Late post tonight! Sunday night is WoW night with our friends in Seattle, so we were playing with them. Usually play until 10, but Malia's not feeling good so we called it early. Gives me time to do the blog before it gets too late. So, on with the show!
Reading on the scale this morning was 243.2. Just about 11 pounds for the week. I'll take it. Next major attack on the diet will be in 2 weeks when we have the Blue and Gold Banquet. Pizza, wings, breadsticks, and salad. Going to try to just do the salad and see how it goes. Eyes on the prize!
Breakfast today was two fried eggs and a Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash. It's really good, though if I make it again, I think I'll use olive oil. The coconut flavor is a bit strong. It called for cinnamon, but I am not a big fan of cinnamon and meat, so I skipped it. Big ol' glass of water to go along with it.
Snacks for the day were some spiced almonds, macadamias, green beans, and some turkey breast slices. Heavier on the green beans today than yesterday, so that's a good thing.
Lunch was a big ol' salad with the rest of the bison tri-tip and more water. No dressing as the meat was still super moist and tender.
Dinner was a really good soup, based off of this recipe. I didn't follow it exactly, so I imagine it would have been even better if I had. I just didn't have enough time to do it correctly. It was a minestrone like soup with chicken, carrots, cabbage, and kale. I should have added some onion and celery, but didn't think about it until later. It was darn tasty the way it came out though, and we've got enough for leftovers for the next few days, so that's good. Less salad, more soup! I imagine I can take a little salad instead of the big salad I have been eating. Gotta say, a hot meal in the middle of the day will be nice. Had another big glass of water, and a square of the Lindt 90% Cacao. Down to only two pieces left of that. Trying the Black and Green Organic 85% bar next. It is the sweetest one I picked up, coming in at 8 g of sugar, so much sweeter than the 4 g that I am enjoying now.
The rest of the day was a laid back affair. Watched some TV, did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, went to a pack planning meeting, and played some WoW. Pretty quiet day.
Primal Law #5: Get lots of sleep. I've been trying to get to bed by 10 PM each night. Most nights I've made it. Might be a bit late tonight, but overall feeling pretty good about that as well. I know if I don't get enough sleep my body craves food to keep it going, and before I would dive into a bowl of something not good for me, usually an old standby of pepperoni, pasta sauce, and a handful of mozzarella, heated it the microwave. A crustless pizza, but still, lots of dairy and artificial food. I'll talk more about artificial food when I do law #9.
Ok, so, 1 week down, 7 days in a row of blogging about my experience and 7 days of eating better. Grok may not have kept a blog, but this public food diary is a good thing for me. It keeps me honest.
New blog title theme for next week. This week's theme was song titles.
Brand New Day and A Man's Gotta Do from Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog
Barefootin' by Robert Parker
The Waiting (is the Hardest Part) by Tom Petty
Dinero by Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers
Just the Two of us by Bill Withers
Great White Buffalo by Ted Nugent
One Week by the Barenaked Ladies
See ya!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Great (White) Buffalo
Happy Saturday!
Today was a good day. I didn't eat a whole lot today, but I wasn't hungry, so I didn't push it. Got a lot done, so that's good.
Started the day by finishing off the rest of my steak from dinner last night. 1 minute in the microwave and it was good to go. Just as good as last night. Had about 12 oz of water to go with it.
Decided it was time to straighten up the "comic book" room. It's basically my room for all of my collections, comic books, books, movies, sports memorabilia, figures, statues, role playing games, etc... Usually it becomes the dumping ground for all things no one knows what to do with. That's where the weight bench has been relegated.
Well, since I ordered a weight set to start using, I needed to get to the bench. So...the room is now clean and organized. Looks good and the weight bench has already been used by the boys. Sure won't hurt them to start lifting weights. They both could use some upper body strength!
And since I was in a cleaning mood, I gathered up all the cardboard and took it down to be recycled. For some reason, Waste Management in Reno will not take cardboard. So what happens is we get a HUGE stack and then take it to the recycling center. Got there and out before the homeless guy came to help. Apparently, he "works" there on the weekend. People give him a couple bucks for helping. One guy even brought him food. Nice enough guy. Next time I will remember to take a few bucks. At least he isn't begging.
Had a couple helium tanks hanging around as well. Trying to find a place to recycle them is pretty difficult. If anyone knows of a place in Reno area, let me know. I tried Amerigas, but they are closed on the weekend.
Got home and had lunch. Big ol' salad with the usual homemade balsamic vinaigrette and a slab of turkey breast chopped over top. More water to drink.
Snacks today consisted of about 10 cashews, a Macadamia-Date Macaroon (Malia made them, not bad, but probably won't eat anymore), a cup of iced coffee with a packet of Stevia in the Raw. A bit lighter on the veggie snacks than I had been doing, but I think I made up for it with the 2 big salads today.
Dinner. Ah...dinner. Not as good as I was hoping for, but it always sounds good. When I picked the Best. Steaks. Ever. Friday, I also picked up a Bison Tri-Tip. It was a bit pricey, but it's such a lean cut of meat and quite tasty, so I decided to go ahead an buy one.
I followed the recipe for Succulent Bison Tri-Tip. It came out pretty good, but I don't think I will buy it again. It's expensive and honestly, I really can't tell the difference between Bison and a good piece of Beef. Another Big ol' Salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette and another big ol' glass of water finished dinner off. Followed it up with a square of the Lindt 90% Cacao. Kind of looking forward to that one being done so I can try another bar with a different percentage!
So, the big news of the day is my weight. Weighed myself and it was down to 244.6 lbs. That's a total of almost 10 pounds. Definitely noticing a difference. The "roll" is getting smaller, that's for sure! I've got another 8 days of this, then I will start to introduce fruit back in to the diet. That should be interesting. Sugar in any form is a weight gainer for me, so we shall see how it goes. 200 lbs seems a long way off, but closer than 175 lbs, that's for sure.
Exercise routine kicks in next week. Plan is to alternate riding the bike with weights every other day. I will probably take Sunday off of the routine so it's an even 3 days for each. Easier to remember that way!
Oh...Primal Law #2! Forgot to do that yesterday! I'll do 2, 3, and 4 to catch up today. Here they are if you can't wait to read all 10!
#2: Move around a lot at a slow pace. My job encourages walking, so I do that everyday. It's probably not a lot, but the recommendation is low level aerobic activity for 2-5 a week. I'm not sure it counts as exercise, but I am moving.
#3: Lift heavy things. 30-45 minutes, 2-3 times a week. I ordered the weight set with that in mind. I am not a strong man, so I think I have about 100 lbs of weights ranging from 2.5 to 25 lbs.Starting the dumbbells at 10 pounds each, and the barbell at 50 lbs. We shall see how that goes. May not be enough, but it's more than I lift on a consistent basis, so I wanted to start off light. I think I probably owe the UPS man something for lugging those up to the house for me!
#4: Run really fast every once in a while. I've been doing that as part of the bike ride. I pedal along at a normal pace for about 5 minutes and then do a flat out fast as I can for 1 minute. By then end of my ride, I try to get 5 sprints in.
Ok off to watch a couple episodes of Archer! Later all!
Today was a good day. I didn't eat a whole lot today, but I wasn't hungry, so I didn't push it. Got a lot done, so that's good.
Started the day by finishing off the rest of my steak from dinner last night. 1 minute in the microwave and it was good to go. Just as good as last night. Had about 12 oz of water to go with it.
Decided it was time to straighten up the "comic book" room. It's basically my room for all of my collections, comic books, books, movies, sports memorabilia, figures, statues, role playing games, etc... Usually it becomes the dumping ground for all things no one knows what to do with. That's where the weight bench has been relegated.
Well, since I ordered a weight set to start using, I needed to get to the bench. So...the room is now clean and organized. Looks good and the weight bench has already been used by the boys. Sure won't hurt them to start lifting weights. They both could use some upper body strength!
