Well things don't always turn out as planned. Because of the way my day went yesterday I wasn't able to do the Re-feed. In fact I ended up eating less calories than normal.. 1800. I felt fine.. had plenty of food. However, the scale wasn't too kind to me this morning. I'm +1 pound from yesterday. More than likely its water retention. I ate some beef jerky yesterday which does have lots of sodium. I plan to flush out today with plenty of water and eat 2100 calories, my new number.
Taking it a day at a time.
ETL
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Inspiration From Sean Anderson
Sean Anderson speaking about his experience. Self-honesty.. that's the key...
Day 15 (428) I think I'm Stuck
6 pounds in 15 days... I'm pretty happy with that. However, this is my 6th day being around the 428 mark and I'm beginning to think that I need to reduce my normal daily caloric intake. I'm going to do a 2900 calorie Refeed today but tomorrow I'm considering lowering my normal daily calories from 2300 to 2100 keeping it at 40% P, 30% C and 30% F. It's not a drastic drop and I know I can be satisfied at that level.
Regarding hitting the scale every morning... I know it's the best habit to get into but psychologically it's really difficult when you have so far to go. Day after day of seeing little or no change can be daunting at times. I know that once per week is not enough but I'm thinking that maybe Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays might be a good schedule for weighing myself. I'm going to mull that one over a bit before I change it.
The one thing I haven't worked into my life is exercise. I plan to buy an exercise bike but I haven't yet. Starting today I'm going to take a 10 minute walk each day around the yard, around the neighborhood or wherever I might be that day. Any place where I can fit in a walk. I have to start someplace and I need to start sooner rather than later.
ETL
Regarding hitting the scale every morning... I know it's the best habit to get into but psychologically it's really difficult when you have so far to go. Day after day of seeing little or no change can be daunting at times. I know that once per week is not enough but I'm thinking that maybe Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays might be a good schedule for weighing myself. I'm going to mull that one over a bit before I change it.
The one thing I haven't worked into my life is exercise. I plan to buy an exercise bike but I haven't yet. Starting today I'm going to take a 10 minute walk each day around the yard, around the neighborhood or wherever I might be that day. Any place where I can fit in a walk. I have to start someplace and I need to start sooner rather than later.
ETL
Friday, April 27, 2012
Day 14 (428) My First Re-feed
Tomorrow I will have my first read feed. I'm planning 2900 cal and will keep roughly the same PCF ratio. I'm looking at dinner as the focused meal of the day and will be having a chicken Marsala with angel hair pasta. One of my favorite dishes. Sunday I'll be back on 2300 Cals per day. Hopefully it will shake up my metabolism a bit because I'm feeling a bit stalled regarding my weight loss.
ETL
ETL
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Day 13 (428) My Former Snack Menu
Finally, I shed that freakin .5 pound that was dangling around for the past few days. Currently 428 lbs, total loss 6 lbs. Daily weigh-ins can be frustrating but they help me start each day with the main goal in mind.
I was talking with Derek about former snack habits today and I thought it might be a good idea to list out some of the snacks I use to inhale and what they're caloric makeups look like... These are not necessarily in order of preference... I was addicted to all of them. This is a small sampling. So here we go... (Note: The McDonalds was very rare but I did eat it a few times during the past 2 years so I thought I should include it):
When I peel back the onion its easy to see that if I had one of these snack combos a day, along with my normal 3 meals and late night snack, I could easily continue to gain weight. I get flop sweat when I look at this list. I'm amazed that I just mindlessly ate these things nearly every day. Talk about a wake up call. Self analysis can sometimes be a real bitch.. that's for sure.
If I'm tempted again to choose from the above menu I will remember this post and think about the really bad combinations I would put into my body. This is part of the healing process. I have to make myself understand what I was mindlessly doing to my body. Consuming these foods with reckless abandon.
This has stopped thank God. I'm committed to no starting it again. Actually I feel like I insulted my own intelligence eating this way. How could a smart guy do this to himself? The only answer I have is that I found psychological comfort from my feelings and concerns by stopping off at the store and eating like this. In a way it's like a shoulder to cry on I guess. Well, next time I'll call my wife and talk with her if I'm feeling stressed or worried. Overeating is not the answer.
ETL
I was talking with Derek about former snack habits today and I thought it might be a good idea to list out some of the snacks I use to inhale and what they're caloric makeups look like... These are not necessarily in order of preference... I was addicted to all of them. This is a small sampling. So here we go... (Note: The McDonalds was very rare but I did eat it a few times during the past 2 years so I thought I should include it):
It seems really crazy now that I look at it this way. I obviously never took the time to think about how much fat and carbs were contained in these combinations. Foods that go well together and are so easy to just grab, go and eat in the comfort of the car.
