Ok, it's been a month since my last post and it has been quite a struggle. I was happy to announce on my last post that I was at 224 (-47lbs), which I was very proud of myself, and rightfully so.
But this past month has been quite an emotional roller coaster. I've found myself hitting face first into a weight loss brick wall. I maintained 224 for a complete month. So the bad news is that I was not able to lose any way for 4 wks, but the good news is that I didn't gain anything either and I feel like I may have still lost inches. The "new" pants I bought are fitting much looser than they had when I bought them. So, I figured that I'm converting the weight from fat to lean muscle which is very good. But the emotional stress of not losing weight was hard.
Lots of people said to mix up my workout, and I tried, but I just found myself doing what I'm used to doing. However, I did try a new cardio machine and another weight training machine, but I haven't spent much time on either (not enough to make any real impact, i thought).
This past month has been a good month overall, very active, lots of parties and events and opportunities to be "bad". But since we're not on a diet, but rather a lifestyle change - I find myself seeking out the healthiest choice no matter where we go. For instance, we were at a carnival and carnival food is the best/worst depending on your mindset. For us it was brutal. We found a cart that was selling Chicken on a Stick - grilled chicken skews, with chicken fried rice Yum and we figured it was much better than nachos or elephant ears.
Took the kids roller-skating and they had pizza (2 pieces each), I had one piece and a unsalted hot pretzel with mustard, which was better than all their deep fried options.
So with a slight change in my workout and maintain my current nutritional plan I stepped on the scale again today, 5 weeks after I first weighed in at 224. In conversation I have been rounding up to 50 pounds instead of 47, but I knew inside that I was "lying" that I had not yet achieved that elusive 50 pounds...
Today I am happy to announce that I weighed in at 220 (-51)!!!! So after 4 weeks of no change, I lost 4 pounds this past week. I'm not sure what happened, but I am so excited. I've lost 51 pounds in 5 months - 10/mo. This is my drive and determination overcoming this minor hurdle.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Week 17 Weigh In
Well, Summer is here and as you may have guessed by my infrequent posting, things are pretty hectic. Working from home and a houseful of kids means not much time to blog. But here goes...
My last weigh in was 2 weeks ago on 6/30 and I was at 227 (-41 pounds). Since I began my journey on 3/17 - I have consistently lost weight each and every week. It has not been too difficult for me as I have been following a very easy plan - smaller portions, adding exercise and drinking lots of water.
Over the past few weeks I feel as if I fell off the bandwagon, I have a ton of excuses, challenges rather that I don't feel that I handled very well. First of all, on July 4th my gym closed down for a week for it's annual maintenance and reopened on July 12th. So my plan was to get a temp membership somewhere else and to follow along with the Biggest Loser's Last Chance workout. Well, I didn't get the temp membership and only managed to do the last chance workout once and it really kicked my butt to the point that I really hurt the next 3 days so I didn't do much after that.
My wife & I thought that the gym opened up on the Sunday, but learned otherwise when it was locked up tight, so we did walk a mile around the track - which felt really good. But it doesn't compare to the workout we get in the gym.
So needless to say, our activity has gone way down as compared to the previous 15 weeks - how was the eating... well not as bad, but we did have a wonderful time a BBQ with friends, and other than a few "drinks" were doing very good eating chicken and salad and fruit, with only 1 small treat. As the night went on my wife and I were playing texas hold'em and both were doing very good (we both made the final table). However, I took an early hit and then drove out by an overaggressive player who had no business being in that hand, yes I'm still bitter about it. But anyway, it's just a game right - well, it put me out of the game and I was really bummed so I went upstairs and there sitting there is the buffet of food - and I wasn't good, wrong foods - large portions - I pigged out. :(
The next day I felt awful, bloated and gaseous. OMG, I will never do that again. My tongue loved it, my body hated it. So now Monday morning at the gym, good workout. Really feeling everything as my body has not really been in motion the past week. So I was eager to get to the gym and get back to work. It felt really good. So now was the moment of truth what damage did I do??? I had to know, so I stepped on the scale and it read 230... OH NO!! I put on 3 pounds. Now I actually thought, it could be worse and counted my blessings - just time to buckle down and get to work.
Kept my calorie intake in check and another workout Tuesday morning indicated that I have now lost 2 of the 3 pounds I put on. This is my body getting rid of the water it was retaining and all the junk I ate over the weekend (no offense Rob, it was delicious).
So I was really hoping that today I would be back to 227 then I can work hard to drop my last 6 pounds of my short-term goal over the next 2 weeks. Well, I stepped on the scale and it read..... 224!!! Yeah, I lost the 3 I put on plus 3 more. I am so happy that my small deviation didn't have a lasting effect because I maintained good eating habits during the rest of the time and I think that I have done a lot to speed up my metabolism during this lifestyle change.
.
My last weigh in was 2 weeks ago on 6/30 and I was at 227 (-41 pounds). Since I began my journey on 3/17 - I have consistently lost weight each and every week. It has not been too difficult for me as I have been following a very easy plan - smaller portions, adding exercise and drinking lots of water.
Over the past few weeks I feel as if I fell off the bandwagon, I have a ton of excuses, challenges rather that I don't feel that I handled very well. First of all, on July 4th my gym closed down for a week for it's annual maintenance and reopened on July 12th. So my plan was to get a temp membership somewhere else and to follow along with the Biggest Loser's Last Chance workout. Well, I didn't get the temp membership and only managed to do the last chance workout once and it really kicked my butt to the point that I really hurt the next 3 days so I didn't do much after that.
My wife & I thought that the gym opened up on the Sunday, but learned otherwise when it was locked up tight, so we did walk a mile around the track - which felt really good. But it doesn't compare to the workout we get in the gym.
So needless to say, our activity has gone way down as compared to the previous 15 weeks - how was the eating... well not as bad, but we did have a wonderful time a BBQ with friends, and other than a few "drinks" were doing very good eating chicken and salad and fruit, with only 1 small treat. As the night went on my wife and I were playing texas hold'em and both were doing very good (we both made the final table). However, I took an early hit and then drove out by an overaggressive player who had no business being in that hand, yes I'm still bitter about it. But anyway, it's just a game right - well, it put me out of the game and I was really bummed so I went upstairs and there sitting there is the buffet of food - and I wasn't good, wrong foods - large portions - I pigged out. :(
The next day I felt awful, bloated and gaseous. OMG, I will never do that again. My tongue loved it, my body hated it. So now Monday morning at the gym, good workout. Really feeling everything as my body has not really been in motion the past week. So I was eager to get to the gym and get back to work. It felt really good. So now was the moment of truth what damage did I do??? I had to know, so I stepped on the scale and it read 230... OH NO!! I put on 3 pounds. Now I actually thought, it could be worse and counted my blessings - just time to buckle down and get to work.
Kept my calorie intake in check and another workout Tuesday morning indicated that I have now lost 2 of the 3 pounds I put on. This is my body getting rid of the water it was retaining and all the junk I ate over the weekend (no offense Rob, it was delicious).
So I was really hoping that today I would be back to 227 then I can work hard to drop my last 6 pounds of my short-term goal over the next 2 weeks. Well, I stepped on the scale and it read..... 224!!! Yeah, I lost the 3 I put on plus 3 more. I am so happy that my small deviation didn't have a lasting effect because I maintained good eating habits during the rest of the time and I think that I have done a lot to speed up my metabolism during this lifestyle change.
.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Week 14 Weigh-in
I haven't gone anywhere, have just been very busy. So I will say that with the busy schedule, it hasn't been easy to get to the gym and eating right has been a challenge from time to time.
We are learning better ways to stay within our healthier lifestyle while eating out but it still isn't the best choice when changing a lifestyle as many places offer oversized portions and are cooked in butter or oil.
Two weeks ago, we've purchased the Wii Fit Plus and playing on it about every other day along with a couple days of some serious manual labor so I'm really hoping that I was able to see a positive difference.
Last week I weighed in at 233 pounds, and I'm really trying to get to 231 which will be 40 pounds since St. Patrick's Day. Today's results are in - the scale tipped in at 229 - That's right, I've lost 4 pounds this week and am now in the 220's.... only 8 pounds away from my half-way point of 221 (-50 lbs). I am so excited. I will continue to work hard and my goal is to drop those 8 pounds over the next 6 weeks (by 7/28).
My next goal is to be more disciplined and get to my blog more frequently.
We are learning better ways to stay within our healthier lifestyle while eating out but it still isn't the best choice when changing a lifestyle as many places offer oversized portions and are cooked in butter or oil.
Two weeks ago, we've purchased the Wii Fit Plus and playing on it about every other day along with a couple days of some serious manual labor so I'm really hoping that I was able to see a positive difference.
Last week I weighed in at 233 pounds, and I'm really trying to get to 231 which will be 40 pounds since St. Patrick's Day. Today's results are in - the scale tipped in at 229 - That's right, I've lost 4 pounds this week and am now in the 220's.... only 8 pounds away from my half-way point of 221 (-50 lbs). I am so excited. I will continue to work hard and my goal is to drop those 8 pounds over the next 6 weeks (by 7/28).
My next goal is to be more disciplined and get to my blog more frequently.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
I'm back - 3 weeks later
I apologize for the brief 3 week hiatus; it was not intentional but I do want to take this time to catch up since my last post, which was 3 weeks ago today.
First off, the last time I posted I was down to 246, which is 25 pounds from my original starting weight of 271. I was feeling good, eating right and going to the gym almost every day. We've decided to take one weekend day off from the gym and that would be a day we would enjoy the weather and do some geocaching.
May 1st, Friday night. We had a date night (first one in I can't remember how long). We went out to eat at a crab house - Angela had a platter with crab cooked different ways and I settled into a serving of Alaskan King Crab legs and according to the menu from the Dutch Harbor fleet (featured in the deadliest catch). I might've seen my dinner caught :) Anyway, it was delicious and not very high on the calories because we had salad and asparagus with our meals. From there we went to Hamlin Pub to watch our friend's band - there were a lot of people there we knew. We had a great time and it was smoke-free as it was the first day of the Michigan smoking ban - no more coming home smelling like an ashtray.
5/5 was another weigh-in and I'm really getting settled into this 2 pounds a week - slow and steady - our path to success. Friday 5/7 was my birthday, I actually had cake - but Angela found some cake that was well within our calorie objective. Sunday, Mother's day: Angela was up and gone to the gym - I quickly got up and began making her breakfast. While it wasn't breakfast in bed, it was a hot breakfast as she walked in the door from her work out. Then she decided she wanted to go geocaching all day. It was a beautiful day so we packed lunches for everybody - and took off towards a state park to find some geocache. We ended up walking completely around a beautiful marsh and collected 6 geocache along the way, walking almost 2 miles only stopping to have lunch while looking out over the water and the wildlife.
5/10 was Ange's birthday, we had dinner at home and both felt that we need to tighten things up a bit after a weekend that we kinda pushed the envelop. So we each had intense workouts Monday to Weigh-in Wednesday.
5/12 - Next weigh in and another 2 pounds - now at 242 (29 pounds)
Still watching what we eat - limiting fatty meats and white potatoes. It really is amazing the selection of foods that are available that are lower in calories, fat, sodium, sugar than the foods we are so used to eating. By simply replacing those with the healthier choices makes a huge difference.