And since I was in a cleaning mood, I gathered up all the cardboard and took it down to be recycled. For some reason, Waste Management in Reno will not take cardboard. So what happens is we get a HUGE stack and then take it to the recycling center. Got there and out before the homeless guy came to help. Apparently, he "works" there on the weekend. People give him a couple bucks for helping. One guy even brought him food. Nice enough guy. Next time I will remember to take a few bucks. At least he isn't begging.
Had a couple helium tanks hanging around as well. Trying to find a place to recycle them is pretty difficult. If anyone knows of a place in Reno area, let me know. I tried Amerigas, but they are closed on the weekend.
Got home and had lunch. Big ol' salad with the usual homemade balsamic vinaigrette and a slab of turkey breast chopped over top. More water to drink.
Snacks today consisted of about 10 cashews, a Macadamia-Date Macaroon (Malia made them, not bad, but probably won't eat anymore), a cup of iced coffee with a packet of Stevia in the Raw. A bit lighter on the veggie snacks than I had been doing, but I think I made up for it with the 2 big salads today.
Dinner. Ah...dinner. Not as good as I was hoping for, but it always sounds good. When I picked the Best. Steaks. Ever. Friday, I also picked up a Bison Tri-Tip. It was a bit pricey, but it's such a lean cut of meat and quite tasty, so I decided to go ahead an buy one.
I followed the recipe for Succulent Bison Tri-Tip. It came out pretty good, but I don't think I will buy it again. It's expensive and honestly, I really can't tell the difference between Bison and a good piece of Beef. Another Big ol' Salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette and another big ol' glass of water finished dinner off. Followed it up with a square of the Lindt 90% Cacao. Kind of looking forward to that one being done so I can try another bar with a different percentage!
So, the big news of the day is my weight. Weighed myself and it was down to 244.6 lbs. That's a total of almost 10 pounds. Definitely noticing a difference. The "roll" is getting smaller, that's for sure! I've got another 8 days of this, then I will start to introduce fruit back in to the diet. That should be interesting. Sugar in any form is a weight gainer for me, so we shall see how it goes. 200 lbs seems a long way off, but closer than 175 lbs, that's for sure.
Exercise routine kicks in next week. Plan is to alternate riding the bike with weights every other day. I will probably take Sunday off of the routine so it's an even 3 days for each. Easier to remember that way!
Oh...Primal Law #2! Forgot to do that yesterday! I'll do 2, 3, and 4 to catch up today. Here they are if you can't wait to read all 10!
#2: Move around a lot at a slow pace. My job encourages walking, so I do that everyday. It's probably not a lot, but the recommendation is low level aerobic activity for 2-5 a week. I'm not sure it counts as exercise, but I am moving.
#3: Lift heavy things. 30-45 minutes, 2-3 times a week. I ordered the weight set with that in mind. I am not a strong man, so I think I have about 100 lbs of weights ranging from 2.5 to 25 lbs.Starting the dumbbells at 10 pounds each, and the barbell at 50 lbs. We shall see how that goes. May not be enough, but it's more than I lift on a consistent basis, so I wanted to start off light. I think I probably owe the UPS man something for lugging those up to the house for me!
#4: Run really fast every once in a while. I've been doing that as part of the bike ride. I pedal along at a normal pace for about 5 minutes and then do a flat out fast as I can for 1 minute. By then end of my ride, I try to get 5 sprints in.
Ok off to watch a couple episodes of Archer! Later all!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Just the two of us...
Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a good week. Mine was petty darn good. Cold is mostly gone, and my energy level is fairly high. Though after the dinner I just ate, I can feel a food coma coming on.
Weight down another 1/2 pound to 246.4. I can definitely tell the difference in my clothes. Pants are looser and I had to poke a hole in my belt to get it to keep my pants up! So a new belt was ordered.
Breakfast was the same old thing, 2 eggs over easy, 3 slices of Canadian Bacon fried in a tsp of coconut oil today, along with my cup of coffee with Stevia in the Raw, and the first of 12 cups of water.
Big test today as someone brought in a white chocolate raspberry Bundt cake. I stayed strong and didn't have any! Woot for me!
Snack today was some spiced almonds. Very tasty. More water helped to wash it down.
Lunch was leftover stir fry from last night. Another big old glass of water with lunch and I was ready to face the rest of my day.
Afternoon snack was the rest of the veggies from the stir fry, which was good because I had gone through the nuts and forgotten to bring anything else!
Dinner was...No...this requires some mood lighting.
I stopped at the store to pick up some steak for Malia and me since the boys were having pizza.
The selection at the normal grocery store was a bit lacking. and I needed to check Whole Foods for some other things anyway, so I decided to to look at the steaks there. Not a great variety, but found some bone in rib eyes that looked incredible. And they were grass fed, hormone free, etc. They were also expensive, but oh my was it worth every penny.
Came home and got the grill on the stove started and got it smokin' hot. While that was heating up, I seasoned the steaks with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it.
Steaks on the grill and then mushrooms and onions caramelizing in a pan. Pulled the steaks off after about 10 minutes. And let them rest on the plate. Mushrooms and onions right on top, and a bowl of salad, and it was then time to eat. With the first bite I knew I had done a good job.
You know that sound you make when you take the first bite of something really good? Yeah, that sound. Malia makes that when she gets crab legs. For me? A good steak. Malia looked at me and asked if I needed to be alone with my steak. Apparently the look of bliss on my face matched the taste.
I actually left a little for tomorrow. So good.
Another square of dark chocolate, and I'm good for the day.
Weekend ahead and some housework to do. Cleaning up the garage and the comic book room so I can get the weight bench set up correctly.
Dinner tomorrow should be good as well. Tune in tomorrow for the run down.
Weight down another 1/2 pound to 246.4. I can definitely tell the difference in my clothes. Pants are looser and I had to poke a hole in my belt to get it to keep my pants up! So a new belt was ordered.
Breakfast was the same old thing, 2 eggs over easy, 3 slices of Canadian Bacon fried in a tsp of coconut oil today, along with my cup of coffee with Stevia in the Raw, and the first of 12 cups of water.
Big test today as someone brought in a white chocolate raspberry Bundt cake. I stayed strong and didn't have any! Woot for me!
Snack today was some spiced almonds. Very tasty. More water helped to wash it down.
Lunch was leftover stir fry from last night. Another big old glass of water with lunch and I was ready to face the rest of my day.
Afternoon snack was the rest of the veggies from the stir fry, which was good because I had gone through the nuts and forgotten to bring anything else!
Dinner was...No...this requires some mood lighting.
I stopped at the store to pick up some steak for Malia and me since the boys were having pizza.
The selection at the normal grocery store was a bit lacking. and I needed to check Whole Foods for some other things anyway, so I decided to to look at the steaks there. Not a great variety, but found some bone in rib eyes that looked incredible. And they were grass fed, hormone free, etc. They were also expensive, but oh my was it worth every penny.
Came home and got the grill on the stove started and got it smokin' hot. While that was heating up, I seasoned the steaks with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt. My mouth is watering again just thinking about it.
Steaks on the grill and then mushrooms and onions caramelizing in a pan. Pulled the steaks off after about 10 minutes. And let them rest on the plate. Mushrooms and onions right on top, and a bowl of salad, and it was then time to eat. With the first bite I knew I had done a good job.
You know that sound you make when you take the first bite of something really good? Yeah, that sound. Malia makes that when she gets crab legs. For me? A good steak. Malia looked at me and asked if I needed to be alone with my steak. Apparently the look of bliss on my face matched the taste.
I actually left a little for tomorrow. So good.
Another square of dark chocolate, and I'm good for the day.
Weekend ahead and some housework to do. Cleaning up the garage and the comic book room so I can get the weight bench set up correctly.