When I peel back the onion its easy to see that if I had one of these snack combos a day, along with my normal 3 meals and late night snack, I could easily continue to gain weight. I get flop sweat when I look at this list. I'm amazed that I just mindlessly ate these things nearly every day. Talk about a wake up call. Self analysis can sometimes be a real bitch.. that's for sure.
If I'm tempted again to choose from the above menu I will remember this post and think about the really bad combinations I would put into my body. This is part of the healing process. I have to make myself understand what I was mindlessly doing to my body. Consuming these foods with reckless abandon.
This has stopped thank God. I'm committed to no starting it again. Actually I feel like I insulted my own intelligence eating this way. How could a smart guy do this to himself? The only answer I have is that I found psychological comfort from my feelings and concerns by stopping off at the store and eating like this. In a way it's like a shoulder to cry on I guess. Well, next time I'll call my wife and talk with her if I'm feeling stressed or worried. Overeating is not the answer.
ETL
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Day 12 (428.5) No One To Blame But Myself
Can I blame my job for adding stress to my life and causing me to eat for comfort? Can blame my parents for not instilling good eating habits when I was young? Can I blame the food industry and capitalism for spawning the creation of high calories, low nutrition, fast and processed foods that can be mindlessly consumed with ease? These are all questions I've asked myself and rationalizations I've made in the past. Well I realize now that the answer is, NO, because I have no one to blame but myself.
Being obese is a choice. In the past I choose to eat 4 slices of pizza when I could have had 2. I choose to stop at Burger King and drink a large vanilla shake an hour before dinner when I could have had a protein bar and a bottle of spring water. I choose to eat foods loaded with sugar and carbs in the privacy of my car, hiding my food addiction from my family and friends. Since I made these choices I can't blame anyway but myself for the results.
Now for the good news.. I can and will do something about it. I will correct the terrible eating habits I've developed during the first 50 years of my life and vow to maintain healthy eating habits for the remainder of my time on earth. I have been successful in every other aspect of my life except for my body size and eating habits. I will win this one too.
It's time take responsibility and move forward in a positive manner with the end goal of living well in a healthy, happy, 220 lbs body!
ETL
Being obese is a choice. In the past I choose to eat 4 slices of pizza when I could have had 2. I choose to stop at Burger King and drink a large vanilla shake an hour before dinner when I could have had a protein bar and a bottle of spring water. I choose to eat foods loaded with sugar and carbs in the privacy of my car, hiding my food addiction from my family and friends. Since I made these choices I can't blame anyway but myself for the results.
Now for the good news.. I can and will do something about it. I will correct the terrible eating habits I've developed during the first 50 years of my life and vow to maintain healthy eating habits for the remainder of my time on earth. I have been successful in every other aspect of my life except for my body size and eating habits. I will win this one too.
It's time take responsibility and move forward in a positive manner with the end goal of living well in a healthy, happy, 220 lbs body!
ETL
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Your Transformation Is Powerful
For those of you who don't follow Sean Anderson on Facebook...you should. Here's his post today...
"
"
Day 11 (428.5) Preparing For Tough Days To Come
Having started a lifestyle change two years ago and not succeeding I'm very conscious this time of bumps in the road that may trip me up. It's these hurdles that make or break your progress and it's important to understand how to get over them.
When you start a program of changing eating habits for the better your mind is right and your ready to rock n roll. You start out tracking metrics about the foods your eating and planning your next meals. This is the "honeymoon" phase if you will. After about a week you start planning the night before for the entire day to follow. Then if you just stick with the next day's plan everything will be all right. Using software for this make it very easy. You can use MyNetDiary on the iPhone or on the PC or iPad. There are other software solutions too. My iPhone is always with me (my family calls it my fifth limb) so food analysis with MyNetDiary is always right there with a few key strokes.
Keeping this same eagerness and interest in managing food intake is really important over the first few weeks. You start to see results and you don't want to go backwards. All of the sudden good eating becomes a habit. It starts to seem natural to be concerned about eating too many carbs or not getting enough good fats, etc.. It starts to become sort of like a sports... I've written about this before. The challenge of setting a goal for the day, managing your way to that goal and then seeing that you've lost a half of a pound the next morning... like a sport. I know this might be a stretch but there's a certain thrill in that for me. I guess that means my mind is in a good place with respect to food.
