February 27, 2010 Weigh In: 412 lbs, Lost 0 lbs

Another zero sum week for me. Looking back at what I ate there were a few days I approached 1900 cals but stayed around 1500 most days. I think the main culprit is that aside from working out side in the snow yesterday I didn't exercise once this week. I have to change this.

I did have a big loss last week, and I didn't gain any weight which is good. I have to figure out a way to make it a habit to exercise. I have a reminder in my Blackberry that comes up every day at 8am. This week when it popped up I was usually getting ready for a conference call or something and I just pressed "Dismiss". I'm going to try changing the time of my workout and I'm going to ask my kids to stay on me to do it.

I won't give up.. and I will find a way to work exercise into my life.

ETL

2 Years To Go And Another Goal

When I started this journey and this blog I thought long and hard about goals that would keep me motivated. Things I wanted to accomplish as part of my weight loss. The majority of these goals are centered around health, fitness and a good lifestyle which makes sense. None of them are really self-serving goals though.. you know.. the kind of things that make you feel really really good. OK I know eating right and being fit will make me feel good but you know what I mean... real ego boosting type goals.

Well here's one... I want to be interviewed by Sean Anderson! For those of you who may not know, Sean is the author of the blog The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser. From time to time Sean interviews people who have reached their goal weight. When I reach my goal weight of 220 lbs I want to spill my guts to Sean on the phone and tell the world how I did it. How I relished in the highs and struggled through the lows of a 212 lbs weight loss trip, long and strange as it may end up being. I can visualize myself right now, on the phone with Sean, answering similar questions that he asked of Anti-Jared and Jack Sh*T. Tears in my eyes as I explain what joy my lifestyle change brought to me and my family. Reciting interesting anecdotes about how I narrowly averted fast food temptations and kicked myself in the ass when I slacked off on my exercise plan.

This would of course mean emerging from anonymity and presenting my face and name to the public (something I plan to do at some point). Why would I want to do this? Why would I want to proclaim my story to Sean? Why would I want people to know what I REALLY went through? Simple answer... I want to pay it forward. In 2012 when I'm a strapping 220 lbs dude who can run 2 miles and race my kids around the back yard I will want that 430 lb guy or gal who is just starting out to have example of how they can do it. How if they stick to a good plan and abandon a life of freestyle eating they can reach their goals. How it can be really hard at times but it's so worth the struggle. How if you change your approach to food you can change your body.

We are all in this together. No BS. The food companies, the restaurants, the work place are all conspiring to make us fat. Just kidding.. I truly believe managing our food intake and exercise activity is what shapes us physically and we control our own destiny. However, we are in this together. We are a community of people who are all fighting a disease called eating addiction. If I can help bring people together and help people find a healthier life I will feel like I have accomplished something even greater than my own transformation. My family, my friends, my fellow bloggers have all helped me and will continue to be there when I need them. I want to make sure I do the same for others long after I reach my goal weight.

So do I really want Sean to interview me when I reach my goal weight? Well, it would be cool because I'm inspired by his blog and I know others would hear the message. But it's not really a goal. Anti-Jared, Diane and Jack Sh*t have done a fine job of telling their tales to Sean and inspiring others including me.

What's most important is that others will have a chance to learn and benefit from what I will go through these next 2 years. For me, imaging and visualizing helping people down the road helps me stay on my mission to become what I want and need to be.

ETL

Daily Reminder... Stay Focused

I'm into this about 6 weeks now and all is going great. I've lost 20 pounds, I'm starting to exercise.. I'm starting to see noticeable results. This is the scary time. Why? Because I feel like things are starting to become routine. I found myself saying.. do I really need to add this or that to MyNetDiary?

Like last night I attended a fundraising event and had to eat dinner there. They had a small spread which included some pasta, salad and bread. I made myself a moderate plate and enjoyed it. When I got home I was tempted to fore go my usual habit of entering my meals into my Blackberry rationalizing that I was well within my daily limit. But... I caught myself and entered the data.

This is the habit that has made me successful. This is the habit I am going to stay with no matter how much success I have. I can't afford to slack off and trust myself. Remember I am an over eater.. I am addicted to eating. I have to remind myself of this every day in order to stay on track. If I start to stray from this.. I will fail and I don't want to fail.

