Still here!!!

It has been almost two months since my last post! My weight loss program has been on hold, which is not good. I've been really sick this year, which has really impacted my life. I haven't been counting my calories or working out. I really have to get back on program. Tomorrow Debbie and I head to New Hampshire to visit family. When I get back, I will start over again.

We are really looking forward to the trip and have rented a nice big car (Chevy Equinox SUV). We both plan on having a relaxing trip as we drive up north.  Because this is Lent, we want to visit a Weathervane seafood restaurant on Friday. At least, I hope we can.

I've been thinking of other things to do during this visit. There doesn't seem to be very much going on in southern New Hampshire in April or at least that is my impression. There is a used bookstore that I might go to and perhaps I can walk down mainstreet of Keene and look at some of the shops. Hmmmm....I should rethink that, I hate shopping.

I really enjoy visiting my wife's family there. Great people. And we haven't been there for over two years. Life just got hectic first with the birth of Trisitin and then Torrin.

I'll try to post more regularly and perhaps post some images from our trip.

Cheers!

Jeff

Damn Girl Scouts!

Ok, little girls are cute and often smell good. But they also join the Girl Scouts and sell you cookies that taste SO good, but screw up your eating plan. And what the heck is in Samoas? Crack?!? I love those overly sweet and gooey coconut cookies. And while I love the movie Zombieland, I don't agree with Tallahassee who said he hated coconut, not the taste, but the consistency. I love coconut, especially with chocolate.  Nice....

So, I'm struggling.  Monday was Valentines Day.  Debbie and I enjoyed steak, salad, and bread with melted Gouda cheese. We then had Crème Brûlée and Asti Spumante, as well as some candy. Tuesday was another day of struggling to eat properly and then my poor granddaughter had to have emergency surgery on Wednesday so it was a day of eating fast food and other unhealthy stuff.  I had a doctor's appointment today and my Blood Sugar was high and my HDL (good cholestoral) was too low. My nurse practioner has adjusted my meds.

I need to get back on track today and finish the week doing better than I have so far.

Cheers,

Jeff

St. Valentine's Day

Happy St. Valentine's Day! I always like to emphasize that this is the Feast of Saint Valentine, although I realize that the day has largely been surrendered to secular activities like buying flowers, candy, and dinners. I'm not as militant about this as I am Christmas and Easter.

Today is also my official weekly weigh-in and the result is.... 1 pound of weight GAIN. What?!?!? Actually, I'm not that surprised. I lost 5 pounds last week, most which was water weight. It is not that uncommon for there to be no weight loss or even a gain on the second week. Also, I ate pizza yesterday which I think probably had a great deal of sodium. Very likely I am retaining water, since my wedding band is no longer loose like it was. Bottom line: I'm not bummed. In fact, I am very excited about my future weight loss plan.

But lets look at my goals for the past week and how I did.

Goals:

1) Eat less than an average 2,630 calories every day.
I ate 154 calories over my weekly budget. So, not great, but not crazy bad either.

I will give myself 5 out of 10 for the week.

2) Do cardio exercises for 30 minutes on at least 3 days.

Didn't happen at all! I would like to blame this on weird work hours and family commitments, but to be honest, there is a groove on my couch that my considerable butt has formed that is just way to comfortable. For this week, I will work on getting to the gym.

I will give myself 1 out of 10, since I did do some household chores.

3) I will listen to the latest two episode of Fat2Fit Radio and two episodes of the Nutrition Diva.

I did listen to two episodes of both podcasts

10 out of 10.

4) I will read two more chapters in the Fat2Fit book.

I did not. Crap!

0 out of 10.

5) Be polite to everyone that tells me I should do the latest Weight Watchers, Low-Carb, or Vegetarian diet. 

Only one person sort of bugged me and he was nice about it.  I'm not going to put a score to this.

6) Eat more veggies.  

I did eat more vegtables, but not enough. 

3 out of 10

So, how do I approach this week? I could drop my calorie budget down.  My thought on this is that determing ones Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and subsequent calories is not an exact science, since we are all different. Perhaps 2630 caloreis is too much for my metabolism. Or, I could focus on working out 3 times this week, which would burn about 300 calories. Of note, my 2630 is based on a sedentary lifestyle with no exercise.

My plan is to keep my calorie budget where it is and just to focus on working out. If next week I have not lost weight or even gained weight, then I will drop my calories by 100. I'll keep adjusting until I get it right. In the past I would have freaked out, but I'm in this for the long haul. I will take my time and get it right. 

Future weight loss goals are:

1 week goal (21 Feb 2011) Lose one pound to 333.6
3 month goal (1 May 2011) Lose 12-3 pounds to reach 325
1 year goal (1 Feb 2012) Lose 52 pounds to reach 286.

3 year goal (1 Feb 2014) Lose 150 pounds to reach 188
Rest of my Life Goal: Maintain this weight.

Hope you all have a great week!

Jeff

Let Him Eat Cake!!!