The "danger zone" though is when you get to the point where your cruising day to day and you feel like you can "just eat one bag of M&Ms" or "just have one soft pretzel and grape soda". You have to tell yourself that "it's not the time to do this. You can have a protein snack like a PowerBar or even Beef Jerky but you must stay away from high carb, high sugar foods". When it's time for a Re-Feed you can go outside of the norm.
You have to put the reasons why your changing your eating habits in your mind when those tough times come.. and they will come. You have to tell yourself... "I want to see my kids graduate from high school and college. I want be able to go on college tours with my kids and be able to walk around the campus without having to stop and rest. I want to be healthy well into my 70s and 80s so I can enjoy what I've worked for my entire life." These reasons keep you going. These things are more important to you than eating two large coffee rolls or crumb cakes.
You can't fall into the trap of self-pity, empathy or nonsense rationalizations. "Oh I've done so well these past two weeks, I deserve to eat that huge piece of cheesecake." You can't eat that cheesecake now. You can during a holiday or other special time but not now.
You have to turn it around... The reality is that you deserve to not eat those foods that are outside of your program. Your body deserves to be healthy. Your metabolism deserves to function normally. Your legs and joints deserve to carry a person who is 220 lbs, not 440 pounds. You family deserves not to have to worry about your health. These are the thoughts that should comfort you during the tough times.
And yes.. I'm writing this post to myself because I know these difficult days are coming and I want to be prepared.
ETL
When you start a program of changing eating habits for the better your mind is right and your ready to rock n roll. You start out tracking metrics about the foods your eating and planning your next meals. This is the "honeymoon" phase if you will. After about a week you start planning the night before for the entire day to follow. Then if you just stick with the next day's plan everything will be all right. Using software for this make it very easy. You can use MyNetDiary on the iPhone or on the PC or iPad. There are other software solutions too. My iPhone is always with me (my family calls it my fifth limb) so food analysis with MyNetDiary is always right there with a few key strokes.
Keeping this same eagerness and interest in managing food intake is really important over the first few weeks. You start to see results and you don't want to go backwards. All of the sudden good eating becomes a habit. It starts to seem natural to be concerned about eating too many carbs or not getting enough good fats, etc.. It starts to become sort of like a sports... I've written about this before. The challenge of setting a goal for the day, managing your way to that goal and then seeing that you've lost a half of a pound the next morning... like a sport. I know this might be a stretch but there's a certain thrill in that for me. I guess that means my mind is in a good place with respect to food.
The "danger zone" though is when you get to the point where your cruising day to day and you feel like you can "just eat one bag of M&Ms" or "just have one soft pretzel and grape soda". You have to tell yourself that "it's not the time to do this. You can have a protein snack like a PowerBar or even Beef Jerky but you must stay away from high carb, high sugar foods". When it's time for a Re-Feed you can go outside of the norm.
You have to put the reasons why your changing your eating habits in your mind when those tough times come.. and they will come. You have to tell yourself... "I want to see my kids graduate from high school and college. I want be able to go on college tours with my kids and be able to walk around the campus without having to stop and rest. I want to be healthy well into my 70s and 80s so I can enjoy what I've worked for my entire life." These reasons keep you going. These things are more important to you than eating two large coffee rolls or crumb cakes.
You can't fall into the trap of self-pity, empathy or nonsense rationalizations. "Oh I've done so well these past two weeks, I deserve to eat that huge piece of cheesecake." You can't eat that cheesecake now. You can during a holiday or other special time but not now.
You have to turn it around... The reality is that you deserve to not eat those foods that are outside of your program. Your body deserves to be healthy. Your metabolism deserves to function normally. Your legs and joints deserve to carry a person who is 220 lbs, not 440 pounds. You family deserves not to have to worry about your health. These are the thoughts that should comfort you during the tough times.
And yes.. I'm writing this post to myself because I know these difficult days are coming and I want to be prepared.
ETL
Monday, April 23, 2012
Lunch: Ham, Turkey, Pinnapple - 534 Cals
Here's today's lunch:
2 oz Ham
2 oz Turkey
1 Arnold Multigrain Thin Roll
1 tbs lite mayo
1 cup skim milk
1 serving Scivation Whey Vanilla
3 ice cubes
1 cup fresh pineapple
1 fork
I was going to add the pineapple to the whey shake but I thought it would be nice to have two things to actually chew. I felt very satisfied after this meal.
