History in the making...

It's been a busy couple of days so I didn't have a chance to write about the results of the US Presidential Election - but wasn't it awesome!

By contrast, our recent election was a boring disaster that was almost unanimously tuned out by Canadians. The proof is really in the numbers seeing as how most of us didn't even bother casting a vote. Canadians haven't had a chance to rally around a leader since, well...Trudeau. Back then politics was sexy in this country. Today we'd rather be home watching a Seinfeld re-run than casting a vote in an election.

Americans had no trouble making it to the polls this week. In fact some waited as long as 3 hours to cast their ballot. Can you believe that? I hate waiting 3 minutes for microwave popcorn! In the end though it was a day for the history books as finally 8 years of republican rule came crashing down.

I've really got to give credit to our neighbours to the south for having the courage to elect a visible minority to office. Americans are stereotypically the most racist, bible-thumping country on the planet. For them to elect not only a black man - but a guy named "Obama" - shows that perhaps they're finally starting to catch up with the rest of us in being a little more "forward thinking".

Now that's not to say the crazies in America didn't do everything they could to try to stop the inevitable election of Obama. A lot of it was really laughable. I mean seriously, a hockey mom for vice-president? That may fly in Canada (Ken Dryden got in!) but not in the U.S. Plus if you want to be vice-president you should have a idea of what that job means. The Sarah Palin disaster may go down as one of the worst political moves in history. In the end though I think Obama would have been a winner no matter who McCain picked as his running mate.

It's going to be exciting to see what happens next in America. I would much rather see a guy like Obama - with his charisma and ability to rally a crowd with a strong speech - running this country. I'd also like to see us be as excited about a candidate, however the next time that happens it'll likely be for another guy named Trudeau (Justin Trudeau that is).

In the meantime, is anyone else freaked out about CNN's ability to "teleport" their guests in to a studio???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7fQ_EsMJMs

Also, here's further proof that some Americans are crazy.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/07/7339821-ap.html

Finally....a hockey blog.

A few people I know have been bugging me to start a blog about the Peterborough Petes. They seem to think that being a colour-commentator with TVCogeco somehow makes me an "expert".

I don't claim to be an expert but I can certainly offer an opinion on what I've seen so far this season.

The Petes are now 15 games in to the 2008-2009 OHL campaign, which means they're nearly a quarter of the way through of the season. Let's take a look at some of the key areas of the team and see how they've been graded so far this season.

Coaching: C-

You can never under-estimate the difference good coaching will make when you have a young team. Ken McCrae and Ryan Barnes are rookies behind the bench in the OHL. While McCrae has a decent resume, coaching men in Texas and coaching kids in Ontario are vastly different. Barnes' resume is surprisingly light and both were puzzling hires. I'm not saying they were bad choices....at least not yet. While the coaches have done a good job running the practices and have been much more vocal than their predecessors, they've been unable to get the most from their veteran players and that raises concerns. Yes, it's still quite early but it's also inevitable that when and if the finger pointing begins the coaching staff will be a target of criticism.

Goaltending: C+

The season started off with three goaltenders and no clear-cut starter. After 15 games, two goalies remain and there's still no clear-cut starter. Let's start with Trevor Cann. Cann has proven on a couple of occasions this season that he can be the type of goaltender that can steal a win when it's desperately needed. However, he's also followed brilliant games with a brutal efforts. That lack of consistency has dogged him through the last two seasons and has caused his value to fall dramatically. Meanwhile Jason Missiaen's stock has risen immensely from last season and could be ready to take over the reins as starter. Before that happens he'll need to win and steal games on a consistent basis.

Right now, both netminders have VERY similar numbers
Cann - 8 appearances (3 wins, 5 losses), 3.24 GAA, 267 saves, 0.921 SV%
Missiaen - 8 appearances (3 wins, 4 losses), 3.15 GAA, 255, 0.911 SV%

Defence: B-

I'm being generous with this grade...and for good reason. Coming in to the season, 6 of the Petes 7 blueliners had one year or less of OHL experience. This is a young group that's had to learn to adapt very quickly to life in the OHL. Losing Jake LaPlante to injury has taken a major toll on the the blueline however young kids like Adam Sedlak, Jeff Braithwaite and Chris Buonomo have done a great job to step up and try to shut down some of the OHL's bigger stars on a nightly basis. The Pete's desperately need to add some veteran players to their blueline. It's already obvious that Zach Bogosion will not be returning from Atlanta and once it becomes official I believe a deal will be made to acquire some help.

Forwards: D-

To be fair, there have been some bright lights this season. Ryan Spooner has shown he will be the future of the team. Tony Romano has surpassed expectations to lead the team in scoring. Justin Larson was picked up off waivers and provided a spark in addition to a few points. The real concern however is on the veteran players. Pat Daley, Zach Harnden, Zach Kassian and Brett Theberge are all counted on to score goals. So far the four players have combined for only 9 goals. It's clear that these players are not playing at the level they are capable and that could be for a variety of reasons. It could be a slump, it could be an injury, it could be lack of good coaching, it could be all of the above. Whatever the case, it's quite clear the Petes are not getting the production they should be from their best players.

Overall: C-

Two words best describe the effort of the Petes' so far this season. Inconsistent - because they have the ability to play as a solid, tight-checking team one night and then be mistake-prone and sloppy the next.

The other word is "Underachiever". They are clearly much more capable than they've led on to be. Underachievers sink to the bottom and stay in a rut without ever getting out. Overachievers win championships and league titles because every member of the team buys into a coach's philosophy to "play to win".

With 51 games left on the OHL schedule, the Petes' still have time to decide who they want to be.

Legal Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions of this blog are my own and do not reflect those of TVCogeco, CTVglobemedia, Energy 99.7 or The Peterborough Petes. There...now I can't get sued!

"What the hell happened to you?"

I've titled this blog with the question I've been asked over and over and over and over again this past week.....

"What the hell happened to you?"

Last Tuesday marked the beginning of a new hockey season for me. I play 3 nights a week with 3 different groups of guys. All 3 groups were STUNNED by my appearance, thanks to Herbal One.

When the season ended back in March, I had only been on the program a couple months and was around the 250lbs mark. When I saw the guys last week for the first time since, I was around the 190lbs mark....the difference was quite substantial apparently.

I've had no shortage of questions about the program this last week. Yes, it does work...Yes, I'm keeping it off....and believe it or not, Yes, I'm STILL losing a little bit of weight here and there.

It's funny, I never used my weight as an excuse to not do something. I played hockey last season despite the fact I weighed nearly 100lbs more than I do now. Right now I can't believe how much easier it is to play being so much lighter. I'm quicker, I have more energy and I can do way more now than I ever could. Maybe if I had bothered to lose this much weight as a kid I could have made the NHL!....ok, not likely, but a kid can dream!

Time now once again for a BEFORE AND AFTER SHOT!

Here's me, during this past Holiday weekend, zip lining at Camp Fortune in Gatineau, QC.

I'm really glad I've been hitting the gym, since I needed some muscle to complete all the obstacles on the zip lining course....it wasn't easy, but it was lots of fun!

Now let's compare that recent shot with one that my good friend Allie sent me from 4 years ago.

Now I know why people ask me, "What the hell happened to you?"

People also ask me, "does it really work?"....well there's the evidence for you that yes, Herbal One DOES work.

Call them at 748-9999 to get signed up.

WEEK.....Ummmm.....

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated this.

To those of you who check this site on a regular basis, my apologies. The last few weeks have been CRAZY!

Just to give you a quick update of what's going on in my little world....

-Beat The Bank is BACK!....

I'm sure you've heard it on the air already. We've been having a lot of fun with this contest and it's even better when you get a chance to play. Remember the guaranteed times to play are weekdays at 7:40am, 11:40am and at 4:40pm during my show. This is my second year doing Beat The Bank and I have yet to see the vaults go up to $10,000 on my show...I think that means I'm due!!! Good luck!

