Today the scale read 352.8 lbs. I lost 4.8 lbs. this week. I believe cutting out the nuts and all the exercise is working out. Now if I lose at least 2.8 lbs., it will be time for another disgusting picture.
Despite the stress and emotional anguish I have felt from my job situation, I have enjoyed feeling energetic at times. I have not felt energetic in a long time. Even though, it is not constant, it feels great. I am happy I started living a fit lifestyle. Seeing the difficulty I have had in my life lately, I dread to think how much worse I would have handled it. I also wish I had done this sooner because I would be able to handle this much better.
This is the beginning of another great fitness week. I know I will not be losing that much weight every week. In fact, that much weight loss will become rare if existent at all in the future. The point is that I am becoming more fit each day.
I did not put whether or not I met my goal for this week. I am sure I met my goal, but honestly, I do not remember what it is. I have it my journal in my office. When I realized that I did not know my target, I thought that I was being lazy. How could I not know my goal? Then, I changed my mind. I reminded myself that my ultimate goal is not weight loss, but fitness.
Don't get me wrong. I still want to see lots of weight loss. I want to lose it all tomorrow. So I keep reminding myself that fitness is my goal which inlcudes weight loss at this point. It seems like a psychological game at this point, but I hope it will eventually sink in.
Weight Loss Ticker
Monday, March 12, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Burn Fat Fast! Lose 30 lbs. in 3 weeks!
I hate saying all these adds promising quick, fast, easy, long-term weight loss. If it were that easy and that fast, who would be fat?
I know I have set some high weight loss goal for myself, but they are just a guide. Should I not meet those goals, I won't quit. I will adjust them to be a little more realistic.
My ultimate goal is not weight loss, but living a fit lifestyle. Losing the weight is only one component. Actually, it's an outcome. Okay, maybe it's both. Eating healthy and an exercise routine are the two key components to living a fit lifestyle. As a result, I am losing weight. Losing weight is making me more fit as well.
If make losing weight my goal, that means there is end; a time when what I am doing stops. I could then switch and make keeping the weight off my goal. In mind, I don't think that will work for me.
I don't just want a number on the scale, I want to be able to scale the rock climb at the mall. I don't just want a certain waist size, I want to waste an oponent in raquetball. I don't just want to encourage my kids to be active, I want to be active with them.
Sure I would like to step on the scale Monday and be at me goal weight. I know that won't happen. It will be a looooong time before that happens. What I can do right now is live a fit lifestyle. I can do that right now. I will do it for the rest of my life.
I know I have set some high weight loss goal for myself, but they are just a guide. Should I not meet those goals, I won't quit. I will adjust them to be a little more realistic.
My ultimate goal is not weight loss, but living a fit lifestyle. Losing the weight is only one component. Actually, it's an outcome. Okay, maybe it's both. Eating healthy and an exercise routine are the two key components to living a fit lifestyle. As a result, I am losing weight. Losing weight is making me more fit as well.
If make losing weight my goal, that means there is end; a time when what I am doing stops. I could then switch and make keeping the weight off my goal. In mind, I don't think that will work for me.
I don't just want a number on the scale, I want to be able to scale the rock climb at the mall. I don't just want a certain waist size, I want to waste an oponent in raquetball. I don't just want to encourage my kids to be active, I want to be active with them.
Sure I would like to step on the scale Monday and be at me goal weight. I know that won't happen. It will be a looooong time before that happens. What I can do right now is live a fit lifestyle. I can do that right now. I will do it for the rest of my life.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Avoiding Temptation
It seems like temptation is everywhere. Yet as I look back, I have not had all that many temptations. Here are a few things that I think have helped curb temptations:
1) Eating mandatory healthy snacks keeps me from feeling empty
2) Never shopping on an empty stomach
3) Never shoppping without a meal plan and a list (no wandering up and down aisles thinking this would be good for a dinner)
4) Keeping active. Commit to a hobby in place of TV.
5) Exercise helps me to get to sleep faster. This helps those late night cravings. If a I feel hungry, I think that I might as well go to bed so I can eat in the morning.
6) I normally drink some water or tea while winding down for the night. This helps curb late night cravings, as it keeps my stomach from feeling empty.