2 oz Ham
2 oz Turkey
1 Arnold Multigrain Thin Roll
1 tbs lite mayo
1 cup skim milk
1 serving Scivation Whey Vanilla
3 ice cubes
1 cup fresh pineapple
1 fork
I was going to add the pineapple to the whey shake but I thought it would be nice to have two things to actually chew. I felt very satisfied after this meal.
Day 10 (428.5) Half A Pound at A Time
This morning I was pleased to see the scale indicator move a little to the left. My weight is now 428.5 lbs, total weight loss 5.5 lbs. As I'm sure I've written before.. any weight loss is a good loss! I need to start moving my body to help with calorie burn. Going to start to walk at least 10 minutes per day.
Made some nice chicken fajitas last night. Chicken, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, fresh squeezed lime juice... all sauteed (table spoon of olive oil) in a grilling pan and served with 3 tortillas (two whole wheat and one white flour). Calories and make up of both types of tortillas are about the same. Probably should have stuck with two but I had the cals left to have three. I had a sprinkle of low fat shredded Mexican cheese on them with some salsa.
My carb ratio was a bit high yesterday so I'll balance it out today with more protein. I'm not really worried about it. It's not like I went way over or had a high carb binge. I'm in control. Although I was getting pretty strong urges last night around 10pm. I had a glass of skim milk and the world was a better place.
My plan this week is to stick with 2300 cals @ 40P/30C/30F ration and do a 2800 calorie Re-Feed on Saturday. I may have mentioned this but I also bought a good digital food scale. They spring loaded scale we have is OK but not very accurate. If I'm going to start experimenting with recipes and stuff I'll need a good scale.
Might to try to make Derek's Chocolate Cake tonight. More to come...
ETL
Made some nice chicken fajitas last night. Chicken, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, fresh squeezed lime juice... all sauteed (table spoon of olive oil) in a grilling pan and served with 3 tortillas (two whole wheat and one white flour). Calories and make up of both types of tortillas are about the same. Probably should have stuck with two but I had the cals left to have three. I had a sprinkle of low fat shredded Mexican cheese on them with some salsa.
My carb ratio was a bit high yesterday so I'll balance it out today with more protein. I'm not really worried about it. It's not like I went way over or had a high carb binge. I'm in control. Although I was getting pretty strong urges last night around 10pm. I had a glass of skim milk and the world was a better place.
My plan this week is to stick with 2300 cals @ 40P/30C/30F ration and do a 2800 calorie Re-Feed on Saturday. I may have mentioned this but I also bought a good digital food scale. They spring loaded scale we have is OK but not very accurate. If I'm going to start experimenting with recipes and stuff I'll need a good scale.
Might to try to make Derek's Chocolate Cake tonight. More to come...
ETL
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Day 9 (429) Another Rainy Day
Well actually we haven't had too many recently and we can really use the rain in the area where I live.
My weight remains at 429 lbs... total loss of 5 lbs overall. I'm pretty happy with this for the first week and I expect to get into the 1-2 lbs per week loss mode very soon.
What's great is I rarely feel really hungry. I'm having satisfying meals that are healthy and tasty at the same time. I'm trying to mix things up so I don't get tried of having the same thing. I'm looking forward to trying the cake recipes that Derek gave me. I may shoot a video and post it on YouTube.
I'm getting into the swing of things which is the first step to forming good habits. I've never felt more committed and I have family reading my blog which adds incentive!
I also bought a digital food scale online today which will make things a lot easier. Maybe this week I'll investigate exercise bikes. I'm leaning towards a recumbent. Leave comments if you have suggestions.
Thats all for today.
ETL
My weight remains at 429 lbs... total loss of 5 lbs overall. I'm pretty happy with this for the first week and I expect to get into the 1-2 lbs per week loss mode very soon.
What's great is I rarely feel really hungry. I'm having satisfying meals that are healthy and tasty at the same time. I'm trying to mix things up so I don't get tried of having the same thing. I'm looking forward to trying the cake recipes that Derek gave me. I may shoot a video and post it on YouTube.
I'm getting into the swing of things which is the first step to forming good habits. I've never felt more committed and I have family reading my blog which adds incentive!
I also bought a digital food scale online today which will make things a lot easier. Maybe this week I'll investigate exercise bikes. I'm leaning towards a recumbent. Leave comments if you have suggestions.
Thats all for today.
ETL
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Day 8 (429): Busy Day Today
No reduction in body weight today. Oh well, that's what happens when you weigh yourself daily. Short update today. Lots of family activity and baseball.
In the habit now of planning meals. Planned my breakfast last night while watching a movie. This is a good sign. In the groove. Lifestyle change feels good.
