This article was the one I was going to submit last week, but Mayang’s trip to the hospital caused me to do a re-write.
This is about health and exercise, and me getting fit and trim. I joined the Navy with a 27 inch waist and finished boot camp with it going up to 29 inches. I stayed at 29 inches until I reached my thirties, when I noticed my jeans were a little tighter. Then I had to buy new jeans in size 32 inches, and 32 was the size I remained until age 60.
I was digging through the wardrobe to find a pair of my 30 plus year old jeans that everyone in my family would kill for. Believe me they are distressed the natural way, I wore them! It was a chilly day and plus where we we’re going, shorts were inappropriate. To my chagrin I discovered that I don’t wear size 32 anymore. Hey it’s only been four years since I did.
I hollered: “Mayang, you shrunk my jeans!” She laughed and grabbed her tape measure and found that I was now a plump size “&%” inches!
Whoa Nellie! That can’t be, until I looked down and could only see the nails on my toes, where at one time I could see my foot (Or a goodly portion thereof). That’s it I exclaimed, I will wear those jeans and those jackals will have to wait to get them.
This was during the month of October, and I went out the next morning and started walking. Not too far at first but far enough that I could no longer see my house. But it was boring, mind numbing boring. And I was going to give it up and head to the storeroom and dig out the treadmill. I thought walking was boring; treadmills are akin to watching grass grow. I’ll just buy new jeans.
Then Mayang said to me; “Coco (The Flying Labrador) cried every time I left the house to walk, maybe you should take her?” I started to nix that plan as she has grown to be a large dog, and I was in no mood to fight her on a leash during a long walk. But since it was Mayang’s idea, and she’s seldom wrong I’ll give it a try.
To my surprise Coco took to walking like a Lab does to water. I’ll admit the first couple of days we did have to discuss just who was walking whom. But after that she stayed at my right side close to my leg with very little direction from me.
The walks stopped being boring and took on an air of fun. We met people who questioned me about Coco and what kind of dog she was and how well behaved she was. We approached a group of kids who were playing and my niece Shay shay broke away from the pack to hold and pet Coco. Slowly after she explained to her friends that Coco was friendly and sweet, each kid came up to pet her, if just to prove to the group that: “They ain’t scared of no dog!”
Now Coco has a fan club, and now very few children are afraid of her. Albeit the same cannot be said of the adults who’ll cross the road to not be near her..
Dogs will run into the street and Coco will just glance their way with a look of distain, as she seems to have no fear. I think she would have a problem on her own since she has been raised in a pain free environment with nothing but love and affection in her eight months of life.
But that’s all about “Coco the Flying Labrador” (To find out why she is named that please go to LiP August 8th “My Dog Army”)
Now to answer that burning question, can Paul get into those classic jeans again, Well, honestly, not quite yet but it should be soon, but Coco can now walk beside me holding the leash in her mouth and not vary a foot. I’m not sure if I trained her or she trained me. But she waits by the door every morning ready to go, “Coco Walking”!
hi Paul
a good posting mate lol i better take care in what i have to say to day or some one will have a go at me lol but it look like when i get to meet u we will be drinking water and not beer and no more smoking lol all the best mate and god bless to u and ur lovley famliy there …..peter martin tassie
Walking every day is one of the best think you can do for your health.
I bet those 30-year old jeans are worth a pretty penny on eBay, specially if they’re Levis. 🙂
*best thing*
Miss August:
Best Thing? Me, the jeans or the dog? (lol)
Miss August;
501’s by Levis. Did they make other brands? e-Bay? My kids won’t let them out of their sight.
I saw a circa 1950 Levi’s 501 selling for $1500.00 on eBay. I can’t believe someone will really pay that much.
I’m surprised one of your daughters haven’t already taken possession of your vintage Levis. 🙂
Miss August;
$1,500.00 for a pair of 60 year old pants is an obscene amount of money. My daughters might have to bulk up to wear my old jeans.
I call mine a little furry treadmill. :- )
OverTime;
Please tell me it’s your dog you’re talking about! (lol) Dog walking is relaxing and almost fun.