5/14 - busy day scheduled, going down to my parents for the weekend, but I still wanted to get a workout in. I found on Comcast On Demand an exercise station which included Jillian Michael's Last Chance Workout. I figured that should be a good workout for me to replace going to the gym once a week. Well, it totally kicked my butt - in 30 minutes there are 6 circuits and I had to stop after the 5th circuit. I hurt in new places, I was dripping sweat - it was FANTASTIC!!!
The weekend of 5/15 the kids and I went to visit my parents in Ohio, while Angela stayed to honor another commitment. My parents have the same types of food and snacks that we have so maintaining the diet was very easy.
Back home Sunday night and back to the daily routine. Gym in the morning then work. Yesterday I had a lot going on so I did the Last Chance Workout and completed it - doesn't hurt as much but I was still soaked from perspiration - it was another great workout.
Today I hit the gym - only 40 minutes because I had a busy morning and an equally busy day planned - plus it is Weigh in Wednesday. Today I weighed in at 239 - Yeah!! 32 pounds gone - almost a third of the way there.
I promise I will update this thing more frequently.
First off, the last time I posted I was down to 246, which is 25 pounds from my original starting weight of 271. I was feeling good, eating right and going to the gym almost every day. We've decided to take one weekend day off from the gym and that would be a day we would enjoy the weather and do some geocaching.
May 1st, Friday night. We had a date night (first one in I can't remember how long). We went out to eat at a crab house - Angela had a platter with crab cooked different ways and I settled into a serving of Alaskan King Crab legs and according to the menu from the Dutch Harbor fleet (featured in the deadliest catch). I might've seen my dinner caught :) Anyway, it was delicious and not very high on the calories because we had salad and asparagus with our meals. From there we went to Hamlin Pub to watch our friend's band - there were a lot of people there we knew. We had a great time and it was smoke-free as it was the first day of the Michigan smoking ban - no more coming home smelling like an ashtray.
5/5 was another weigh-in and I'm really getting settled into this 2 pounds a week - slow and steady - our path to success. Friday 5/7 was my birthday, I actually had cake - but Angela found some cake that was well within our calorie objective. Sunday, Mother's day: Angela was up and gone to the gym - I quickly got up and began making her breakfast. While it wasn't breakfast in bed, it was a hot breakfast as she walked in the door from her work out. Then she decided she wanted to go geocaching all day. It was a beautiful day so we packed lunches for everybody - and took off towards a state park to find some geocache. We ended up walking completely around a beautiful marsh and collected 6 geocache along the way, walking almost 2 miles only stopping to have lunch while looking out over the water and the wildlife.
5/10 was Ange's birthday, we had dinner at home and both felt that we need to tighten things up a bit after a weekend that we kinda pushed the envelop. So we each had intense workouts Monday to Weigh-in Wednesday.
5/12 - Next weigh in and another 2 pounds - now at 242 (29 pounds)
Still watching what we eat - limiting fatty meats and white potatoes. It really is amazing the selection of foods that are available that are lower in calories, fat, sodium, sugar than the foods we are so used to eating. By simply replacing those with the healthier choices makes a huge difference.
5/14 - busy day scheduled, going down to my parents for the weekend, but I still wanted to get a workout in. I found on Comcast On Demand an exercise station which included Jillian Michael's Last Chance Workout. I figured that should be a good workout for me to replace going to the gym once a week. Well, it totally kicked my butt - in 30 minutes there are 6 circuits and I had to stop after the 5th circuit. I hurt in new places, I was dripping sweat - it was FANTASTIC!!!
The weekend of 5/15 the kids and I went to visit my parents in Ohio, while Angela stayed to honor another commitment. My parents have the same types of food and snacks that we have so maintaining the diet was very easy.
Back home Sunday night and back to the daily routine. Gym in the morning then work. Yesterday I had a lot going on so I did the Last Chance Workout and completed it - doesn't hurt as much but I was still soaked from perspiration - it was another great workout.
Today I hit the gym - only 40 minutes because I had a busy morning and an equally busy day planned - plus it is Weigh in Wednesday. Today I weighed in at 239 - Yeah!! 32 pounds gone - almost a third of the way there.
I promise I will update this thing more frequently.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
6 Weeks & 25 Pounds Down
Well, today I weighed-in for the 7th time and since my first weigh in I have done so many positive things for myself. I have taught myself proper portion size; this was especially important because I realized that I used to eat 3-4 portions at dinner and even after eating all that food I would sit in front of the TV and eat a snack.
So at first I had no idea; the measuring cup was my best friend - I measured everything and logged every single insignificant calorie. I had to know exactly what I could eat and which foods provided the most nutrients as well as fats and sugars. So now, here I am 6 weeks later... I'm not using the measuring cups all that much because I have a very good eye for a proper portion size - I may go over a bit when we eat out but it's usually grilled chicken or rice so neither will do much harm.
As for snacks - thank god for the 100-calorie packs. It's nice to have a choice of either shortbread, chocolate chip cookies, or chocolate dipped pretzels and more. But my favorite snacks have been fresh berries and yogurt with some Cheerios. I know it doesn't sound very appealing but the flavors and the textures go well together for a nice variation of a parfait.
I am not knocking any weight loss method, because we are all unique and have unique needs - but I have to say that I've seen commercials that have made measuring seem such hard work - well who said weight loss is easy. Either I measure it out myself or I pay hundreds of dollars a month for food from a Nutri-system and still have to buy veggies on top of it. The program will work if you either comment to the monthly bill and frozen foods OR you have to learn how to cook moderate servings. Why not do both at the same time?
Sure we're probably spending more buying for our new diet - but its only replacing what we've been buying all along - we have 3 children and they are starting to feel the results of our healthier eating. With that being said they are still getting hot dogs, chicken nuggets and other kids favorites. Our biggest expense which is my new found addiction - the Gym. It's a $50 / month habit that I don't think I'll ever be able to stop - it may be modified here and there, but it will likely be a part of my life for the rest of it.
I'm already a success story losing 25 pounds in 6 short weeks, I've still got a long way to go and I've never been more motivated. My next goal is another 25 pounds in 12 weeks - 221 by 7/28 - I figured that the easy part is over now I have to burn about 2 pounds each week.
So at first I had no idea; the measuring cup was my best friend - I measured everything and logged every single insignificant calorie. I had to know exactly what I could eat and which foods provided the most nutrients as well as fats and sugars. So now, here I am 6 weeks later... I'm not using the measuring cups all that much because I have a very good eye for a proper portion size - I may go over a bit when we eat out but it's usually grilled chicken or rice so neither will do much harm.
As for snacks - thank god for the 100-calorie packs. It's nice to have a choice of either shortbread, chocolate chip cookies, or chocolate dipped pretzels and more. But my favorite snacks have been fresh berries and yogurt with some Cheerios. I know it doesn't sound very appealing but the flavors and the textures go well together for a nice variation of a parfait.
I am not knocking any weight loss method, because we are all unique and have unique needs - but I have to say that I've seen commercials that have made measuring seem such hard work - well who said weight loss is easy. Either I measure it out myself or I pay hundreds of dollars a month for food from a Nutri-system and still have to buy veggies on top of it. The program will work if you either comment to the monthly bill and frozen foods OR you have to learn how to cook moderate servings. Why not do both at the same time?
Sure we're probably spending more buying for our new diet - but its only replacing what we've been buying all along - we have 3 children and they are starting to feel the results of our healthier eating. With that being said they are still getting hot dogs, chicken nuggets and other kids favorites. Our biggest expense which is my new found addiction - the Gym. It's a $50 / month habit that I don't think I'll ever be able to stop - it may be modified here and there, but it will likely be a part of my life for the rest of it.
I'm already a success story losing 25 pounds in 6 short weeks, I've still got a long way to go and I've never been more motivated. My next goal is another 25 pounds in 12 weeks - 221 by 7/28 - I figured that the easy part is over now I have to burn about 2 pounds each week.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Interim Scot
Well, my profile is as close to a "before" picture as I have. I'm kicking myself for not getting a complete before picture. I should still do it now, since I'm still just really getting going. But here is a picture of me now. When I first saw the two pics side by side I was happily surprised.
Before
Now
Before
Now
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
35 Days In
Today was another weigh-in day. 5 Weeks, 35 days. It's Wednesday again. I don't feel like I worked out as hard this week nor do I feel like I have been "dieting". I must be getting used to the lower calorie intake and my body is beginning to adapt to my workout. I guess I need to step it up a bit.
Anyway, I started today with a yummy Chocolate Shake from Costco - basically a Slim Fast shake. It gives me tons of energy just before I head to the gym. I typically spend 30 minutes on the cycle, on the weight loss setting level 4, so it progressively gets harder and harder until it peaks then it drops one level then back up and so on until it progressively declines in resistance at the end of the 30 minutes. Then I move to circuit training - basically weight machines targeting different muscle groups. I spend a lot of time on abs and an equal amount of time on upper and lower muscle groups. Today I really feel the effects in my back and my arms - the pain actually feels good.
When I got home, I had a slice of whole wheat toast with our new favorite - Smucker's Sugar Free Strawberry preserves, delicious!! All together - 45 calories. Bonus!! Lunch I had a turkey ham & cheese wrap - didn't like it at first, then I added some Corn & Black Bean Salsa then it was amazing. We are really learning how to make tasty healthy food and also how to snack without going too far.
Well enough of that. Now, I weigh myself on a "doctor's scale" at the gym. It has the 1 pound weight and the 50 pound weight, well I started out with the 50 pound weight at 250 and the 1 pound weight at 21 = 271. Today I was able to move the 50 pound weight to 200, now the 1 pound weight was at 50, but I don't care. I was able to move the 50 pound weight.
I am now 250 pounds; I've lost 2 pounds this week and a total of 21 pounds in 5 weeks. The wife & I are stronger and healthier; we have more energy and are able to run with the kids and lift heavy bags with ease. Our clothes are fitting much looser. We still have a long way to go, but we already feel amazingly successful.
Anyway, I started today with a yummy Chocolate Shake from Costco - basically a Slim Fast shake. It gives me tons of energy just before I head to the gym. I typically spend 30 minutes on the cycle, on the weight loss setting level 4, so it progressively gets harder and harder until it peaks then it drops one level then back up and so on until it progressively declines in resistance at the end of the 30 minutes. Then I move to circuit training - basically weight machines targeting different muscle groups. I spend a lot of time on abs and an equal amount of time on upper and lower muscle groups. Today I really feel the effects in my back and my arms - the pain actually feels good.
When I got home, I had a slice of whole wheat toast with our new favorite - Smucker's Sugar Free Strawberry preserves, delicious!! All together - 45 calories. Bonus!! Lunch I had a turkey ham & cheese wrap - didn't like it at first, then I added some Corn & Black Bean Salsa then it was amazing. We are really learning how to make tasty healthy food and also how to snack without going too far.
Well enough of that. Now, I weigh myself on a "doctor's scale" at the gym. It has the 1 pound weight and the 50 pound weight, well I started out with the 50 pound weight at 250 and the 1 pound weight at 21 = 271. Today I was able to move the 50 pound weight to 200, now the 1 pound weight was at 50, but I don't care. I was able to move the 50 pound weight.
