Lately, people have been telling me I’m looking thinner. Not thin, but definitely thinner. My physical appearance isn’t anything I’ve discussed online before. The only reason I am now is to maybe give one or two people out there some hope that they can accomplish a goal of their own if they wish.
The most asked question of me is, “how’d you do it?” The answer is: I eat less.
Soon, I hope to get my bike tuned up and start exercising, but to be truthful, I haven’t done hardly a sit up or push up in a long time. The weight I’ve lost is simply due to reduced portions. I’ve tried the Atkins diet and had great success in having pounds melt off, but that didn’t last for long. I think the main reason is, you aren’t allowed to eat anything fun really.
For me, the key is making the decision ahead of time to eat a smaller portion. Grabbing breakfast, lunch or dinner isn’t a spontaneous decision for me usually. I almost always know that it’s getting close to dinner time and I have to think about what I’m having.
In the past, I’ve caught myself making the excuse that ‘I just can’t control myself’. I’m here to tell you that is a lie! You are making the decision to eat what you are eating and you have to realize that you have the power to order a small fry (or no fries at all!) and a small drink. “But Rick, I can super size it for just $0.30!” Don’t do it! And, if you find yourself at a fast food joint, go ahead and try a salad now and then. I used to think they were poison but they aren’t that bad, I promise.
Don’t deny yourself the pleasure of eating the things you enjoy. But place limitations on yourself… and stick to them. If you like ice cream, have some. Don’t eat the whole damned tub though. Tell yourself before you dish it out how much you are going to portion. Maybe just a cup full instead of a bowl full. And treat yourself maybe once a week instead of every night. That way, you’re less likely to go on a binge (trust me I know how it works!). The choice truly is yours people.
How much do I weigh now? 232 pounds. Last May I hit 303 and said enough is enough. I hope by this Summer I can drop the last 30 pounds.
The performances were just alright for me. Like the guys, there weren’t any real breakout performances in my mind. Below is my take on the performances. The scores I attached are my impression immediately after hearing their individual songs. My notes about the songs and scores were written prior to hearing any judge’s feedback. Graded on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest.
Asia’h – 8 – Tough to do a Whitney song but she did a good job and did her own thing with it instead of try to sing it like Whitney. Good call.
Kady – 7 – Not bad. A couple of pitch problems and had to slide up to some notes to finally get it.
Amanda – 7 – Her embarrassing story was she burned down a pool? That’s not embarrassing, that’s arsony. Wow, she sang in key this week. Not a good ending to the song though.
Carly – 9 – Great job. Best of the night so far. Probably the most polished of the girls.
Kristy – 8 – Wasn’t a fan of the twang. Don’t think the song needed it. Vocally she did a good job until the end run.
Ramiele – 7 – Eh. Good voice but didn’t do a great job with the song. I think she had a little rhythm problem. Made it difficult for me to get what she was trying to do.
Brooke – 7 – Some pitchy moments. Might be in trouble this week. I disagree with the judges. She should have used the band more.
Syesha – 8 – Nice. No real bad notes to speak of. Was a little slow for me but a solid performance.
A few girls are potentially in trouble this week as I see it. But, my track record wasn’t the greatest last week so I could be way off. I think Kady and Brook are going home.
So the guys didn’t bring the heat tonight. Below is my take on the performances. The scores I attached are my impression immediately after hearing their individual songs. My notes about the songs and scores were written prior to hearing any judge’s feedback. Graded on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest.
Luke – 5 – I just KNEW he was going to sing a Wham song. Bummer.
David A – 8 – Not as good as last week. A couple of flat notes but good for the most part.
Danny – 7 – Had a few problems early on. Best song choice so far.
David H – 8 – Some pitch problems, too but probably the most consistent of all the guys, IMO.
Michael – 8 – Good job. Good song choice. Uh Randy, Michael Hutchence? It was Simple Minds. Thought you were a music guy.
David C – 8 – I like the tone to his voice. Gutsy singing a Lionel Ritchie song and mixing it up. Kinda worked.
Jason – 6 – I love the Leonard Cohen song but he sang it with too much uncertainty. There was not enough power in his voice so he couldn’t push the notes well. I have no idea what the judges heard. I thought it was awful. The only reason Simon liked it is, he actually knew the song for a change.
Chikezie – 7 – A bit sharp at times. I like the song but he didn’t do a great job with it. Too bad, I was liking this guy until tonight.
There weren’t any stand out performances in my mind. The closest was probably David Cook with his “Hello” joint. Hmm… If they’re getting rid of 2 guys this week, I’d have to pick Luke and Chikezie as the ones going home.