Peterjoy;
As long as they are having’ a go at you they are leaving a amateur alone (lol)
Sooner or later, doesn’t everyone stop smoking and drinking beer? So why stop now, I’m going to wait until I quit naturally. (lol)
Hi Paul,
nice and fun way to loose weight. which reminds me i gotta get back shape too. i can’t wear jeans I bought a year ago.jeez.
Speb;
Your right I do find it a lot fun, once and awhile my niece Shay-shay will come with me and she loves being incharge of “Coco Walking” Jeans cost more now than thirty years ago, that’s why I’m going to fit in them again! (I hope)
Hey Paul,
True jeans do cause a fortune now a days..i don’t get it back in college I could afford at least one 501 and Adidas sneakers ( I was one of boys back in the days) with a PHP 159/day salary. Now with a decent earning job, i stay clear from those shops at the mall.
Speb;
You are so right and were the first to ever point that out to me. When young and broke we wanted that stuff, I guess we grew up to find that we never needed that stuff. You are a wise man!
* i meant cost’ hehheheh
Speb;
I’m in a store that sold jeans with my daughter and granddaughter; I saw the outrageous price of jeans and was shocked. I’m holding a pair and was looking very hard at them for a long time, and my daughter Hanna asked me; “Daddy, what are you looking for?” I said; “To see if these buttons that used to be made of brass are now made of gold!”
* gotta get back into shape again*
Speb;
I’ll let you walk Coco the Flying Labrador all over the mountain!
hahhhahah yeah maybe finally i can get myself a boyfriend for walking Coco and she can be my maid of honor and you and ate Mayang can be my ninong and ninang 🙂
Speb;
Girls always attract boys, I know I have two daughters.
Hey Paul,
I still have My old navy clothes. I plan on fitting back into them someday also…maybe at the end of this year as I have a long way to go…hehe.
I have heard that Filipinos have a natural fear for big dogs, Is that true?
Hudson;
I know that my Pea Coat went to my brother Dan’s house, but the rest of my uniforms are down the road. My Senior Chief Combination Cap and my Piss Cutter were the last items I could fit into.
They do on average seem to have a fear of large dogs, we could chalk it up to pure commen sence!
I think what is happening to your Levis happens to all of us sooner or later Paul. I used to have a “30” waist for what seemed like years and I still wonder what happened to it. I should really start walking around the block here more often. I wonder if anyone has come up with an ” expansion kit ” to make shrunken clothes fit again ! Come up with something like that, market it on Ebay and it could become the 50th way to make money in The Philippines !
Grown from a 36” high school senior to a 46” geezer and will agree that walking the dog is a good thing, as they do need exercise. But for me I have invested untold thousands building this tool shed so am hesitant to tear it down by wearing out the ole knees. And the old 501s are getting a well deserved rest in the drawers.
Loren;
I think it’s all those trips to Texas Joe’s on Subic Freeport.
And there is an expansion kit advertised all the time in the USA where we get the fox news extras here. Its a strip of cloth with a button hole on one ebd and a button on the other.
Loren this is a joke sent by my buddy John C.
A guy was terribly overweight, so his doctor put him on a diet.
“I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, then eat regularly again for 2 days then skip a day. Repeat this procedure for 2 weeks. The next time I see you, you should have lost at least 5 pounds. ”
He returned and shocked the doctor by having lost nearly 60 lbs!
“Why, that’s amazing”, the doctor said, “Did you follow my instructions?”
The newfie nodded. “I’ll tell you, I though I was going to drop dead on the 3rd day..”
“From the hunger, you mean?” asked the doctor.
“No, from the all that damn skipping. “
The skipping would not work for me; I might shatter the pavment, always must look out for the infastructure.
Big P
Okay, that was a bad idea, let’s just skip it then!
Bob;
In the 60’s before the US Navy clamped down on plus sized sailors we had one guy who’s wife would by him the largest size pants and then sew in to the back a huge V shaped piece of stretch material (sometimes the colors almost matched). One day we were pulling into the pier in Newport RI and she was on the pier, that answered the burning question of where she learned that sewing trick. If she wore white pants we could show a 35MM movie on her butt.
Happy New Year to you, Mayang and the rest of the family.
We shall watch this space. Will the jeans fit again… I’ll sign up for the Paul’s support and encouragement group. Maybe first step is to change to San Mig light, lol!