I am now 250 pounds; I've lost 2 pounds this week and a total of 21 pounds in 5 weeks. The wife & I are stronger and healthier; we have more energy and are able to run with the kids and lift heavy bags with ease. Our clothes are fitting much looser. We still have a long way to go, but we already feel amazingly successful.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Didn't happen overnight
Today I want to talk about other issues that I've faced with my weight battle. Besides not being as competitive athletically, I've dealt with a lot of psychological problems. I would not consider them severe, but they are personal and have had a lasting effect on my esteem.
Now I wasn't always overweight - it wasn't until middle school that I started to gain weight, it continued through high school. This is probably the most humiliating story I can post on here, but I feel its part of the healing process and again - I'm hoping that my tribulation will help others be strong in the face of this stupidity.
I've been called fatso, larda$$, and other mean names. One of the most humiliating moments for me was in the 7th grade, when one of my teachers (in fact, he was one of my favorites up until this point) called me "Butterball" in class. It was a nickname that stuck with me and traumatized me until I moved away at the end of 8th grade.
I was hoping to get a new start in Tucson, but it didn't take long before I was tagged with a nickname of "Pugsly" based on the character Pugsly Addams. While the name butterball sent me into depression, I tried not to allow pugsly to do the same, but embracing it. Not even my closest friend knew that every time I heard that nickname, I wanted to cry. I didn't eat a lot of junk, I was fairly active - I was just overweight. And because of that I'm doomed to a world of verbal assault and humiliation?
It's hard enough knowing you're not considered attractive to the opposite sex during your adolescence but to also be constantly reminded of it when your "friends" call you by a ridiculous name because you look like the fat kid from The Addams Family.
Now I did manage to lose the weight mostly because I began to play a lot of tennis, and I didn't eat much. And for the most part maintained a healthy weight until about 8 years ago. Over the past 8 years, my excuse for overeating and not exercising was "I"m happy with who I am". This is true, but I am not happy to what I've done to my body. I am fortunate not have have any life threatening illnesses such as; heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
Being overweight is as much mental as it is physical. Much like a smoker trying to quit - we have to reprogram ourselves to get out and get some regular exercise and to eat regular portions. I've fought past my esteem problems, however as each day goes by I feel stronger and healthier and it just adds to my confidence.
Now I wasn't always overweight - it wasn't until middle school that I started to gain weight, it continued through high school. This is probably the most humiliating story I can post on here, but I feel its part of the healing process and again - I'm hoping that my tribulation will help others be strong in the face of this stupidity.
I've been called fatso, larda$$, and other mean names. One of the most humiliating moments for me was in the 7th grade, when one of my teachers (in fact, he was one of my favorites up until this point) called me "Butterball" in class. It was a nickname that stuck with me and traumatized me until I moved away at the end of 8th grade.
I was hoping to get a new start in Tucson, but it didn't take long before I was tagged with a nickname of "Pugsly" based on the character Pugsly Addams. While the name butterball sent me into depression, I tried not to allow pugsly to do the same, but embracing it. Not even my closest friend knew that every time I heard that nickname, I wanted to cry. I didn't eat a lot of junk, I was fairly active - I was just overweight. And because of that I'm doomed to a world of verbal assault and humiliation?
It's hard enough knowing you're not considered attractive to the opposite sex during your adolescence but to also be constantly reminded of it when your "friends" call you by a ridiculous name because you look like the fat kid from The Addams Family.
Now I did manage to lose the weight mostly because I began to play a lot of tennis, and I didn't eat much. And for the most part maintained a healthy weight until about 8 years ago. Over the past 8 years, my excuse for overeating and not exercising was "I"m happy with who I am". This is true, but I am not happy to what I've done to my body. I am fortunate not have have any life threatening illnesses such as; heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
Being overweight is as much mental as it is physical. Much like a smoker trying to quit - we have to reprogram ourselves to get out and get some regular exercise and to eat regular portions. I've fought past my esteem problems, however as each day goes by I feel stronger and healthier and it just adds to my confidence.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday Splurge
Today was a great day and the wife & I decided to take the kids out on a day of geocaching and shopping. One of the geocache locations were within a mile of our favorite Chinese Buffet. Now I know what you're thinking "you can't go to an all-you-can-eat buffet when you're trying to lose weight". Well, we figured that we had worked so hard at modifying our eating habits that it would be safe to try it.
As we pulled into the parking lot I stated "This place was a part of our old lifestyle, we need to see if it can fit in our new lifestyle". We each had a small plate of sushi (rice, crab, fish and vegetables). The for my main I chose some Broccoli Chicken on white rice with an egg roll and 1 Crab Rangoon. At best calculation dinner was approximately 800 calories - which is not bad considering it was an early dinner - and up until that point I had only had about 400 calories. Now the best part about this little test was -- I was stuffed and had no desire for desert (and I love their soft serve ice cream). So this is proof that my body is getting used to the smaller servings. Now as an extra special treat we stopped at our local ice cream shop - and got the kids some great hand dipped ice cream - and we had the delicious fat free sugar free Praline Pecan Carmel frozen yogurt---- YUMMMMM.
Remember - we are not on a diet - it is a lifestyle change. So special treats are necessary, in moderation. And just to make sure that it didn't have a negative effect on the weight loss goal, I weighed in and I'm still at or below my last weigh-in.
As we pulled into the parking lot I stated "This place was a part of our old lifestyle, we need to see if it can fit in our new lifestyle". We each had a small plate of sushi (rice, crab, fish and vegetables). The for my main I chose some Broccoli Chicken on white rice with an egg roll and 1 Crab Rangoon. At best calculation dinner was approximately 800 calories - which is not bad considering it was an early dinner - and up until that point I had only had about 400 calories. Now the best part about this little test was -- I was stuffed and had no desire for desert (and I love their soft serve ice cream). So this is proof that my body is getting used to the smaller servings. Now as an extra special treat we stopped at our local ice cream shop - and got the kids some great hand dipped ice cream - and we had the delicious fat free sugar free Praline Pecan Carmel frozen yogurt---- YUMMMMM.
Remember - we are not on a diet - it is a lifestyle change. So special treats are necessary, in moderation. And just to make sure that it didn't have a negative effect on the weight loss goal, I weighed in and I'm still at or below my last weigh-in.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
One Month Complete
Well, here we are one month later. The wife & I are feeling better than we have in a long time. With the introduction of an exercise program and a nutritional plan that will follow us long after we achieve our target weight goals.
So first in 30 days, I am happy to say that I have lost 7% of my starting body weight and the wife has lost 5.2% of her starting weight, which is well about our 1 month goal of 2.5% & 3.1% respectively. We are very proud of ourselves and while we still have trouble seeing the actual results - we are starting to feel it with looser clothing and smaller appetites.
I am not an opponent or proponent of any other diet program, but I wanted to share our thoughts on why we chose the plan we're on. So with everything out there in the diet industry we were most concerned about long-term change. While our short-term goal (the next 12 months) our goal is to achieve our target weight - after that, our goal is to maintain the weight. So we felt that programs where you have to buy their food (Jenny Craig & Nutri-System) would not teach us how to cook meals for ourselves - plus it's rather expensive. Our research led us to looking at diets that cut out carbs or fat, and how dangerous they are to completely eliminate those energy sources. Plus that is only good for the initial plan, our bodies need fat & carbs to maintain.
So we decided on the biggest loser nutritional plan as it keeps things very simple - 6 small meals rather than 3 big meals. Each meal is measured for calorie content - what's nice about this is that it only takes us a few times measuring it out before we can spot a real serving size. At first it was a bit shocking to see how small the serving was compared to my usual serving. I can't imagine how many calories I used to consume before I started counting calories. If I had thought about it - I would've measured the week before I started my new plan just to see the difference. If I had to guess, I probably consumed 5000-6000 calories a day and now I'm consuming around 1200-1500 a day and surprisingly I'm not hungry. It was harder at first, but I just filled up on water, now it's not as easy to drink that much water.
We read that in order to lose weight you must either consume 3,500 fewer calories per week (500/day) or burn them off through exercise. Our exercise routine is burning off about 400-800 calories per day plus we are eating fewer calories is really working for us AND we feel that this will be rather easy to continue without too much effort.
According to the Biggest Loser Book, the formula to determine the maximum calories to consume for weight loss is calculated by multiplying your current weight by 7. Thus as we lose weight our maximum intake for weight loss continues to drop. The once we've achieved the goal - our plan will be to maintain a 2,000 calorie diet along with exercise. But we still have 12 short months before then. Stay tuned. :)
So first in 30 days, I am happy to say that I have lost 7% of my starting body weight and the wife has lost 5.2% of her starting weight, which is well about our 1 month goal of 2.5% & 3.1% respectively. We are very proud of ourselves and while we still have trouble seeing the actual results - we are starting to feel it with looser clothing and smaller appetites.
I am not an opponent or proponent of any other diet program, but I wanted to share our thoughts on why we chose the plan we're on. So with everything out there in the diet industry we were most concerned about long-term change. While our short-term goal (the next 12 months) our goal is to achieve our target weight - after that, our goal is to maintain the weight. So we felt that programs where you have to buy their food (Jenny Craig & Nutri-System) would not teach us how to cook meals for ourselves - plus it's rather expensive. Our research led us to looking at diets that cut out carbs or fat, and how dangerous they are to completely eliminate those energy sources. Plus that is only good for the initial plan, our bodies need fat & carbs to maintain.
So we decided on the biggest loser nutritional plan as it keeps things very simple - 6 small meals rather than 3 big meals. Each meal is measured for calorie content - what's nice about this is that it only takes us a few times measuring it out before we can spot a real serving size. At first it was a bit shocking to see how small the serving was compared to my usual serving. I can't imagine how many calories I used to consume before I started counting calories. If I had thought about it - I would've measured the week before I started my new plan just to see the difference. If I had to guess, I probably consumed 5000-6000 calories a day and now I'm consuming around 1200-1500 a day and surprisingly I'm not hungry. It was harder at first, but I just filled up on water, now it's not as easy to drink that much water.
We read that in order to lose weight you must either consume 3,500 fewer calories per week (500/day) or burn them off through exercise. Our exercise routine is burning off about 400-800 calories per day plus we are eating fewer calories is really working for us AND we feel that this will be rather easy to continue without too much effort.
According to the Biggest Loser Book, the formula to determine the maximum calories to consume for weight loss is calculated by multiplying your current weight by 7. Thus as we lose weight our maximum intake for weight loss continues to drop. The once we've achieved the goal - our plan will be to maintain a 2,000 calorie diet along with exercise. But we still have 12 short months before then. Stay tuned. :)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Beautiful Wednesday
The sun is out - the birds are chirping - the kids are at school - I have a ton of work to do for a new client. But I still had time this morning to get to the gym. But after kissing my 7 yr old and putting her on the bus - I had a Costo brand Slim Fast Chocolate shake for breakfast. Yummy. It gives me a great boost of energy in the morning and it's only 260 calories. I don't typically eat much for breakfast - so this is a good meal replacement. I have been drinking one a day for breakfast all week.
So after my shake, I went off to the gym to start my typical routine - 30 minutes on the bike, and 30 minutes of calisthenics/circuit training. However, I was inspired by Biggest Loser last night (I haven't really been watching it) but when my wife told me about one guy who started out over 500 pounds and how he just ran 5 miles - I felt like hmm... maybe I can run now rather than just biking. So I spent 30 minutes on the bike, with the weight loss mode which starts off with light resistance then increases to heavy resistance in the middle and then lightens up at the end. Then over the circuit, I spent most of the time focusing on abs (crunches, leg lifts and the ab machine) but did do some work on back and legs. But then with about 10 minutes left in my workout I decided to step up to the treadmill.