-The Petes are BACK!....

This season I'm covering all Petes' home games on TVCogeco (cable 10). I encourage you to actually go to the games but if you can't make it to the rink just remember we've got the games covered on TV. This season I'm working as the host and colour analyst. I'm very excited to be working with TVCogeco thanks to a partnership with Energy 99.7. I've always wanted to work both radio and TV so I'm really living out a dream right now.

-I bought my first car!

Hard to believe I waited until the age of 25 to finally buy a car but it was worth it! Thanks to Paul Russelle and the fantastic staff at Russelle Toyota I'm now cruising the streets of Peterborough in a 2009 Corolla Sport!

I friggin' love this car!

- Herbal One CONTINUES!....


I've now moved on to the stabilization and maintenance portions of the program. After the lengthy weight-loss part of the program, I'm now working on staying at my goal weight. Once again I should have a number of updates for you in this area. You can always get more details by calling Herbal One at 748-9999.

So that's what's been going on the last four weeks. In the coming weeks I hope to keep this blog updated on a variety of topics, including the continued Herbal One updates and also some blogs on the Peterborough Petes.

In the meantime I have to get ready to help someone win some money with Beat The Bank!

Week 33

Well I guess I missed my update last week...my apologies, it's been a crazy last few weeks.

Looks like I may have fallen off the proverbial wagon somewhat as I seem to have plateaued these last few weeks. I'm still hovering around 80-total pounds lost since January 7th.

To make up for it I've begun running a few extra times per week and I've increased my distance from 5km to as much as 10km per run. I'm very proud of myself and it's defiantly helping me get back on track.

Also, beginning tonight I'm hitting the gym. I'm going to check out the YMCA and see what that's all about. I'm moving in to phase 2 of my plan - getting a 6-pack....I'm talking the abs not the beer. Although if I could have both I'd be a happy camper.

I'm a little disappointed in myself that I'm going to miss my Labour Day goal of 185 but I'm confident I can still hit that mark in the next few weeks.

Herbal One will soon be offering some new fall specials that I'll be writing about here and talking about on-air. In the meantime you can call them and get signed up early at 748-9999

WEEK 31.....Zombies and podiums....

Ok, no results yet.

I have a good excuse though!

This week I'm filling in on the Energy morning show which means my body and I are not getting along anymore. Going from the "Afternoon Show" lifestyle to the "Morning Show" lifestyle is a huge shock to the system. At this point I'm averaging about 3.5 hours of sleep a night. At this rate by Friday morning I should look like this....

Hey, looking like Michael Jackson is never a good thing!

I kind of feel bad that I don't have much of an update this week....but I do have a rant....let's talk about the Olympics shall we....

At the writing of this blog, six days of competition are now complete at the Beijing Games...and after six days Canada has yet to make a single trip to the podium.

Ok, we all know that the summer games are not our strong point. When it comes to the Winter Games we kick ass. Since we're hosting the next Winter Games I wouldn't be surprised if we set a new mark for medals-won.

This year, we may set a mark for medals not-won. Last night I stayed up to watch a couple of swimming events. I learned two things...first, American swimmer Michael Phelps is a freak of nature (more on him later) and second, the new motto of the so-called "Own The Podium" program must be "Hey, at least you tried, eh!".

If they handed out medals for missed opportunities, we'd surely be golden. Instead when I woke up this morning and looked at the medal standings I find Canada in 49th place with no medals behind countries who have won - like Togo, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. You can be guaranteed those countries didn't send the small army of athletes we did to the games but at least they have something to show for it.

I don't mean to sound negative. I know we will win a few medals.....eventually.

To me, a nation as great as ours with such passion for sport shouldn't be doing so poorly. I think a lot of questions will be asked about the Olympic program...do we send too many athletes?....do we send the right ones? I think the real question is - "do we support our athletes enough?"

Funding has always been an issue for sport in this country and without it the closest a Canadian athlete will get to the podium is if they trip over it. Either we need to step up the funding for the "Own The Podium" program or we need to scrap it and find a new way to instill national pride in our people. Losing poorly on a global stage doesn't make anyone feel patriotic.

Moving on....

The Beijing Games will be talked about for years about a number of different things. Among them - China's human rights record, the opening ceremonies controversy, the doping scandals...etc.

The one thing I'll remember most is Michael Phelps. So far, in only six-days, Phelps has managed to win 5 gold medals and set 5 world records. He won 6 golds in Athens and he's hoping to win 8 in Beijing.

Phelps doesn't win narrowly....he wins HUGE. The best in the world are not even close to this guy. One of two things needs to happen. Either he needs to be drug-tested or he needs to be sent back to his home planet. If he's not pumping steroids than he must be E.T.'s athletic cousin from Mars.

Seriously....we should offer this guy citizenship. Here's what I, as a taxpayer, would be willing to pony up to get Michael Phelps competing for Canada - A mansion in the Canadian city of his choosing, his own pool and training facility, a few million in cash (tax-free) per year and all the maple syrup he can handle.

It's a hell of an offer...but on second thought if we just treated our own athletes this well we would probably have some home-grown Michael Phelps' winning medals while wearing the maple leaf.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go listen to the CBC Sports announcer use the word "disappointment" for the millionth time.

WEEK 30 - NO RESULTS....YET......

It's been a weird week thanks to the holiday.

I haven't had time to get weighed-in at Herbal One so I don't have an update to pass along.

Normally I usually monitor my own progress from home, however this past weekend a few buddies were visiting and my scale is now - for some reason - broken.

I'm not pointing any fingers, but I believe one of my buddies was really offended that I now weigh less than him...I think he's trying to sabotage me!

It's weird not having a scale at home. I was weighing myself at home about as frequently as I check my e-mail. Now I feel like I'm in the dark....it's weird.

Some good news....I won the weight-loss competition at Herbal One! Well, technically I tied with one of the other clients but still, a win's a win!

If everything goes according to plan, this month could very well be my last month on the program. It's getting very close to the point where I've lost all I can and I'm starting to get eager to hit the gym and build some muscle where all the fat used to be.

It's hard to believe it's been 7 months to the day since I started and I've lost nearly 80 pounds in that time. Being on the program has defiantly been a life-changing experience for me and it can be for you too. Contact Herbal One at 748-9999 and get started today.

WEEK 29 RESULTS!!!

The good news is I've made up for last week and I've maintained my pace of hitting 182 by Labour Day.

I was able to drop 4 more pounds this week to go from 197 to 193, bringing the total to 77 pounds lost since January 7th.

More good news in the form of measurements...I dropped almost another 10 inches to bring my total to 85. I'm starting to see a reduction in my mid-section which is the area I'm most concerned with. On the advice of my younger, fitter brother I'll have to do about 150 crunches a day to flatten it out...for now I'm just going to get to my goal weight.

As for the contest I'm leading the pack with 15.5 pounds lost since it began. Heather from Herbal One would like me to point out she injured her back and her pain medication has slowed her progress down....it's a legit story!

In the meantime, Ric Johnson's progress thermometer has disappeared all together...I'm not sure if there's a legit excuse for that one!

My goal for next week is to lose 3 and hit 190....stay tuned!

WEEK 28 RESULTS!!!

So no news this week to report.

I'm still where I was a week ago.

I'm a little disappointed that I haven't seen my thermometer move in the last week at Herbal One for our little contest. Luckily, I haven't seen Heather's, my closest competitor's, move either...so I'm maintaining my lead.

I'm not surprised I didn't lose this week since I spent the weekend on a road trip to Timmins, ON for a friends wedding. Having lived in that city, I can tell you it's pretty much a 3-drink minimum - so you know it wasn't a great weekend for sticking to program!

It was fun to see alot of old friends, some whom I haven't seen since I moved to Peterborough last September. To say they were shocked at my new appearance is an understatement!

The most commonly asked question was "where's the rest of you?"...