Good health to you and Mayang for a very long time… now that is a very good motivation.
cheers,
Alfre
Alfre;
A curse on the house of the man who invented diet beer. (lol) I hope the support group has a 12 step program, to go along with a 12 pack of beer.
Thank you for your well wishes and may the samecome back to you and yours 3 fold!
I’m in my 60’s and I do 200 crunches 20 push up’s 3-4 times a week.. Pedal my legs in the air for about 5 minutes …….When I first got here I was 180# … Now I am down to 165.. Have a younger bride and younger mind…Now if I just could stop the smoking…Hahahahaha…Need to excercise to stay in good shape…
Paul,
Good that you were able to loose weight during the holidays. Walking the dog or the dog walking you is a great way to keep your self occupied. Another thing is get an MP3 Player with earbuds and listen to some nice Hank Jr., George Strait, Kenny Chesney, etc. I exercise and keep my self in decent shape and try to eat right most of the time, except when in the Philippines. Trying to stay off all Meds before i retire.
On Storage Wars someone sold several pair of old Levis for $75-$100 a piece, but it looks like yours are already claimed. Take care and be safe my friend
Papa Duck;
Herein lies the problem, if I listen to country music I want to drink beer, the I’d be walking Pavlov’s dog and not Coco. I saw that episode of Storage Wars and thought those jeans would have looked good on Brandie.
Stay healthy as you need all your strength to survive here. (lol)
Lenny;
I’m not even going to joke about your post, as that is something to be proud of. Good on you! Keep it up.
I run 3 days a week for 6 km. I still weigh the same (well 3 kg more) as when I first moved here 1 year ago. Drinking (a lot more SMLs) and eating (too much fried foods and pork) in the Phils will kill ya! The running is the price I have to pay.
Don;
The last time I ran I was a kid and I think I had stolen something. I’d never advise drinking less beer as that would be a bigger sin than running with a hot 50in flat screen TV. Fried food? How else could you cook it? (lol)
I don’t care what you say Paul. I am NOT getting a dog to lose weight!!! I am thinking of a bicycle. 😀
Gary;
Okay I live on a mountain, and I buy a bicycle, then I hire a Tricycle to take me to the top, and then coast down. I wonder just how much weight I’ll lose? I’m hoping you live on level ground. (lol)
Hi Paul
Boy, this article struck home. I used to wear 28″ jeans. I weighted myself just before Xmas and found I was 197 lbs! And I am 5’7″! My belly button measurement was 42″! Anyway, my brother who lost a ton of weight over the last year (he is 5 years older than me – 60) gave me the diet book “The G.I. Diet”. He said it worked great for him and he is in better shape now tham when he was 40. The first month is the toughtest – no fried stuff and NO BOOZE. Then you can ease up. Anyway, I have lost 10 lb in ten days, and have been eating more than I usually do. It is just what I am eating. Lots of fruit and veggies. I find I am feeling a lot better and have more energy. Exercise is next. Stick with it and have a great year. With any luck , when I retire in 5 years, we can meet in person in Subic and share stories of the battle of the “bulge”.
Allan;
It sounds like you have a great plan, it was that section that said “NO BOOZE” that caused me to stop reading further. No I’m joking I read it all the way through. Walking Coco is the extent of my plan, but I’m pleased to hear that there are so many LiP readers with more will power than me. I say good luck to you, and I’m impressed with your brother.
Thanks for sharing Paul. I enjoy dog walking and was wondering how practical it would be in the Philippines.
David;
In a rural area I feel it’s very practical and enjoyable. I can’t speak to a urban area or anywhere that is high traffic. But for 60% of our walk Coco is walking free beside me, But the lead goes back on when we hit the area with wandering ducks, as they will distract her and put the fear of hell into the ducks and their owners.
Dog walking is great exercise. On days I don’t run or swim, my dog and I go for long walks. Gives time to just relax and enjoy the sights that I miss when I run past them. Who carries the doggy doo doo bag?
Opus;
You got me to thinking about a pooper scooper and its use in my purok. Since I have to walk the roads paved or not as it they were covered with land mines I’d dare say it’s an idea whose time has not come. If I cleaned up all I saw I’d need a dump truck vice a baggie. Now for the “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” part of my comment: Coco has yet to relieve herself in public.