What I liked about this treadmill, is that by entering in data such as age and weight it calculates the necessary heart weight for weight loss. So I found that level and maintained it - what was most interesting to me is that it was only a vigorous walk to achieve the goal heart rate. I think I will probably alter my workout to bike 20, walk 20, and training 20.
So now here I am at the end of an hour, I'm soaked in sweat after a great workout. I'm feeling good and ready to step on the scale. Just a reminder I started 4 weeks ago at 271 pounds, and last week I was at 256. Today I stepped on the scale and I dropped 4 more pounds - my new weight is 252, for a total weight loss of 19 pounds in 4 weeks or 7%.
So after my shake, I went off to the gym to start my typical routine - 30 minutes on the bike, and 30 minutes of calisthenics/circuit training. However, I was inspired by Biggest Loser last night (I haven't really been watching it) but when my wife told me about one guy who started out over 500 pounds and how he just ran 5 miles - I felt like hmm... maybe I can run now rather than just biking. So I spent 30 minutes on the bike, with the weight loss mode which starts off with light resistance then increases to heavy resistance in the middle and then lightens up at the end. Then over the circuit, I spent most of the time focusing on abs (crunches, leg lifts and the ab machine) but did do some work on back and legs. But then with about 10 minutes left in my workout I decided to step up to the treadmill.
What I liked about this treadmill, is that by entering in data such as age and weight it calculates the necessary heart weight for weight loss. So I found that level and maintained it - what was most interesting to me is that it was only a vigorous walk to achieve the goal heart rate. I think I will probably alter my workout to bike 20, walk 20, and training 20.
So now here I am at the end of an hour, I'm soaked in sweat after a great workout. I'm feeling good and ready to step on the scale. Just a reminder I started 4 weeks ago at 271 pounds, and last week I was at 256. Today I stepped on the scale and I dropped 4 more pounds - my new weight is 252, for a total weight loss of 19 pounds in 4 weeks or 7%.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Spring Fever
Kids are back to school after a week off for Spring break. I have been fighting some seasonal allergies, but I'm doing much much better. Since weighing in last Wed only 1.5 pounds below the previous weigh-in; I have rededicated myself. I have been to the gym each and every morning AND my calorie intake has been in check.
I feel really good, focusing on my midsection, doing lots of crunches and leg lifts. Not fun, but I love how my midsection feels. We're learning new alternatives to make the food taste different and different.
Tomorrow will be the end of the 4th week. Wish me luck.
I feel really good, focusing on my midsection, doing lots of crunches and leg lifts. Not fun, but I love how my midsection feels. We're learning new alternatives to make the food taste different and different.
Tomorrow will be the end of the 4th week. Wish me luck.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Few Days
Well, I know its been a few days, and I wanted to touch base. It's now Sunday and we are going strong - been to the gym every day this week, eating the right foods and most importantly not feeling hungry. Clothes are starting to fit much looser now - in fact I had to change to a smaller belt because the shortest length on my normal belt was too big. Now I'm walking around in size 44 jeans, and they are very baggy. Pretty soon I'll be looking like a fool with my pants on the ground.
It has been a very active week, we have tried different foods including eating out a few times. I have had success with grilled chicken or fish with rice and steamed vegetables. But I do need to mix it up a bit, it is really starting to get old. Tonight we had turkey burgers; my wife found this great recipe which includes oats and other ingredients, if she posts it on her blog I'll link to it (if anyone is interested you can contact us directly).
We have treated ourselves a bit this week in fact earlier today we took the kids to get ice cream - I know you're thinking oh no - don't do it... Well, it turns our our local ice cream shopper offers Fat Free - Sugar Free Frozen Yogurt!!! Yeah!! They also offer fat free frozen custard and they have fat free & sugar free hot fudge - Options!!!!
It's really amazing what you can find when you look. Spring break is over, kids going back to school, and we are still going stronger than ever.
It has been a very active week, we have tried different foods including eating out a few times. I have had success with grilled chicken or fish with rice and steamed vegetables. But I do need to mix it up a bit, it is really starting to get old. Tonight we had turkey burgers; my wife found this great recipe which includes oats and other ingredients, if she posts it on her blog I'll link to it (if anyone is interested you can contact us directly).
We have treated ourselves a bit this week in fact earlier today we took the kids to get ice cream - I know you're thinking oh no - don't do it... Well, it turns our our local ice cream shopper offers Fat Free - Sugar Free Frozen Yogurt!!! Yeah!! They also offer fat free frozen custard and they have fat free & sugar free hot fudge - Options!!!!
It's really amazing what you can find when you look. Spring break is over, kids going back to school, and we are still going stronger than ever.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Weigh In #3
The good news is I still lost weight, the bad news is that it wasn't as much as I had the last 2 weeks.
Week 1 - lost 7 pounds
Week 2 - lost 6.5 pounds
Week 3 - lost 1.5 pounds
I didn't work out as much, and did not track my calories as close as I did the previous 2 weeks. The positive is that I did lose weight, I'm starting to see the results - and my clothes are starting to fit much looser than before.
I am rededicating my efforts - I'm setting a short-term goal to lose 10 pounds between now and 5/7 (my birthday) which is 4 weeks from now.
Week 1 - lost 7 pounds
Week 2 - lost 6.5 pounds
Week 3 - lost 1.5 pounds
I didn't work out as much, and did not track my calories as close as I did the previous 2 weeks. The positive is that I did lose weight, I'm starting to see the results - and my clothes are starting to fit much looser than before.
I am rededicating my efforts - I'm setting a short-term goal to lose 10 pounds between now and 5/7 (my birthday) which is 4 weeks from now.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Chocolate Bunnies & Eggs
Well, Easter morning arrived and the kids received lots of candy including 2 chocolate bunnies - one from the "Easter Bunny" and one from Grandma. There was definitely no shortage of sweets in the house. In fact, they were spread all over the living room, dining room and kitchen. So this was my first "real" test of will-power. Watching my kids and parents eating all that smooth milk chocolate was very tempting.
I have to admit that I succumbed to temptation by eating one lime Jelly Belly jelly bean. Yes, I did; however, I know that it was not nearly what I have eaten past Easters. So I consider it a victory over temptation. Easter dinner was delicious and very healthy. We had a pork roast, with baked sweet potatoes, stir-fry squash with tomatoes & onions, and asparagus. For dessert we had apple pie a la mode - 1/12 of a pie w/ 1 Tbsp of vanilla ice cream. And all together the calorie count was only 520. Keeping my daily count around 1400. Not bad for a holiday that is usually filled with so much food and sweets that in years past I probably had 1400 calories from snacks alone. In fact, I was looking at the chocolate bunnies and the calories for one chocolate bunny is 1900 EACH!!!
This morning I felt really bad - allergies had everything all stuffed up and it was hard breathing - so I didn't make it to the gym. I do feel guilty for that, but I will definitely go tomorrow morning.
I have to admit that I succumbed to temptation by eating one lime Jelly Belly jelly bean. Yes, I did; however, I know that it was not nearly what I have eaten past Easters. So I consider it a victory over temptation. Easter dinner was delicious and very healthy. We had a pork roast, with baked sweet potatoes, stir-fry squash with tomatoes & onions, and asparagus. For dessert we had apple pie a la mode - 1/12 of a pie w/ 1 Tbsp of vanilla ice cream. And all together the calorie count was only 520. Keeping my daily count around 1400. Not bad for a holiday that is usually filled with so much food and sweets that in years past I probably had 1400 calories from snacks alone. In fact, I was looking at the chocolate bunnies and the calories for one chocolate bunny is 1900 EACH!!!
This morning I felt really bad - allergies had everything all stuffed up and it was hard breathing - so I didn't make it to the gym. I do feel guilty for that, but I will definitely go tomorrow morning.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Easter Weekend
Yesterday, Friday, was anything but a typical day. The weather was wonderful - warm and everyone was home from work/school. So, after breakfast, gym and some light shopping we began the task of spring yard clean-up. This was complicated by the fact that we bought the house last October and with the early snowfall - had very little time to do a fall clean-up. Therefore, we had a ton of leaves to clean out of the gardens and the lawn. All five of us pitched in and it took about 2 hours to get everything done. The yard looks great - I ended up with some dime-sized blisters between the thumb and forefinger of both hands - OW.
My parents arrived for Easter weekend and we enjoyed sitting out on the deck and enjoying the weather. Because our breakfast and lunch were so low in calories and with the workout and the yard work we estimated that we burned about 1200 calories - both the wife & I had nearly 1600 more calories that we could eat - we didn't but it allowed us to go out to dinner. Mexican!
We chose grilled chicken fajitas for 2, more food that we needed. We avoided the chips and salsa, and just had dinner - after 3 small fajitas each with about a 1/2 serving of rice. Next time we know to order fajitas for 1, and split it. We will also take our own whole wheat tortillas and save on some calories. But at the end of the day we only consumed about 700 for the whole meal (including sour cream and rice).
Today has been relaxing - woke up and had crockpot oatmeal for breakfast then went to the gym. For snack had sugar snap peas, carrots and a tangerine - lunch was leftover fajita on a whole wheat wrap - afternoon snack was cottage cheese, tomato, wheat crackers. For dinner we will be having a shrimp stir-fry, can't wait. The constant eating is keeping me from being hungry, but looks like I'm still going to be way short of my calorie goal.
For Easter dinner we have planned: grilled pork roast, baked sweet potatoes, boiled asparagus, and reduced fat apple pie. Happy Easter!
My parents arrived for Easter weekend and we enjoyed sitting out on the deck and enjoying the weather. Because our breakfast and lunch were so low in calories and with the workout and the yard work we estimated that we burned about 1200 calories - both the wife & I had nearly 1600 more calories that we could eat - we didn't but it allowed us to go out to dinner. Mexican!
We chose grilled chicken fajitas for 2, more food that we needed. We avoided the chips and salsa, and just had dinner - after 3 small fajitas each with about a 1/2 serving of rice. Next time we know to order fajitas for 1, and split it. We will also take our own whole wheat tortillas and save on some calories. But at the end of the day we only consumed about 700 for the whole meal (including sour cream and rice).
Today has been relaxing - woke up and had crockpot oatmeal for breakfast then went to the gym. For snack had sugar snap peas, carrots and a tangerine - lunch was leftover fajita on a whole wheat wrap - afternoon snack was cottage cheese, tomato, wheat crackers. For dinner we will be having a shrimp stir-fry, can't wait. The constant eating is keeping me from being hungry, but looks like I'm still going to be way short of my calorie goal.
For Easter dinner we have planned: grilled pork roast, baked sweet potatoes, boiled asparagus, and reduced fat apple pie. Happy Easter!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Weigh-in #2
That's right, it's Wednesday so week 2 is finally over. This was filled with ups and downs - I was real nervous about because I didn't get to work out today. I woke up with a bad head cold and it really kicked my butt. After getting the kids off to school I fell asleep on the couch.
Now I'm feeling much better than I was this morning - Hopefully with some more medication and a good night's sleep I'll be 100% in the morning.
So onto the important part - the weigh in, well I am happy to report that my new weight is 257.5, which is 6.5 pounds less than last week for a total weight loss of 13.5 pounds or 5% of my starting weight. Yeah!!