People can ask you that too if you get signed up for the program. Contact Herbal One at 748-9999 for more details.

In the meantime I need to go get ready for Wednesday's weigh-in so I can build my lead in the contest!

TIME FOR A BEFORE AND AFTER SHOT!

I was scanning through the computer the other day and I found this old gem from St. Patrick's Day 2006 ...
Now compare that with a photo I snapped yesterday on my iPhone (yea, I got one!)....

Amazing what losing 140 pounds can do eh?

Have a great weekend!

WEEK 27 RESULTS!!!

Last week was not a fluke!

The scale continues to move...another 2 pounds down this week to 196. That's 74 pounds since January 7th.

I've now caught up to and surpassed Heather at Herbal One in our competition.

We're still neck and neck but I have the lead by a quarter-pound and I don't plan on losing any momentum! Ric Johnson has become a lost cause and has a better chance of becoming an astronaut than he does of winning our competition.

Aside from winning the completion, I now have a new goal....

With 7 weeks between now and Labour Day, if I can maintain my 2-lbs per week loss then I'll be down to an impressive 182....which would be perfect for me. Anywhere from 180-185 between now and Labour Day would be just fine with me. So that's what I'm working towards beginning right now.

Once we get past Labour Day and into the fall, I'll begin the "stabilization" and "maintenance" portions of the program. That should round out the year for me, by which point I will no longer be very round at all.

For those of you who listen for the weekly updates on-air on Monday's at 4:30pm, just a head's up that Jan and I are going to be ending our little chit-chats for the summer. The good news is we'll return in the fall to keep you updated on the next portion of the program.

The blog will live on for the summer with the weekly updates and with anything else I can think of.

As always, you can contact Herbal One to get me details on how you can shed a few pounds at 748-9999.

WEEK 26 RESULTS!!!

Today marks 26 weeks weeks and 6 full months since I began my "weight-loss journey" back on January 7th.

The 6-month mark brought with it a very special milestone.

For the first time in my adult life, the number on the scale didn't begin with a "3" or a "2".....it was 198. I haven't cried in years (not since I took a slapshot in hockey in a realllllyyyy bad spot) but I almost cried today. I toughed it out though, as I have these past 6-months.

After 6-months at Herbal One, I not only met my goal of 70-pounds, I surpassed it.

I've also lost nearly 76-inches....that's more than my height!

I can't thank the staff at Herbal One enough for what they've helped me to accomplish. I honestly never thought years ago when I tipped the scales at 335lbs that I would ever get anywhere close to the 198 I'm at today.

I'm not done yet either, as I still plan to lose a bit more. I'm tied with Heather at Herbal One in our "Weight Loss Challenge" I only need to lose 9 more pounds to beat her. Ric Johnson is in the challenge as well but he's going to have to hack off a limb at this point to even be a factor!

I'm still kicking myself wondering why I didn't start this years ago. I guess it's because I never believed in myself that I could accomplish this. When it comes to weight-loss, much like a lot of things in life, I think we tend to be our own worst enemies. I had some incredible coaching along the way from the staff at Herbal One and that's why I've been able to make it this far. Sometimes it's that little boost from someone else that can make all the difference in the world and keep you on track to your goal.

With Step One now complete, I'm moving ahead with Step Two - Win the Weight-Loss Challenge with Heather! I'll keep you updated on how things go with that...the victory champagne is already on ice! Joking aside, there are no winners or losers....only weight-losers...and that makes us all winners in the end.

Call Herbal One at 748-9999 for more information on their various programs and to book a free consultation so you can start losing too!

The competition

When it comes to competition, I hate to lose.

Competition brings out the worst in me, even when it comes to video games.

If it looks like I'm going to lose a game of NHL 08, I'll shut the system off. Hey, I didn't lose, right? My friends don't seem to agree with that philosophy.

If you pop into to Herbal One, you'll see evidence of the latest competition I'm involved in.

On the wall are three "Weight Thermometers". One belongs to Heather from Herbal One, one belongs to Ric Johnson (Energy Morning News) and one belongs to me.

The competition is to see who can lose 20lbs the fastest.

For me to successfully lose the 20 would put me at 189...that means if I would have lost 81 lbs on the Herbal One plan. It would be an incredible feat if I can accomplish it.

As of this morning Heather still had a narrow lead over me in the competition. I have no idea where Ric is....I think it's "out of the starting gate"....but who knows....

I'll keep you updated on the competition...the smart money is on me....not that I encourage gambling or anything.

Have a great weekend.

Week 24 Results!

I celebrated my completion of 24 weeks on the Herbal One program by more or less drinking the equivalent of a 2-4 this weekend.

Keep in mind, most of said beer was consumed while walking on the golf course, so I'm sure that balanced things out.

Amazingly, the scale also balanced in my favour, down another 2 pounds to 203 for a grand total of 67. If I play by the rules I just may finally hit 200 to celebrate week 25...that means no beer....damn!

Call Herbal One and get details on how you can sign up for a special 8-week summer program for only $79.99! 748-9999

Shopping with mommy....

At age 25, I'm not ashamed to admit I still shop for clothes with my mother.

And by "still shop for clothes", I mean I still let her pay for them for me.

Before you label me a cheapskate, I'll point out the fact that my mother offered to buy me some new threads for my birthday, thank you very much. Which is good, because I AM a cheapskate when it comes to spending money on clothing.

It's been a while since I went shopping with my mother. In fact, I believe the last time we went shopping was Christmas of 2006. Now I recall at that time buying a few shirts in XL and XXL and buying jeans in a 44-inch waist.

Yesterday we bought a couple new shirts - size MEDIUM! - and a couple pairs of jeans - 36-inch waist! They look awesome and it's far and away the smallest size clothing I've ever worn...probably since I was like 10 years old!

I don't think anyone is prouder of the success I've had on the Herbal One program than my mom. She was always there when I was growing up struggling with obesity. She knew I had a tough time going through school and life being the size I was. She always tried to help but I never stuck to any plan so I simply just stayed obese.

Fat or thin, my mom always supported me, no matter what. That's pretty cool, considering my brother and I were such brats as kids! Mom keeps reminding me that someday I'll have brats of my own to return the favour....if that's the case we'll just drop them off at her house!

*** HERBAL ONE UPDATE***

Me weight has become a pendulum these last couple days...it's up and down all the time. Hopefully by Monday I'll be a little closer to the 200 mark. Still at 205, or 65lbs down.

Herbal One has a great summer/cottage package...you can get details at 748-9999.

WEEK 23 RESULTS!!!

No news in terms of loss this week. Still hovering at 205 after a crazy busy week of events and a few extra beers...hey a guy's gotta have a cold one every now and then!

The good news is I'm continuing to morph into "J.C. 2.0"....

Basically it's still the same cheap operating system but with a flashier look...Bill Gates would be proud.

Looking at some pictures from the weekend I can hardly recognize myself. The change has been amazing. I can still remember way back in October when the scale said 288 and I started to panic. Hard to believe that was 83 pounds ago!!!!

I was watching a re-run of The Simpsons on Sunday afternoon. Ironically, it was the episode where Homer decides he wants to gain weight so he can hit 300lbs and qualify for disability so he can work from home. Well in the real world you don't get to work from home if you're that obese. All you get is bad health and a high-risk of heart disease and diabetes - not a good time.

Thanks to Herbal One, I'm the healthiest I've ever been and it's only going to get better. Call Herbal One at 748-9999 and they'll set you up with a plan that works for you....Remember, we all don't have Mr. Burns volunteering to pay for liposuction.

WEEK 22 RESULTS!!!

Much better results this time around...

I'm down to 205 now for a total loss of 65lbs...only 5 more to go!!!

It looks like I will be continuing once I hit the 200 mark.

I spoke to Jan at Herbal One today and we decided it would be a good idea to move ahead and get down to around 180, that would give me a healthy Body Mass Index. Right now my BMI is at 26.3 which is still listed as "overweight". Getting down to 180 would put it at 23.1 which is considered "normal". You can calculate your BMI here: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

My thoughts are if I've come this far, I might as well go all the way.