Dinner tomorrow should be good as well. Tune in tomorrow for the run down.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Dinero
Hello, and welcome to another addition of "What did Chad Eat Today?"
So, apparently I should list the decimals in my daily weight check in. Yesterday the scale was at 247.5. Today was at 247.0. So, technically I only lost 6.5 lbs as of yesterday, and 7 lbs. as of today.
Breakfast was 2 pieces of thick cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, 2 eggs over easy fried in just a smidgen of bacon grease (Honestly, I'm not a big fan of doing that and won't do it again, as the eggs cook too quickly and don't taste as good. Plus, they tend to stick to the bottom of the pan.), a cup of coffee and a packet of Stevia in the Raw which I only drank about 1/3 of, and 8 oz of water.
Snacked on green beans and bell peppers spritzed with a little Jalapeno White Balsamic, and 24 oz of water.
Lunch was the usual big ol' salad with Turkey Breast and Lemon Fused Olive Oil and Black Currant Balsamic, and another 16 oz of water, plus some more of the veggies.
Ate more of the green beans and the bell peppers and another 18 oz of water. A few macadamia nuts were added to the mix after I got home from the grocery store, where I ran into a work colleague and spent about 10 minutes chit chatting.
Dinner was Chicken Stir Fry with carrots, celery, onion, broccoli, bell pepper, and garlic. I used homemade chicken stock, soy sauce, and a tsp of cornstarch for the sauce. It was a pretty basic stir fry, but it was good! Another 12 oz of water while eating, and wrapped up my day of eating with a square of the Lindt 90% Cacao bar.
As I was eating dinner, I tried to figure out what the base flavor was, and then realized I had used Coconut Oil, but it gave it an almost cinnamon taste. Not bad, just a bit unexpected. Coconut oil is becoming the new go to oil for cooking. It does add a bit more flavor than other oils I have used and I can't say I dislike that.
Exercise was once again the normal walking I do during the day, and setting up my classroom again. If I remember, I will take a picture of my "classroom".
So, Primal Diet is going well so far. I feel pretty good. As I was telling Malia tonight, I don't feel as exhausted as I used to. I feel tired at the end of the day, but not so worn out and worn down. Eating better and sleeping more seems to be increasing my energy, as well as decreasing the pounds.
There are 10 Laws, which you can find at Definitive Guide: The Primal Blueprint, that help you focus on making good choices. The first is to eat lots of animals, insects, and plants. I've got the first down pat. I love meat about the same amount that I love carbs. Even though the plan says you can eat any kind of meat, I tend to stick to lean proteins like chicken and turkey, with a little beef, pork, and lamb every once in awhile. The plan recommends organic, free range, hormone free meat. I do my best, but dang that stuff is expensive! Organic whole chickens cost a lot more than Foster Farms! I'd like to find a local provider for some good quality beef and lamb next fall. Not sure I could raise chickens for meat. Eggs, yes, but meat? That would be tough. Any ideas, local friends?
Insects are the next thing on the list. I think I will pass on that except for the ones I ingest accidentally or those that are allowed to be in our food by the Government.
Plants I am getting better at. Still having a hard time expanding the palate for those. I grew up eating carrots, green beans, peas, corn, and potatoes as my main vegetables, and 2 of those aren't even veggies! Tomatoes are okay, but not whole. They need to be cooked and therefore unrecognizable to be palatable.
I am doing a better job this time around than in the past with adding more veggies to my diet. I think I need to add almond butter and celery to the mix tomorrow. Not getting enough fat with my snacks just eating veggies. I am avoiding fruit for now because of the sugar.
Water consumption is not a problem. Getting rid of the water can be challenging, since I am not able to leave the classroom until lunch time. 24 oz is usually the best I can do before it becomes a problem! TMI? Probably.
So, apparently I should list the decimals in my daily weight check in. Yesterday the scale was at 247.5. Today was at 247.0. So, technically I only lost 6.5 lbs as of yesterday, and 7 lbs. as of today.
Breakfast was 2 pieces of thick cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, 2 eggs over easy fried in just a smidgen of bacon grease (Honestly, I'm not a big fan of doing that and won't do it again, as the eggs cook too quickly and don't taste as good. Plus, they tend to stick to the bottom of the pan.), a cup of coffee and a packet of Stevia in the Raw which I only drank about 1/3 of, and 8 oz of water.
Snacked on green beans and bell peppers spritzed with a little Jalapeno White Balsamic, and 24 oz of water.
Lunch was the usual big ol' salad with Turkey Breast and Lemon Fused Olive Oil and Black Currant Balsamic, and another 16 oz of water, plus some more of the veggies.
Ate more of the green beans and the bell peppers and another 18 oz of water. A few macadamia nuts were added to the mix after I got home from the grocery store, where I ran into a work colleague and spent about 10 minutes chit chatting.
Dinner was Chicken Stir Fry with carrots, celery, onion, broccoli, bell pepper, and garlic. I used homemade chicken stock, soy sauce, and a tsp of cornstarch for the sauce. It was a pretty basic stir fry, but it was good! Another 12 oz of water while eating, and wrapped up my day of eating with a square of the Lindt 90% Cacao bar.
As I was eating dinner, I tried to figure out what the base flavor was, and then realized I had used Coconut Oil, but it gave it an almost cinnamon taste. Not bad, just a bit unexpected. Coconut oil is becoming the new go to oil for cooking. It does add a bit more flavor than other oils I have used and I can't say I dislike that.
Exercise was once again the normal walking I do during the day, and setting up my classroom again. If I remember, I will take a picture of my "classroom".
So, Primal Diet is going well so far. I feel pretty good. As I was telling Malia tonight, I don't feel as exhausted as I used to. I feel tired at the end of the day, but not so worn out and worn down. Eating better and sleeping more seems to be increasing my energy, as well as decreasing the pounds.
There are 10 Laws, which you can find at Definitive Guide: The Primal Blueprint, that help you focus on making good choices. The first is to eat lots of animals, insects, and plants. I've got the first down pat. I love meat about the same amount that I love carbs. Even though the plan says you can eat any kind of meat, I tend to stick to lean proteins like chicken and turkey, with a little beef, pork, and lamb every once in awhile. The plan recommends organic, free range, hormone free meat. I do my best, but dang that stuff is expensive! Organic whole chickens cost a lot more than Foster Farms! I'd like to find a local provider for some good quality beef and lamb next fall. Not sure I could raise chickens for meat. Eggs, yes, but meat? That would be tough. Any ideas, local friends?
Insects are the next thing on the list. I think I will pass on that except for the ones I ingest accidentally or those that are allowed to be in our food by the Government.
Plants I am getting better at. Still having a hard time expanding the palate for those. I grew up eating carrots, green beans, peas, corn, and potatoes as my main vegetables, and 2 of those aren't even veggies! Tomatoes are okay, but not whole. They need to be cooked and therefore unrecognizable to be palatable.
I am doing a better job this time around than in the past with adding more veggies to my diet. I think I need to add almond butter and celery to the mix tomorrow. Not getting enough fat with my snacks just eating veggies. I am avoiding fruit for now because of the sugar.
Water consumption is not a problem. Getting rid of the water can be challenging, since I am not able to leave the classroom until lunch time. 24 oz is usually the best I can do before it becomes a problem! TMI? Probably.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
One picture and no recipes today. It was a boring day, food-wise, except I found a way to spice up raw broccoli!
The scale showed a weight of 247 this morning. That's 7 lbs in 2 days. Mostly water, I know, but you know what? My shirt and pants felt less snug than usual, and my belt seemed looser than normal! I am going to need to buy a new belt since I am cinching all the way on the last hole.
Breakfast was the same as yesterday, 2 eggs, over-easy fried in butter with 3 slices of Canadian Bacon, 12 oz of black coffee with a packet of Stevia in the Raw, and 8 oz of water.