At this rate, I might have a bikini body by mid-summer... Ha..
Now I'm feeling much better than I was this morning - Hopefully with some more medication and a good night's sleep I'll be 100% in the morning.
So onto the important part - the weigh in, well I am happy to report that my new weight is 257.5, which is 6.5 pounds less than last week for a total weight loss of 13.5 pounds or 5% of my starting weight. Yeah!!
At this rate, I might have a bikini body by mid-summer... Ha..
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Terrible Tuesday
Oh I did everything wrong today. After getting my daughter on the bus, I headed to the gym. On the stationary bike I have typically been achieving 7.5 miles in 30 minutes. And its getting easier as my muscles are starting to adapt to it. However, today was different at the 15 minute mark, I was hurting - my legs, my thighs, my back - something was not right. Then I realized that I didn't have breakfast. I normally make sure I eat first so that I have the energy. So I pushed and pushed and made it to 20 minutes and had to get off. I did go and lift some free weights, jump rope, did crunches, etc before leaving the gym. I still put in an hour, but I'm disappointed that I didn't get my 30 minute bike ride in.
The rest of the day seem to fall into place fine - I managed to eat healthy with regular portions and be full. This is a positive side-effect of eating smaller portions, now smaller portions are actually filling me up.
We are migrating our diets from flour products to whole wheat products. For dinner I made whole wheat spaghetti with spicy turkey brats and steamed green beans. YUM - The kids really liked it too. Another thing I've learned is just because there is a whole box of pasta or a jar of sauce doesn't mean you have to use it all. Our youngest was eating dinner at a friends so there were only 4 of us, so I made 4 servings - no leftovers, no seconds, no temptation. Now we have 2 servings of uncooked pasta and sauce that the Wife & I can have on pizza night.
After dinner I sat down, and played in my weekly online poker league - tough competitors took 8th out of 27 not bad. Then I had to get back to work - starting my marketing consulting firm - its going very well, but as the wife pointed out I will have quarterly taxes due in a couple of weeks. So I needed to get my finances into a financial software - so I spent 4 hours adding this years numbers into the software. As I was doing this I felt my throat was getting really soar, and I couldn't breathe through my nose. I was sore all over. A real mess.
I'm feeling pretty rough right now - tomorrow is weigh-in, but if I feel like this I may in the morning I may not even make it to the gym - would be kinda stupid to just go in to weigh-in and leave. But we'll see in the morning.
The rest of the day seem to fall into place fine - I managed to eat healthy with regular portions and be full. This is a positive side-effect of eating smaller portions, now smaller portions are actually filling me up.
We are migrating our diets from flour products to whole wheat products. For dinner I made whole wheat spaghetti with spicy turkey brats and steamed green beans. YUM - The kids really liked it too. Another thing I've learned is just because there is a whole box of pasta or a jar of sauce doesn't mean you have to use it all. Our youngest was eating dinner at a friends so there were only 4 of us, so I made 4 servings - no leftovers, no seconds, no temptation. Now we have 2 servings of uncooked pasta and sauce that the Wife & I can have on pizza night.
After dinner I sat down, and played in my weekly online poker league - tough competitors took 8th out of 27 not bad. Then I had to get back to work - starting my marketing consulting firm - its going very well, but as the wife pointed out I will have quarterly taxes due in a couple of weeks. So I needed to get my finances into a financial software - so I spent 4 hours adding this years numbers into the software. As I was doing this I felt my throat was getting really soar, and I couldn't breathe through my nose. I was sore all over. A real mess.
I'm feeling pretty rough right now - tomorrow is weigh-in, but if I feel like this I may in the morning I may not even make it to the gym - would be kinda stupid to just go in to weigh-in and leave. But we'll see in the morning.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday - and going strong
Well, its Monday again - weather is beginning to turn more spring-like and I'm looking forward to getting out in the yard and even hitting a few golf balls. I am really looking forward to getting back to sports - individual sports for now, maybe next year I will look at joining a softball league or something like that.
I had a conversation with my trucker buddy who is joining me in our efforts to return to fitness. He had previously had great success using the Weight Watchers program and one of the things he was telling me was that it is necessary to change your work out routine. In fact it shouldn't become a routine because your body will get used to it and figure out ways to store fat. So my question is how different does the exercise plan need to be in order to keep my body from storing fat?
Anyway, my wife & I have been doing very well at keeping our portion sizes in check - even when eating out - can you believe that you can actually eat at Buffalo Wild Wings and not blow your diet. We both had for the first time the Grilled Chicken Buffalitos with a side salad. It was surprisingly tasty and very filling. Big change from our usual of boneless wings and bufallo chips.
We're both using the gym and for now we have been cycling 30 minutes followed by 30-40 minutes on the circuit training.
I had a conversation with my trucker buddy who is joining me in our efforts to return to fitness. He had previously had great success using the Weight Watchers program and one of the things he was telling me was that it is necessary to change your work out routine. In fact it shouldn't become a routine because your body will get used to it and figure out ways to store fat. So my question is how different does the exercise plan need to be in order to keep my body from storing fat?
Anyway, my wife & I have been doing very well at keeping our portion sizes in check - even when eating out - can you believe that you can actually eat at Buffalo Wild Wings and not blow your diet. We both had for the first time the Grilled Chicken Buffalitos with a side salad. It was surprisingly tasty and very filling. Big change from our usual of boneless wings and bufallo chips.
We're both using the gym and for now we have been cycling 30 minutes followed by 30-40 minutes on the circuit training.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
First Day Off
Last night, my youngest got sick - too much excitement in combination with the pizza sauce probably didn't sit well. But anyway, she's home with me cause you just can never be too sure. Fortunately she woke up feeling fine - but with the sad news that she had to stay home today because she got sick last night.
Nevertheless, I did not get to the gym today, instead I focused on eating right and taking care of my little girl. I consumed less than 1600 calories today including 2 slices of Aunt Millies Light 100% Whole Wheat bread - which is only 80 calories per 2 slices, as compared to the 70 calories in 1 slice of white bread.
When making our lunches my daughter told me she did not want the "brown bread", so I told her it was not for her it was for - it's diet bread. Her face looked puzzled "Diet Bread?" she asked. So I said well I can have 1 slice of white bread or 2 slices of brown bread and they are about the same calories - which would you chose? She pointed to the brown, I asked, "do you want the brown bread?" She firmly refused. Oh well more for me.
Now - I've never been a fan of wheat bread, especially whole wheat - but with 1 Tbsp of mayo and some mustard - I really liked it. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for bread that is more healthy and tastes good.
Nevertheless, I did not get to the gym today, instead I focused on eating right and taking care of my little girl. I consumed less than 1600 calories today including 2 slices of Aunt Millies Light 100% Whole Wheat bread - which is only 80 calories per 2 slices, as compared to the 70 calories in 1 slice of white bread.
When making our lunches my daughter told me she did not want the "brown bread", so I told her it was not for her it was for - it's diet bread. Her face looked puzzled "Diet Bread?" she asked. So I said well I can have 1 slice of white bread or 2 slices of brown bread and they are about the same calories - which would you chose? She pointed to the brown, I asked, "do you want the brown bread?" She firmly refused. Oh well more for me.
Now - I've never been a fan of wheat bread, especially whole wheat - but with 1 Tbsp of mayo and some mustard - I really liked it. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for bread that is more healthy and tastes good.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Start of a new Week
Well, talk about motivating - getting on the scale and seeing that my efforts are paying off Big Time. I know it will be a challenge to replicate this past week, but I'm going to try. I'm eating better, working harder.
Today, I only consumed 1500 calories and that included Pizza. Wednesday is Pizza night at the Powers' house, well with 3 kids, they are used to it and we can't let them down. So Pizza it is with breadsticks even. I know my mouth is watering. Along with the pizza and breadsticks I ordered a family sized greek salad for my wife & I to split. That was delicious, but holy cow the amount of sodium. The pickled beets and feta cheese in the Greek salad really drove that way up. so now for the pizza; I had a yummy Lean Cuisine Pizza, not the best but an adequate substitute.
After dinner, we decided to head out and find some geo cache. This is a new hobby that we as a family has picked up - for those of you who have not heard of it, it's basically a big scavenger hunt using GPS. People hide canisters, called cache, all around and log the coordinates. They then enter the cache into the online database where people like us can enter the coordinates and find the cache. Sometimes we're able to drive to within 20 feet of it, and others we have to hike up to a mile through fairly rugged terrain. We're walking and talking and finding them as a family. Great for exercise and teamwork.
Tonight, we searched for 3 cache that were within 5 miles of our home, we found the first one rather quickly, then we moved to the next - we were in the location, but could never find it. It's possible that someone removed it. And finally, the last one we were in behind a tire shop and within 25 feet of the cache when we stumbled on a pile of bones. At first I thought animal, but then I noticed the thick vertebrae and one bone appeared to have been clean cut. So being safe, I contacted the authorities and they came out and looked it over and decided further investigation was needed. I was told that we could leave and if anything turns up that they will be in touch. Kinda creepy.
Today, I only consumed 1500 calories and that included Pizza. Wednesday is Pizza night at the Powers' house, well with 3 kids, they are used to it and we can't let them down. So Pizza it is with breadsticks even. I know my mouth is watering. Along with the pizza and breadsticks I ordered a family sized greek salad for my wife & I to split. That was delicious, but holy cow the amount of sodium. The pickled beets and feta cheese in the Greek salad really drove that way up. so now for the pizza; I had a yummy Lean Cuisine Pizza, not the best but an adequate substitute.
After dinner, we decided to head out and find some geo cache. This is a new hobby that we as a family has picked up - for those of you who have not heard of it, it's basically a big scavenger hunt using GPS. People hide canisters, called cache, all around and log the coordinates. They then enter the cache into the online database where people like us can enter the coordinates and find the cache. Sometimes we're able to drive to within 20 feet of it, and others we have to hike up to a mile through fairly rugged terrain. We're walking and talking and finding them as a family. Great for exercise and teamwork.
Tonight, we searched for 3 cache that were within 5 miles of our home, we found the first one rather quickly, then we moved to the next - we were in the location, but could never find it. It's possible that someone removed it. And finally, the last one we were in behind a tire shop and within 25 feet of the cache when we stumbled on a pile of bones. At first I thought animal, but then I noticed the thick vertebrae and one bone appeared to have been clean cut. So being safe, I contacted the authorities and they came out and looked it over and decided further investigation was needed. I was told that we could leave and if anything turns up that they will be in touch. Kinda creepy.
First Weigh In
Well, typically I only blog once a day, but this is pretty important. So I figured today, of all days, is worth a double post.
So here goes...
I got to the gym this morning and after about 30 min on the cycle, I decided to meet my fate. I step up to the scale - dialed in my previous weight 2-7-1, and stepped on the scale. At first I was perplexed because the scale didn't move - then quickly I realized "that's a good thing" if it moved that would mean I weighed more.
So then I began to slide the weight to the left. My goal is 1.7 lbs per week to hit -100 by 5/7/11. So I'm sliding; well I met my goal as I'm sliding past 269 - 267 - 265 to my current weight 264! I lost 7 pounds in 7 days. Seven pounds represents 2.6% of my body weight. Now I know that I will not likely have this success every week - but if feels great to get off to a great start.