I honestly never thought I'd make it to where I am now. That proves that the program really does work. If it works for me, it'll work for you too.

Call Hebal One today at 748-9999...ask how you can do the weight-loss program for only $1 per pound!

WEEK 21 RESULTS!!!

Things are moving a little slower for me this week, but they're still moving in the right direction!

I'm down to 208 now, with 62 pounds lost and only 8 away from my goal.

Herbal One is now offering a special for June where you can lose weight for only $1 per pound....10 pounds is $10....get it?

It's a huge savings and you can take advantage of it by calling 748-9999.

More updates coming soon!

Changes all around...

This past week has been an extremely busy one for me...there's been a whole bunch of changes happening personally and professionally.

On Tuesday, I aged.

I'm now 25 years old.

Woot to hitting the quarter-century mark.

Luckily, I didn't abuse any sugary treats so my birthday had no effect on my progress at Herbal One.

All this week I worked behind-the-scenes on a big change at the radio station. As of Monday, Energy 99.3 will be Energy 99.7. Nothing to worry about...we're simply moving a little to the right to be even more powerful. The website will now be www.energy997.ca

To celebrate our move, we're giving away a trip to New York City! Qualifying for that starts on Monday. All the details are on our website.

Today I made one more change...I got contact lenses. I've never worn contacts before so as you can imagine it was a bit of a challenge to get those little suckers in and out the first time. I'm also a big baby, so that didn't make it any easier.

I did it though! My face feels a lot lighter without the goggles on...although everyone at work tells me I look really weird. At this point with the new contacts and weight loss I'm sure my own parents can't recognize me!

Just so you know there is an update coming on Monday with the week 21 results. There wasn't really any change for me at Herbal One early in the week, however things are starting to change and we'll have some awesome numbers for you on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

What Victory Feels Like....

Last night I completed my second attempt at the Ottawa 10K run. It's a special event for me because it's one that I get to do with my mother. She's been doing the 10K for quite a few years now. I think it was a real thrill for her to get to run it with me for the first time ever, considering how horribly out of shape I'd been my whole life prior. Running is one of the passions we both get to share.
Last year, I completed the run in just over 71 minutes, at a plump 265lbs. The difference between my time and my physical fitness from are year ago are both staggering.

My goal coming in to this year's event was to finish in 60 mins. Now I had been training, running about 5K in 31 mins, so I knew I could make a great time but not likely my goal time. Working on my side was the fact that coming in to the race weekend, I was down to 209lbs thanks to Herbal One. Being lighter would defiantly make a big difference.

More than 8400 runners were registered in this event. You couldn't believe the sea of people that took off from the starting line in downtown Ottawa. The entire race weekend is a phenomenal success every year. It's really quite something to be a part of.

What they do is the try to set the runners up based on the time they think it will take them to complete the race. The fastest, most elite runners start at the front of the pack. After that it's different groups ranging from 41-50 mins, 51 - 60 mins, 61 - 70 mins....etc. I was in the 61-70 min group. My mom was way in the back of the pack so I wouldn't be able to see her until the end of the race.

Standing in the pack at the starting line, that little voice in my head kicked in - "Whatever you do, don't stop" Last y ear I stopped and walked way too often. This year, I wanted to do the whole thing without stopping once.

When the starting gun went it was a MESS. All these people trying to get through at the same time down a very narrow street. Here's me, hyped up on caffeine and wayyyy too many Power Bars, trying to break my way past the slower runners without knocking anyone down.

Luckily I eventually made it through the crowd, after resorting to running on the sidewalks at some points. The first 5K, thanks to my training, were a breeze. The last 5K were a nightmare.

Around the 6K mark, I started feeling blisters beginning to develop on my feet. The little voice kicked in "Play through the pain"...this is the same voice that would kick in when I was playing hockey through injuries like cracked ribs, hip flexors and even concussions. "Play through the pain" I kept hearing the voice say.

Every kilometre began to feel like an eternity. I kept trying to find a runner and keep a comfortable pace with them. It kept me motivated to keep up with that person while I waited for my body to pick up the pace again. By the 8K mark, I was seriously contemplating stopping and walking. I was blowing by so many people who were doing just that. I knew if I stopped in my deteriorating condition, I may not be able to re-start again.

Somewhere between the 8K and 9K mark, I saw the most beautiful sight. Thankfully, it wasn't a bright light calling me up - because at that point I did feel like dying - instead it was a pace bunny! Now you're probably wondering what that is. A pace bunny is a volunteer who runs in the race, holding a sign that indicates what time they'll finish the race. That way, runners hoping to finish at the time need only keep pace with that person. There, before my eyes, was the 60 min pace bunny...if I could stay in front of him it'd be mission accomplished.

I dug deep and turned on the afterburners, blowing past the pace bunny. Problem was at the point I thought I was a within 500 metres of the finish line....turns out it was more like 1500...oops! With almost nothing left in the tank, I was going to be in for a very long, painful home stretch.

That final kilometre was sheer hell. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to quit right there and just walk the rest of the way. Little voice kicks in again - "Don't quit. You're so close. Play through the pain. It's going to be OK. You CAN do this!"

Somehow, I made it to the finish line. I must have looked half-dead when I got there because I sure felt like it. I could barely even stand on my own power. I had to lean on a pole just to stay up-right. The lineup for Gatorade seemed to be forever. I kept thinking, "Great, I'm going to die standing in line for Gatorade - what a legacy that will be". I made it though. As my body began to slowly heal I waited for my mother to cross the finish line. Once she crossed we made our way to the results tent. We both had high expectations. Turns out neither of us had stopped once during the run. We both pushed through and completed it even though we could have used a rest.

My mother's results were quite impressive. She completed the run in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 35 seconds. She beat her result last year by over 10 minutes!

My results just about knocked me over. I finished in 57 minutes, 8 seconds...well under my goal which I never thought I'd be able to accomplish. I beat last year's time by over 14 minutes!

A day after the run, I'm still very sore and very tired. The results have been truly unbelievable. Even though the first words I could form after I crossed the finish line were "I'm never running again!"....I know for sure I'll be back next year, in better shape and with a better time.

WEEK 19 RESULTS!!!

It was totally worth waiting an extra couple of days to get my results!

I'm on the home streach now! Down 61lbs to 209!!!

ONLY 9 MORE TO GO!!!

For me now, my goal is to lose the last 9 in 3-4 weeks.

That's going to be a little tricky, especially with my birthday coming up on Tuesday...I wonder if I can find a Herbal One-approved cake???

I'm still weighing (no pun intended) the option of continuing to lose more once I hit the 200 mark. I'll have to consult with the staff at Herbal One first to make sure it's safe for me and that I'll be hitting a proper Body Mass Index.

I discovered two things this morning....one...I can see my ribs for the first time in my life...and two...I have a freakishly large rib cage! Seriously...I think scientists may want to study me because I have the chest size of an ape. I'd post pictures, however I also have the hair issues that most apes have, much like Robin Williams. You don't need to see that....unless you pay admission first.

As always, you can contact Herbal One at 748-9999 to get more details on how you can get signed up or simply get some great products that will help you lose or maintain weight.

Week 19 Update On The Way....

You know a lot of people read your blog when you start getting e-mails and even your co-workers are like "Dude, where's the update?"


The update is coming tomorrow, I promise. I got a little side-tracked with the holiday weekend.


But just to give you something new for showing up, let's look at some pictures!


I was going through my old collection this morning and stumbled upon this gem from almost exactly three years ago....


Yep, believe it or not that's me, participating in McHappy Day for Q92 Timmins back in 2005. That's about as big as I can remember being in my life...335lbs....YIKES!!!

Now let's compare that with a shot taken just this week at Herbal One:

Did you say "Holy Crap!"?...Cause I sure did!

