A Non Scale Victory Over the Long Weekend

Well the long holiday weekend is over and I am pretty pleased with myself over my performance.  I think over all, I was mindful of proper portions.  I had one SMALL piece of chocolate cake.  That to me is a huge victory in that I was able to keep it under control and not eat most of the whole darn cake!

I think I did well on the exercise side also.  I was outdoors  often which is a good thing.  I went for walks and was swimming.  I even started a new exercise activity.  I want to make a video about it before I let on what it is!!

I also was able to get in a fair amount of fishing with a little bit of catching.  The following video was filmed by my 11 year old son.  He started filming his lures when I unexpectantly got one and he was able to get it on film!  Fun times!  Did you have a good weekend?  What did you do for fun??

Memorial Day

I really appreciate all of my readers who aren't in the States so I just wanted to start with a brief description of what Memorial Day is for us here.  It is a day where we remember the men and women who have given their lives in our armed forces.  It is a federal holiday on Monday, so banks are closed, no mail will run, and the stock market is closed.   This three day weekend is also the traditional start of the summer holiday season.  On our lake, everyone with a boat will be out.  Many people will be outdoors grilling steaks and burgers.

Of course for those of us trying to lose weight, it is yet another temptation to go overboard on all of the yummy carb laden food.  I will be on guard to not pig out on some of my favorite pasta dishes and potato salad.  We are having some people over that have requested one of my chocolate home made cakes.  That is certainly going to put my will power to the test lol.

I want to introduce you to a weight loss blog that is new to me called Fat Girl on a Diet.  The author is Mary and she did a very nice review of my book, Scrawlings of a Fat Man.   She also runs another blog where she does book reviews called Mary Ellen's Musings.  She even featured it there too!!  I received her permission so I wanted to share what she wrote:
The weight loss blogging world tends to be very small. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if most of you already know Paul Wheatley or follow his blog, Virtual Paul. I hadn't heard of Paul or his blog, until about two days ago. I follow Blog Wobble, and she posted a review of the book.

Being the book fiend that I am, I decided to try it out.

Scrawlings of a Fat Man turned out to be a really good book. I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a very short book, but the pages are filled with great lessons.

What makes the book so great is that any person dieting, whether they be beginners or someone almost finished with their journey, can relate to what is being said. The book is easy to read, with a bit of a light-hearted tone to it. There is no bashing you over the head with diets tips and regimens. Instead Paul simply tells you what worked for him and explains it in a way for you to try it yourself.

As someone who has a long way to go in the weight loss journey, I realize that sometimes you just need a boost of positivity. This book has done that for me. I love the attitude about dieting that is shown here. Paul encourages you to make a life style change and not only see it as a diet. He lets you know that it is alright to stumble, as long as you pick yourself up and start again. I also learned in chapter 4 that I am quite possibly my work place's diet snob. Ooops! I need to work on that apparently.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book to any person thinking about starting a weight loss plan or who feels they need a little extra encouragement. There are sections of this book I know I will read when the tough days come along.

Paul Wheatley has a way with words. I know this is his first book, but I sincerely hope he decides to write other things. 

I really want to thank Mary Ellen for her very kind words.  I look forward to getting to know her better and encourage you to check out her weight loss blog and support her.

Don't forget if you have a little free time this holiday weekend, why not treat yourself to a copy of Scrawlings of a Fat Man.  Hey, it's 99 cents!!  Do you guys have any exciting plans for the weekend??

Let's Wobble Over

I wanted to take a minute to say a heart-felt thank you to each and every one of my readers.  In such a busy world, I keenly appreciate the time you invest when to stop by to read what I have written.  I especially want to say thank you to those that have purchased my book, Scrawlings of a Fat Man for 99 cents.  It has really been a shot of encouragement to this newbie writer.

Today, I want to feature a fellow weight loss blogger who took the time to do a very nice review of my book on her blog.  Her blog is called Blog Wobble.   She is an Aussie and a great writer as is evidenced by this post that recounts her history with being teased and uncomfortable with her body.  I got her permission to share her review of Scrawlings of a Fat Man here:

"I have been following Paul's blog for a while now. I can't even remember how we stumbled across each other, but we did and here I am today with a wonderful opportunity.
Paul has written a book about his journey.....
And I am going to review it :D (Yay!!)

Imagine how amazed and really quite proud I was when I woke this morning, opened my google reader with my morning coffee and saw this post, Finally It's Done!
Needless to say, I went straight to Amazon to download it. I finally got to reading it this afternoon. I wasn't disappointed.

Scrawlings of a Fat Man is insightful, informative and relatable.
I started this journey 1 week after Paul started his. We have a lot in common when it comes to our views on it.
I would admit, I feel like an old pro at this whole weight loss thing after years of attempts, and yet I still learned so much from this book. Seeing it from another's point of view, so clearly, I found it well written and enjoyable.
Scrawlings of a Fat Man is informative for both beginners on this journey and seasoned pro's. As an experienced hand I could identify with everything that was written and still I learned a few new things reading his helpful hints and useful tips."