Hi Paul – I can just imagine the scene, Levi’s blowing on the washing line and you’ve just returned from walking the dog. Out comes the Marlboro’s the Zippo clicks then the swoosh as the cold SM is uncapped and Coco looks up and says “looks like he’ll be walking me for a long time yet”
Since we got our little dog in August 2009 I’ve walked with her every morning faithfully weather permitting and like Coco everyone in the Barangay knows her.
However we returned to the UK end of October and as you do, the things that you could not obtain in the Phil’s get a hammering and low and behold my jeans are straining at the waist as I write. I said to myself this morning after I fell off the scales, that’s it the diet starts now as we return in a weeks time (left it a bit late I think).
So next week the dogs paws are going to be red raw as she will be walked a little faster than normal till my jeans have stopped leaving a tourniquet type welt around my waist which is still visible when I get into the shower each morning.
Anyway the dog got the blame for the lack of exercise so she will just love it when I get back as she cannot get out the gate fast enough each morning on her lead.
Best regards.
Jim.
Jim;
I only wish I’d thought of blaming the dog for my weight gain first. But it’s funny that all the dogs here that are running loose and never getting any notice, but put anyone of them on a lead and they must be special. Oh and thank you for explaining those welts around our waist, I thought Mayang was tying me up while I slept. (lol) Have a great trip back home to The United Kingdom of Great Briton and Northern Ireland, while proudly wearing your jeans. I’ll be back in mine soon.
I’ve put on 50 pounds since I’ve been out. Well to be fair at least 25. My time as a warrant I yoyo’d between 175 and 200, being 175 in Iraq and maybe 185 upon retirement.
225 is just too much and I am tired of my size 36 Jeans.
But I love food too much. Help us all !
Pete;
I did that after I retired, I went on the “Sea Food Diet”; when I would SEE Food I’d eat it. I found it was from the bordom of not working. I found something to keep me busy.
Hi Paul, Dog walking is good. I’ll bet you even talk to the dog. Better than being caught talking to yourself! 🙂
John;
I do talk to Coco, have you got a spy here? It’s when she answers me that I’ll start to worry. (lol)
Paul,
Walking ans best friend is one of the greatest fors of excersice and relaxation you could have. Me and my Max walked for years together until I moved to the aparment now he’s with my son I truly do iss those walks with him. Did I lose wieght not really, but I found piece of mind.
How about them 32’s I haven’t seen the scince my senior year in high school.
I would kill for a 42. Do you think I could sweat it off and still enjoy my SMB?
By the way do you and coco walk straight threw or is there a pit stop at a sari sari store for a refueling?
Bruce;
Coco and I walk at 06:30 before the Sun is high, way before Beer Thirty, I’m not sure if I receive peace of mind, but I do come back in a good mood. But then I’m seldom in a bad mood. Sweat and beer go hand in hand, I call it re-hydrating.
Paul I find I lose weight any time I’m in the Philippines for an extended stay. It’s getting away from the processed foods and getting all the excercise playing with the kids, swimming and walking that does it. I can’t wait to relocate permanently as I’ll be slim and trim like my college days, lol.
Mark;
My daughter Ymir Thea is on her way home from Singapore with her husband and our soon to be born grandson. There will once again be a baby in the house and I know that will shake me from my lazy ways. I plan to buy a new Perambulator for him and Coco and I will walk the baby every day.
Paul,
Coco will not be impressed with my idea, but Shay-Shay and all other neices and grandkids you have will. You need to go back to the mall. Find the eletronics section and ask for the X-Box 360 Kinnect. You should find the kit comes with an Adventures game. I just purchased one this Christmas for my family. It was a great way to get plenty of exercise on the rainy days. I actually got tired while playing. But it is a lot of fun. I am not a tech savy person, but I picked this up pretty easy myself. My 5 year old had no problems at all. It would be great on a big flat screen TV! Just poor Coco might not be happy when you do not make it down in the morning for your walks.
Steve;
My walks with Coco are now firmly set in the daily plan we both enjoy it, during the rain we’ll see, but then she is a pure Labrador and they like water and I was a sailor. I am no longer shocked that the kids are teaching me about new stuff, I just wish they would not rub it in. (lol)