For my snack today I took the usual bell peppers, broccoli, and green beans, however, I spiced the broccoli up by eating a macadamia nut at the same time. The buttery smooth taste of the nut with the broccoli was a nice touch. I also drank 24 oz of water to was the greens out of my teeth!
Lunchtime seemed to take forever today, but it was just another big ol' salad with Lemon fused Olive Oil and Jalapeno White Balsamic. I actually like the Black Currant Balsamic better, but the Jalapeno is pretty good. On top of the salad were a few slices of True Story Applewood Turkey Beast. It's a really nice flavor, and it's organic! (I would love to get more into the free range, organic, home grown meats and eggs. Any suggestions out there, let me know!)
Another 24 oz of water at the start of lunch until my next class began. Filled it up just before the kids showed up and drank about half of it before the end of the day.
Once I got home, I snacked on a few more veggies and some almonds.
Dinner was leftovers since we needed to do a little emptying of the fridge. That left me with another big ol' salad with the last of the taco seasoned ground turkey. No guac leftover though! Drat!
After dinner was another square of the Lindt 90% Cacao candy bar. It really is a just a tiny amount of chocolate, but I break off little bites and let them melt in my mouth, so it takes about 15 minutes to eat the whole thing. I look forward to it every night! It's that little bit that helps me get through the day knowing it's waiting for me after dinner.
Exercise was about 20 minutes moving furniture, including 2 of the big school lunchroom tables, my movable chalkboard which acts as one of my walls, and the 2 movable wall panels. Oh! Here is a picture!
The scale showed a weight of 247 this morning. That's 7 lbs in 2 days. Mostly water, I know, but you know what? My shirt and pants felt less snug than usual, and my belt seemed looser than normal! I am going to need to buy a new belt since I am cinching all the way on the last hole.
Breakfast was the same as yesterday, 2 eggs, over-easy fried in butter with 3 slices of Canadian Bacon, 12 oz of black coffee with a packet of Stevia in the Raw, and 8 oz of water.
For my snack today I took the usual bell peppers, broccoli, and green beans, however, I spiced the broccoli up by eating a macadamia nut at the same time. The buttery smooth taste of the nut with the broccoli was a nice touch. I also drank 24 oz of water to was the greens out of my teeth!
Lunchtime seemed to take forever today, but it was just another big ol' salad with Lemon fused Olive Oil and Jalapeno White Balsamic. I actually like the Black Currant Balsamic better, but the Jalapeno is pretty good. On top of the salad were a few slices of True Story Applewood Turkey Beast. It's a really nice flavor, and it's organic! (I would love to get more into the free range, organic, home grown meats and eggs. Any suggestions out there, let me know!)
Another 24 oz of water at the start of lunch until my next class began. Filled it up just before the kids showed up and drank about half of it before the end of the day.
Once I got home, I snacked on a few more veggies and some almonds.
Dinner was leftovers since we needed to do a little emptying of the fridge. That left me with another big ol' salad with the last of the taco seasoned ground turkey. No guac leftover though! Drat!
After dinner was another square of the Lindt 90% Cacao candy bar. It really is a just a tiny amount of chocolate, but I break off little bites and let them melt in my mouth, so it takes about 15 minutes to eat the whole thing. I look forward to it every night! It's that little bit that helps me get through the day knowing it's waiting for me after dinner.
Exercise was about 20 minutes moving furniture, including 2 of the big school lunchroom tables, my movable chalkboard which acts as one of my walls, and the 2 movable wall panels. Oh! Here is a picture!
Yep, that's my classroom on Wednesdays. It's a bit more private than what I will deal with for the rest of the week, but that's ok. I really love my job.
I need to buy a new pair of black work shoes. I really want to buy American made, so I did some looking on line. I found a pair, but not knowing my shoe size ( I buy 10.5 in tennis shoes, but I know that is not the same as a good pair of Oxfords) I set out to measure my foot. According to the measurements, I should be buying a full size smaller, or the same size as oldest boy. Really? That just seems wrong. So, I think I will go to a shoe store tomorrow and really measure my foot on a measuring scale. Then, I'll buy the shoes! And maybe the Vibram FiveFingers!
Another thing I have been trying to do is get enough sleep, so I am trying to be asleep by 10:00 each night. Since I wake up with the alarm at 5:45, it's a bit less than 8 hours, but closer than I have been in years. I've been using a white noise generator on my phone, but while the sound is on an alarm to turn off after an hour, the program still runs and I end up with a dead phone in the morning.
The weight set I ordered is arriving in pieces, and the last of the pieces should be here by Friday.
That's all for today! Later all!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Barefootin'
Bonus blog post! Bonus blog post!
I am seriously considering getting a pair of the Vibram FiveFingers "shoes".
I love being barefoot and these look like the next best thing. Anyone own a pair or something like them? I am thinking the more expensive ones are probably better than the cheap ones, but not necessarily. Thoughts?
I am seriously considering getting a pair of the Vibram FiveFingers "shoes".
I love being barefoot and these look like the next best thing. Anyone own a pair or something like them? I am thinking the more expensive ones are probably better than the cheap ones, but not necessarily. Thoughts?
A Man's Gotta Do...
Day 2 of the new life style done. Still feeling good. Especially after the incredibly yummy dinner. Oh my! But more on that later.
Woke up this morning and weighed myself. I was down an amazing 5 pounds! Ha! I know I didn't lose 5 pounds in one day, but that sure was nice to see the scale at 249 lbs. I stepped off and did it two more times and each time confirmed the original. 249 lbs. So, we shall see what tomorrow says.
I actually ate breakfast this morning while finishing up my taxes. Getting a refund! Sweet! Not a huge one, but that's good. That just means I got more of my money than the government did. Not that I am against paying taxes, but I don't want to overpay either. Breakfast was fried eggs in 1tsp of butter and 3 pieces of Canadian Bacon, 8 oz of water, and 12 oz of coffee with 1 packet of Stevia in the Raw. Found out I can use that and boy does it make a difference in my coffee.
Today was the day I was not looking forward to because of the temptation that awaited. The staff lounge back table looked like this:
A basket full of Crunch bars, blueberry muffins, Cool Ranch Doritos, Cheetos, Nacho Doritos, and fresh pumpkin bread. Good stuff. And I didn't eat any of it. Instead, I ate this:
Everyone ate it and the hopes of taking it for lunch tomorrow soon evaporated as two people went back for seconds! A definite keeper that will be added to the rotation of dinner meals.
Another square of the 90% Cacao as my after dinner treat. Still bitter, but honestly, I don't mind it either. I love dark chocolate and this one is pretty darn good. I'm going to finish this one before starting the 86% bar.
No major exercise, but I did a lot of walking today so I didn't feel so bad. The weight set should be here by the end of the week so I can start to do Primal Law #3: Lift heavy things. I'll talk more about the primal laws as I get further along.
Another bit of news is that I have gone to the grocery store by myself 3 times now and not purchased any sugary junk food! This was always a temptation since the "good stuff" is right by the register. Turning a corner!
I feel really good about the choice I am making so far. Today, I was talking to one of the ladies at work and she was saying that being so public about all of this takes courage. I don't know about that. I guess it helps keep me honest and motivated, even if only a few people read it. I don't mind. After all, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
Woke up this morning and weighed myself. I was down an amazing 5 pounds! Ha! I know I didn't lose 5 pounds in one day, but that sure was nice to see the scale at 249 lbs. I stepped off and did it two more times and each time confirmed the original. 249 lbs. So, we shall see what tomorrow says.
I actually ate breakfast this morning while finishing up my taxes. Getting a refund! Sweet! Not a huge one, but that's good. That just means I got more of my money than the government did. Not that I am against paying taxes, but I don't want to overpay either. Breakfast was fried eggs in 1tsp of butter and 3 pieces of Canadian Bacon, 8 oz of water, and 12 oz of coffee with 1 packet of Stevia in the Raw. Found out I can use that and boy does it make a difference in my coffee.