The difference, weight wise, between those two pictures is a whopping 125lbs.

If you're like I was three years ago thinking it's impossible to lose that much, well, seeing is believing isn't it?

Just check out how baggy my clothes from only 4 months ago are today:

Week 19 results will be up tomorrow afternoon, in the meantime call Herbal One at 748-9999 to get a free consulation and start losing the extra weight NOW!

WEEK 18 RESULTS!!!

Any fears I had of plateauing are starting to fade away.

It seemed like I'd be hovering around 216lbs forever....that's changed dramatically this week.

The scale at Herbal One read 212lbs today. Another 4lbs down this week and only 12 to go.

I'm also down another 5 inches to 64.5 total inches lost.

When this whole thing started I said, "let's go for 200lbs"...in the back of my mind I thought, "like I'll ever make it past 220!"

When I think about my goal now, it's more like "Holy crap, I'm actually going to do this!"

In fact, now I'm beginning to think once I get to my goal (it's only a matter of time now), why stop? I might just keep going. We'll have to assess that when I get there with the help of the staff at Herbal One. At this point 180 or 190 doesn't seem nearly as impossible as it did 4 months ago when 200 seemed out of the question.

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that only two years ago I was 335lbs...today I'm 123lbs lighter. Amazing what happens when you stop making excuses and start sticking to a plan, isn't it?

Herbal One will be open holiday Monday from 12pm - 4pm. You can go in this week and get set for the long weekend by picking up a bottle of Carb Block and 7 Protein Bars or Shakes (your choice) for only $52...you don't even have to be a member to buy them. I've already got mine!

Give Herbal One a call for more details at 748-9999.

WEEK 17 RESULTS!!!

So it's been almost 5 months to the day since I started on this program. I'm so close to my goal that it's just starting to sink in - "I'm going to make it".

That's what I keep telling myself.

Only a few more weeks and it'll all be gone.

As of today, 54lbs down.....16lbs to go.

I've never been anywhere near as close to my goal as I am now.

I said last week I was hoping to be at 215 by today. I may not have made that goal today, but I'll likely be there by Wednesday, so that's close enough for me.

I'm hoping to be at 210 in two weeks. It will most likely take me three weeks to accomplish this, but making these small goals is what keeps me motivated for my big goal.

I'll be due for new measurement numbers again next week, I'm still sitting at just about 60-total-inches lost.

This week Jan from Herbal One is offering a Mother's Day special. You can get a gift certificate for $50 or $100 that can be used from anything from products or programs. Mom's can also sign up for a special 8-week program for only $189.00!

Give Herbal One a call at 748-9999 for details!

WEEK 16 RESULTS!!!

Looks like things are starting to slow down a little bit in the weight loss department.

I've shed another 2lbs to drop down to 218, giving a grand total of 52lbs lost so far.

I'll admit it's a little frustrating to see things slow down like this when I'm so close to my goal, but that's how it goes. The last 10-20lbs are always the hardest to lose.

Keeping me motivated is the fact I'm eating the healthiest I've ever eaten in my life. Also last night I finally grabbed a big cardboard box and filled it with clothing that is much to large to be worn anymore. Getting rid of the old clothing to make room for the new clothing was a great feeling.

Last night I also posted a personal best running 5km in 31mins. I won't be setting any world records anytime soon with that result, but it means I'm on the right track to being physically fit.

I'm also past the half-way point of the Body-Cleanse that I'm currently on from Herbal One. The month-long cleanse is defiantly making a difference as I'm feeling less tired and more energetic. I don't know how to describe it. I just feel really good!

Once again I'm making a small goal for myself. I'm hoping to be at 215 by next Monday. As long as I stick to the program and keep up with my supplements I should be able to make it.

You can make it too...give Herbal One a call and find out how they can help you shed the extra pounds for summer. 748-9999.

REQUEST SHOW ETIQUETTE

One of my favorite things about my job at Energy 99.3 is that every weeknight at 6pm I get to host an all-request hour.

Now as fun as it is, it can be challenging. I literally get about 100 calls per night and constantly have 3 phone lines going off simultaneously. As you can imagine I can't take all the calls at once and I can't play every single request I get.

Last night I got a call from a young girl, probably around 10 years old. When I told her I might not be able to fit her song in she called me an asshole and hung up on me. Her parent's must be so proud of the well-mannered child they've raised!

Anyway, that little incident got me thinking and I found some tips for people who make a request to a DJ. Remember these the next time you call the station or ask a DJ at a bar for a song:

1. DON'T SAY: HEY YOU! PLAY SOMETHING GOOD!...The DJ has to play for more than one person...so, what you may hate may be another's favorite song.

2.DON'T ASK: WOULD YOU PLAY SOMETHING WITH A BEAT?...Wouldn't a track without a beat be a spoken word / poem reading? Everything we play has some sort of a beat!

3. DON'T SAY: I DON'T KNOW WHO SINGS IT AND I DON'T KNOW THE NAME OF THE SONG, BUT IT GOES LIKE THIS...Please don't sing for the DJ! A DJ is very busy and doesn't have time to play 20 questions to figure out what you want to hear.

4. DON'T' SAY: WILL YOU PLAY (INSERT TRACK NAME HERE) EVERYBODY WANTS TO HEAR IT!....Oh sure, you polled EVERYONE and, as their spokesperson, you are requesting the song.

5. DON'T ASK FOR A REQUEST AND THEN END WITH - I CAN GET LAID IF YOU PLAY IT!....If you are GOOD ENOUGH, you can get laid to anything!! (also been known as "buy the album and get laid for a month!")

6. DON'T SAY: I WANT TO HEAR IT NEXT!....The only people who can get away with that statement write the DJ a paycheck! We have many requests a night... we'll play your track as soon as we can! Don't worry!

7. DON'T SAY: I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANNA HEAR...WHAT DO YOU HAVE?It's a lot easier for you to go have another beer and figure out what you want to hear than it is for the DJ to recite the name of EVERY track in his/her collection. Energy has around 15,000 for example.

8. DON'T SAY: HEY DJ, NOBODY CAN DANCE TO THIS!It is not advisable to say this when the dance floor is packed (but, some people do anyway)! However, even if there is only ONE person on the floor, it STILL contradicts the statement.

9. DON'T SAY: EVERYBODY WILL DANCE TO IT IF YOU PLAY IT! Did you poll everyone in the club? Because you probably didn't ask the DJ... it's likely that the DJ won't...I guess that blows a hole in that theory!

10. CAN YOU PLAY SOME HIP-HOP?If you're at a club or listening to a radio station that doesn't play any Hip-hop, don't ask "you got any hip-hop"? If you go to a Chinese restaurant, you wouldn't ask for Italian food. Rock clubs play rock, alternative clubs play alternative, discos play disco, etc. If you need a hip-hop fix, just go outside to your car and slide your CD in or watch Much Music because they blast it 24 hours a day!

*** SOME ASSORTED THINGS NOT TO SAY ***

If you ask for a song and the D.J. says he just played it, DON'T SAY, "Well, I just got here." It makes absolutely no difference. It's more likely for us to play it later in the night to keep you listening longer...

DON'T SAY, "Is this the only kind of music you play?" Again, if you go to a Chinese restaurant, you wouldn't ask for Italian food. Rock clubs play rock, alternative clubs play alternative, discos play disco, etc., etc., etc...

If you ask for a song, BE SPECIFIC. DON'T SAY, "I wanna hear something, anything but this!" Try going to the bar and saying, "I wanna drink something, anything but this..." You can't complain if you're not SPECIFIC.

HOWEVER, if you ARE specific and the DJ says he doesn't have the song, DON'T SAY, "What?!! What do you mean you don't have it? What kind of DJ are you? Why don't you get into the wonderful world of fast food! You obviously don't know what you're doing as a DJ!"---sorry HMV closes at 9pm (6pm on weekends).