6) Thinking. Before I give in to an urge to eat unhealthy or a larger portion or at night, I take a moment to think it through. Is it worth it? Am I truly hungry? Will I still want that after I drink a cup of water and eat some carrots?
Story:
We purchase sugar-free fudgicles. Often one of these is my after dinner snack. They are low calorie. They take while to eat. They curb sweet and chocolate cravings. Anyhow, one night I had a meeting so I did not get this after dinner snack. I got home around 9PM and said to myself, "You didn't get your snack and even though I am past my eating time (7PM-3 hours before bedtime), I deserve my snack. I did not feel guilty. After all it was low calorie.
I pulled it out of the fridge and set it down at the computer. I grabbed a cup of water and returned to putz on the computer and enjoy my fudgicle. I took a sip of water and was going to open the fudgicle when I stopped to think about it. My first question to myself was "Did I really want to eat this late?" My answer was I want something sweet and chocolate. After all this was not Ben & Jerry's or a batch of cookies. Before I proceeded, I asked myself if I was hungry. I thought about it. I was not hungry. At that point I realized that I wanted to eat out of a sense of entitlement. That sounded like a stupid reason to eat especially for someone in my shape. I put that fudgicle back and was happy that I did not eat for such a dumb reason.
1) Eating mandatory healthy snacks keeps me from feeling empty
2) Never shopping on an empty stomach
3) Never shoppping without a meal plan and a list (no wandering up and down aisles thinking this would be good for a dinner)
4) Keeping active. Commit to a hobby in place of TV.
5) Exercise helps me to get to sleep faster. This helps those late night cravings. If a I feel hungry, I think that I might as well go to bed so I can eat in the morning.
6) I normally drink some water or tea while winding down for the night. This helps curb late night cravings, as it keeps my stomach from feeling empty.
6) Thinking. Before I give in to an urge to eat unhealthy or a larger portion or at night, I take a moment to think it through. Is it worth it? Am I truly hungry? Will I still want that after I drink a cup of water and eat some carrots?
Story:
We purchase sugar-free fudgicles. Often one of these is my after dinner snack. They are low calorie. They take while to eat. They curb sweet and chocolate cravings. Anyhow, one night I had a meeting so I did not get this after dinner snack. I got home around 9PM and said to myself, "You didn't get your snack and even though I am past my eating time (7PM-3 hours before bedtime), I deserve my snack. I did not feel guilty. After all it was low calorie.
I pulled it out of the fridge and set it down at the computer. I grabbed a cup of water and returned to putz on the computer and enjoy my fudgicle. I took a sip of water and was going to open the fudgicle when I stopped to think about it. My first question to myself was "Did I really want to eat this late?" My answer was I want something sweet and chocolate. After all this was not Ben & Jerry's or a batch of cookies. Before I proceeded, I asked myself if I was hungry. I thought about it. I was not hungry. At that point I realized that I wanted to eat out of a sense of entitlement. That sounded like a stupid reason to eat especially for someone in my shape. I put that fudgicle back and was happy that I did not eat for such a dumb reason.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Mid-week winter blues
It's Wednesday and I had a terrible night's sleep. I felt like I was awake all night mulling over work problems. I thought with the exercise routine, I would go out like a flash every night. Mostly, I have. Last night, I did not. I might have a new job offer in a week and a half. I am not sure if I would take it even if I got it. However, the winters here in northern Michigan have really got me down. That combined with work problems and the issue that my wife and I never felt that we fit into this community. After 6 years, we have made no close friends. Certainly, there are nice people here, but there seems to be even more that seem cold.
Perhaps, I am just suffering from the mid-winter blues. Lack of sunshine and outdoor activities can do that to you. Although, I had hoped that my healthy eating habits and exercise routine would help by now. Maybe I need a few more weeks. Maybe it is working and I would be comotose from depression if not for my living fit lifestyle.
I hate this feeling, and I wish it would go away.
Perhaps, I am just suffering from the mid-winter blues. Lack of sunshine and outdoor activities can do that to you. Although, I had hoped that my healthy eating habits and exercise routine would help by now. Maybe I need a few more weeks. Maybe it is working and I would be comotose from depression if not for my living fit lifestyle.
I hate this feeling, and I wish it would go away.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Weigh In
Today I weighed 357.6 lbs. I lost 2.4 lbs since last Monday.
