One of the most difficult parts of dieting is keeping the faith. I know I didn’t have a chance to post anything yesterday, but I can let you know I stuck with my diet. I kept the faith, and I didn’t eat anything too fattening.

For breakfast, I decided to eat less of my cereal than I did the previous day. In total, I had about 360 calories with milk. From there, I ate a low fat, BBQ chicken wrap with a pickle and cheese stick for a total of around 450 calories and then I had another two cheese sticks for snacks, so add on 50 and a lean cuisine for dinner for another 400 calories. All in all, I ate around 1260 calories.

Today, I woke up too late to enjoy breakfast. I ended up having a low fat wrap, Reuben style. This was a little more fattening than the BBQ chicken (which was grilled), coming in at around 480 calories. I had a pickle for another 25 calories and then I had one of those delicious ranch lean cuisine flatbreads I love. That’s 360 calories. I was at risk of not having enough calories for my body to sustain a healthy existence. So I decided to have some popcorn for a snack with a cheese stick and a glass of apple juice. That bumped me up over 1200 calories for today. I kept the faith and stuck with it.

Keeping the faith has nothing to do with religion, if you don’t want it to. Sure, you can pray to whatever you believe in, and ask for guidance, but the kind of faith I’m talking about is in yourself. You have to believe you can lose weight and stick with it no matter what. I’m beginning to see that the reason I may not have been successful with past diets is because I didn’t necessarily have the faith in myself or the motivation to stick with it. Now, I’m in a mindset where I don’t just want to lose weight. I have to, and slowly, but surely, I’m beginning to see/feel results.

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Tonight the Top 10 men of American Idol’s Top 20 were performing on the AI stage. After Ryan’s intro and the basics of introducing the judges, the men were ready to sing their songs. There isn’t much to say about the judges. If you’ve seen them once you’ve seen them 100 times. Paula looked drunk, Randy was playin’ gangsta’, and Simon looked like he walked out of a Neman Marcus catalogue.

According to Ryan, tonight’s songs are all from the 70s.

Up first is Michael Johns.

What he wore: A t-shirt and jeans. He was wearing his normal attire and looked good, as always.

What he sang: “Go your Own Way”

How he sounded: When I heard him I was shocked. I have liked him from the beginning, but he was on his own here. The song was off. It didn’t sound right at all. He sounded like he was shouting and it just felt like an altogether, uncomfortable performance. I don’t think it will affect him being here next week, thank goodness, but had there been less contestants he could have been in trouble.

What the judges said: Randy liked it a little bit. There were some issues in the beginning, but it was alright. Paula loved it and loved him. Simon felt that it was the wrong song for him and didn’t know why he would pick something like that.

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I’ve been overweight since I was in Jr. High. I never used to be overweight. I was tiny, short, and everyone thought I was adorable. Once I became a teenager, I began to gain weight. Part of it was a medication I was on for asthma, which ballooned me up rather quickly and part of it was my sedentary lifestyle. I didn’t exactly eat poorly, but I didn’t have a good diet, that’s for sure. Being in a scooter, then a wheelchair didn’t help. I couldn’t exactly go out and run a mile. Any exercise was difficult and the more I gained, the harder it became to move.

That brings me to now, nearly 15 years later. Would I say I’m fat? Yes. I have realized admitting it is the first step. It isn’t going to be easy to lose weight because I don’t have the ability to work out in the same way as someone without a muscle disease can. That being said, I’ve created this series, which I’m calling “The Diary of a Fat Man in a Wheelchair”.

I realized I wanted to lose weight a few years ago, but I never seem to be able to stick to any diets. In this series, I’m going to document everything I eat, when I eat it, how much I eat, and if I cheat. Right now, I’ve come to a point in my life where I need to lose weight. Heart problems and high blood pressure run in my family, not to mention diabetes and stroke. I don’t need any other health problems besides the muscle disease and the asthma. So, this is my journey towards shedding the pounds.

I’ve been on a new diet, for the past few weeks. It’s been a little rough, but overall it’s just having the willpower to avoid temptation. Mainly, I’m counting calories. I’m trying to maintain a 1400-1600 calorie diet. I can’t handle 2000. I have a sedentary lifestyle due to my disability. I have to go for less than average to lose. So far, these are the changes I’ve made.

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This video actually makes sense!

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As some of you may have noticed we opted out of doing recaps for the elimination shows of American Idol. If you’ve seen one you have seen them all. We just decided there is no sense in writing out all the happenings when people just want to find out who isn’t going to be there anymore. With that in mind, we have decided to offer the final performances and some parting thoughts to those that have left us and will not be heard from again on the AI stage.

The following group was all cut on the first week of elimination.

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Tonight the top 12 men of American Idol’s Top 24 were performing for the first time on the AI stage. After showing a brief “reminder” of how it all went down (aka how the guys made it to the Top 24), the men were ready to sing their songs. This is a recap of what they sang, how they looked, and how they did. Predictions of who should be (and will be) cut are included.

The Judges: Randy was his usual ‘wannabe a gangsta’ self. He tried to be “bling-y” but he just wasn’t all that. Paula, wore an outfit that looked like it was made out of aluminum foil and she acted and sounded like her usual drugged up self. Meanwhile, Simon got a hair cut and wore typical “Simon-wear”.

According to Ryan, tonight’s songs are all from the 60s.

Up first is David Hernandez.

What he wore: An off white, button down shirt, and a pair of jeans. He looked okay. There was nothing special about his outfit, but he definitely wasn’t a Sanjaya (thank goodness).