Now, my journal at everydayhealth.com wanted me to recalculate my calorie intake based on my new weight and activity level - HOLY COW - they want me to eat MORE!! I think I'll stay at my 2000 target - I have yet to hit it anyway.
Anyway - the Thin Man can see there's light at the end of this Tunnel.
So here goes...
I got to the gym this morning and after about 30 min on the cycle, I decided to meet my fate. I step up to the scale - dialed in my previous weight 2-7-1, and stepped on the scale. At first I was perplexed because the scale didn't move - then quickly I realized "that's a good thing" if it moved that would mean I weighed more.
So then I began to slide the weight to the left. My goal is 1.7 lbs per week to hit -100 by 5/7/11. So I'm sliding; well I met my goal as I'm sliding past 269 - 267 - 265 to my current weight 264! I lost 7 pounds in 7 days. Seven pounds represents 2.6% of my body weight. Now I know that I will not likely have this success every week - but if feels great to get off to a great start.
Now, my journal at everydayhealth.com wanted me to recalculate my calorie intake based on my new weight and activity level - HOLY COW - they want me to eat MORE!! I think I'll stay at my 2000 target - I have yet to hit it anyway.
Anyway - the Thin Man can see there's light at the end of this Tunnel.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
What a Day
I am exhausted and sore from today's activities. I started off by hitting the circuit training. I did 2 sets of each machine until I got to the vertical press and I felt a little pop in my right shoulder. It doesn't hurt now, but I didn't want to press it. On my way out of the gym, I noticed an open elliptical trainer (I have never used one) so I thought I'd jump on and knock out 30 minutes.
Keep in mind, I just finished lifting weights with every major muscle group for the past hour... Oh My God! First thing was that it was such a weird motion, I didn't know if I was walking, climbing or just rocking. I found it difficult to maintain a speed, I'd get going then I'd be running, or I'd slow down, and it'd want to go backwards. I felt like a toddler learning to walk. At about 8 1/2 minutes in, I realized there is no way I can make it 30 - but I wanted - but my body just couldn't push any harder. So I pushed myself to complete 10 minutes and got off. My right calf began to hurt. I think I'm pushing my body too hard too fast.
Tomorrow is Weigh In Day - the first since I started (271 lbs), one week ago. I'm feeling good, feeling more energetic - and I feel like things are toning up a bit. Hopefully, this will be affirmed tomorrow at the weigh in.
Wish me luck!
Keep in mind, I just finished lifting weights with every major muscle group for the past hour... Oh My God! First thing was that it was such a weird motion, I didn't know if I was walking, climbing or just rocking. I found it difficult to maintain a speed, I'd get going then I'd be running, or I'd slow down, and it'd want to go backwards. I felt like a toddler learning to walk. At about 8 1/2 minutes in, I realized there is no way I can make it 30 - but I wanted - but my body just couldn't push any harder. So I pushed myself to complete 10 minutes and got off. My right calf began to hurt. I think I'm pushing my body too hard too fast.
Tomorrow is Weigh In Day - the first since I started (271 lbs), one week ago. I'm feeling good, feeling more energetic - and I feel like things are toning up a bit. Hopefully, this will be affirmed tomorrow at the weigh in.
Wish me luck!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Just another Manic Monday
Good evening. Wow what a day.
Consumed 1500ish calories, and burned 900ish calories through exercise. I feel great. Had a Klondike Slim a Bear ice cream after dinner (100 calories). It is a lot easier than I thought.
I had a phone call from a friend that I've kinda lost touch with - he said he read my blog and became inspired. He explained to me how he could relate to the issues I faced growing up and in the most recent years leading up to an unfit body. He has committed himself to becoming more fit. Congrats!!
He faces some additional challenges that I would like to help him with. He's an over the road truck driver, which means he's in his truck driving many hours and finding healthy meals & snacks may be more difficult. If any body has any ideas to help him please post a comment.
Consumed 1500ish calories, and burned 900ish calories through exercise. I feel great. Had a Klondike Slim a Bear ice cream after dinner (100 calories). It is a lot easier than I thought.
I had a phone call from a friend that I've kinda lost touch with - he said he read my blog and became inspired. He explained to me how he could relate to the issues I faced growing up and in the most recent years leading up to an unfit body. He has committed himself to becoming more fit. Congrats!!
He faces some additional challenges that I would like to help him with. He's an over the road truck driver, which means he's in his truck driving many hours and finding healthy meals & snacks may be more difficult. If any body has any ideas to help him please post a comment.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Weekend is Over
Well, It's Sunday night - technically Monday morning, but who's counting. We had a very active weekend, felt like I never had a minute to sit and "think about food" which is such a struggle for me working from home.
We are finding new ways to get exercise that really doesn't feel like exercise. Saturday we went out on our first Geo Caching exposition. And for those of you who don't know what geocaching - it's basically a scavenger hunt using GPS. We found ourselves hiking into the woods as a family looking for these canisters, just to say we found them. I know, kinda geeky, but when we were done, we realized - we hiked almost 1/2 mile in somewhat rugged terrain and it felt good. We plan to do more of these.
As for the meals, there were not as many as during the week while I'm sitting in my home office. Both days managing to keep our intake below 1400 - which is still 600 below our budget for our loss goal. I guess I can't complain.
This included having a Hula Salad from Max & Erma's. First time there, and well, its a gourmet burger place. So the diet-friendly foods were limited. I found a salad with greens, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and grilled chicken with low-fat honey mustard dressing and a glass of water to do the trick - 563 calories for dinner.
We've stocked up the fridge with lots of different veggies and melons and berries. Looking forward to a little more variety in our menu this week as we start to explore new low fat options.
We have become obsessed with the sodium intake - according the daily recommended values - we should not exceed 2400mg with a 2000 calorie diet, but this seems almost impossible. What can we do to maintain our calories without exceeding our sodium OR is this really important for us to maintain?
We have stocked up on veggies and melons and berries. W
We are finding new ways to get exercise that really doesn't feel like exercise. Saturday we went out on our first Geo Caching exposition. And for those of you who don't know what geocaching - it's basically a scavenger hunt using GPS. We found ourselves hiking into the woods as a family looking for these canisters, just to say we found them. I know, kinda geeky, but when we were done, we realized - we hiked almost 1/2 mile in somewhat rugged terrain and it felt good. We plan to do more of these.
As for the meals, there were not as many as during the week while I'm sitting in my home office. Both days managing to keep our intake below 1400 - which is still 600 below our budget for our loss goal. I guess I can't complain.
This included having a Hula Salad from Max & Erma's. First time there, and well, its a gourmet burger place. So the diet-friendly foods were limited. I found a salad with greens, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and grilled chicken with low-fat honey mustard dressing and a glass of water to do the trick - 563 calories for dinner.
We've stocked up the fridge with lots of different veggies and melons and berries. Looking forward to a little more variety in our menu this week as we start to explore new low fat options.
We have become obsessed with the sodium intake - according the daily recommended values - we should not exceed 2400mg with a 2000 calorie diet, but this seems almost impossible. What can we do to maintain our calories without exceeding our sodium OR is this really important for us to maintain?
We have stocked up on veggies and melons and berries. W
Friday, March 19, 2010
It's Friday
Today I must say was a great day emotionally. Lots of encouragement from friends and family. I am trying to keep focus on my objective.
Today I had a simple breakfast - oatmeal & yogurt
Snacks included celery & carrot sticks
Lunch - tried something new - Tuna w/ Salsa (not bad - a lot less calories than mayo)
along with flatbread on the side and a garden salad
Dinner - I tried to make up some calories - we grilled burgers and I had one - so needless to say I exceeded my protein and fat intake - but still way short on my calorie budget.
I feel like I'm eating all day - but now that could just be because I'm watching everything I do now.
I rode the stationary bike for 7.4 miles in 30 minutes then was introduced to the circuit training - then I spent the next 30 minutes doing reps, finding my starting weighs on each machine. Man, am I out of shape, but that is the main reason I'm doing this.
Anyway, I feel really good after today's workout - I think this will be my routine 3-4 times a week. Going to be taking the kids to the pool tomorrow - going to get some laps in, along with some errands.
I hear that we're expecting snow, after a week in the 60's, this is not very nice.
Today I had a simple breakfast - oatmeal & yogurt
Snacks included celery & carrot sticks
Lunch - tried something new - Tuna w/ Salsa (not bad - a lot less calories than mayo)
along with flatbread on the side and a garden salad
Dinner - I tried to make up some calories - we grilled burgers and I had one - so needless to say I exceeded my protein and fat intake - but still way short on my calorie budget.
I feel like I'm eating all day - but now that could just be because I'm watching everything I do now.
I rode the stationary bike for 7.4 miles in 30 minutes then was introduced to the circuit training - then I spent the next 30 minutes doing reps, finding my starting weighs on each machine. Man, am I out of shape, but that is the main reason I'm doing this.
Anyway, I feel really good after today's workout - I think this will be my routine 3-4 times a week. Going to be taking the kids to the pool tomorrow - going to get some laps in, along with some errands.
I hear that we're expecting snow, after a week in the 60's, this is not very nice.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Day 2 - Busy Thursday
Today was very busy (work related). But I still got it off to a great start with a balanced breakfast.
Breakfast:
Quaker Weight Control - Cinnamon
1 Pear
Dannon Lite N Fit Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt
2Tbsp French Vanilla Creamer
316 calories
It was delicious and filling, I used an apple core/slicer to slice the pear, and I took Jillian Michael's advice "don't eat standing up". So I sat down and actually enjoyed my meal - seemed like so much food. I've never been much of a breakfast eater but man what an energy boost.
I headed out for business and was in a meeting right up until lunch - Note, I missed my snack. Hunger was beginning to set in. But I had my water. So on my drive home I thought where can I stop that would not kill my plan. Then I thought of Jared from Subway - Yes! So I was on a mission, I knew of one along my way home and I stopped in and got a 6" Turkey Breast & Black Forest Ham on Wheat - I had lots of veggies, a slice of Provolone, salt/pepper, oil/vinegar & mustard. I made it a combo with some Baked! Lays & a Coke Zero. My best estimate of calories for the meal about 410. Still not too bad.
With all the choices you can have at Subway - a great iPhone app would be to build your sandwich and then have it calculate the nutritional value.
I leave Subway and run some errands - spending about an hour walking around stores, then I head home. My afternoon snack consists of a cheese stick & 2 WheatThin Flatbreads. 142 calories.
For dinner, my wife & I decided on salmon patties - we love these and they are a healthier alternative to hamburgers. We grill them on each side for about 4 mins at 400 degrees. I chose to have my as part of my salad with a couple Wheatthin Flatbreads (I really like these). My wife chose to roll it all up in a Garden Spinach Lawash (green tortilla) like a burrito. We both enjoyed our variations and left the dinner table satisfied having only consumed about 400 calories.
After dinner, my wife & I, along with our 7 yr old daughter took our dog for a walk. We walked for about 30 minutes, it was rather slow pace but it was consistent. My pedometer, which I had picked up earlier in the day from Walmart for $5 showed that we walked just under 1 mile. It sure didn't feel like it. We will probably build in a 2-3 mile walk a couple nights a week into our fitness plan.
Now, I'm at the same point as I was yesterday. I've made it through the day and only consumed 1260 calories of my 2000 budget. So I again have flexibility in my evening snack. It might have been closer if I was home for my morning snack and lunch but I made due. I was not about to eat 740 calories but I wanted to close the gap a bit.