ETL

February 19, 2010 Weigh In: 412 lbs, Lost 5 lbs

Wow! Big loss this week. Didn't expect to lose 5 lbs this week but I am pretty pumped. This week I tried to keep my sodium intake down and exercised 3 times. I also did not go over 1800 calories on any day this week.

This coming week I'm going to keep with the exercise.. at least 3 times and stay with the low sodium deal. I don't expect to lose 5 lbs per week and don't want to but if I can lose 2 or 3 that would be great.

Thanks to every one for your great comments this week. Lots of different opinions on whether or not having food in your stomach is good or bad. I'm going to stay with the plan of not eating after 9:30pm.. this seems pretty sensible to me.

Also, pineapple is an awesome food! Fresh pineapple only has like 70 calories per cup and it is loaded with fiber. I like to dice up a cup and add some low fat vanilla yogurt to it. Really good and about 220 calories.

Lastly, I'm starting to see a few results of my weight loss...

• I wore a suit and overcoat today that felt much looser


• People who I haven't seen since I started this journey have noticed I've lost weight.


• My wedding ring is very loose.


• I'm getting up out of chairs much easier.


• It's becoming easier to put on my socks.


• I'm sleeping better.


• My overall mood is better.


• I feel like I have more energy.

I only have 13 pounds to go to reach my first goal of 399... deadline is April 1. I should be able to cruise into that goal ahead of schedule if I stay with the plan. My next goal will be the 350 mark.

That's all for now.. Stay classy San Diego.. I'm Ron Burgundy? Sorry... thanks for reading and following my blog. Knowing you guys are reading helps keep me on the train. I thank you all for that.

ETL

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EatToLive2010

A Hard Habit To Break

When I decided to change my lifestyle and eating habits I knew I was in for a challenge. I knew that many of the habits I had ingrained in my head over the years would be tough to change. Over the past 40 days I have managed to change many of them and I'm proud of that. Counting calories, planning meals, avoiding fast foods are all positive changes I have installed in my life. However, there are two habits still lingering that I have to conquer.

First, exercising. I'm doing better with this having worked out twice this week already and plans to get two more in before Saturday's weigh in. I have to stay diligent on this and make exercise a habit.

The second has been more difficult for me change... late night eating. For as long as I can remember I've eaten in the late evening while watching TV. I remember when I was a teenager eating Cornflakes or Capt'n Crunch while watching the Honey Mooners at 11pm.

Since I started my weight loss journey I've have limited night eating to a cheese stick or pretzels here, or a biscotti there. But the thought of making a toasted bagel with two slices of American cheese and a big glass of OJ comes into my head as soon as my family goes to bed and I'm in the family room alone watching the tube.

Even on nights when I've had larger than normal dinners and feel very full.. I still have the thought of eating at around 10pm or so. I know I'm not hungry, I know I don't need the food for energy... I just want to eat something... anything.

I've been having a cup of tea with a teaspoon of honey each night which helps to satisfy but I still get the urges. I don't want to go to bed after I've recently ate with food laying in my stomach for 8 hours. I have this thing in my mind that if I do this I won't lose weight... even if the late night eating is within my daily calorie limit. I guess this is the right frame of mind but I hope that someday I won't think about this anymore. I won't have to fight the urge to eat at night and I can be like everyone else.

ETL

A New Leaf

Today I started my fitness program. I did a 15 minute EA Active workout followed by a 5 minute walk on the hamster machine... treadmill. My plan is to do this every other day for starters and eventually work into a daily workout of at least 20 minutes.

Notice that I'm calling this a program and not a goal. I am going to do this. I have to. Aside from my eating plan, its the only way I can assist my body with burning fat. Everyday that goes by without exercise is a missed opportunity to reduce my body size. I want to be 220 lbs as soon as possible.. It is my mission.. It is my life.

ETL
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

February 13, 2010 Weigh In: 417 lbs, Lost 0 lbs

Honestly, I'm a little bummed that my weight stayed the same this week. Aside from the Super Bowl party I kept my calories under 2000 per day. I did have two days where I was very close to 2000 calories but most were around 1800. I also thought that working to remove snow after two huge storms would help but apparently it didn't.

This is the first plateau week for me but I'm not going to get discouraged. I know I'm going to face a number of these weeks on the road to 220 lbs and the way I handle this week will be the benchmark for the entire journey.