Today was the day I was not looking forward to because of the temptation that awaited. The staff lounge back table looked like this:
A basket full of Crunch bars, blueberry muffins, Cool Ranch Doritos, Cheetos, Nacho Doritos, and fresh pumpkin bread. Good stuff. And I didn't eat any of it. Instead, I ate this:
Raw broccoli, green beans, and bell peppers. The bell pepper was my favorite actually. Plain raw broccoli is very dry and the green beans are just kind of blech. I'll continue eating all of them though since they really did keep me from feeling hungry. Just snacked on them throughout the morning until lunch time. Drank about 24 oz of water.
Lunch was a "taco salad" that consisted of mixed greens and leftover turkey taco meat from last night. Not exciting, but it did the trick. More of the veggies accompanied that, with another 12 oz of water.
Took a short walk after school to a little shop called Big Horn Olive Oil Company to check out their supply of local honey. Unfortunately, they had none. So I wandered the shop and tasted a few different olive oils, nut oils, and balsamic vinegars. The pear raspberry balsamic vinegar with Perrier was an amazing taste! It was super sweet, yet very tangy and left the inside of my mouth tingling. I eventually settled on a bottle of Jalapeno White Balsamic Vinegar.
Dinner tonight was another big ol' salad with the Lemon Fused Olive Oil and the new Jalapeno White Balsamic Vinegar, and Beef Stroganoff. Follow the link for the recipe. It is well worth the click! Here is a picture of it:
Another square of the 90% Cacao as my after dinner treat. Still bitter, but honestly, I don't mind it either. I love dark chocolate and this one is pretty darn good. I'm going to finish this one before starting the 86% bar.
No major exercise, but I did a lot of walking today so I didn't feel so bad. The weight set should be here by the end of the week so I can start to do Primal Law #3: Lift heavy things. I'll talk more about the primal laws as I get further along.
Another bit of news is that I have gone to the grocery store by myself 3 times now and not purchased any sugary junk food! This was always a temptation since the "good stuff" is right by the register. Turning a corner!
I feel really good about the choice I am making so far. Today, I was talking to one of the ladies at work and she was saying that being so public about all of this takes courage. I don't know about that. I guess it helps keep me honest and motivated, even if only a few people read it. I don't mind. After all, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
Monday, February 4, 2013
It's a Brand New Day!
First day of my new life is in the books!
I feel pretty good. Certainly not hungry, thanks to big ol' salads for dinner and lunch. I am sure the variety will get better as I go along, and the 5 new cook books will be of use, as will be the website, www.marksdailyapple.com.
Started the day with my weigh in. After a weekend of over-indulgence that included spaghetti, (frozen) White Castle Cheeseburgers, chips, breaded chicken, cheese, soda, and quite possibly the best Starbucks Coffee ever, The Starbucks Doubleshot (1 pump Peppermint, 2 pumps Mocha, 2 pumps White Mocha, Cream, and 5 shots of Espresso served over ice) I topped the scale at 254. Not the heaviest I have ever been, but definitely, not a good look on my 5'8" frame.
Woke up this morning, got oldest boy started on school and then sat down and decided for some reason to start my taxes. No idea why, but by the time I realized it, it was time to go to work and I had not eaten breakfast or showered or anything. So breakfast was 12 oz of black coffee and a handful of raw green beans which I snacked on throughout the morning. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Maybe I was so carb-ed up from Sunday, that I was able to sustain? No idea, but it was OK.
Lunch was my usual salad with my new favorite dressing, a teaspoon of Lemon infused Olive Oil and Black Currant Infused Balsamic Vinegar with about 6 oz of turkey. I polished off the green beans, and the first of two 24 oz cups of water.
After work, I stopped off at World Market and picked up three dark chocolate candy bars (85%, 86%, and 90% Cacao). As a treat, I will be allowing myself 1 square a day after dinner unless I see it is causing problems. Started with the 90% tonight after my Taco Salad (homemade taco seasoning, ground turkey, home made guac, salsa, and two drops of After Death Hot Sauce to help clear the sinuses, all over a bowl of mixed greens) and another 12 oz of water. Good dinner, even if everyone else had taco shells, cheese, and White Texas Sheet cake for dessert. 90% Cacao is definitely going to take some getting used to, as is the black coffee.
I even managed to get in 15 minutes of biking, 12 minutes of moderate speed, with three 1 minute sprint sessions mixed in. I imagined I was being chased by a saber tooth tiger for the sprints. Don't judge me! Thinking like a caveman!
Actually, I don't plan on taking the caveman thing too far, but as I read the Primal Blueprint, I find myself agreeing with the author. It's similar enough to the book Why We Get Fat, and What to Do About It that I feel comfortable with embarking on this. Primal is not written by a scientist, like Why We Get Fat is, but there is enough of an agreement between the two in terms of reasons to go no/limited carbs as a lifestyle change.
Tomorrow is the real test of will for me. My place of work always has high carb goodies around, and I work from the lounge there so it will be staring me right in the face all morning! Must...be...strong. I'll let you know tomorrow!
I feel pretty good. Certainly not hungry, thanks to big ol' salads for dinner and lunch. I am sure the variety will get better as I go along, and the 5 new cook books will be of use, as will be the website, www.marksdailyapple.com.
Started the day with my weigh in. After a weekend of over-indulgence that included spaghetti, (frozen) White Castle Cheeseburgers, chips, breaded chicken, cheese, soda, and quite possibly the best Starbucks Coffee ever, The Starbucks Doubleshot (1 pump Peppermint, 2 pumps Mocha, 2 pumps White Mocha, Cream, and 5 shots of Espresso served over ice) I topped the scale at 254. Not the heaviest I have ever been, but definitely, not a good look on my 5'8" frame.
Woke up this morning, got oldest boy started on school and then sat down and decided for some reason to start my taxes. No idea why, but by the time I realized it, it was time to go to work and I had not eaten breakfast or showered or anything. So breakfast was 12 oz of black coffee and a handful of raw green beans which I snacked on throughout the morning. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Maybe I was so carb-ed up from Sunday, that I was able to sustain? No idea, but it was OK.
Lunch was my usual salad with my new favorite dressing, a teaspoon of Lemon infused Olive Oil and Black Currant Infused Balsamic Vinegar with about 6 oz of turkey. I polished off the green beans, and the first of two 24 oz cups of water.
After work, I stopped off at World Market and picked up three dark chocolate candy bars (85%, 86%, and 90% Cacao). As a treat, I will be allowing myself 1 square a day after dinner unless I see it is causing problems. Started with the 90% tonight after my Taco Salad (homemade taco seasoning, ground turkey, home made guac, salsa, and two drops of After Death Hot Sauce to help clear the sinuses, all over a bowl of mixed greens) and another 12 oz of water. Good dinner, even if everyone else had taco shells, cheese, and White Texas Sheet cake for dessert. 90% Cacao is definitely going to take some getting used to, as is the black coffee.
I even managed to get in 15 minutes of biking, 12 minutes of moderate speed, with three 1 minute sprint sessions mixed in. I imagined I was being chased by a saber tooth tiger for the sprints. Don't judge me! Thinking like a caveman!
Actually, I don't plan on taking the caveman thing too far, but as I read the Primal Blueprint, I find myself agreeing with the author. It's similar enough to the book Why We Get Fat, and What to Do About It that I feel comfortable with embarking on this. Primal is not written by a scientist, like Why We Get Fat is, but there is enough of an agreement between the two in terms of reasons to go no/limited carbs as a lifestyle change.
