excitement when we all get together, worship together and learn together. I have attended for years and have built up a list of favorite speakers… Francis Chan, Tony Campolo, Dan Chun. Don Cousins, Nick Vujicic… did I mention Francis Chan? Every year I hear a new speaker I have never heard — often never even heard of — and discover new treasures. This year, for the first time, I have been invited to teach a breakout session. My subject is more practical than spiritual, but is badly needed. I am going to show churches and ministries how to increase their visibility and impact through the use of social media and (mostly) FREE technologies. The session will be really fun, I think, and people will leave with ideas they can implement the following week, along with step-by-step how to do it instructions, web links and examples. The very fact that you are reading this right now demonstrates the effectiveness of social media; you are either my Facebook friend, follow me on Twitter, or subscribe to my Posterous blog. Am I excited? Sure. I have done similar break-out sessions at two international conferences and they have been well-recieved, but being recognized as an "expert" at home means more, somehow. That's the good news. The bad news? Today I learned my time slot: the dreaded Saturday, March 6 at 10:30-11:45 am. Why is that time bad? The conference hotel is across the street; the Ala Moana Hotel and they are not always able to accommodate late check outs on Saturday, near the end of the conference. Most of the regulars go to the early Saturday Plenary Session and then, of necessity, skip the 10:30 breakout so they can rush across the street, clear their hotel room, load their suitcases in the car, eat lunch and make the last Plenary Session. It's just the way it is. I have done it, and my friends have done it. Sometimes the lobby of the Ala Moana Hotel is jammed and the break-outs are pretty sparse. A moment of honesty and transparency: because this is my first time as a presenter at HIM, I am certain I will be evaluated to determine whether I am worthy of a repeat performance, and there are two ways presenters are evaluated: of course the paper session evaluations count, but the number of people who select that break-out as an option matters, too. I have sat in sessions with a handful of people and those in overflowing rooms. Guess who gets invited back? So the pressure is on, and I need to round up a room full! All of my Facebook friends who will be at Honolulu 2010, please come to my breakout session and bring a friend along with you! I'll make the 75 minutes worth it.
1.28.2010
Pleasantly plump isn't so pleasant
Feeling fat? Yeah… I can relate. I have a genetic propensity to pudge. I come from a family of fatties. I always attributed it to being raised in the south, with a pretty bad diet. If you have lived in the deep south, you know of what I speak. If you have never spent time below the Mason-Dixon Line, let me explain southern cuisine and cooking for you: get a cast iron skillet, dump in a generous helping of Crisco and start throwing stuff in. Fried pork chops, fried chicken, fried okra, fried squash, fried potatoes, fried green tomatoes… you get the idea — southerners like fried foods! (Hey, even their SNACK foods are fried; deep fried Twinkies and deep fried Snickers bars are actually available. As I grew older, and ate a little bit better, I stopped the massive weight gain common to other family members, but still found myself teetering around 200 pounds all the time at just over 5'10". That's when I decided it was not going to be easy -- beyond the issue of decades of disastrous diet, there was a genetic aspect that would affect my tendency to retain weight in my abdomen. Not insurmountable, but just another issue to be aware of. A couple of years ago I had a huge wake-up call when I felt fatigued, lacked energy and just had that something's-not-right-here knowing. The doctor referred me to a Cardiologist, and in the cath lab they informed me that I had 2 major heart blockages: one was 90% and the other 95%. Two stents later and with some ongoing meds, I felt like a new man, but still had a very sedentary lifestyle and a big gut.
A couple of months ago I bought a treadmill and was horrified when the programmed workout for beginners was way too difficult for me! I was determined, so I kept at it, working up from a few short minutes of slow walking to the point where I can handle the beginners series of programmed workouts without having to slow the machine down or decrease the incline. I am not running yet, but my endurance, strength and general fitness is greatly improved. Alas, I still hovered around the 200 pound mark, despite the increased exercise. My friend Ron, meanwhile, had lost a lot of weight. He started out with more weight than me, and was a little shorter in height, and I was hearing weight loss numbers like 40, 50 and 60 pounds! I learned that he was being coached by our mutual friend, Jan, so I asked for her help. She has started to assist me with my efforts to lose weight and I have been documenting it at http://kahugary.posterous.com/ When I weigh in next week, I'll post an actual, not-Photoshopped photo of the number on the scales. You and I will see whether the plan has resulted in any weight loss. Ron and I will be hoping to offer encouragement, advice and inspiration for those of you who choose to join us on this journey to eat healthier, feel better, fit into your skinny clothes and live longer. We'll try to get Jan to add her experience and wisdom along the way. Get started and join us as we become the FORMERLY FAT!