Derek gave me a few cool low cal / high protein cake recipes. 5 minutes to make personal size cakes. All around 200 Cals. Chocolate, Apple Cinn and Vanilla. Going by the ingredients to try them next week. Will post pics and recipes too. Here's a preview...
That's all for now.
ETL
In the habit now of planning meals. Planned my breakfast last night while watching a movie. This is a good sign. In the groove. Lifestyle change feels good.
Derek gave me a few cool low cal / high protein cake recipes. 5 minutes to make personal size cakes. All around 200 Cals. Chocolate, Apple Cinn and Vanilla. Going by the ingredients to try them next week. Will post pics and recipes too. Here's a preview...
That's all for now.
ETL
Friday, April 20, 2012
Lunch: Cheese Dogs - 523 Cals
2 turkey hot dogs
1/4 low fat Mexican shredded cheese
1 multi grain large tortilla cut in half
microwave hot dogs for 1 minute on high
roll up in tortilla and add cheese
microwave for 1 more minute.
1/4 low fat Mexican shredded cheese
1 multi grain large tortilla cut in half
microwave hot dogs for 1 minute on high
roll up in tortilla and add cheese
microwave for 1 more minute.
Day 7 (429): When To Re-Feed, That Is The Question
Good news.. I woke up, weighed in and lost another pound which brings me to 429 lbs and a total lost of 5 pounds. Note.. I'm going to start including my current weight in the blog title.
I'm really happy with the 2300 Cal level and 40% Protein /30% Carb /30% Fat ratio. It allows me to feel very satisfied at meals and have foods that are good and enjoyable. Last night I budgeted for 1 cup of Edy's Lite Vanilla Ice Cream. Not something I will do everyday but it was definitely delicious. Theres nothing wrong with enjoying foods. We're not robots for crying out loud. The good Lord gave us taste buds for a reason. Anyway, a good week so far and really happy with the results.
Now to the Re-Feed. First, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, A Re-Feed is an event where you eat above your normal calorie plan and can go outside of your PCF ratio. It's a common method used in body building. The theory is that as you continue at a set level your metabolism starts to get nervous especially if you've had a recent major drop in caloric intake. Take me for example. Last week I was eating 4500-5000 cals per day. Then all of the sudden I drop it down to 2300. After a few days my metabolism starts to raise the red flag and may begin to burn fat at a slower rate (survival mode). By doing a Re-Feed you give your metabolism a higher caloric intake.. say 2800. This sends the message to your metabolism that everything is OK and hopefully you go back to burning energy at the faster rate. Of course exercise will help all this too.
The idea of a Re-Feed is kinda cool. It gives you the option to go outside of your P/C/F ratio for a day and have some foods you might not normally eat during your normal program. Now that's not to say you eat an entire pizza or apple pie. I think you have to stay with the notion of everything in moderation. Personally, I'm going to stay close to my PCF ratio. I don't want to take a chance of falling off the train. I'm going to stick with good foods but just have more of them for a day.
Look, I'm not a nutritionist or a physician. What I'm describing is what was suggested to me by a person who is very knowledgeable about nutrition. It all make sense to me and I'm going to try it and see what happens. The way I look at it... I'm eating 2300 now.. 2800 is more than my plan but its certainly way less that the 4000-5000 cals I had been consuming.
Some say that Re-Feeds should be wide open caloric intake and without concern for Fat/Protein/Carb ratios. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to pop it up 500 and stick with the same ratios because I don't want to put myself on a path back to being a Free Style eater.
The other question is... when should I do my Re-Feed? Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly? I think if I was well into my program then I would go with weekly. My brother in law (he's they guy that kicked me in the ass and got me back on the program) who lost 60 pounds on this program and also works out like a madman does weekly Re-Feeds. This works for him mentally and physically. I'm going to start with Bi-Weekly and see what the results are. Again, I'm on the train now and I don't want to do anything that might put me back in my old state of mind with regard to eating.
BTW... I'm going to start referring to my brother in law as Derek because 1.. he thinks Derek Jeter is overrated (I disagree) and 2. its easier to type "Derek" than "my brother in law".
This entire program seems to really make sense to me. As Derek said yesterday, he thinks of it as a game. If you think about it.. it really is like a sport if you will. You try out this strategy see if it shows results .. try something else see if that works. With the end game being body fat loss. I'll save the "Weight Loss Is A Sport" post for another day.
Until then.. thanks for reading and I hope my experiences are helpful..