The one area I've been lacking is exercise. I didn't meet my objective of hitting the treadmill or EA Active every morning before work. I had it programmed as a daily reminder in my Blackberry but when it popped up on the screen I was usually already in work mode and I just hit the dismiss button. I have to get my ass in gear and start moving it.

Also, although I kept my calorie counts under 2000 each day I have been eating after 9:30pm on some nights. Not over eating, but eating light snacks. This ends today. No more eating after 9:30pm. It's #2 of my plan and a very important one. I don't want food laying around in my stomach while I sleep.

I'm going to stay on course, continue to eat healthy foods and keep daily totals at 1800 or less this week.... AND, I'm going move my ass at least 3 times this week. Maybe I need someone like Jack Sh*t or Anti-Jared to kick my ass in this category? Maybe not! I need to develop an "inner asshole guy" who tells me everyday to move my fat ass and burn calories. I'll work on finding him this week.

ETL

Valentines Day Preparation

Another potential land mine holiday is fast approaching. Valentine's Day, which as we all know is centered around roses and chocolates, is a bane to us dieting chocolate lovers. I've decided to allow myself a few (two or three) small pieces of chocolate and that's it. Just a taste.

The first test was a package that arrived yesterday from my parents... three boxes of assorted chocolates for the kids. They were excited, I was appreciative but I was also fearful that I would sneak my way into eating too many of them. I asked my wife to hide them away which she did promptly. It reminded of the movie "Fatso" where they had a cabinet containing sweets and desserts that had a chain and lock on it.



The kids all wanted to offer me a taste but I was told by my youngest (11) that she "doesn't want me over doing it.". I replied "don't worry sweetie, I won't".

Weigh in tomorrow. Two good calories burns snow blowing and shoveling since the last Saturday will hopefully mean a good loss this week. I'll post results tomorrow morning.

ETL

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow...

When I was a kid I loved snow. When it was on the ground I wanted to be out in it every waking moment. I looked forward to those January and February storms that piled up the snow. I remember listening to the radio with bated breath waiting to hear if my school was closed. As a 49 year old I still have a bit of that in me but for the most part snow is a pain in the ass. However, it is a good opportunity for exercise! I spent about 45 minutes snow blowing this morning and burned about 800 calories according to MyNetDiary. I still have some work to do outside so this will be a great activity day for me. I've done a good job this week staying under 1800 calories each day and I'm looking forward to a good weigh in on Saturday.

ETL

Post Game Report From Super Bowl Party

I went to Super Bowl party with family and friends. Great game and great to see the Saints win it. I tried to control the appetizer consumption but there were a few things there that I did taste. I had 3 hot dogs in a blanket, a soft pretzel and a few tablespoons of Mexican dip with a couple of crackers. I tried to stay neat the veggie platter.

Dinner was baked ziti, with sausage and meatballs. I had a moderate portion with some salad and a roll.

For dessert my wife brought a nice fruit salad which of course was my choice. I did have two cookies but avoid a German Black Forrest cake and a chocolate chip cookie cake.

All in all I ate a bit more than normal but I did not over do it. I did have two lite beers but hey man... it's the Super Bowl.

I'll make it up this week by staying on track and exercise. It's suppose to snow Weds so that will be a good calorie burn!

ETL

Snow Blowing And Super Bowl Planning

Tonight I'll be attending a Super Bowl party so my plan is to have a 450 calories breakfast, have about 300 for lunch and leave the rest (1100) for tonight. I'll be sure to keep my pre-dinner grazing controlled and keep a mental note of calories consumed. Hopefully they'll have a nice veggie platter which I can use as home base. I've been through 3 other parties in the past 4 weeks, I can get through this once as well.

Yesterday I spent close to 2 hours outside doing snow cleanup. I used the snow blower on 2 driveways working at it for about 90 minutes total. MyNetDairy says that I burned 1300 calories. I found another website that said it was about 900. Either way it was a good calorie burn. I can tell because I'm sore as hell this morning. I felt very hungry around 4pm after finishing these activities so I worked a 300 calorie snack into my intake. Didn't feel guilty because I had burnt off so many calories earlier in the day. It was a nice feeling to eat something only because my body needed it.

ETL

February 6, 2010 Weigh In: 417 lbs, Lost 2 lbs

The snow is falling and so is my body mass. This week I was able to shed 2 pounds. Today marks the 30th day of my weight loss journey and I'm pleased to report I've lost 15 pounds so far. 15 just seems like a nice round number, a good first step if you will. 20 will be the next number I'll be seeking.