Special Note:

A DJ gets very little respect. They are expected to play everything for everybody. It is impossible to satisfy all the people all of the time, yet jocks are expected to do just that.

Ask once for your song and the DJ will try and play it. Keep asking and you're being a pain in the ass! Don't send all your friends to request the same song hoping to get it played. DJ's aren't that stupid!! They get dozens of requests in a night and we try to play them all... but asking for 5 songs 10 minutes before the show is over just won't work... sometimes there isn't enough time to play them all.

And above all, if the DJ has one hand on the mixer, one hand on a TURNTABLE, wearing headphones, and has the monitor speaker turned up- please be patient. We'll be right with you. You don't have to poke us, yell at us etc... we see you!

Signed,

The DJ

And to answer your question, yes, Bill Porter and I are available to DJ your next event. Send us an e-mail at jc.coutts@chumkawartha.ca to hire us!

WEEK 15 RESULTS!!!

Last week I was down 50lbs to 220...

This week I'm still at the same point.

I'm not concerned at this point and neither is Jan from Herbal One. She said it would be a bit of a slower process for me now that my body is at a point it's never been at before in terms of weight.
The good news is that I'm continuing to shrink in terms of inches and clothing size.

This past weekend I paid a visit to friends and family in Ottawa who haven't seen me since I had just started on the program...they barely recognized me.

I also invested a few hundred dollars into some new clothing and I'm even finding that some of the shirts I bought, I could have purchased in a medium instead of a large. I just couldn't wrap my head around wearing a men's medium. I haven't been that size since elementary school! At this point I'm just glad to be wearing shorts that aren't so big they fall down at random. I called it "involuntary flashing"...my boss didn't think it was so funny after he got a show....

One thing that really amazes me from being on this program is how giddy I get when I discover a new food I can eat that doesn't violate the program. Like for example, this weekend I discovered Jello Light and Source Yogurt Dessert. Imagine being able to eat Jello that's only 5 calories or yogurt that taste's like Chocolate Cherry Fondue and is only 35 calories. Yep...that discovery made my weekend.

Plus I tried something new this weekend...I ate broccoli for the first time ever in my life and I didn't hate it. Baby steps, right?

I think this week will prove to be a very interesting week. I've got some personal exercise goals to meet this week and I've got some new supplements to try out from Herbal One.

For anyone who'd like to sign up for a full-program like the one I'm on, you can still save 50%. Other options include a 10-week program, or even a 7-day program if you want to lose 5-10lbs in a hurray.

Just give Herbal One call at 748-9999.

Time for another round of shopping for clothes...

With the warm weather here I've been hit with the sudden realization that I have little-to-no clothing for spring/summer.

Thanks to my 50lbs of weight loss, virtually my entire wardrobe is way too big to fit me now. With another 20lbs still set to come off, the stuff that does fit now won't in the near future.

Looks like once again I'll be needing to purchase some new clothing.

I've never been a fan of shopping for clothing. I'm even less of a fan when I see the price tag of some clothing these days. I wonder if I can buy clothes on e-Bay??? That's where I'll be buying my next pair of shoes from I think. With the warm weather it means I'm now walking to work daily. It's a fair distance and I'm a sweaty mess by the time I get to the radio station but it's helping. I'm in dire need of some new shoes though, since I've been wearing my current pair for almost three years.

Plus, I've also begun my training for the 10K event at the National Capital Marathon in Ottawa in May. It's tough to run in shoes with duct tape, so I'm going to have to bite the bullet and pony up like $200 for some new runners.

Right now, the training is going quite well. I'm running about 5-6km per night around my neighbourhood. I'm hoping to be doing 6-8km by the end of next week.

Had it not been for the program at Herbal One, I wouldn't need new clothes and I sure as heck wouldn't been running anywhere. It's sure something to remember the next time a reach for a shirt marked "M" or "L" as opposed to "XXL".

It's been another weird week on the program, I was up slightly on Wednesday but have since dropped back down. The goal for Monday at this point is to be at 217. Stay tuned for an update.

In the meantime, you can contact Herbal One for more details on the program at 748-9999.

WEEK 14 RESULTS!!!

Another milestone today at Herbal One.

After 14 weeks on the program I've lost 50 pounds!!!

The good news is I'm down to the final 20 now.

After that I'll be at an even 200 - my goal weight.

More good news - once again we took some measurements today and even I was blown away. I lost just over another 9-inches to bring my total-inches-lost number to 68! That's HUGE!

This marks the second week of the Body -Cleanse for me as well and I'm seeing some great results there and feeling a bit better already. I'm also making a few more trips to the bathroom, so "Get Your Colon Rollin'" was obviously a proper description of this part of the program.

I'll be honest when I say I don't think there's any way I could have achieved what I've done so far without the assistance and supervision of Jan and the team at Herbal One. I've tried before to lose weight and have been unsuccessful but not with the help and support I keep losing weight every week.

In case you're new to this blog, here's somewhat of a before and after picture:

Just to explain once again, in my defence - I thought the bleached blond look worked for me. I'm pretty sure I was around 335lbs in the August 2005 shot. In the March 2007 shot I believe I was around 240lbs.

Where I am today, at 220lbs, is the lowest I have ever been in my adult life. As you can understand I'm a little giddy with excitement today.

At this point my goal is to lose 3.5 pounds per week (I've been averaging that anyway) for the next 6 weeks. If I can do that, I'll be down to my goal weight by the time I have to run the 10KM event in Ottawa on May 24th.

After that will be the stabilization and maintenance portions of the program designed to ensure that I don't put all the weight back on.

At this point it's really cool to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If I can do it, anyone can. Give Herbal One a call at 748-9999 and they'll get you set up so you can have the same success.

How long has it been since I blogged about hockey?...

Tonight marks the start of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Every year at this time I get a little giddy. To say I love hockey would be an understatement. I eat, sleep and breathe the sport year round.

Every year since 1997, playoff time has had a special meaning for me. That's because my team, The Ottawa Senators, have been involved in the post-season every year since. Now I could tell you a story about every post-season run. Like in 1997 when the Sens pushed through the last 3 games of the NHL season to qualify for their first-ever post-season berth, only to lose in heart-breaking fashion to Buffalo in overtime in Game 7 of the 1st round.

Then there was the run in the spring of 2004 when I had a behind the scenes look, working as a reporter covering the series for Rogers Radio in Ottawa. That series, again, a game 7 heart-breaker at the hands of the hated Maple Leafs (who, by the way, haven't returned to post-season play since). I vividly remember game 6, standing in the hallway behind the Sens bench, waiting for the game to end so I could get my interviews. The first person I talked to was the hero of the game and Peterborough native, Mike Fisher.

Then, my favorite memory so far from last year's run, watching Daniel Alfreddsson step through four Buffalo players to score the game-winning goal in overtime to propel Ottawa to it's first modern-day Stanley Cup final. I was in Ottawa at the time and actually went to the airport, along with literally 10,000 other Sens fans, to greet the players as they arrived back from Buffalo.

This year no one is giving Ottawa a chance to advance even past the first round. Some experts will say they won't win a single game. I personally don't believe that's true. I've seen a lot of things over the years with this team and I believe they have what it takes to go all the way.

I've already started growing my playoff beard, here's hoping I don't have to shave it before June!

WEEK 13 RESULTS!!!

If you read my last post you know it was an interesting week on the program.

I'm happy to report today that not only did I meet my goal for the week, I exceeded it.

I was able to lose another 4.5 pounds to drop down to 224. That's a total loss of 46 pounds now. My goal for next Monday is to be at an even 220, which would of course be a total loss of 50 pounds! Here's hoping I can keep it together!

Today also marked the start of my Body Cleanse program. I'm still on the same program and meal plan, but now I'm taking extra supplements to help do a little internal spring cleaning. Folks at the radio station have dubbed it "Get Your Colon Rollin'"...that's a pretty accurate description really. I'll be doing this for the next month in addition to my weight-loss program.