ETL
I'm really happy with the 2300 Cal level and 40% Protein /30% Carb /30% Fat ratio. It allows me to feel very satisfied at meals and have foods that are good and enjoyable. Last night I budgeted for 1 cup of Edy's Lite Vanilla Ice Cream. Not something I will do everyday but it was definitely delicious. Theres nothing wrong with enjoying foods. We're not robots for crying out loud. The good Lord gave us taste buds for a reason. Anyway, a good week so far and really happy with the results.
Now to the Re-Feed. First, for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, A Re-Feed is an event where you eat above your normal calorie plan and can go outside of your PCF ratio. It's a common method used in body building. The theory is that as you continue at a set level your metabolism starts to get nervous especially if you've had a recent major drop in caloric intake. Take me for example. Last week I was eating 4500-5000 cals per day. Then all of the sudden I drop it down to 2300. After a few days my metabolism starts to raise the red flag and may begin to burn fat at a slower rate (survival mode). By doing a Re-Feed you give your metabolism a higher caloric intake.. say 2800. This sends the message to your metabolism that everything is OK and hopefully you go back to burning energy at the faster rate. Of course exercise will help all this too.
The idea of a Re-Feed is kinda cool. It gives you the option to go outside of your P/C/F ratio for a day and have some foods you might not normally eat during your normal program. Now that's not to say you eat an entire pizza or apple pie. I think you have to stay with the notion of everything in moderation. Personally, I'm going to stay close to my PCF ratio. I don't want to take a chance of falling off the train. I'm going to stick with good foods but just have more of them for a day.
Look, I'm not a nutritionist or a physician. What I'm describing is what was suggested to me by a person who is very knowledgeable about nutrition. It all make sense to me and I'm going to try it and see what happens. The way I look at it... I'm eating 2300 now.. 2800 is more than my plan but its certainly way less that the 4000-5000 cals I had been consuming.
Some say that Re-Feeds should be wide open caloric intake and without concern for Fat/Protein/Carb ratios. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to pop it up 500 and stick with the same ratios because I don't want to put myself on a path back to being a Free Style eater.
The other question is... when should I do my Re-Feed? Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly? I think if I was well into my program then I would go with weekly. My brother in law (he's they guy that kicked me in the ass and got me back on the program) who lost 60 pounds on this program and also works out like a madman does weekly Re-Feeds. This works for him mentally and physically. I'm going to start with Bi-Weekly and see what the results are. Again, I'm on the train now and I don't want to do anything that might put me back in my old state of mind with regard to eating.
BTW... I'm going to start referring to my brother in law as Derek because 1.. he thinks Derek Jeter is overrated (I disagree) and 2. its easier to type "Derek" than "my brother in law".
This entire program seems to really make sense to me. As Derek said yesterday, he thinks of it as a game. If you think about it.. it really is like a sport if you will. You try out this strategy see if it shows results .. try something else see if that works. With the end game being body fat loss. I'll save the "Weight Loss Is A Sport" post for another day.
Until then.. thanks for reading and I hope my experiences are helpful..
ETL
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Day 6: Wash Cloth For The Soul
I woke up, weighed myself and was pleased to see I lost another pound.. Now at 430 lbs.
Last night I wrote an email to Sean Anderson the author of Transformation Road. I had exchanged emails with him a few years ago and I wanted to let him know I was back on track. I also wanted him to know how much I identified with his book.
I wrote to him that "Reading your book has forced me to confront the reasons why I eat for comfort. After I have those confrontations I feel like someone took a wash cloth and cleansed my soul. That someone is me I guess but I wanted to say thanks to you for giving me the wash cloth."
I guess Sean kinda liked the analogy because he wrote me back this morning. It felt great to get his response. I wanted him to know that he was helping me heal myself.
Really happy with the way things are going.
ETL
Last night I wrote an email to Sean Anderson the author of Transformation Road. I had exchanged emails with him a few years ago and I wanted to let him know I was back on track. I also wanted him to know how much I identified with his book.
I wrote to him that "Reading your book has forced me to confront the reasons why I eat for comfort. After I have those confrontations I feel like someone took a wash cloth and cleansed my soul. That someone is me I guess but I wanted to say thanks to you for giving me the wash cloth."
I guess Sean kinda liked the analogy because he wrote me back this morning. It felt great to get his response. I wanted him to know that he was helping me heal myself.
Really happy with the way things are going.