As I blogged yesterday I will be stepping up the exercise this coming week. I'll start today by shoveling a bit of snow... my two boys will do most of it. At least I'll be out there burning some calories and using some muscles.

Super Bowl party on the calendar for tomorrow and I'll have to work out a plan for that.

Thanks again for all of your supportive comments.

ETL

A Good Week, A Bad Week

This week I stuck to plan. I had plenty of opportunities to mess up to. Driving around the state to multiple business meetings I passed many fast food havens. I have to be honest, the thought occurred to me on several occasions to stop in for just a taste but then I thought about all the calories I would be ingesting and it turned me off. I was able to control strong urges that a few weeks ago I would have given into. This is all good.

The bad side of the week is my exercise commitment. I have not lived up to this and I'm really pissed at myself. I've been busy as hell with work but that is no excuse. I have to get active in order to keep the solid losses going each week. I can put aside 15 minutes a day to move my ass. I have to figure out a way to get this into my daily routine.

Here's what I'm going to do. Tomorrow morning after I weigh in I'm going to spend 15 mins with EA Active before I do anything else. Each day I'm going to work these 15 mins in as the first thing I do each day. I see this as the only way to make this a habit. I'm going to put a recurring event in my Blackberry as a reminder. If I let it go until the afternoon or evening I never get to it. Hopefully, this will work.

Weigh In tomorrow... looking forward to that post!

ETL

On The Road Short Post

I've been on the road for work these past two days and haven't had time to post. Just a quick update to say I'm still on track and have dodged a number of food mines these past few days. Looking forward to a good weigh in on Saturday.

ETL

I Can't Stop Eating (fill in the blank). Why?

I have accepted that I'm a recovering over eater and I've made a change in my life to become healthy. Nearly a month has gone by and I'm on track and doing great. But sometimes I still feel like I have this ability to eat foods without stopping. I know I can consume an entire box of Wheat Thins or Oreos because I've done it on several occasions. A few months ago I could eat 1/2 of a pizza without a problem. My stomach has probably shrunk but somehow I think I would be able to squeeze at least 3 slices in. OK you get the picture.

There are some foods I just can't stop eating. Take swiss cheese for example. I could eat swiss cheese from sun up to sundown. Same thing with pizza, cookies, Capt N' Crunch cereal, pistachios, raisins, hot dogs.. OK most foods.

I know your asking what I'm getting at. Well, I'm trying to get to the bottom of why my brain works this way. Why do certain foods flip a switch in my head that says "eat it all"?

I know there is something in my mental make up that can trigger this behavior. I'm learning how to control it and the urges are happening less often but I know it's still there. I just want to know why. Why did I have this "eat it all" relationship with food?

Maybe it's just an unexplainable addiction that is better left unknown? Could be! But I'm a curious guy.. I like to know these things. Maybe in another month when I've release more fat I won't care why and just be content with the result. However, I feel in order to not repeat the same mistake it may be helpful to know why I behaved this way. I will be searching for the answer the next few weeks and will let you know what I come up with.

To Be Continued...

ETL

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EatToLive2010

Another Party Success

I attended a birthday party Sunday that featured a number of "food mines" that I could have easily stepped on. I proud that I managed to go with good choices and stayed away from dessert all together.

The appetizers were pepperoni, cheeses, olives, chips, carrots, hummus and a few other things. I stayed mainly with the veggies, had some mozzarella cheese, avoided the chips, had a few pepperoni slices and enjoyed the hummus. I made sure not to over graze on appetizers. Normally I would have eaten enough for a meal at this point and then have a large dinner.

The dinner was an assortment of cold cuts and rolls with an open invitation to build your own monster sandwich. Normally I would have constructed one or two densely packed creations with all the trimmings. This time I stayed away from the rolls and had a few slices of turkey, ham and provolone cheese with some black olives, carrot sticks and artichoke hearts. I did have a small helping of home made mac & cheese, about half a cup.

I have to admit it wasn't easy avoiding the birthday cake. It was one of those commercially made ice cream cakes with those chocolate crunchy things in the middle... very tempting. Nonetheless while others enjoyed large slices I abstained... and felt good about it.

This is the forth party/event I've gone to since starting my new life and all four times I stayed within my plan. This Sunday I have a Super Bowl party to attend and will be developing a plan for that as well.

ETL

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EatToLive2010