I was a little disappointed. I had hoped to lose at least 1 more pound, but I will take any weight loss. Having started my exercise routine. I thought I would lose weight quicker. There could be a number of reasons I did not 1) I should not expect to sustain the amount of weight loss that I saw in the first few weeks, 2) I may have lost more in fat, but it was offset by muscle gain, 3) I think I have been letting my portion sizes get bigger, 4) I have been eating nuts as snacks, 5) I ate out 3 days in a row (Friday-Sunday). While I did not make horrible choices, I could have done better.
My plan for this week is to 1) maintain my exercise routine, 2) Look into buying calipers to measure fat, 3) watch my portion sizes, 4) replace the nuts with low fat popcorn 100 calorie packs, 5) not eat out, 6) be thankful that I am living fit no matter what the scale says.
NUTS: I read that walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts have the omega3 fats which increases the "good" cholesterol. I think that this triggered in my mind the idea that eating nuts was healthy. But I was wrong. Despite the benefits of nuts, they are still high in fat and calories. If you buy them in cans, many of them add peanut oil to boot. Perhaps if I could eat just a few they would be fine, but I find myself eating a handful here and there throughout the day. Instead, I will have lowfat microwave popcorn. I found a brand that makes a 100 calorie pack. They are more filling than nuts. I think they are a whole grain, so they are not completely wasted calories like the snack pack cookies.
I was a little disappointed. I had hoped to lose at least 1 more pound, but I will take any weight loss. Having started my exercise routine. I thought I would lose weight quicker. There could be a number of reasons I did not 1) I should not expect to sustain the amount of weight loss that I saw in the first few weeks, 2) I may have lost more in fat, but it was offset by muscle gain, 3) I think I have been letting my portion sizes get bigger, 4) I have been eating nuts as snacks, 5) I ate out 3 days in a row (Friday-Sunday). While I did not make horrible choices, I could have done better.
My plan for this week is to 1) maintain my exercise routine, 2) Look into buying calipers to measure fat, 3) watch my portion sizes, 4) replace the nuts with low fat popcorn 100 calorie packs, 5) not eat out, 6) be thankful that I am living fit no matter what the scale says.
NUTS: I read that walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts have the omega3 fats which increases the "good" cholesterol. I think that this triggered in my mind the idea that eating nuts was healthy. But I was wrong. Despite the benefits of nuts, they are still high in fat and calories. If you buy them in cans, many of them add peanut oil to boot. Perhaps if I could eat just a few they would be fine, but I find myself eating a handful here and there throughout the day. Instead, I will have lowfat microwave popcorn. I found a brand that makes a 100 calorie pack. They are more filling than nuts. I think they are a whole grain, so they are not completely wasted calories like the snack pack cookies.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Motivating Factors
1) I want to be a good example for my kids
2) I want to actively play with my kids rather than sit and watch them
3) I don't want to die and leave my wife without her husband and my kids without their father
4) I don't want to go through surgery like gastric bypass or the bands. From what I understand, they are not fool-proof. Besides, why should I pay for and expensive surgery to force me to do what I could do for free. In addition, if I don't start living a healthy lifestyle, the affects of the surgery can be undone. So if I need to live that lifestyle with the surgery, I might as well do so without it.
5) I want to be fit. I enjoy being active.
6) I want to buy clothes at a normal store and from a the normal section
7) I want to look good for my wife
8) I want more energy
These are not ranked in any particular order
2) I want to actively play with my kids rather than sit and watch them
3) I don't want to die and leave my wife without her husband and my kids without their father
4) I don't want to go through surgery like gastric bypass or the bands. From what I understand, they are not fool-proof. Besides, why should I pay for and expensive surgery to force me to do what I could do for free. In addition, if I don't start living a healthy lifestyle, the affects of the surgery can be undone. So if I need to live that lifestyle with the surgery, I might as well do so without it.
5) I want to be fit. I enjoy being active.
6) I want to buy clothes at a normal store and from a the normal section
7) I want to look good for my wife
8) I want more energy
These are not ranked in any particular order
A Little Fitness Background
My first vivid memories of poor eating habits where from my childhood. I remember being over to a friends house. They kept a ton of junk food around. One day, my friends told to eat whatever I wanted. Hah! I was like a kid in a candy factory, only it included cookies, chips, and pop. From then on, I always tried to mooch stuff when I went over.