Anyone can sign up to do a body cleanse. It's a really good thing to do heading in to summer. You can do the entire month-long cleanse for only $111.50! Just contact Herbal One for more details.

Also, keep in mind, you can still sign up to be on the full program like me and save 50% off. You've only got until April 15th to take advantage of the 50% off deal so call to book your consultation today at 748-9999.

As always if you're thinking about signing up and want to ask me any questions I'm more than happy to help. Fire me an e-mail at jc.coutts@chumkawartha.ca

Backing away from the "Panic!" button.

On two occasions this past week I almost reached out to hit the big red button labeled "PANIC!".

The first occasion was Tuesday morning. After a successful weigh-in at Herbal One the day before, my scale at home said I had gained 6 pounds overnight. I knew having that extra mug of beer at Monday Night Mug Club was an unwise decision but I had no idea it would hit me this badly. 

By Wednesday morning, with yet another weigh-in at Herbal One looming, my weight had gone up even further. I was now 10 pounds heavier with no explanation.  

I slunk into Herbal One and told Jan I wouldn't be getting on the scale today. I explained to her that something was wrong with me and my weight was ballooning. Jan explained it was most likely water-retention and gave me a couple extra retention-release supplements to take. She instructed me to drink LOTS of water and simply stick to the program. I took her advice and drank enough water to drown a fish. By Friday morning, not only had I lost that extra 10 pounds that mysteriously appeared, I had even lost a couple more....crisis averted.

The next "PANIC!" moment occurred when my beloved Ottawa Senators were shut out by Montreal Tuesday night and in danger of missing the playoffs. As you can imagine, this would have been disaster for me. I've watched my Sens play in the post-season every year since 1997. Luckily, Ottawa was able to crush the pitiful Leafs later in the week and locked up their spot on Friday night. Crisis 2 averted. 

The goal for Monday morning is a weight of 225, which would mean a loss of 45 pounds. My fingers are crossed and I'll have an update for you on Monday afternoon.

Jan will join me live on Energy 99.3 around 4:30pm Monday to talk about the results and to talk about what's next for me on the program.

You can get more details on Herbal One by calling them at 748-9999.

Things that make you go "hmmm"....

So I've been watching a lot of TV lately and I'm getting really tired of the new commercial for "Smarties".

You know Smarties - the little bite-size candies that are the Canadian rip-off of M&Ms. Anyway, something that irks me about this commercial is the song that's being sung (poorly) by the actors. For some reason they've chosen to use the song "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone. This is a song that was written and intended to help promote racial harmony. Now it's being used to hock candy.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for racial harmony. What I'm against is big companies profiting from songs like "Everyday People" when the original intention of the artist who wrote the song was to sell something much more important than candy.

I think the best example (and definaition of irony)was a commercial for Bank of Montreal a few years back. The spot featured a bunch of children running through a field singing along to "The Times They Are A Changin'" by Bob Dylan. Keep in mind, that song was once used to protest people like the big banks and now's it's promoting them. Yep, the times really are changing.

What's next, using 60's anti-Vietnam war songs to get people to enlist in the Armed Forces?

I will say this though, sometimes ad companies do get it right when it comes to picking the right song for a product. Another ad from a few years back was for Aiwa Sound. As you can see...they know how to have a little fun with their product - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZG_tTjQEmY

WEEK 12 RESULTS!!!

Not much weight loss to report this week.

While I've been losing an average of around 4-lbs per week, this week I'm still hovering around 42 total pounds lost.

That's ok with me...especially when I got my measurment numbers today.

I've lost about 59 inches in total since I started on January 7th.

It's been amazing.

I can't believe the change that's hitting my closet. I'm going to need a ton of new clothes by the summer.

It's a nice feeling to no longer have to be a customer of the "Big & Tall" section.

Talking to Jan from Herbal One today, she mentioned they'll be offering new customers 50% off the program for the first two weeks of April. You can get ready for summer and swimwear season if you start now.

Something tells me I'm gonna look awesome in that bikini!

Call Herbal One at 748-9999 to get more details.

An open letter to Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

%$^* YOU!



I didn't want to start this off with such profanity, but you've earned it.

Clearly, you are off your meds and drunk on your own power.

One day we get sunshine and warm temperatures. The next it's -30 and there's 20cm of snow that wasn't there 5 minutes earlier!

You resemble less a powerful being in charge of supplying weather and more a kid with ADD who's gone off on a bender in a toy store.

You NEED to be stopped.

I've always supported you in the past and stood up for you.

I even paid $10 to listen to Al Gore go on for what seemed like hours described how fragile you were. I'm this close to writing him a letter asking for my money back. Fragile my ass. My grandmother is fragile...you're more like the Incredible Hulk. Trust us, we DON'T like you when you're angry...so why are you so pissed these days?

I've done everything I can to be nicer to you. I stopped littering, I quit using CFC's, I recycled. I did everything I could to help save you. How do you repay me? By continuously pounding me with snow and coldness.

Perhaps there is an explanation. Perhaps you didn't get a calender for Christmas and don't know that it's SUPPOSED to be spring-time. I would hope that there is some reason to justify all this crappy treatment we've received from you in recent months.

I must tell you that my patience is starting to run thin.

If I don't see a change soon, then I will be out for vengeance. I will be pointing an aerosol can into the air and firing wildly. I will be using as many Styrofoam products as possible and chucking them out my window. I will personally work to promote nuclear power and beat up anyone that says solar power is better. I will buy a Hummer and use as much gas as possible. I'll vote conservative!!!

Yes, these are all ugly things to do and will give you a black eye but I just can't take the cold and snow anymore. Please don't push me to the edge.

I know we can be friends again, just give me some freakin' sunshine and let me see my front lawn for a few months.

WEEK 11 RESULTS!!!

Well I made it through the Easter weekend without seeing a single chocolate bunny.

Once again my will-power and sticking to the program has paid off.

Last week I was down 37 pounds at 233.

This week I'm down just over 41 total pounds at 228.5

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have numbers on how many total inches I've lost in 11 weeks.

The Great White North

This weekend I`m blogging on the road, in Timmins, Ontario.

I'll be honest when I say there were better places I'd rather go to on my Easter weekend. It's not the place itself that bothers me. It's the drive. We're talking 8 hours of solid driving through mostly forest with very little in between. It's incredibly dull and long.
I lived in Timmins for over three years so I kind of have a soft spot for it in my heart. It didn`t take long for me to be greeted by two things I really dislike about Timmins - Gas and Temperature. Gas prices were about $1.20/litre...insanity! Temperature's dipped to about -35 last night! People in the North are pretty tough to put up with that stuff!

I`ll be honest when I say I love Peterborough and I`m proud to call it my home now. There was a time however when I was very proud to call Timmins my home and the reason was the people. Timmins is full of the nicest people I`ve ever met in my life. I made many good friendships in my time there and I still try to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. Had it not been for the people in Timmins, I never would have made it up there for as long as I did. I arrived there having just turned 21 and not knowing anyone back in 2004. In a city that`s so isolated and so far from home it could have been a very difficult experience but it was made so much easier by the people there.

I don`t miss my old job and I don`t miss all the pot holes, high gas prices, frigid temperatures, bear and moose sightings and endless trees. I do miss all the great people that really made Timmins a great city.

If only it were closer I could visit more often.

Is the streak over?

Last week I wrote a posting describing how I believed I could be a bad luck charm for the Peterborough Petes.

Well tonight the Petes came out on top in a thrilling 5-4 overtime win against the Belleville Bulls to tie their playoff series at a game a piece.

I feel a bit better about this whole "bad luck" theory, although it wasn't looking too good for a while tonight.

During the first intermission we were doing an event on the ice and I accidentaly dropped my cordless microphone. Everything worked fine, however the on/off button broke off later in the game. Luckily the Memorial Centre had a spare so fate was unable to silence me. I was a little worried that Petes marketing director Aaron Garfat would be upset about me breaking the mic. Instead, he was still laughing at how funny it was when I went to apologize. I guess I'm off the hook for that blooper.