Here is my mid-week update for week 2.  I feel really good. In fact, I'm doing the Snoopy dance.  You know what I'm talking about... nose in air and feet moving, baby. Today has just been a good day, with nothing earth shattering happening. Just a very nice day where I got some work issues resolved and I got to spend time with my family this morning. The day started with me going to my doctor's office for a blood test and I was hungry since this was a fasting blood test. Following that I went to Cracker Barrel with my wife, daughter and her kids. It was a great deal of fun and I ate a very healthy egg white omelet with veggies and cheese, plus turkey sausage and whole wheat toast. Breakfast was great although the kids make me dizzy. I sat in the middle of them and they kept trying to get my attention causing me to look like some sort of demented bobble head. Hmmm....wonder what a bobble head of me would look like? Yet another reason to become famous! I let Tyler take off my band-aid, since Thea absolutely refused. There was this funny exchange:

Jeff: "Hey look! You can't tell where I got stuck. It's healed already since I have superpowers."

Tyler (age 8): "No it didn't You got stuck here!" (pointing to the puncture spot)

Jeff: "Well, I still have superpowers."

Tyler: "You DON'T"

Well, I believe I do have superpowers when it comes to losing weight. I've managed to stay within my calorie budget this week so far. I still haven't gone to the gym, which is not good, but I will get there. I've been trying to eat more veggies, with limited success. I've also listened to the Fat2Fit Radio and Nutrition Diva podcasts, so I think I'm learning.

Last night I had a huge potato with cheese and bacon for dinner.  This was from McAlister's Deli which is our favorite place to eat. I came home late yesterday and stopped by there to get our dinner.  Debbie called in our order and when the girl there confirmed what we had ordered, I found out Debbie had ordered carrot cake! I made the girl laugh when I told her to change it to a salad.  I was just kidding and took the cake home. After I ate my wonderful potato, I felt great. It was a bit excessive, but within my calories for the day. Debbie offered me part of her slice of cake and at first I thought NO WAY!  But I realized I still had 200+ calories left to eat. A quick check on the Web showed me that a slice of McAlisters carrot cake is 411 calories. Given that I always eat a snack at night, usually a piece of chocolate, I decided to take 1/3 of Debbie's cake. It was a fairly small piece but very tasty.

Since then, I've been considering the nature of food and why we demonize some foods. Cake, ice cream, and other sweets are not evil. And they can  be enjoyed in moderation, even by someone losing weight. Monica Reinagel, who is the Nutrition Diva, stated in her podcast that individuals should eat less than 50 grams of added sugar per day. To put that in perspective, a teaspoon is about 4 grams. While I try to keep my sugar intake limited to 2 teaspoons of sugar (8 grams) and a square of Ghirardelli dark chocolate (6 grams) per day, I don't mind indulging a bit every now and then.

If fact, I have another thought. People always say that you shouldn't link weight loss accomplishments with food rewards. I understand the reasoning behind this, but I just don't agree. Food is AWESOME and it can be a reward. So, I've decided that when I lose my three month goal of 12 lbs, I'm going to allow myself to have an entire slice of McAlister's chocolate cake. However, I will need to work this indulgence into my calorie budget. I feel good about this.  As a reminder, my goal is to lose this weight by May 1st.

So, I press on and I will post again Monday when I do my weigh-in!

Peace!!

Jeff

Success!

Today is my first official weekly weigh-in. I ended the week 70 calories under my weekly calorie budget, despite my wedding anniversary and the Superbowl. The results? I weighed in this morning at 333.6, which is exactly 5 pounds under my previous weight. My goal remains to lose 1 pound every week.  I also realize that a large portion of my 5 pounds was water weight, but I'm also confident that at least 1 pound was actual true weight loss. My goal for this week is to lose an additional pound to reach the weight of 332.6 or under. To accomplish this, I will:

1) Eat less than an average 2,630 calories every day.
Remember, I'm working toward gradual weight loss. I could eat less than this, which would give me bigger numbers of weight loss initially. However, this would eventually stall my weight loss and also negatively impact my metabolism.

2) Do cardio exercises for 30 minutes on at least 3 days.

Also I will try to add weight training this week, but next week will be my formal goal in this area.

3) I will listen to the latest two episode of Fat2Fit Radio and two episodes of the Nutrition Diva.

4) I will read two more chapters in the Fat2Fit book. Oh, by the way, you can view the Table of Contents and a few pages of the book here.

5) Be polite to everyone that tells me I should do the latest Weight Watchers, Low-Carb, or Vegetarian diet. I don't do diets anymore. This is a life change, which is why I'm giving myself three years to make it a part of my life.

6) Lastly, I need to add more veggies to my diet. I'm doing OK with fruit, especially apples, but need to eat more vegetables like broccoli. I'll accomplish this through better meal planning.
As a summary, here are my weight loss goals:

1 week goal (14 Feb 2011) Lose one pound to 332.6
3 month goal (1 May 2011) Lose 12-3 pounds to reach 325
1 year goal (1 Feb 2012) Lose 52 pounds to reach 286.

3 year goal (1 Feb 2014) Lose 150 pounds to reach 188
Rest of my Life Goal: Maintain this weight.