At home, there was sugary cereals. I liked to sneak into them and eat all the marshmellow bits. I would get in trouble, but I still did it.
My activity level was normal. I played outdoor games with the neighbors like kick the can, hide and go seek, and tag. I rode my bike everywhere. None the less, I got fat.
By the time I reached 4th grade, I was the butt of jokes and quite porky. I might ask if my parents were to blame. To some extent, they probably were. But only for then. I don't blame them for my current condition. That 4th grade year, we moved. Where we moved, I saw a flyer for midget football. So, the summer preceding 5th grade, I joined the football team.
There was a problem though. I guess for safety reasons, there were weight limits. In order to play a game with those in my age group, I had to be under a certain weight. Guess what? I was too heavy. My mother put me on a diet and I exercised hard with the team. Eventually, I lost enough weight to play. From then on, I continued to play sports through my sophomore year in high school. I was never skinny, but I was physically fit.
Then came college. I lived on campus. The dorm meals were all you can eat. I played a little volley ball. I can't remember what these sports were called, but they were just teams that competed against other teams at the college. No coaches or anything. I also played raquetball. None the less, I packed on the weight with terrible foods I chose to eat in abundance.
While at college, I became engaged. During the summer I got married, I went on a "diet" and lost quite a bit of weight. It was one of those weigh the food, count exchanges type diets. I tried to keep it up after the wedding. I sort of did for a while. I also made a habit of going to the gym to workout. Once, I went to graduate school that all stopped. Over the next few years my weight went up and down. The problem was that each time the weight never went down as much as the previous time and always went higher than the previous.
About 5 years ago, I went gung ho on an exercise and eating program for a good 9 months. Then I got strep throat which through my routine out of wack. I never quite went back to the routine I had before I got sick, though I tried. From time to time, I would allow myself some indulgences which I would not have done previously. Soon, the cookies, ice cream, and candy became more regular and the exercise less regular. Some where in there, I just gave up the healthy lifestyle I previously enjoyed. I kept telling myself I would go back to it, but it did not happen until about 1 month ago.
At home, there was sugary cereals. I liked to sneak into them and eat all the marshmellow bits. I would get in trouble, but I still did it.
My activity level was normal. I played outdoor games with the neighbors like kick the can, hide and go seek, and tag. I rode my bike everywhere. None the less, I got fat.
By the time I reached 4th grade, I was the butt of jokes and quite porky. I might ask if my parents were to blame. To some extent, they probably were. But only for then. I don't blame them for my current condition. That 4th grade year, we moved. Where we moved, I saw a flyer for midget football. So, the summer preceding 5th grade, I joined the football team.
There was a problem though. I guess for safety reasons, there were weight limits. In order to play a game with those in my age group, I had to be under a certain weight. Guess what? I was too heavy. My mother put me on a diet and I exercised hard with the team. Eventually, I lost enough weight to play. From then on, I continued to play sports through my sophomore year in high school. I was never skinny, but I was physically fit.
Then came college. I lived on campus. The dorm meals were all you can eat. I played a little volley ball. I can't remember what these sports were called, but they were just teams that competed against other teams at the college. No coaches or anything. I also played raquetball. None the less, I packed on the weight with terrible foods I chose to eat in abundance.
While at college, I became engaged. During the summer I got married, I went on a "diet" and lost quite a bit of weight. It was one of those weigh the food, count exchanges type diets. I tried to keep it up after the wedding. I sort of did for a while. I also made a habit of going to the gym to workout. Once, I went to graduate school that all stopped. Over the next few years my weight went up and down. The problem was that each time the weight never went down as much as the previous time and always went higher than the previous.
About 5 years ago, I went gung ho on an exercise and eating program for a good 9 months. Then I got strep throat which through my routine out of wack. I never quite went back to the routine I had before I got sick, though I tried. From time to time, I would allow myself some indulgences which I would not have done previously. Soon, the cookies, ice cream, and candy became more regular and the exercise less regular. Some where in there, I just gave up the healthy lifestyle I previously enjoyed. I kept telling myself I would go back to it, but it did not happen until about 1 month ago.
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