A Million Little Pieces

So let’s talk about someone else today out the gate. That’s how I start this weeks check in. My friend Kelly has gone through the fucking ringer over last couple years. And in the end the sun is finally starting to shine a little bit. She has been one of my biggest supporters from day one. I doubt there is a blog that she has missed or a post that she hasn’t liked or her commented  on. She is an amazing person, an amazing artist, and an amazing mom.  A custom painting she made me is hanging right in the middle of my living room at the beach.

She had tried pretty much every diet in the book over the last 20+ years and I’m sure plenty of people reading this now know children wreck havoc on your body. I don’t personally know but I’ve been told.

And on November 27 she finally took all the information I put together for her, woke up And started her low-carb lifestyle. It hasn’t been easy for her since her husband pretty much has a tapeworm in his stomach and can eat whatever he wants. And of course adding two young children don’t make things easy either. But as of this morning I got the magic text that she was down 37 pounds. This girl has not given up. This is no resolution that’s already been abandoned. This is no magic drink with promises of gut health etc. etc. this is no detox tea. This is hard work.

These are the results of the people around me who just try. You shouldn’t have to live with pain. You shouldn’t have to worry about fitting in the seat at the doctors office when you’re already stressed out about what the doctor might be telling you. You shouldn’t have to worry about traveling or getting on a roller coaster with your kid. If this was easy everyone would look like a HNM model. It’s not easy look, it can be done.

What is fucked up is that I have never tried to sell anyone anything. Not even the gym that I go to. I mean why? I don’t wanna wait for gym equipment. Lol. But over the last five years except for some protein powders and things like that, I have eaten real food. Good and bad. I am down 158 pounds since this journey started. I am down just about 83 pounds since last April. 55 since July. I’m probably about 60 or so low carb.

You can take your vegan propaganda about keto crotch and all the other stupid shit that’s all over the Internet and shove it up your ass.

Another one of my good friends that I help to motivate and an original member of team Franco is down just about 20 pounds and 4% body fat in the new year. Neither of these women are going to the gym. Neither of these women are highly active outside of their workplace. And so it does go to show you that most of the hard work is done in the kitchen.

I am still not trying to sell anything. I have nothing to sell. Everything we buy is either at Costco, Sam’s, giant, or Acme. I did find a new website that had a lot of the keto and low-carb items that I’ve been dying to try in one place. So I use their free overnight shipping and have been waiting for the stuff to come in the mail today. I am hoping to wait to post this blog so I can show you some of the things that I got. If I don’t add the photos here later, make sure you check out my Instagram I will put them in a post or a story.

And remember if it’s time for you, you can always find the links to my keto kickstart on my website above as well as what to eat. anyway.

So I talked about it a little bit above. The scale did not get put away. Amber went away for the weekend and I was home alone and this scale just sat there and stared at me. It also decided that it was going to be nice to me and I got to the lower end of where the scale was bouncing back-and-forth. I know I suck. I am all talk. I am circling my lowest ever. And I am about 19 pounds away from having lost 100 pounds this year.  I do not think that I will hit that number. But I’m going to try. I’m not sure my body has that much weight left. I really am a lot of skin.

Speaking of skin, round two of skin removal surgery and fighting with the insurance company did not go well. So I have one appeal left and I have four months to put it in. So I’m sure I’m going to do it soon but ironically did not sit at the table yesterday when the paperwork came like I normally would. I am hoping that the fire hasn’t burned out. But we will see. I was really angry when I got the phone call with the denial but life goes on. I’m going to celebrate the victories and not worry too much about these things that I can’t control.

If you follow the band on Facebook you saw some great photos and videos of this past weekends wedding. It was actually a very good weekend all around. A great charity event in new Hope on Friday and a wedding in Atlantic City on Saturday. It was nice to put my smallest Tuxedo ever on. I can’t wait to have it altered. I am not used to having pants that have the slides on the side and they are already all the way closed and my father already put a couple stitches in the rear. I’m not a big fan of wearing suspenders. But they get the job done. The jacket fits fantastic.

The truth is there’s about 80 days to memorial day weekend. When I count down to memorial day weekend it isn’t about bathing suits And things like that, even though I know that I need a few new Bathing suits at both houses. I have actually wanted a pair of board shorts for my entire life and they just never fit or they never make them all that big. Maybe this will be my year. I can actually walk into a surf shop and buy a bathing suit. GOALS MOTHER FUCKERS! Memorial day for me just starts my favorite time of the year.  I am a beach person.  I love salt air.  It makes me whole.  It makes me better.   My family sacrificed for us to be at the shore all summer growing up.  And now we do the same.  Even as adults the kids have keys, they can come and go.  It will always be theirs.

UGH!

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” – Steve Jobs

This is something that hits close to home this week. When are you old enough to die? I was going to work on Tuesday and one of the digital billboards had a memorial to Luke Perry who passed away this week. Child actor, all-around nice guy. Not many people had anything bad to say about him whatsoever. I am not going to wait around to get older. My parents did and now they are playing catch-up in their 70s. Its never going to be okay to just die and I am never going to be old enough to be ready.

If you are one of my stepsons reading this, take this as your warning, make your own money because other than the houses we are not leaving anything behind. We are going to see the world, we are going to spend our money. We are going to create a bucket list and we are going to scratch every damn thing off of it. Some years it might be more than others but we are going to do it. My eyes have seen everything that I want them to when they finally close for the last time. At the very least I’ll be able to say that I tried.

Remember, you can break into a million little pieces.  But all those pieces are important because they are  part of you.  That’s what makes you special. 

I have off this weekend and no plans so I’m going to get busy living. I hope this finds everyone well. I’ve been having a great week in a gym and feel much better last week. Turn down the noises in your head and turn up the music.

Peace, Love and Understanding!

Franco