My wife bought the Lawash Flatbread (basically healthy tortillas). She picked up spinach which we both like, she had it with her dinner and I wanted to try in as part of a snack. So I spooned out 2Tbsp of Garden Veggie Philly Cream Cheese onto one of the flatbread, and rolled up like a "cheese roll-up". It tasted great, it was filling and was only 150 calories.
Total calories for the day are about 1500, and I burned off 184 for the 30 minute leisure walk. Still going strong.
Breakfast:
Quaker Weight Control - Cinnamon
1 Pear
Dannon Lite N Fit Lowfat Vanilla Yogurt
2Tbsp French Vanilla Creamer
316 calories
It was delicious and filling, I used an apple core/slicer to slice the pear, and I took Jillian Michael's advice "don't eat standing up". So I sat down and actually enjoyed my meal - seemed like so much food. I've never been much of a breakfast eater but man what an energy boost.
I headed out for business and was in a meeting right up until lunch - Note, I missed my snack. Hunger was beginning to set in. But I had my water. So on my drive home I thought where can I stop that would not kill my plan. Then I thought of Jared from Subway - Yes! So I was on a mission, I knew of one along my way home and I stopped in and got a 6" Turkey Breast & Black Forest Ham on Wheat - I had lots of veggies, a slice of Provolone, salt/pepper, oil/vinegar & mustard. I made it a combo with some Baked! Lays & a Coke Zero. My best estimate of calories for the meal about 410. Still not too bad.
With all the choices you can have at Subway - a great iPhone app would be to build your sandwich and then have it calculate the nutritional value.
I leave Subway and run some errands - spending about an hour walking around stores, then I head home. My afternoon snack consists of a cheese stick & 2 WheatThin Flatbreads. 142 calories.
For dinner, my wife & I decided on salmon patties - we love these and they are a healthier alternative to hamburgers. We grill them on each side for about 4 mins at 400 degrees. I chose to have my as part of my salad with a couple Wheatthin Flatbreads (I really like these). My wife chose to roll it all up in a Garden Spinach Lawash (green tortilla) like a burrito. We both enjoyed our variations and left the dinner table satisfied having only consumed about 400 calories.
After dinner, my wife & I, along with our 7 yr old daughter took our dog for a walk. We walked for about 30 minutes, it was rather slow pace but it was consistent. My pedometer, which I had picked up earlier in the day from Walmart for $5 showed that we walked just under 1 mile. It sure didn't feel like it. We will probably build in a 2-3 mile walk a couple nights a week into our fitness plan.
Now, I'm at the same point as I was yesterday. I've made it through the day and only consumed 1260 calories of my 2000 budget. So I again have flexibility in my evening snack. It might have been closer if I was home for my morning snack and lunch but I made due. I was not about to eat 740 calories but I wanted to close the gap a bit.
My wife bought the Lawash Flatbread (basically healthy tortillas). She picked up spinach which we both like, she had it with her dinner and I wanted to try in as part of a snack. So I spooned out 2Tbsp of Garden Veggie Philly Cream Cheese onto one of the flatbread, and rolled up like a "cheese roll-up". It tasted great, it was filling and was only 150 calories.
Total calories for the day are about 1500, and I burned off 184 for the 30 minute leisure walk. Still going strong.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
First Day Towards Fitness
Today's the day, time to transform into the Thin Man trapped inside. Now, over the past 8 years, I've repeated said to my wife and to myself - I'm happy with who I am. And that's true, I am. But, with family history of heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer - I want to reduce my risk and become a more fit person.
I will continue to enjoy the things I enjoy (mainly my family), but I will hopefully have more energy and feel better about my overall fitness level. My kids are very active and I don't want to miss out on any of it because I'm too tired or just don't have the energy any more.
First off, I want to give credit where credit is due. I purchased the book "The Biggest Loser" and after reading it, I realized that I can do this. Surprisingly, it's not that difficult (especially now that I am committed to this change). Thank you Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, PhD & Bob Harper - the book really inspired me. And for those of you out there that don't know where to start or think it may be too hard - this book shows you how simple it really can be to achieve your goals. Remember, right now I'm still trapped in the fat body (also new to blogging - If i can figure out how to post a picture I will get my before photo up -- YUCK!! ) well I've got some work to do.
Anyway - my first day went like this:
After getting my daughter off to school, I realized I'm supposed to have 6 small meals a day rather than the Breakfast Lunch & Dinner that I've been so used to. So I opened "The Biggest Loser" book (TBL) and checked out the sample meals in the back - egg whites... mmm for my caloric goal which is 2000/day I can have 4 egg whites cooked in 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil with Basil and grated Parmesan. Now I didn't have any basil so I just did without - the cheese & oil made it taste pretty good. I had a handful of cherry tomatoes, a pear, and 1 Tbsp of French Vanilla creamer for my coffee and it came to 330 calories - not bad.
Now off to the gym, now this is not something I've done a lot - so I really don't have much in the way of "work out" close. I'm not one for sweats and I typically wear my pajamas around the house; but I was able to dig out one athletic set (it became my summer pj's). So I guess I need to make a trip to the store to get some clothes - will do another time. Anyway, I get to the gym at about 9am and with lots of energy and enthusiasm I step up to the window and say "I'd like to enroll in the Weight Loss Challenge". They inform me that it was cancelled due to low enrollment. What?!? Oh no, now what... Hey, I just saved $5 for the contest and I'm still committed so I ask for some help to get started.
The fitness center attendant, we'll call him Bob, is on site and I introduce myself and tell him that I'm looking to lose some weight and I think today I'd like to start with a cardio workout. TBL talks about cardio and circuit training - so I figured that's where I'll start. I had the choice of treadmill, elliptical or cycle - I chose cycle. I also chose to cycle for 60 minutes. Bob explained the levels and I decided that I should stay on the lower settings until my fitness improves - so I planned to stay at about level 3.
It only took about 5 minutes for me to realize that level 3 was too hard for me so I kicked it down to 2, that was much better - I was able to maintain a speed of 14mph for 60 minutes. It was tough at times, and I thought ok, maybe I'll stop at 30, or 45, but I kept telling myself that I've committed to 60 minutes today and I will complete the 60 minutes. I now know what 60 minutes feels like. So I got off the bike and I felt pretty good, worked up a bit of a sweat. So now it was 10am and time to head home to do some work.
I found it difficult to really focus on anything because I felt so energized, I ended up walking around the yard, picking up trash - moving rocks and bricks, playing with the dog, repairing the sod where some animal dug it up apparently looking for grubs. Then when I finally did go inside I wanted to find a place to track my calories online and I found that www.everydayhealth.com has a great online tool for counting calories you eat and counting calories you burn through exercise. It makes it very easy to see how your intake compares to your goal. To my surprise, when I entered my cycling into the website I found out that I burned off 860 calories for my hour on the cycle - FANTASTIC!!!
So I started filling out my profile on everydayhealth.com while having my snack of a mozzarella cheese stick and an orange (142 calories); I might also add, I also was drinking my 4th water bottle of water. My wife & I each got new bottles they are transparent with some ridges for grip, a locking top and a bottle counter to help keep track of your intake. Each bottle holds 24oz of water (3-8oz glasses) It's called the Intak by Thermos. One thing I learned from The Biggest Loser book is that the water needs to be as COLD as possible. I've heard cold, then I've heard it didn't matter either way, I've never heard a scientific theory as to why it should be cold, until now. Apparently, your body has to warm the water to be able to process it, well if the water is cold your body is working harder to warm the water, hence you're burning calories GENIUS - I love it. See I told you it is simple.
At this point my day begins to normalize and I get back to work, which I won't get into. But its not long after my snack that it's time for lunch - seems like I just ate - I wasn't really hungry, but it says 6 small meals, and I'm committed so I crack open TBL again for ideas. Well, I ran into my first challenge - the suggestions for lunch either - I didn't have the ingredients or didn't really appeal (mostly because I wasn't really hungry). So I started doing something dangerous - I was looking through the cupboards for something that appealed to me. But what I found was tuna - I love tuna salad sandwiches. Now I knew that I couldn't go all out like I have in the past so I read the label. The can of tuna had 2 servings for 50 calories each - I can eat both servings and still only have used 100 calories NICE. Now I want Mayonnaise... uh oh 90 calories for 1 itty-bitty tablespoon *sigh*. Okay I'm committed, so I grab the measuring spoon and a butter knife, I fill the spoon with mayo and level it off with the knife and drop it into the tuna - now I'm at 190 calories, still not bad and it actually tastes good without all the gobs and gobs of mayo I used to put in it. I added a large salad of iceburg lettuce, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes and 2 Tbspns of a light Raspberry Viniagrette and a Dannon Lite N Fit lowfat Yogurt for a total calorie intake of 451 for lunch.
Now, it is St. Patrick's Day - and I am Irish. I passed on the green beer, but I could not pass up on the Corned Beef & Cabbage. 2.25oz of corned beef & 2 cups of cabbage, 2 WheatThin Flatbreads, and 1 small canned potato, the total for my yummy St. Patrick's Day meal was 325 calories. I weighed my corned beef on our new nutritional food scale, gives the calories, fat, carbs, fiber, and other measurments with pre-programmed data based on the weight of your food. It is a must have if you are truly committed to better eating habits.
At this point, my "Weight Tracker Dashboard" on everydayhealth.com showed that I still had 1500 calories that I could consume - now I had no intention of eating 1500 calories for my evening snack, but I knew I had a lot of flexibility. So I looked at some of my snacks that I used to enjoy - One of my favorites is tortilla chips and salsa. So I looked at the nutritional values and noticed that 6 chips (these are big chips) are 120 calories, so 9 chips (1 1/2 servings) would be 180 calories. And to my surprise - Salsa has very few calories, 2 tablespoons of salsa is only 9 calories, so I had 4 tablespoons and my snack came to 200 calories. Now I do feel guilty eating all that sodium -and I will work on controlling that - but I still ended up only eating about 1400 of my 2000 calorie daily budget - PLUS I burned off another 860 calories so my net intake for the day was only 540 calories.
I drank 5 bottles of water - 15-8oz glasses, that's a lot of water.
What I learned today, is that I need to plan out my day a little better, I'm getting most of everything I need, but I don't want to become counter-productive and jeopardize my health for the sake of fitness. I will continue drinking lots of water, it keeps me feeling full and its much more refreshing that drinking pop. So other than my morning coffee, I have had only water to drink today. Day 1 was pretty easy, I know that it will become more challenging as we move on but I'm committed to this change.
I will continue to enjoy the things I enjoy (mainly my family), but I will hopefully have more energy and feel better about my overall fitness level. My kids are very active and I don't want to miss out on any of it because I'm too tired or just don't have the energy any more.
First off, I want to give credit where credit is due. I purchased the book "The Biggest Loser" and after reading it, I realized that I can do this. Surprisingly, it's not that difficult (especially now that I am committed to this change). Thank you Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, PhD & Bob Harper - the book really inspired me. And for those of you out there that don't know where to start or think it may be too hard - this book shows you how simple it really can be to achieve your goals. Remember, right now I'm still trapped in the fat body (also new to blogging - If i can figure out how to post a picture I will get my before photo up -- YUCK!! ) well I've got some work to do.
