Sharkasm at it's Finest

Perseverence is the key to success. I have heard this quote before used in many contexts, but it has become a reality for me lately. During this unprecedented time of Covid-19 quarantine, I have been challenged in many ways. Challenged to be a good husband, a good father and a good employee. It has not been easy and it has been a heavy burden to carry. I have struggled to maintain the balance of all these things and I have failed more drastically then when I was able to leave the house each day to separate these responsibilities physically. It has been a learning experience for me in how to control my thoughts, speak only after thinking and generally controlling myself when I get frustrated or tired. But, it has not been all bad. I have had more time to spend with my family and that ultimately is a good thing. This season has reminded me to be more present and more involved in the day by day routine of our household. Learning to share the responsibility of looking after our child...

In seasons like we are currently in, it is easy to become afraid and forget about others. We focus on ourselves and our own needs. This only leaves us with a concern for our own well being and there is hardly room for the thoughts and needs of others.  I am convinced that the only thing that will give us peace in times such as this, is to think of others before ourselves. It is there that we can raise above our own problems and our hearts will feel the peace of doing something that truly matters. If you want to bless others, I would encourage you to donate to support those in need. You will feel good about doing it and others will be blessed.  Here is a great organization to support our youth.  https://twitter.com/eatlearnplay If you own a computer and want to donate it’s processing power to help find a cure to Covid-19: https://pcmasterrace.org/folding/  Bless you.

It is February 2020 and I have now officially lost 35 pounds since September 17th, 2019. I updated my weight the other day and I was presented with the following congratulatory message from my LoseIt app. Really? I have lost 140 sticks of butter worth of weight! That is both disgusting but also amazing!  I feel good today and I am encouraged by the progress I have made with my weight. Still have a long way to go. Onward... to a lighter me.

I weighed myself this morning and I am now 252.5 Lbs. I am knocking on the door of 20 pounds lost since September. My clothes are starting to fit looser and I can see in my face and in my abdomen that I have lost weight. Also, the loss of weight has relieved the pain in my knees, especially at the end of the day. This is a great encouragement. I feel good about my progress and look forward to losing more. On to a lighter me!

This last week I spent 5 days in Hilo Hawaii with my father and brother Eamon. We harvested over 1400 cacao pods. We then cracked over 2000 pods and collected the beans for fermentation. It was a great time connecting with each of them and catching up. I experienced emotions that I have not felt since I was a young boy. Spending time with my dad was interesting. I felt feelings of anxiety caused by his behavior that I have not felt for a long time. I wonder if I do the same thing to Luke and Arra? Overall, it was a great time spent and I feel I connected with each of them in ways I never have before. I would love to do this more often (maybe a couple times a year). I want to prioritize this in order to assist my dad in his business, but also to be intentional about connecting with him. I definitely want to take my family there so they can see all of the stuff I experienced this last week.

I weighed myself this morning and I am now at 260.2 lbs! 😁 Since 9/23/2019 I have lost an additional 10 lbs! My clothes are starting to feel lighter and my body feels good. I am very proud of my progress and I still have a long way to go, but it is feeling more like a routine now. I have been very good about counting my calories throughout each day and I now have logged 40 straight days in the Lose It! app. I am excited to continue this journey and see the results as I move into a more healthy Ryan for my family, my God and myself. Onward... to a lighter me.

I recently weighed myself after a rather long time. It was not encouraging. I weighed more than I ever have. 279.7 lbs to be exact. I was shocked, but at the same time knowing. I had let myself go. This prompted me to start to take my health more seriously. I need to change my eating and exercising habits if I want to live long to enjoy my family and serve the Lord. I have gone through this before, but not at this amount of weight. I knew I needed to set a goal and stick to it. I re-installed my "Lose It!" Android app and began to count my calories for each meal. I set my target weight at 185 lbs and told the app to forecast my caloric intake for 2 lost pounds each week. That was a week ago. As of this morning I have lost 9.5 pounds just by watching my diet and trying to walk more. I now weigh 270.2 lbs. Onward... to a lighter me.