Tomorrow is the real test of will for me. My place of work always has high carb goodies around, and I work from the lounge there so it will be staring me right in the face all morning! Must...be...strong. I'll let you know tomorrow!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Here we go again
...so...blogging...hello...again.
When I last posted here it was April of 2011. Just got back from a GREAT vacation and wanted to share everything we did. Got the first day done and then, nothing. It really was a great vacation full of great times, great adventures, and great food.
Food. Seems like my entire life revolves around food. Many people eat to live; I live to eat. I look forward to meals. I love not just the eating, but the preparing, and presenting a good, home cooked meal to friends and family. Cooking a good meal fills me with a sense of pride and worth.
I've never been one you would call skinny or thin. As a kid I always wore "husky" pants and today I wear XXL shirts. The only time in my grown life when I have felt comfortable with my weight was when I first started dating my now wife. I was so nervous and so much in love that I could barely eat, and when I could, I could barely keep it down because I was so excited to see her! So, I lost a LOT of weight and was what I would call a normal weight. Now, I don't have some grossly idealized image of what I should look like. I know what a healthy person looks like, and that is not me. My weight is mostly localized around the belly, so I am deceptively overweight, or as my Nintendo Wii was fond of telling me "obese." Most people are surprised when I tell them my weight. Either that or they are just being nice.
Throughout my adult life I have struggled with my weight. I've tried counting calories, limiting portions, exercising, South Beach, Weight Watchers, etc. I start off great and get to a point where I start to feel good, and then I hit the dreaded plateau. My plateau always hits around 200 pounds. When I was 230 and swore I was way to fat and was going to lose weight, I did. I hit 200 and didn't lose a pound for months. I became frustrated and gained it all back, plus 10 more. At 240, I swore it was time to shed the belly and got back to 200 and then, as life is want to do, I hit some major curves in the road and gained back 50 pounds over the course of a year. Last year, I eventually peaked at 260 pounds and started Weight Watchers. I was doing great for about 2 months and lost about 20 pounds. Then along came Super Bowl Sunday and I decided not to worry about what I ate and would just eat whatever, whenever, and how much of anything I wanted without tracking my points. At the end of the day, I had used all of Sunday's points, all of Monday and Tuesday's points, and all of my bonus points for the week. I never recovered.
So, a year later, I look back and see I have been losing the same 4-5 pounds and hovering between 250 and 255.
As I said, I love food. Food and I have a bad relationship though, and probably an unhealthy one at that. I eat when I am upset. I eat when I am happy. I ate when I am angry. I eat when I am bored. I eat when I am hungry and even when I am not.
My biggest problem is carbs. I love carbs. Potatoes, pasta, pizza, bread, cakes, pies, soda, candy, cookies, ice cream, doughnuts, rice, milk, jelly, etc. Sugar and grains in all their lovely, tasty, delicious forms. I could eat carbs all day long, and have done so in the past. I sneak carbs when no one is around. I buy and devour candy whenever I can. I am a closet carb eater. Kind of like the Jimmy Buffet song with the guy who is eating healthy, but then sneaks the cheeseburgers when no one is looking.
And since I know carbs are the thing standing between me and losing weight, I feel guilty about it. And anyone that knows me knows my issues with guilt. So what do I do when I feel guilty? Eat! And what do I eat when I feel guilty? Carbs! So how does that make me feel? Guilty! So what do I do? Eat more carbs! Hello, vicious cycle? Yeah...
So what am I getting to you may ask? Well, I took a long, hard look at myself in the mirror today and decided it's not okay. I am not healthy. I am sick all the time. I eat ok (and honestly I do! I eat very little processed food. I just eat WAY too many carbs and not nearly enough fruits and veggies.), but with the way I am going, I will need to go out and buy more "fat clothes" just so I can get dressed everyday. I don't look good. Without getting too personal and graphic, I'm starting to get rolls. I want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs and not get winded. I want to be able to run and play with my kids and dog for more than 3 minutes. I want to grow old and do things with my kids and (someday) grand kids.
So, it ends now.
Okay, not now now, but Monday. Monday, February 4th 2013.
I'm going to give myself these next few days to eat what I want, not feel guilty about it, and enjoy it, because it is all going away Monday. No more sugar, dairy, or grains except very, very rarely and only in small doses. I'm going to force myself (at first) to eat more vegetables and fruits and good, quality proteins.
I ordered The Primal Blueprint and will be reading it over the weekend and going through and making a grocery list. Sunday morning shopping will be gathering the required foods and all that.
I know I can do it. I've done it before. So now I just need the motivation. And my motivation? Writing in a very public manner on my blog and posting the updates on my Facebook page. I'm counting on my friends and family to help keep me going. It's too hard to go it alone. I'm gonna need you guys to keep me honest, keep me focused, help me dust myself off when I fall, and keep me going. Other motivations? My 20th anniversary is this June and we are planning a trip to Hawaii. I'd like to not look like a beached dolphin while there. My kids. Honestly, I want to be around for them when they are my age. I'd like to be able to have an inseam size that is closer to or less than my waistline. Currently I am squeezing into a 38 x 30. I should probably be in a 40 or 42, but no way am I admitting that defeat!
Along with the new "diet" I am also going to add in exercise. Blech. I hate exercise more than just about anything. 30 minutes on the bike, walking the dog, or playing some of the PlayStation Kinect games each day is my goal. Every other day, 30 minutes of weight/resistance training. I know it does nothing for my weight because I can't sustain the amount of activity I need to make a difference in my weight, but it does help with my cholesterol and it will make the wife happy, so there is that.
My goal is to get to 200 pounds by June 12th. That's 50 pounds in about 18 weeks. I expect a big drop in weight over the first three weeks if my previous experiences hold true. With South Beach I lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks. With Weight Watchers it was 10. After that, I moved into the 1-2 pounds per week range. My final goal is 175 pounds.
So, food journal entry for 1/31/13
Breakfast: 2 Large Eggs, scrambled
2 Turkey Sausage links, diced
1 slice 2% Fat American Cheese
16 oz Lemon Zinger Tea w/ 1 tbs of honey
Lunch: 2 cups Green Salad
8 oz Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
2 tsp Black Currant Infused Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Lemon Infused Olive Oil
8 oz Vanilla Coke Zero
Snacks: 2 Fun Size bags of Peanut M and; M's
1 Venti Green Tea Frappuccino with Chocolate and Peppermint (Thin Mint Frappuccino)
Dinner: 2 cups Green Salad
2 tsp Black Currant Infused Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Lemon Infused Olive Oil
5 oz Deep Fried Fish
1/2 cup Red Cabbage with Honey/Mayo sauce
Water: 40 oz
Exercise: 15 minutes heavy lifting as I set up my "classroom" for the day
Hours of standing and walking around my "classroom"
So, there we go. First day of blogging in almost two years and I lay bare my soul. Will anyone read it? I hope some of my friends do. I'm linking this straight to my Facebook page, so maybe they will click over to it. Either way, I intend to update this every day that I can so I can begin to keep myself honest.
Here we go!
When I last posted here it was April of 2011. Just got back from a GREAT vacation and wanted to share everything we did. Got the first day done and then, nothing. It really was a great vacation full of great times, great adventures, and great food.
Food. Seems like my entire life revolves around food. Many people eat to live; I live to eat. I look forward to meals. I love not just the eating, but the preparing, and presenting a good, home cooked meal to friends and family. Cooking a good meal fills me with a sense of pride and worth.
I've never been one you would call skinny or thin. As a kid I always wore "husky" pants and today I wear XXL shirts. The only time in my grown life when I have felt comfortable with my weight was when I first started dating my now wife. I was so nervous and so much in love that I could barely eat, and when I could, I could barely keep it down because I was so excited to see her! So, I lost a LOT of weight and was what I would call a normal weight. Now, I don't have some grossly idealized image of what I should look like. I know what a healthy person looks like, and that is not me. My weight is mostly localized around the belly, so I am deceptively overweight, or as my Nintendo Wii was fond of telling me "obese." Most people are surprised when I tell them my weight. Either that or they are just being nice.