ETL
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Day 5: A Continuing Battle To Remain Honest With Myself
It's just amazing how the brain works. Yesterday my son's high school baseball team played an important game. I drove about 30 minutes to the game, past multiple temptations but did not stop for any snacks (pat on the back).
It was a great game and they ended up winning. It was a bit stressful and I was nervous a few times during the contest. I could feel adrenaline surges from time to time. OK.. I'm really into baseball and want his team to do well. For those of you who are baseball fans you know what I mean about stress/excitement while watching a game.
Anyway... they win the game and I get in my car to go home. First thing that comes to mind... "food". This has to be a result of the stress/excitement I felt during the game. Food means comfort to me right now. I think "McDonald's is on the way home"..but crush that because I don't want that bad feeling I get when I eat that sodium/fat enriched crap. Then I think "Quickcheck" which is a convenience store. "Yes, that's on the way... I'll stop there for a snack". I can already see the carb loaded crap that I use to eat (before Saturday).
I start to drive and think about my Brother-In-Law who wrote that great doc that woke me up to the fact that I have to change. I think about my family who I don't want to lie to. I tell myself.. "no way.. no bad food. i'm having good food for dinner". My wife had planned Filet Mignon with baked sweet potato and veggies.
So what do I do? At the last second I make the turn off the highway to go the the Quickcheck. Crazy right? I pull into the parking but honestly my mind is kinda blank. In the past I would have already planned out all the the crappy food I was going to buy and what I was going to do with the wrappers so I didn't get caught. But before I get out of the car I stop myself and say to myself "look, you get a water and a protein bar and then get out of there. No candy, no chips, no donuts, no garbage. Don't give in and lose the last 3 days of progress. Keep on the program for your family".
Thankfully, I listened to myself and did just that. I bought a water and protein bar and walked out. Then I went home and had a nice dinner. I even called my wife to tell her I had stopped for a protein bar. I think I was proud that I wasn't hiding anything. I had eaten something that was withing my plan. I was doing something that was normal. There was no guilt. It felt good.
Add to that good feeling.. the feeling I had this morning when I weighed myself and lost another pound. I've now lost 3 pounds, current weight 431 lbs.
I have these urges that I battle to stop at the store and eat crappy foods. This is despite the fact that the program I'm following provides plenty of food. I'm really very satisfied during the entire day. I know the mental addition to comfort foods is going to take some time to break. I'll get there. I have to. I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to get in the car, drive somewhere and not think about eating a snack.
ETL
It was a great game and they ended up winning. It was a bit stressful and I was nervous a few times during the contest. I could feel adrenaline surges from time to time. OK.. I'm really into baseball and want his team to do well. For those of you who are baseball fans you know what I mean about stress/excitement while watching a game.
Anyway... they win the game and I get in my car to go home. First thing that comes to mind... "food". This has to be a result of the stress/excitement I felt during the game. Food means comfort to me right now. I think "McDonald's is on the way home"..but crush that because I don't want that bad feeling I get when I eat that sodium/fat enriched crap. Then I think "Quickcheck" which is a convenience store. "Yes, that's on the way... I'll stop there for a snack". I can already see the carb loaded crap that I use to eat (before Saturday).
I start to drive and think about my Brother-In-Law who wrote that great doc that woke me up to the fact that I have to change. I think about my family who I don't want to lie to. I tell myself.. "no way.. no bad food. i'm having good food for dinner". My wife had planned Filet Mignon with baked sweet potato and veggies.
So what do I do? At the last second I make the turn off the highway to go the the Quickcheck. Crazy right? I pull into the parking but honestly my mind is kinda blank. In the past I would have already planned out all the the crappy food I was going to buy and what I was going to do with the wrappers so I didn't get caught. But before I get out of the car I stop myself and say to myself "look, you get a water and a protein bar and then get out of there. No candy, no chips, no donuts, no garbage. Don't give in and lose the last 3 days of progress. Keep on the program for your family".
Thankfully, I listened to myself and did just that. I bought a water and protein bar and walked out. Then I went home and had a nice dinner. I even called my wife to tell her I had stopped for a protein bar. I think I was proud that I wasn't hiding anything. I had eaten something that was withing my plan. I was doing something that was normal. There was no guilt. It felt good.
Add to that good feeling.. the feeling I had this morning when I weighed myself and lost another pound. I've now lost 3 pounds, current weight 431 lbs.
I have these urges that I battle to stop at the store and eat crappy foods. This is despite the fact that the program I'm following provides plenty of food. I'm really very satisfied during the entire day. I know the mental addition to comfort foods is going to take some time to break. I'll get there. I have to. I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to get in the car, drive somewhere and not think about eating a snack.