A couple of months ago I bought a treadmill and was horrified when the programmed workout for beginners was way too difficult for me! I was determined, so I kept at it, working up from a few short minutes of slow walking to the point where I can handle the beginners series of programmed workouts without having to slow the machine down or decrease the incline. I am not running yet, but my endurance, strength and general fitness is greatly improved. Alas, I still hovered around the 200 pound mark, despite the increased exercise. My friend Ron, meanwhile, had lost a lot of weight. He started out with more weight than me, and was a little shorter in height, and I was hearing weight loss numbers like 40, 50 and 60 pounds! I learned that he was being coached by our mutual friend, Jan, so I asked for her help. She has started to assist me with my efforts to lose weight and I have been documenting it at http://kahugary.posterous.com/ When I weigh in next week, I'll post an actual, not-Photoshopped photo of the number on the scales. You and I will see whether the plan has resulted in any weight loss. Ron and I will be hoping to offer encouragement, advice and inspiration for those of you who choose to join us on this journey to eat healthier, feel better, fit into your skinny clothes and live longer. We'll try to get Jan to add her experience and wisdom along the way. Get started and join us as we become the FORMERLY FAT!
1.27.2010
Day 3 breakfast • 2 eggs & ham
Not green eggs... boiled eggs. Treadmill goes better with some Francis Chan audio book inspiration and motivation. "Serving God leftovers..." never fails to get to me. I will avoid the scales til next Monday, but I actually feel like I am starting to lose weight on day 3. Is that even possible?
1.26.2010
Day 2 • Weight Loss
Day 2 will be a little more difficult, because I am really struggling with allergy symptoms… itchy eyes, runny nose… as a result of the lingering VOG. VOG is a haze from volcanic gasses we get several times a year when the wind conditions are right. Or wrong. Further complication: a badly needed dental appointment in an hour may make the snacking process messy. But we will persevere! Breakfast was 3 boiled eggs and 2 slices of ham, and black coffee. Lots of water.
1.25.2010
Healthy lunch
We were out when meal time came so I chose Costco Chicken Salad as the healthiest available alternative.
Weight-loss weigh in • Day 1
Well, here's the starting point. 199.8 is the official weight on the morning of day 1. In two weeks I will weigh in again and post the photo so I can see if I have actually lost weight and, if so, how much… and you'll see it right along with me!
Let the weight loss begin
Day One of the cleansing phase of losing weight will begin Monday, January 25, 2010, if I can ever make it to bed from Sunday so I can start my Monday with rest!
Since so many people today expressed an interest in how I plan to do it, I am posting a summary. It is a modified South Beach plan.
The first 2 weeks is designed to break the addiction to a diet filled with sugar and carbs. Eat nothing from a box, bag, or can. (If it wasn't a food a hundred year ago, it's not a food today!) Fresh, or fresh frozen veggies and lean meats are the key.
You will probably actually eat MORE than usual and stay full all day, but lose weight. You will eat breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, and dinner.
1. Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of rising to kickstart your metabolism. Do not skip breakfast!
2. Eat lean meats, fresh or fresh frozen vegetables, and salads.
3. For this first 2 weeks, it’s pretty much NO WHITE FOOD. No flour (bread, pasta, pancakes, etc.), no sugar (no soda, no FRUITS, no carrots, corn or milk products), no rice, no potatoes.
4. Double your daily water intake.
Do weights, or any kind of resistance exercise along with cardio.
For breakfast, eat eggs and lean breakfast meat. Water/coffee/tea (no cream and sugar!)/V-8 juice are okay, but no sweet fruit juices!
Snacks: Handful of unsalted almonds, peanut butter on celery, piece of ham or turkey rolled with some low-fat cheese are typical.
Lunch: Fresh salad can include lean meat (like a chicken or tuna salad). NO croutons! Or lean meat (like a boneless, skinless chicken breast on the George Forman grill) and fresh veggies.
Afternoon snack – same options as mid-morning.
Dinner: similar to lunch.
Portion control, points and calorie counting are not the issue with this… the idea is to eat every two hours or so, before you get hungry, and keep your metabolism high. Your body will adjust to never being hungry by starting to burn instead of store fat.
Don’t eat after dinner! Night snacking is a diet-killer.
I will weigh in Monday morning to get a baseline weight, and will not get back on the scales for 14 days, at which time I will report honestly whether I have, in fact, lost weight, and, if so, how much.
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