These goals are challenging, but God willing, I will be able to do it.

God bless and have a great week! I'll check back in a couple of days.

Jeff

A Happy Anniversary

They said it wouldn't last! Ha!!  Today is Debbie and my 15th wedding anniversary.  Yeah!!!  We had a nauseating day of sending each other sweet little love text messages.  Shucks, I can't help it, I love the woman.  She has stuck with me through thick and thin.

And speaking of thick...my weight loss program is going well. When I last posted, I was about 80 calories over my weekly limit, so yesterday I ate less to put me under budget.  However, Debbie and I went to Outback tonight......uh oh!  Actually, I did alright. I did order an appetizer, which was a chicken artichoke flatbread and that definitely ate into my calorie budget. I then had a 9oz steak with two grilled shrimps and a grilled scallop. Seasonal vegetables didn't add too much to the dinner. Bottom-line is that I ended up the day 113 calories over my daily budget. Not great, but I'm pleased that I just didn't go completely off the deep end. So, life is good. I just need to eat less between now and my weigh-in on Monday.  Of course, the Super Bowl is Sunday.  Challenges challenges challenges!!!

Jeff

Sickness and Irish Step

Today is the second day of my new weight loss program.  Yesterday went well, although I went over my budget by 38 calories, which I don't consider too bad for my first day on a program.  This morning I woke up sick, experiencing a headache and stomach issues. I called in sick and eventually made it downstairs where I spent most of the day watching movies with visiting grand-kids. Debbie got me some ginger-ale (diet) and I ate a sleeve of saltine crackers and cheese. Not a very healthy breakfast, but my stomach did feel better.

When Tammy and the kids came over, she brought me McDonald's, which was what I requested.  A large fries and double quarter-pounder added over 1200 calories to my daily budget.  YIKES!!!  But, you know how it is, when you are sick, you just want unhealthy food.  But, all is not lost. We always eat at McAlister's Deli on Tuesday nights because kids eat free and they have fun activities like face painting and coloring contests.  I had a cup of soup (150 calories) and a plain baked potato (298 calories).


Then it was off to Tyler's Irish Step dance class where she had a small recital.  I really enjoy watching her and the other girls in her class dance. Ballet is fine (I guess), but Irish Step is fun and the girls just love dancing to the up-tempo Irish music. While I was waiting for the recital to begin, I enjoyed a cup of coffee with half and half. It was nice having a few minutes by myself to just listen to an audio book on my iPhone.  I'm almost done with the latest Tom Clancy book, which has been very enjoyable.

I'm ending the day only 51 calories over my daily budget, despite my 1200 calorie lunch (again, YIKES!!!). I will spend the new few days eating a little less, so that I finish the week within my budget. On Monday, I weighed 338.6 pounds and I want to be under 337.6 by next Monday.  To quote just about every Adam Sandler movie...."YOU CAN DO IT!!!"  Or more correctly, "I CAN DO IT!!!"

God bless!

Jeff
 
 

Fat 2 Fit

A very late Happy New Year!!!

It has been awhile since I've posted, but that is understandable.  Life got very hectic for awhile with a new grandson (Torrin) and a proposal that I had to work through the holidays. The proposal took its toll on me and I pretty much stopped working on my weight. Frustrating, but I'm in good spirits now!

My weight is currently 338 pounds, which is only six pounds down from where I was last year at this time. So, I start over again, but this time with a new and more logical plan. As people that know me can attest, I like listening to podcasts.  And one of my favorites is the Fat 2 Fit Radio podcast, hosted by Russ Turley and Jeff Ainslie. These guys provide very smart information on making weight loss a part of your lifestyle versus something you do for a short period of time. They recommend very slow weight loss and eating the amount of calories that the person you want to become eats. Russ and Jeff don't approve of weight loss programs and centers that promote quick weight loss. And they really dislike the Biggest Loser, since they feel it sends the wrong message about quick weight loss.


My plan is to go back to counting my calories every day, something that I will do for the rest of my life. I want to lose about one pound a week, so my initial goal is to lose 12-13 pounds in the next three months. Based on this, I should be around 325 pounds by May 1st. This will be maddeningly slow weight loss, since I always love those big numbers. But I need to be disciplined. On a positive note, I will be able to eat a good amount of food every day, so I should feel less hungry. Because my ultimate goal is to lose 150 pounds, this will take almost 3 years. I'll just let my body lose weight at its own pace.

My diet will be heavy in veggies and fruits, as well as some good lean proteins and healthy fats. Besides watching what I eat, I will be exercising, working with weights and doing cardio. I will exercise at least 4 times per day. One of those days will be swimming or pool walking, just for a change of pace. I'll also continue to listen to great podcast like Fat 2 Fit, and The Nutrition Diva.

Finally, I will enjoy myself on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the occasional birthday. As Russ and Jeff point out, it is not the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner that greatly impacts weight loss, it is the other days during the year. Basically, eat in moderation throughout the year, but give yourself the occasional treat. Denying yourself completely just doesn't work.

Have a great day and God bless!

Jeff