Sunday Morning Selfie

Welcome to my personal journal Sunday Morning Selfie! My name is Joe Bryant and I am A Seattle Broadcast Media teacher and radio personality who has been considered “obese” by the medical definition of the term for most of my adult life. I have decided to make 2017 the year to change that and am using this blog as a tool for accountability and to share my journey for anyone who wants to follow along and possibly benefit from a nugget of information somewhere along the way.

I have a number of things to mention today but first I will give you the bottom line on my current weight for those readers who are checking in primarily to see if I am following thru. As of this morning the bathroom scale says ….. drum roll…. 239 pounds!

That is a loss of seven pounds this week! On New Years Day I was in the 250’s and now I am in the 230’s. I LOVE the milestone of not seeing 240 or 250 on the scale anymore. And there have been points in my life when my weight went OVER 300, so I am VERY pleased.

The great results I am getting is a result of many factors but number one by far is going to 30/10 Weight Loss for Life in Renton every week. Dr. Linda Degroot and her associates have developed a program where you can lose weight in a healthy manner and also not feel totally deprived.

Yesterday I went to a cooking demonstration at 30/10 and got some GREAT ideas for healthy Super Bowl eating. These are bi-weekly events offered to active 30/10 clients. It was just like watching one of those cooking shows, a demonstration kitchen with the big overhead mirror and all! We learned how to make Buffalo Wings, Crab Cakes, White Chicken Chili and other dishes, all in a healthy way that jives with the 30/10 program. I left full of information and also full of healthy, TASTY, food. There is LOTS of sampling and it was a great lunch.

One very simple dish the chef made was “Scotch Eggs” . I am familiar with Scotch Whiskey but not Scotch Eggs. These are so simple and tasty! If you make them once I promise you will be making them again.

There are two simple ingredients, Eggs and a package Isernios Italian Chicken Sausage. (get that brand as there is no sugar)

All you do is boil five eggs for 4-6 minutes. The goal is cook them just enough to make them peel able. After cooking chill in Ice Water until cold.

Carefully peel and dry the eggs, then gently wrap the ground sausage around the egg making a ball. Pop these in a 400 degree oven for app 35-40 minutes then cut in half or quarters like an apple and serve. Simple, healthy and SO tasty!

Give these a try to let me know what you think. Also, if you have any go to dishes that are simple and healthy please do share! I envision this blog as, not just a journal, but also a community where we can all support each other with encouragement and information.

30/10 in Renton offers these cooking (and eating) demonstrations every other Saturday for clients as a tool to teach you how to cook healthy and assure that you are not “dieting” but changing the way you eat for the long-term.

If you are interested in finding out more about the 30/10 program I would love to answer your questions or you can go straight to the top and contact the co-founder Dr. Linda Degroot. Linda is so inspiring, supportive and truly a GREAT woman.

Speaking of GREAT women I salute everyone worldwide who took to the streets and marched yesterday. Any time you are combining fighting for social justice with exercise I think you are ahead of the game. I don’t recall a time when our nation was more uncertain about our future than now and the future is what I would like to briefly touch on this week.

Everyone says that you have to decide to be healthy for YOU which is true, but I also get strength from the people in my life that I care about. I particularly look to those both older, and younger than me for inspiration.

My dad and step-mom just moved into a retirement community. They are both still in good health but my father, always being a planner, wanted to make this move while they still had some quality years to enjoy the lifestyle offered. Plus, being like me, he likes to get his moneys worth on anything, and I think this is an “all you can live” place, much like an all you can eat buffet. Check in at 80 and spend twenty plus years there and you will certainly get your “moneys worth”.

After they moved in I went for a tour and lunch and quickly noticed something missing… obese people. The odds are truly stacked against you packing the extra pounds and very few make it to the senior years with health intact. I say this, not to scare anyone, but to demonstrate one of the sources that is inspiring me to stay the course.

An even more important source of inspiration to me is the young people in my life. Last night I saw my daughter take what might be her final bow on a High School stage. I know that there are bigger stages, milestones, challenges and victories in her future. I want to be around to help her thru the years of transition to  adult hood and cheer MANY more great performances.

 And now I also have 40 plus more kids to draw inspiration for better health from. I am starting to figure this teacher gig out pretty good and my students are doing great work as we build a new radio station that launches in nine days!

I learn SO MUCH from my new job and want to be around for a while to see what other great things my students go on to accomplish.

To give you an idea of what these 16-year-old geniuses are capable of  download our new app KMIH 889 The Bridge . You can listen to us anywhere in the world and the code was written by Zoe, a brilliant MIHS Junior. To read more about my student staff and the station soon to launch check out 889thebridge.org.

The official launch is 1/31 but I encourage you to listen now and see what we are up to. I think people are going to be surprised when they hear what a bunch of engaged teens are capable of.

With young folks like my daughter Emily and my Broadcasting kids coming of age I feel very good about the future that’s coming though it may seem a bit unsettled at the moment.

 

 I will have more specifics about radio next week but want to wrap for now and watch some football. Not that I particularly care about any of these teams. The one thing certain is that, no matter who wins I will be rooting for the NFC in the Super Bowl as you wont find two teams I like less than the Pats and Steelers.

The other thing that is a certainty is, thanks to the cooking demonstration I went to at 30/10 yesterday, I will have plenty of healthy options for Super Bowl Snacking!

I will close with this.

Every week I have made a promise to myself as a goal to work on in the upcoming week. Two weeks ago it was to get on the treadmill. Last week it was to journal. I will let you know that I have failed to do either on a regular basis BUT I am still having amazing success.

This week I am going to make my promise simple. Stay focused on better health to ME but also remember that in June my daughter and a number of my best students will be graduating High School.

I want to keep losing weight to not only but healthy enough to see what great things these brilliant young people go on to next but ALSO to look danged good in the many Graduation Ceremony photos!

Please share your great dishes here, remember the people you love and have a great week!

Cheers, Joe Bryant