ETL
Monday, April 16, 2012
Day 3: The Stone Keeps On Rolling
Some say the early days of a lifestyle change are the hardest.. for me they're the easiest. I'm fresh full of commitment and resolution. I woke up today eager to weigh myself.. lost another 1.5 pounds down to 432, 2 pounds total loss. Ok.. it mostly water weight but it shows that the caloric level (2300) and breakdown (40P/30C/30F) seems to be working. Need to give it some more time.
I resisted going to the convenience store for a snack again today telling myself that I have to be honest with myself first. That's a challenge but I feel like I'm winning the daily battle. I feel great too. Looking forward to hitting the 10 pound loss mark.
I've been surprised each evening with how many cals I have left for dinner. Each meal I'm eating is very satisfying. The key is I'm not eating crap in between (high sugar and carb). Like tonight i'm having 8 oz of grilled chicken, 1/4 cup of low carb pasta, broccoli, 1/4 cup of walnuts and a PowerBar Plus Vanilla Yogurt for dessert. Not bad.
Proves the point that if you manage your nutrition you don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. I'm a believer.
I also began reading Sean Anderson's book "Transformation Road". Only through the first few chapters and so far it's very good. Hits home in a lot of ways.
Taking it one day at a time.
ETL
I resisted going to the convenience store for a snack again today telling myself that I have to be honest with myself first. That's a challenge but I feel like I'm winning the daily battle. I feel great too. Looking forward to hitting the 10 pound loss mark.
I've been surprised each evening with how many cals I have left for dinner. Each meal I'm eating is very satisfying. The key is I'm not eating crap in between (high sugar and carb). Like tonight i'm having 8 oz of grilled chicken, 1/4 cup of low carb pasta, broccoli, 1/4 cup of walnuts and a PowerBar Plus Vanilla Yogurt for dessert. Not bad.
Proves the point that if you manage your nutrition you don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. I'm a believer.
I also began reading Sean Anderson's book "Transformation Road". Only through the first few chapters and so far it's very good. Hits home in a lot of ways.
Taking it one day at a time.
ETL
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Days 1 and 2: Getting Honest With Myself
It started with an email from my brother in law, a guy that I love like a brother. He is very knowledgable about nutrition and offered to help me with a common sense approach. I said yes and he countered with an 11 page document explaining his ideas and philosophy behind maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
As I read the doc I thought back to all I had learned from other bloggers like Sean Anderson and many others like him. I also thought about the commitment I made to my family and more importantly myself. I messed up big time. I gave up. I stopped being honest with myself.
Well no more. Watching others in my family who struggle with obesity their whole lives and the effects it has on them in their senior years made me realize I don't want to be like that.
I want to be on this earth as long as possible and to do that I have to lose about 200 pounds and change my life drastically.
I want to be honest with myself.
I will do it. I will. The last two days I have been tracking and following a focused approach to weight loss.
I'm going to try to post here every day following the lead of Sean Anderson who's book I just bought for my iPad.
Onward and upward! One day at a time.
ETL
As I read the doc I thought back to all I had learned from other bloggers like Sean Anderson and many others like him. I also thought about the commitment I made to my family and more importantly myself. I messed up big time. I gave up. I stopped being honest with myself.
Well no more. Watching others in my family who struggle with obesity their whole lives and the effects it has on them in their senior years made me realize I don't want to be like that.
I want to be on this earth as long as possible and to do that I have to lose about 200 pounds and change my life drastically.
I want to be honest with myself.
I will do it. I will. The last two days I have been tracking and following a focused approach to weight loss.
I'm going to try to post here every day following the lead of Sean Anderson who's book I just bought for my iPad.
Onward and upward! One day at a time.
ETL
An Awakening... 14 Months Later
Its been 14 months and a lot has happened during this time. As far as my weight... I'm back up to 434 lbs as of yesterday. But the good news is that I've recommitted myself to my health. I began a controlled program thanks to a family member who has helped me re-sync my brain. I'll be eating 2300 calls per day to start with a 40P/30C/30F breakout. Using mynetdiary.com is great for tracking and managing daily food consumption.
I still do not drink diet drinks or eat fake sweeteners. I'm proud of this change that I have maintained. I've had fast food on occasion but no where near the extent prior to Jan 2010.
Reading some of my posts from when I started this blog has been helpful. I'll be weighing myself everyday and will be reporting here periodically. The good news is that I'm still alive and I have the ability to change my life.
Wish me luck!
ETL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)