Houston, We Have a (Weight) Problem [J39.9 BLOG]

NOTE: This blog was previously published under the [JESSE 39.9] blog at http://jesse399.blogspot.com/ but has been absorbed into Jesse's main blog for archival purposes.

Well folks, it's time to admit I have a problem. Even though I've been exercising more in the past couple weeks and eating better, I just can't get back down below the 215 (15 pounds down) threshold that I set right before Thanksgiving. Check out the weight graph:

Unfortunately, I'm heading to New York City a week from today, where I'll probably get less exercise and eat more calories than I do here at home. But the good news is, I can come back with a renewed effort to lost that other 25 pounds by my birthday in June. I can still do it, losing only two pounds a week.

Secret Weapons: FitBit, Kindle HDX & Gold Rush Fever [J39.9 BLOG]

NOTE: This blog was previously published under the [JESSE 39.9] blog at http://jesse399.blogspot.com/ but has been absorbed into Jesse's main blog for archival purposes.

In order to achieve my new fitness goals, I have a couple of secret weapons. One is a Fitbit One:

This thing is awesome. I can track the number of steps I take in a day, calories burned, and even sleep! It's so awesome. It's also so small I may lose it!

Another challenge has been the cold weather - we've never seen such a cold winter here. As a result, the temperature in the garage has been in the 20s and 30s. Not great for the BowFlex and Elliptical I've been using. I do have a heater in there, and I've cordoned off the area, so that can help get it into the 40s sometimes, but in a week like this one, where temperatures are expected to be in the single digits for several days in a row, there's no hope.

The solution: The Amazon Kindle HDX I got for Christmas fits perfectly on the treadmill in the AccuWeather.com Fitness Center at work. I can now continue to watch "Gold Rush" Season 4, a great show that I've been with since Day 1.

New York City by Cab & GoPro

During the week of February 18-22, 2012, Kristi and I went on our first big city adventure. We went to New York City (Manhattan) for Social Media Week. I had never been to the city before, even though I live in Pennsylvania. I was fascinated by the bustle, the people, the tall buildings, and the traffic.

Most of my trips on the island that week were by taxicab. During each ride, I put my GoPro HERO2 miniature video camera in the cab window, and recorded some footage. I finally got around to putting all of those into a movie, nearly a year later.