Anyway - my first day went like this:
After getting my daughter off to school, I realized I'm supposed to have 6 small meals a day rather than the Breakfast Lunch & Dinner that I've been so used to. So I opened "The Biggest Loser" book (TBL) and checked out the sample meals in the back - egg whites... mmm for my caloric goal which is 2000/day I can have 4 egg whites cooked in 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil with Basil and grated Parmesan. Now I didn't have any basil so I just did without - the cheese & oil made it taste pretty good. I had a handful of cherry tomatoes, a pear, and 1 Tbsp of French Vanilla creamer for my coffee and it came to 330 calories - not bad.
Now off to the gym, now this is not something I've done a lot - so I really don't have much in the way of "work out" close. I'm not one for sweats and I typically wear my pajamas around the house; but I was able to dig out one athletic set (it became my summer pj's). So I guess I need to make a trip to the store to get some clothes - will do another time. Anyway, I get to the gym at about 9am and with lots of energy and enthusiasm I step up to the window and say "I'd like to enroll in the Weight Loss Challenge". They inform me that it was cancelled due to low enrollment. What?!? Oh no, now what... Hey, I just saved $5 for the contest and I'm still committed so I ask for some help to get started.
The fitness center attendant, we'll call him Bob, is on site and I introduce myself and tell him that I'm looking to lose some weight and I think today I'd like to start with a cardio workout. TBL talks about cardio and circuit training - so I figured that's where I'll start. I had the choice of treadmill, elliptical or cycle - I chose cycle. I also chose to cycle for 60 minutes. Bob explained the levels and I decided that I should stay on the lower settings until my fitness improves - so I planned to stay at about level 3.
It only took about 5 minutes for me to realize that level 3 was too hard for me so I kicked it down to 2, that was much better - I was able to maintain a speed of 14mph for 60 minutes. It was tough at times, and I thought ok, maybe I'll stop at 30, or 45, but I kept telling myself that I've committed to 60 minutes today and I will complete the 60 minutes. I now know what 60 minutes feels like. So I got off the bike and I felt pretty good, worked up a bit of a sweat. So now it was 10am and time to head home to do some work.
I found it difficult to really focus on anything because I felt so energized, I ended up walking around the yard, picking up trash - moving rocks and bricks, playing with the dog, repairing the sod where some animal dug it up apparently looking for grubs. Then when I finally did go inside I wanted to find a place to track my calories online and I found that www.everydayhealth.com has a great online tool for counting calories you eat and counting calories you burn through exercise. It makes it very easy to see how your intake compares to your goal. To my surprise, when I entered my cycling into the website I found out that I burned off 860 calories for my hour on the cycle - FANTASTIC!!!
So I started filling out my profile on everydayhealth.com while having my snack of a mozzarella cheese stick and an orange (142 calories); I might also add, I also was drinking my 4th water bottle of water. My wife & I each got new bottles they are transparent with some ridges for grip, a locking top and a bottle counter to help keep track of your intake. Each bottle holds 24oz of water (3-8oz glasses) It's called the Intak by Thermos. One thing I learned from The Biggest Loser book is that the water needs to be as COLD as possible. I've heard cold, then I've heard it didn't matter either way, I've never heard a scientific theory as to why it should be cold, until now. Apparently, your body has to warm the water to be able to process it, well if the water is cold your body is working harder to warm the water, hence you're burning calories GENIUS - I love it. See I told you it is simple.
At this point my day begins to normalize and I get back to work, which I won't get into. But its not long after my snack that it's time for lunch - seems like I just ate - I wasn't really hungry, but it says 6 small meals, and I'm committed so I crack open TBL again for ideas. Well, I ran into my first challenge - the suggestions for lunch either - I didn't have the ingredients or didn't really appeal (mostly because I wasn't really hungry). So I started doing something dangerous - I was looking through the cupboards for something that appealed to me. But what I found was tuna - I love tuna salad sandwiches. Now I knew that I couldn't go all out like I have in the past so I read the label. The can of tuna had 2 servings for 50 calories each - I can eat both servings and still only have used 100 calories NICE. Now I want Mayonnaise... uh oh 90 calories for 1 itty-bitty tablespoon *sigh*. Okay I'm committed, so I grab the measuring spoon and a butter knife, I fill the spoon with mayo and level it off with the knife and drop it into the tuna - now I'm at 190 calories, still not bad and it actually tastes good without all the gobs and gobs of mayo I used to put in it. I added a large salad of iceburg lettuce, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes and 2 Tbspns of a light Raspberry Viniagrette and a Dannon Lite N Fit lowfat Yogurt for a total calorie intake of 451 for lunch.
Now, it is St. Patrick's Day - and I am Irish. I passed on the green beer, but I could not pass up on the Corned Beef & Cabbage. 2.25oz of corned beef & 2 cups of cabbage, 2 WheatThin Flatbreads, and 1 small canned potato, the total for my yummy St. Patrick's Day meal was 325 calories. I weighed my corned beef on our new nutritional food scale, gives the calories, fat, carbs, fiber, and other measurments with pre-programmed data based on the weight of your food. It is a must have if you are truly committed to better eating habits.
At this point, my "Weight Tracker Dashboard" on everydayhealth.com showed that I still had 1500 calories that I could consume - now I had no intention of eating 1500 calories for my evening snack, but I knew I had a lot of flexibility. So I looked at some of my snacks that I used to enjoy - One of my favorites is tortilla chips and salsa. So I looked at the nutritional values and noticed that 6 chips (these are big chips) are 120 calories, so 9 chips (1 1/2 servings) would be 180 calories. And to my surprise - Salsa has very few calories, 2 tablespoons of salsa is only 9 calories, so I had 4 tablespoons and my snack came to 200 calories. Now I do feel guilty eating all that sodium -and I will work on controlling that - but I still ended up only eating about 1400 of my 2000 calorie daily budget - PLUS I burned off another 860 calories so my net intake for the day was only 540 calories.
I drank 5 bottles of water - 15-8oz glasses, that's a lot of water.
What I learned today, is that I need to plan out my day a little better, I'm getting most of everything I need, but I don't want to become counter-productive and jeopardize my health for the sake of fitness. I will continue drinking lots of water, it keeps me feeling full and its much more refreshing that drinking pop. So other than my morning coffee, I have had only water to drink today. Day 1 was pretty easy, I know that it will become more challenging as we move on but I'm committed to this change.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Step One: Commit Myself To Change
I am now 38, and only a couple months til I turn 39. According to the BMI standards, my ideal weight range for my height is 118-159lbs. Which means I'm 112-153lbs overweight. If I lost 135 lbs - I'd weigh 135 lbs (I'm two people in 1 body)
Now for just a bit of history: I had weight issues while in High School and was constantly reminded by my father how fat and lazy I was. As a teenager, I learned to "ignore" the comments, but it set inside my mind that I was not good enough and that I had to lose weight. But, I was not active and I loved junk food. The summer after I graduated from high school, I spent almost every morning playing tennis with my friend Mike Hall (I've lost touch with him over the years). Mike was a freshman my senior year, but with both of us in the band we hit it off. Besides my additional experience made up for my lack of athleticism and it made the tennis challenging for both of us (he was in very good shape).
That summer I lost over 40lbs and dropped from 188 to 145. But I never felt "thin". I always thought I was still overweight. I didn't know. I look back at photos of me between 19yrs old and 30yrs old and I'm amazed at how fit and healthy I looked. But I don't ever remember being fit.
My 30's have been very busy. I got married to my lovely wife who also will be working right beside me to become more fit. I finished my bachelors and went on to complete my master's degree both in marketing. My wife & I had a daughter. We were awarded custody of my 2 older children. And I've started my online marketing consulting business.
But I'm not prepared to let it stop there - by the time I turn 40, which is only 13 1/2 months from now I plan to have lost 100 lbs. Roughly 60 weeks or I need to average 1 2/3rds pounds per week in weight loss.
So I am committed to losing the weight through proper diet and exercise to achieve much higher level of fitness. My first step was getting a gym membership.
At the high school, there is an attached "fieldhouse" this is a shared facility between the high school students (athletes & Physical Education) and the community membership. They have a complete fitness center with treadmills, elypiticals, cycles, circuit training, and a complete assortment of free weights and other equipment that I hopefully will get to use over the course of my makeover. They also have a lap pool and a leisure pool - this will be great for the kids and getting that low-impact workout. Fortunately my schedule will allow me to visit the gym 3-4 times a week, plus a couple times to the pool with the kids or alone. Any membership fee would be worth it, but I found that this offers more for either less or about the same as a standard gym and it's less than a mile from our house - it's the right fit. So we purchased a family membership on 3/11.
What was even better; was that they had a "Weight Loss Challenge" that was beginning on 3/17 to run for 6 weeks - my wife & I thought what better way to start our path to total fitness. So that was the plan. On March 17 we will begin our quest. But we already had our membership - So we took the kids swimming. It was very nice, we experienced all that both pools had to offer. We had a great time and the kids are looking forward to many days playing around in the water, becoming better swimmers and ultimately improving their overall health.
Now for just a bit of history: I had weight issues while in High School and was constantly reminded by my father how fat and lazy I was. As a teenager, I learned to "ignore" the comments, but it set inside my mind that I was not good enough and that I had to lose weight. But, I was not active and I loved junk food. The summer after I graduated from high school, I spent almost every morning playing tennis with my friend Mike Hall (I've lost touch with him over the years). Mike was a freshman my senior year, but with both of us in the band we hit it off. Besides my additional experience made up for my lack of athleticism and it made the tennis challenging for both of us (he was in very good shape).
That summer I lost over 40lbs and dropped from 188 to 145. But I never felt "thin". I always thought I was still overweight. I didn't know. I look back at photos of me between 19yrs old and 30yrs old and I'm amazed at how fit and healthy I looked. But I don't ever remember being fit.
My 30's have been very busy. I got married to my lovely wife who also will be working right beside me to become more fit. I finished my bachelors and went on to complete my master's degree both in marketing. My wife & I had a daughter. We were awarded custody of my 2 older children. And I've started my online marketing consulting business.
But I'm not prepared to let it stop there - by the time I turn 40, which is only 13 1/2 months from now I plan to have lost 100 lbs. Roughly 60 weeks or I need to average 1 2/3rds pounds per week in weight loss.
So I am committed to losing the weight through proper diet and exercise to achieve much higher level of fitness. My first step was getting a gym membership.
At the high school, there is an attached "fieldhouse" this is a shared facility between the high school students (athletes & Physical Education) and the community membership. They have a complete fitness center with treadmills, elypiticals, cycles, circuit training, and a complete assortment of free weights and other equipment that I hopefully will get to use over the course of my makeover. They also have a lap pool and a leisure pool - this will be great for the kids and getting that low-impact workout. Fortunately my schedule will allow me to visit the gym 3-4 times a week, plus a couple times to the pool with the kids or alone. Any membership fee would be worth it, but I found that this offers more for either less or about the same as a standard gym and it's less than a mile from our house - it's the right fit. So we purchased a family membership on 3/11.
What was even better; was that they had a "Weight Loss Challenge" that was beginning on 3/17 to run for 6 weeks - my wife & I thought what better way to start our path to total fitness. So that was the plan. On March 17 we will begin our quest. But we already had our membership - So we took the kids swimming. It was very nice, we experienced all that both pools had to offer. We had a great time and the kids are looking forward to many days playing around in the water, becoming better swimmers and ultimately improving their overall health.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