Throughout my adult life I have struggled with my weight. I've tried counting calories, limiting portions, exercising, South Beach, Weight Watchers, etc. I start off great and get to a point where I start to feel good, and then I hit the dreaded plateau. My plateau always hits around 200 pounds. When I was 230 and swore I was way to fat and was going to lose weight, I did. I hit 200 and didn't lose a pound for months. I became frustrated and gained it all back, plus 10 more. At 240, I swore it was time to shed the belly and got back to 200 and then, as life is want to do, I hit some major curves in the road and gained back 50 pounds over the course of a year. Last year, I eventually peaked at 260 pounds and started Weight Watchers. I was doing great for about 2 months and lost about 20 pounds. Then along came Super Bowl Sunday and I decided not to worry about what I ate and would just eat whatever, whenever, and how much of anything I wanted without tracking my points. At the end of the day, I had used all of Sunday's points, all of Monday and Tuesday's points, and all of my bonus points for the week. I never recovered.
So, a year later, I look back and see I have been losing the same 4-5 pounds and hovering between 250 and 255.
As I said, I love food. Food and I have a bad relationship though, and probably an unhealthy one at that. I eat when I am upset. I eat when I am happy. I ate when I am angry. I eat when I am bored. I eat when I am hungry and even when I am not.
My biggest problem is carbs. I love carbs. Potatoes, pasta, pizza, bread, cakes, pies, soda, candy, cookies, ice cream, doughnuts, rice, milk, jelly, etc. Sugar and grains in all their lovely, tasty, delicious forms. I could eat carbs all day long, and have done so in the past. I sneak carbs when no one is around. I buy and devour candy whenever I can. I am a closet carb eater. Kind of like the Jimmy Buffet song with the guy who is eating healthy, but then sneaks the cheeseburgers when no one is looking.
And since I know carbs are the thing standing between me and losing weight, I feel guilty about it. And anyone that knows me knows my issues with guilt. So what do I do when I feel guilty? Eat! And what do I eat when I feel guilty? Carbs! So how does that make me feel? Guilty! So what do I do? Eat more carbs! Hello, vicious cycle? Yeah...
So what am I getting to you may ask? Well, I took a long, hard look at myself in the mirror today and decided it's not okay. I am not healthy. I am sick all the time. I eat ok (and honestly I do! I eat very little processed food. I just eat WAY too many carbs and not nearly enough fruits and veggies.), but with the way I am going, I will need to go out and buy more "fat clothes" just so I can get dressed everyday. I don't look good. Without getting too personal and graphic, I'm starting to get rolls. I want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs and not get winded. I want to be able to run and play with my kids and dog for more than 3 minutes. I want to grow old and do things with my kids and (someday) grand kids.
So, it ends now.
Okay, not now now, but Monday. Monday, February 4th 2013.
I'm going to give myself these next few days to eat what I want, not feel guilty about it, and enjoy it, because it is all going away Monday. No more sugar, dairy, or grains except very, very rarely and only in small doses. I'm going to force myself (at first) to eat more vegetables and fruits and good, quality proteins.
I ordered The Primal Blueprint and will be reading it over the weekend and going through and making a grocery list. Sunday morning shopping will be gathering the required foods and all that.
I know I can do it. I've done it before. So now I just need the motivation. And my motivation? Writing in a very public manner on my blog and posting the updates on my Facebook page. I'm counting on my friends and family to help keep me going. It's too hard to go it alone. I'm gonna need you guys to keep me honest, keep me focused, help me dust myself off when I fall, and keep me going. Other motivations? My 20th anniversary is this June and we are planning a trip to Hawaii. I'd like to not look like a beached dolphin while there. My kids. Honestly, I want to be around for them when they are my age. I'd like to be able to have an inseam size that is closer to or less than my waistline. Currently I am squeezing into a 38 x 30. I should probably be in a 40 or 42, but no way am I admitting that defeat!
Along with the new "diet" I am also going to add in exercise. Blech. I hate exercise more than just about anything. 30 minutes on the bike, walking the dog, or playing some of the PlayStation Kinect games each day is my goal. Every other day, 30 minutes of weight/resistance training. I know it does nothing for my weight because I can't sustain the amount of activity I need to make a difference in my weight, but it does help with my cholesterol and it will make the wife happy, so there is that.
My goal is to get to 200 pounds by June 12th. That's 50 pounds in about 18 weeks. I expect a big drop in weight over the first three weeks if my previous experiences hold true. With South Beach I lost 15 pounds in the first two weeks. With Weight Watchers it was 10. After that, I moved into the 1-2 pounds per week range. My final goal is 175 pounds.
So, food journal entry for 1/31/13
Breakfast: 2 Large Eggs, scrambled
2 Turkey Sausage links, diced
1 slice 2% Fat American Cheese
16 oz Lemon Zinger Tea w/ 1 tbs of honey
Lunch: 2 cups Green Salad
8 oz Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
2 tsp Black Currant Infused Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Lemon Infused Olive Oil
8 oz Vanilla Coke Zero
Snacks: 2 Fun Size bags of Peanut M and; M's
1 Venti Green Tea Frappuccino with Chocolate and Peppermint (Thin Mint Frappuccino)
Dinner: 2 cups Green Salad
2 tsp Black Currant Infused Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Lemon Infused Olive Oil
5 oz Deep Fried Fish
1/2 cup Red Cabbage with Honey/Mayo sauce
Water: 40 oz
Exercise: 15 minutes heavy lifting as I set up my "classroom" for the day
Hours of standing and walking around my "classroom"
So, there we go. First day of blogging in almost two years and I lay bare my soul. Will anyone read it?
Here we go!
Monday, April 18, 2011
So. Cal. Vacation Photo-Blog Part 1
After the trip to So. Cal, I decided to break out the old blogging skills. So, for those who read the Facebook updates, this is the extended version. For those of you who didn't, this is the also the extended version, but you don't know any better!
We started out Friday morning at 7 AM and arrived at our hotel, The Grand Californian, at Disneyland:
This is a GORGEOUS hotel and being able to stay here was a real treat! It is the best hotel I have ever stayed in. You walk through a set of double sliding stained glass doors into a beautiful craftsman style lobby:
At check in, they asked if we were celebrating anything and I told them it was my birthday and so I got some balloons, an autographed photo of Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Wendy, as well as a birthday button which I wore everyday we were there. As a gift to myself, I added the extra day in the park so we could go in on Friday afternoon!
We got to our room,
got ourselves settled in,
and headed out to the park!
We took the Disneyland Railroad from Main Street Station over to New Orleans Square. I thought the Lilly Belle was out, but I was mistaken! Darn it! Maybe later?
Once we got there, we decided dinner was in order. And dinner in New Orleans Square means one thing!
The one, the only, Monte Cristo! Yep, that is a turkey, ham, and cheese sandwich that has been batter dipped, fried, dusted in powdered sugar, and served with a berry jam.
So good and so not on my diet! But then again, I already knew that was going out the window!
After that we did the Haunted Mansion. This was the first time the boys has seen the Haunted Mansion as it was originally intended and not as the Nightmare Before Christmas. Marc liked it a lot. Noah? Not so much.
We then went over to Pirates of the Caribbean.This is a family favorite. However, Malia was not to pleased with it this time, as there were three rather large people in the back row of the boat, and they bottomed it out on the first drop and a bunch of water rushed in and soaked her pants. She was cold and uncomfortable for most of the night.