What he sang: “In the Midnight Hour”

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I admit that I never watch Big Brother. I tried a few seasons ago, thinking that we could add recaps to the site, but the show seems utterly mindless and I just couldn’t bring myself to watch a bunch of shallow contests fighting over money no matter how much dignity was at cost. That was about the beginning and end of my thoughts. At least until today when things changed completely.

A new season of Big Brother has people working in teams. That is about all I know of the show this season. However, after a recent show, I am left not only furious, but disgusted. At present, I do not know who bothers me more CBS, the company that made headlines for not censoring a nipple (that you couldn’t see, by the way) or Big Brother and the editor of the mindless drivel that decided to let these comments on the air.

The comments I am referring to were made by a contestant named Adam. Adam claims that he works for an autism foundation. However, the Big Brother website lists Adam as:

Single and a Public Relations Manager from Delray Beach, FL via Cherry Hill, NJ

The bio for Adam mentions that he has a master’s degree in fashion design/marketing. He apparently studied at Camden County College, Parsons School of Design in New York, and Fashion Art Italy in Italy. According to the bio, works at a PR manager where he handles publicity, as well as sponsorship and creative director responsibilities for a foundation. However, it does not say what kind. He also likes aggressive women.

Personally, I didn’t get the liking women vibe at all from his picture, but I could be looking for a fault other than his sad hair cut. This leads me into the vexing remarks that he made recently on the show. The contestants were discussing what they would do with their winnings. Adam mentioned that he would buy a salon for people with developmental disabilities. He went on to say the following to justify his reasons:

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The man accusing Barack Obama of using drugs in 1999 and having oral sex with him during a visit Larry Sinclair made to Chicago is willing to take a polygraph test. Whitehouse.com offered Sinclair $10,000 just to take the test. If he passes, then he will make an additional $100,000. After considering the offer, working out the logistics, and weighing the benefits of the polygraph (and the money), Sinclair has agreed to take the polygraph with one of the leading experts in polygraph tests grilling him about his tawdry Obama confessions.

Those who are interested will have the chance to watch Sinclair, live, as he takes his polygraph test, within the next ten days, on Whitehouse.com. The polygraph test could make or break Obama, who mentioned he last took drugs (snorted coke) in his youth. Sinclair claims he repeatedly contacted Obama’s camp and told him he had to come clean about using drugs in 1999. According to Sinclair, Obama used a crack pipe and got him a packet of cocaine, while the two cruised around in a limo, in the Chicago area. Sinclair also performed oral sex on Obama. The time period falls around early November of 1999.

Those who wish to find out more details can check out the website. Meanwhile, the mainstream media has been uncomfortably mum on a subject storming the web and blogs all over it. CNN, for example, is posting on how Clinton and Obama are squabbling over delegates yet not one story has been posted about Sinclair…well at least not where we can find it. In the meantime, those who aren’t computer saavy or get their news offline are still planning to vote for Obama because they are in the dark to the accusations, which could have an impact on the upcoming primaries and caucuses in Ohio, Hawaii, Texas, and Wisconsin.

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I have wondered when or if there is a time when it is too soon to introduce homosexuality and/or transgenderism to a child. It is likely that in most school districts, there are children who are suffering in silence because their parents are gay, lesbian, or transgendered and they are afraid they will be picked on if other children find out. The reason why we even question when the time is right to talk to children about these topics is because there is still a stigma attached.

In my way of thinking, it isn’t a choice. Nobody chooses to be hated and treated like crap and I can’t think of one person in the GLBT community that has not been hated, made fun of, or treated poorly because of who they are. Honestly. Who chooses to live a hated existence? This is just part of why I believe there is no way it can be a choice. With millions of GLBT Americans out there, it’s hard to believe everyone chooses to deviate from what is considered normal. Sorry, but there just isn’t enough incentive, to choose to be gay or transgendered. It’s not a choice.

You can argue with me until the cows come home on this topic, but this doesn’t really change the fact that there are thousands of children living in GLBT households and it is only through compassion and understanding that these children are going to be accepted. I guess if you have to blame anyone, blame the parents, but don’t make the children suffer because you don’t agree with their parents. Going further, this means that children do need to learn about other cultures. Yes, children of GLBT parents live in a different cultural environment. Just like teaching children about the customs and cultures of other nations, it is imperative to be inclusive so children of GLBT parents have a place in both school and other social environments.

This brings me back to my original question. Is there a time when a child is too young to understand homosexuality or transgenderism? Children are incredibly resilient. They understand more than you can imagine and their level of compassion and understanding puts most adults to shame. I know that my son was eight when he learned that Daddy was transgendered. He didn’t fully understand what transgendered meant, but he knew that I was born like most girls were born, but I always felt different and that I always felt like a boy.

He also understood I was and had taken steps to become a boy. He was, perhaps, the most understanding of all I told. When anyone slipped and referred to me by a female name or feminine pronouns, surprisingly, he was the first to correct them. He accepted it wholeheartedly and comprehended it to the point where introducing me as his father (I have been with his mother since he was 7) was nothing he was ever ashamed of doing. Some children of GLBT parents aren’t so lucky, as they live in less accepting towns and environments.

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Is Larry Sinclair telling the truth? Honestly, in the vast majority of public allegations by those who claim they’ve had sex with politicians (whether gay or not) and used drugs with them, the allegations are usually true. That being said, why hasn’t Barack commented on this at all? Instead of sweeping it under the rug, why not deny the rumors if they’re false?

Silence makes a politician look guilty. Anyway, here’s the video. You check it out for yourself and see what you think. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the matter.

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