I really appreciate Blog Wobble for not only buying Scrawlings of a Fat Man, but for taking the time to write such a kind review.  Let's all wobble over and check out her blog!!

Friends Down Under

One of my first posts ever on this blog was about internet friends.  It sure is nice to have some friends on the internet.  These are the type of people that will keep you accountable, as well as offer support, motivation, and inspiration.  I would like to introduce one of my internet friends to you.  His name is Tommy and he lives in Brisbane, Australia.  Tommy runs the YouTube Weight Loss Community on Facebook.  He also makes some great weight loss videos on YouTube.

Tommy wrote a very nice comment about my new book, Scrawlings of a Fat Man.  I received his permission to share it so here it is:
Great book & a great read covering many of the issues that most of us have or are currently dealing with regarding being overweight & how you have personally dealt with this by acknowledging your weaknesses, taking action, building your weight-loss plan & sticking to it. 

What I like particularly about your book Paul is that it allows the reader an insight into your story (to date) as opposed to just segments of the story which (to me) is kind of the experience I get when watching someones youtube updates. Seldom do we take the time to watch all of their past videos as this would be very time consuming & impractical therefore your not getting their complete story, but we applaud & support them in their ongoing efforts at whatever point we connect with that person. Your book allows the reader to connect to your story not only in the present tense but also in the past leading up to to present. 

Congratulations Paul - great book
Engaging, Relevant & Helpful. 
& only $1 :)


Wow, isn't that really nice.  That is better than any paid advertisement!!  All from a man I have never meet face to face.  That is truly the beauty of the internet to bring people into our life that we would otherwise never be able to meet.  As I told him if he ever gets to Michigan, or I get to Australia, I would love to have dinner with him.  Be sure to check out his videos and weight loss page on Facebook.  He is a great guy.  Do you have any internet friends that you have never met?  Have you ever met one of your internet friends in real life?  I would love to hear about it!

Finally, it is DONE!

Today I finally worked up the courage to hit the publish button for my new ebook Scrawlings of a Fat Man.  It is available at Amazon for .99 cents for Kindle.  Although I know most of you are much more tech savvy than me, I just learned you do not need a Kindle to view Kindle books.  There is a free download from Amazon that lets you view Kindle books on either your PC or Mac.   I never knew this!!  It is so cool because there are even some free books available.  It works really well and the books just come right into your computer in no time!  The wonders of technology.  Wow, I must really be getting old lol.

This was the first book I have ever written so don't be too harsh of a critic if you waste a dollar, support your old friend and fellow weight loss blogger LOL.  The way I see it, even a surgeon has to have had a first patient at some time.

I wrote this book because I really do like sharing the trials and triumphs of my weight loss journey.  I am the first to admit I am no expert, however I think there are some valuable tips and ideas in there.  I also think there is a certain audience that will buy a book, but would never find this blog.  If I can help motivate one person to start or to stay on the road to being healthier, it will have been worth the effort.  Thanks as always for your continued support and readership.  Please let me know what you think, whether good or bad for a first try...Scrawlings of a Fat Man

Working on the Top and Bottom

Let me just say the weather here in Michigan has been beautiful.  I have been taking advantage of it by getting out as much as I can and enjoying it.  Of course I am trying to use my outdoor time to further the old weight loss cause and am working on the top of me as well as the bottom.  For the bottom half,  I am bike riding further and further.  For the top half, I started rowing my little rowboat around.  In the video, I talk about where I am with my weight loss.  It's kind of funny because I get interrupted by several boats.  Anyway, all I know is finding things that I enjoy doing helps me to want to do my exercises!!

Blogging About Weight Loss Helps Me

I have learned that blogging about weight loss helps me lose weight.  When weight loss is on my mind I want to share with others about it.  It means my head is in the game and I am all systems go.  Conversely, I have also found out that when I am not as active in the weight loss community in terms of blogging/vlogging, there is a good chance that I am not losing weight or worse yet I am even gaining.  Needless to say I really want to get back on track losing weight, so I plan to get back to blogging.  I just needed a short break from always thinking and writing about weight loss.

Speaking of writing about weight loss, I have been writing a little ebook about my weight loss journey so far.  I plan to publish it on Amazon soon.  Let me just say that this little book writing experiment has certainly been an eye opening one for me.  Whoever it was that said "easy reading is damn hard writing" could not be more right lol.  How is the spring treating you and your weight loss?  Are you finding some good activities to do outdoors?  I would love to hear what is new with you all...

Back in the Saddle

I have been away for about two weeks.  I really do not have a good excuse.  I just have been doing a lot of...well see the video lol...and I will get back to posting more regularly.