My favorite, The Jungle Cruise, was next. I love this ride, but it takes a good skipper to do it, and tonight was not the night! :-(
Indy, Big Thunder Mountain, and Tiki Room were all walk ons, so we hit those and then went over to Disney California Adventure to ride Toy Story Midway Mania. We figured that the park was not crowded, so the lines wouldn't be that long. We of course, were mistaken, but only waited about 45 minutes. Sadly, the boys guns didn't work so they didn't get to enjoy the ride. Fortunately, the operators saw that and gave us passes to get right back on! Woot!
After our second time, we rushed over to get on Grizzly River Run before the park closed, but we were 2 minutes late! Drat! At this point, Malia had enough and went back to the hotel. The boys and I had 2 more hours, so we went back over to DL and rode the tea cups, which Malia doesn't like anyway!
Day 2 had us in the park at 8 AM. We rode Space Mountain, Matterhorn (twice), Alice, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and Small World. While we were waiting to disembark from Small World, I looked up and saw the Lilly Belle attached to one of the trains! We got off the ride and headed up to Toontown Station and the DL RR. While waiting for the train, I asked one of the operators if we could ride in the Lilly Belle. He said we would have to ask at Main Street. So, after an agonizing 10 minute ride, we got to Main Street and go the last reservation to ride in the Lilly Belle at 4:30!
We then headed back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. It was a well needed nap, since we had stayed up until 12 AM the night before.
We headed back into the park at about 3:45 so we would be at Main Street Station by 4:15. We (well, I mostly) waited anxiously for the train to arrive!
Eventually we were able to board
and hear the history of this famous car and insider info about the park.
The three coolest things I learned? First, the mural in the first part of the Grand Canyon section of the Railroad is the second largest canvas painting in the world. The second? The children of the artist of the first section did the second section of the mural in the Grand Canyon. The third? That mural is the largest canvas painting in the world!
At the end of the ride we each got a ticket:
At first, I was excited, because it looked like the tickets are individually numbered. As it turned out, all the tickets had the same number. :-( Oh well. It was still another thing off my Disney wish list.
After that, we headed for dinner at Pizza Port where Malia admitted I make the better choices of food at Disneyland! Heh. Of course I do! ;-)
We then saw Captain EO. The movie is very dated and the 3D effect was offset so much that the only way I could watch it was to close my left eye. Best part of that show? The pre-show were we got to see a skinny George Lucas!
We then went in to Innoventions, which is a look at technology of the future. In there, we saw a very cool Honda automobile that runs on hydrogen. It looks awesome! After that we rode on the Autopia, Matterhorn, and Storybook Land.
It was then time for the show on Small World. What they do is take pictures of people at the park throughout the day and then put them into a prearranged show. We got there just in time to see ourselves projected onto the walls! Very cool.
After that, it was down to Main Street for dessert. I got one of the Chocolate covered fudge Easter Eggs:
Eight ounces of pure chocolate goodness! SOOO good!!!
We then rode Buzz Lightyear, Big Thunder, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise again. Sadly the law of averages caught up to us and we had an ok skipper and a really bad skipper, both were women. Once again proving that most women do not get the Jungle Cruise.
We finished the night on Indy and then the walked back to our room.
Gonna stop there. I'll post part 2 tomorrow!
We started out Friday morning at 7 AM and arrived at our hotel, The Grand Californian, at Disneyland:
This is a GORGEOUS hotel and being able to stay here was a real treat! It is the best hotel I have ever stayed in. You walk through a set of double sliding stained glass doors into a beautiful craftsman style lobby:
At check in, they asked if we were celebrating anything and I told them it was my birthday and so I got some balloons, an autographed photo of Captain Hook, Peter Pan, and Wendy, as well as a birthday button which I wore everyday we were there. As a gift to myself, I added the extra day in the park so we could go in on Friday afternoon!
We got to our room,
got ourselves settled in,
and headed out to the park!
We took the Disneyland Railroad from Main Street Station over to New Orleans Square. I thought the Lilly Belle was out, but I was mistaken! Darn it! Maybe later?
Once we got there, we decided dinner was in order. And dinner in New Orleans Square means one thing!
The one, the only, Monte Cristo! Yep, that is a turkey, ham, and cheese sandwich that has been batter dipped, fried, dusted in powdered sugar, and served with a berry jam.
So good and so not on my diet! But then again, I already knew that was going out the window!
After that we did the Haunted Mansion. This was the first time the boys has seen the Haunted Mansion as it was originally intended and not as the Nightmare Before Christmas. Marc liked it a lot. Noah? Not so much.
We then went over to Pirates of the Caribbean.This is a family favorite. However, Malia was not to pleased with it this time, as there were three rather large people in the back row of the boat, and they bottomed it out on the first drop and a bunch of water rushed in and soaked her pants. She was cold and uncomfortable for most of the night.
My favorite, The Jungle Cruise, was next. I love this ride, but it takes a good skipper to do it, and tonight was not the night! :-(
Indy, Big Thunder Mountain, and Tiki Room were all walk ons, so we hit those and then went over to Disney California Adventure to ride Toy Story Midway Mania. We figured that the park was not crowded, so the lines wouldn't be that long. We of course, were mistaken, but only waited about 45 minutes. Sadly, the boys guns didn't work so they didn't get to enjoy the ride. Fortunately, the operators saw that and gave us passes to get right back on! Woot!
After our second time, we rushed over to get on Grizzly River Run before the park closed, but we were 2 minutes late! Drat! At this point, Malia had enough and went back to the hotel. The boys and I had 2 more hours, so we went back over to DL and rode the tea cups, which Malia doesn't like anyway!
Day 2 had us in the park at 8 AM. We rode Space Mountain, Matterhorn (twice), Alice, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and Small World. While we were waiting to disembark from Small World, I looked up and saw the Lilly Belle attached to one of the trains! We got off the ride and headed up to Toontown Station and the DL RR. While waiting for the train, I asked one of the operators if we could ride in the Lilly Belle. He said we would have to ask at Main Street. So, after an agonizing 10 minute ride, we got to Main Street and go the last reservation to ride in the Lilly Belle at 4:30!
We then headed back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. It was a well needed nap, since we had stayed up until 12 AM the night before.
We headed back into the park at about 3:45 so we would be at Main Street Station by 4:15. We (well, I mostly) waited anxiously for the train to arrive!
Eventually we were able to board
and hear the history of this famous car and insider info about the park.
The three coolest things I learned? First, the mural in the first part of the Grand Canyon section of the Railroad is the second largest canvas painting in the world. The second? The children of the artist of the first section did the second section of the mural in the Grand Canyon. The third? That mural is the largest canvas painting in the world!
At the end of the ride we each got a ticket:
At first, I was excited, because it looked like the tickets are individually numbered. As it turned out, all the tickets had the same number. :-( Oh well. It was still another thing off my Disney wish list.
After that, we headed for dinner at Pizza Port where Malia admitted I make the better choices of food at Disneyland! Heh. Of course I do! ;-)
We then saw Captain EO. The movie is very dated and the 3D effect was offset so much that the only way I could watch it was to close my left eye. Best part of that show? The pre-show were we got to see a skinny George Lucas!
We then went in to Innoventions, which is a look at technology of the future. In there, we saw a very cool Honda automobile that runs on hydrogen. It looks awesome! After that we rode on the Autopia, Matterhorn, and Storybook Land.
It was then time for the show on Small World. What they do is take pictures of people at the park throughout the day and then put them into a prearranged show. We got there just in time to see ourselves projected onto the walls! Very cool.
After that, it was down to Main Street for dessert. I got one of the Chocolate covered fudge Easter Eggs:
Eight ounces of pure chocolate goodness! SOOO good!!!
We then rode Buzz Lightyear, Big Thunder, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise again. Sadly the law of averages caught up to us and we had an ok skipper and a really bad skipper, both were women. Once again proving that most women do not get the Jungle Cruise.
We finished the night on Indy and then the walked back to our room.
Gonna stop there. I'll post part 2 tomorrow!
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