Another incident tonight also took place during the first intermission. I was stuck on the ice a little longer than normal picking up pucks when the Zamboni came on. I rushed off the ice by kicking open the door near the Petes bench, narrowly escaping being the victim of a Zamboni hit & run. However in my hurry I didn't notice an OHL official standing in front of the door and I hit him in the back. He wasn't too pleased with me. I believe his exact words were "$%&# YOU!". Oh well, with the choice between being sworn at or being run-over by a 2-ton ice resurfacing machine; I'll take the potty mouth treatment any day.

Combine all that with the fact the Petes blew a 4-2 lead in the third period and you can understand why I felt like I was the plague to this team.

The good news is the good guys won and the series is tied at 1. As far as I know I'll be back at my post for Game 4 on Monday night. It's a 7pm start and I'm hoping all those who read my blog can attend the game. The Petes need your support. Like I said before, you can't beat playoff hockey in Peterborough. It's an awesome experience.

See you at the rink!

GO PETES GO!!!

I love South Park...

I was reading a great article in McLean's today about how the animated show "South Park" has really grown up over the years.

While it's true the show is still very juvenile to an extent...if you watch closely it really does make some good points and really is a great reflection of our society today. It touches all topics from religion to politics to Hollywood and it takes no prisoners.

It makes you think and laugh at the same time. I believe it's one of the smartest shows on TV. It's even Emmy-award winning.

Last night the show took aim at Britney Spears. They didn't make fun of Britney but rather the paparazzi and even us, a society that's become obsessed with her every move.

Here's a clip from the show last night. I will warn you ahead of time, it's graphic and shocking...it's also pretty funny!

Another notch on the belt...

Ric from Country 105 wrote in his "Herbal One Experience Blog" that he was stuck between two notches on his belt, thanks to all the weight-loss.

I've been having a similar problem.

The belt I bought back in the fall - long before I started on Herbal One - is WAAAAYYYY too big for me now. It's main purpose in life - to hold up pants - has expired. It's become more or less a fashion accessory. The only thing I can really do with it is put my cell-phone belt clip on it. That's it!

Something you need to know about me is that I am ridiculously cheap when it comes to clothing. This is true as long as you don't count that $200 Ottawa Senators sweater I own, but it's not part of my regular wardrobe so it doesn't count in my book.

Now because I'm so cheap, I refuse to buy a new belt. Plus, I kinda like the one I have now. It's got a big buckle on it and it reeks of coolness...among other smells. I'm not willing to part with it simply because it no longer fits; so I've come up with a new solution: I'll just make my own notches.

A few weeks ago I added my own notch using a very delicate method of poking a hole at random in the belt using the sharpest knife I could find in my kitchen. It was at the point I realized I probably should have taken the belt off before making the hole. Once the bleeding stopped I was in business with my "new" belt.

Anyway, it was kind of cool this morning when after only a few weeks not only had the scar healed but I also needed to make yet another new notch in my belt.

Remember my blog from a few weeks ago about buying new jeans? Well it looks like it's almost time to retire the "new pair" since I'm still getting smaller and smaller by the day...unless I can figure some way to make them smaller myself....I'll be sure to have the ambulance on stand-by.

WEEK 10 - BACK ON TRACK

Last week was a tough one.

Filling in on the Energy morning show was a fun experience, don't get me wrong. Waking up at 4am everyday - not so fun.

It was a major hit to my system to go from getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night to getting only 3-4 hours.

I was a mess. I even started to feel sick towards the end of the week. I'm just so glad to be back to my regular routine.

The added stress and lack of sleep last week also made me take a hit on the scale. I started to see my weight go up due to the fact I was retaining a lot of water and due to the fact I was eating at different times than normal. Luckily I was able to maintain myself and I ended up losing again over the weekend once I got back into a regular sleeping pattern.

I'm down to 233 now, which is 37 pounds in 10 weeks.

I'm hoping to get down to 230 by this time next week. Obviously it will be a bit of a challenge with Easter coming this weekend. I'm a sucker for those Cadbury Creame Eggs so I'll be avoiding them like the plague!

Jan at Herbal One has got some products I can use that will help this weekend since I'll be out of town. The best one is the Carb Block supplement that blocks 20% of carbohydrates from getting into your system. This means beer and potatoes arn't so bad anymore - and I'm a guy who loves his beer and potatoes!

There are some other great products on sale now too that can help you, in addition to signing up for the program. Just contact Herbal One at 748-9999 to get the details.

Am I a Bad Luck Charm?

Last night I was at the Petes game working as the "promotions announcer". That's a fancy way of saying I was the guy with the wireless mic running around giving out prizes during the game.

I love working at the games and getting to pump up the crowd. There's nothing quite as fun as yelling "MAKE SOME NOISE" and having nearly 4000 fans go nuts.

It's a real honour to be asked by the Petes to work with them and I'm really excited to have been asked to work during the playoffs. I'm told the Memorial Centre is crazy when it comes to playoff time and I can't wait to get a chance to work the crowd.

There is only one problem - the Petes have won only once when I've worked a game.

I've done about 10 games now and ironically their only win came on "Energy 99.3 Night" back in January.

I don't know if it's due to the fact they've had some tough opponents when I've been there or if I'm just plain bad luck.

So far, no one with the Petes has noticed the team's record when I'm in the building. No one said anything either when my career got off to a rather bad start. In my first two games, the visiting team scored immediately after I spoke on the mic.

Hopefully, the Petes fortunes will change during the playoffs. They have the potential to upset whoever they play and could be a real dark horse in the playoffs.

And it's a good thing management isn't superstitious...otherwise I wouldn't be allowed within 500 feet of the arena on a game night!

Go Petes Go!

WEEK 9 RESULTS!!!

I'd love to tell you that I lost weight this week.

However there really wasn't much of a change on the scale this morning.

Jan at Herbal One seems to think this is due to stress. Last week was an overly hectic one for me and I saw my weight fluctuating greatly. Jan says that when you're under more stress than normal your body retains more water.

Also a contributing factor is the fact I'm doing the morning show this week in place of Bill, which is a change to my routine.

So even though I didn't get good news from the scale today, I did get some good news from the measuring tape. I lost almost another 5 inches, which brings the 9-week total to nearly 50-inches lost. I continue to shrink and that's all that matters.

Hopefully we'll see more of a change by Wednesday when I'm back in for my next visit!

Canadian Music Week / Fan Fest

The last 48-hours has been a heck of a fun ride.

On Thursday night I was at the Royal York in Toronto with Bill Porter and Brian Young from Energy. We were joined by our Sales Manager, Wanda and our G.M., Steve.

Even though we didn't win any of the awards we were nominated for, we still had a great time. We were lucky to meet some very cool people, including the head of radio for our company. You know the head of your company is a good guy when you get an e-mail from him, personally thanking you for coming and hoping you made it home safe.

We also got to meet comedian Carla Collins.

Bill Porter and I were clearly the best dressed. As you can see, no one rocks a $60 suit from Wal-Mart quite like me.

 

On Friday night the Energy crew headed back to Toronto, this time with a Coach Canada bus full of winners for Energy Fan Fest at the Masonic Temple.

Fan Fest was simply amazing.

The entertainment was top notch. CTV and CHUM spared no expense in making sure everyone had a great time.

Here's some pictures.....

Bill and J.C. hosting on the bus.

Our bus-load of winners!

Energy Promotions Person Lisa with Elise Estrada

J.C. with friend Amalia and K-OS

Alanis performing.

Brian Melo performs.

Elise Estrada on stage.

Finger 11 rockin' the house.

Jully Black performing.

The surprisingly elegant Kreesha Turner.

State Of Shock nearly brought the house down.

 

Go ahead, ask Brian Young if he had a good time.