Transformations

I Like to Move It - Move It!

2012-01-12T08:25:00.001-06:00

I noticed something at the end of the winter break - that the clothes fit a little tighter and it really upset me and I started to go down the old road of getting depressed and then they cycle starts all over again of eating because I am depressed and then the clothes will be even tighter and eventually not fit which will depress me even more so then I will eat more, etc.... You gt the idea! I was upset for a day or so and then I realized that I made choices that got me to that point so I can certainly make some choices to get me to another point. After all - that's what this is all about - choices.

Lisa and I made a deal the other day to get up and move each day - do something! Since making this deal we have walked the dogs, I have walked at the office around the building a few days, last night it was cleaning around the house and washing all of Lisa's buckets for this week's floral delivery (my hands still smell like bleach) and then finally it all built up to this...

I got up early this morning and hit the gym for the first time in a long time. I told myself you are not going to be where you were when you stopped going about 4 months ago (I know - shame on me), but just get in there and do something. I told myself OK - go at least 20 minutes on the treadmill at a decent pace and maybe throw in an incline and you will have accomplished something. So, after walking up the stairs and having to catch my breath (why do multi level gyms always put the cardio equipment upstairs) I made my way over to the treadmill, plugged in the tunes and started walking! Started off slow, but after a few minutes I was up to 3 mph and moving along at a good pace - added a little incline in there and hung on to the treadmill and felt pretty good. I got to 20 minutes and said I can go a little more - adjusted the incline down a little and put the pace up to 3.2 mph and kept walking. Before you knew it I was at 30 minutes and looked at the clock on the wall and thought I have a little more time - I can go a little longer. At 45 minutes I decided to step on off and hit a little bit of weights. I was impressed with myself - 45 minutes and I didn't die! It was actually refreshing and I enjoyed it!

Did a little bit of weights and then sat in the dry sauna for a few minutes and then got ready for work. I actually feel really good right now (might ache a bit later on - but it will be a good ache)!

I have also started shifting my way back to eating low carb and trying to stay away from processed carbs.

At the school where I used to work we always ended the morning announcements with "Make it a Great Learning Day!" This is true for everyone - regardless of how old you are. We all learn something everyday and we all have choices to make so why not make it a great learning day and make great choices.

Random Thoughts by Matthew

2012-01-05T12:15:00.000-06:00

Things that I read over the past month that I really like:

Laugh when you can,Apologize when you should, And let go of what you can’t change. Kiss slowly,Forgive quickly, Play hard, take chances, give everything, and have no regrets.Life is too short to be anything but happy!

LIFE IS NOT A RACE, BUT INDEED A JOURNEY. BE HONEST. WORKHARD. BE CHOOSY. SAY “THANK YOU”, “I LOVE YOU”, AND “GREAT JOB” TO SOMEONE EACHDAY. LET YOUR HANDSHAKE MEAN MORE THAN PEN AND PAPER. DREAMING DOES MATTER. ITALLOWS YOU TO BECOME THAT WHICH YOU ASPIRE TO. APPRECIATE THE LITTLE THINGS INLIFE AND ENJOY THEM. SOME OF THE BEST THINGS REALLY ARE FREE. DO NOT WORRY,TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF – PLAN FOR LONGEVITY.

I'm going to start posting again and let everyone know what has been going on in my life and how my journey is progressing. I will update soon on the latest and greatest happenings.

More to Come Soon

2011-11-29T15:58:00.001-06:00

New post to come soon - and then we will take it from there one day at a time...

Update - Been a Few Days

2011-10-26T16:01:00.002-05:00

I went to the gym this morning at 5:00 am to have a session with my trainer and guess what???

He didn't show up and he finally texted at 6:30 something when I was on my way to work that he had overslept. This was after he cancelled on me last night.

I got a good chest and back workout in though and a little cardio. I'm going back to my morning workouts - although not quite as early and at my gym instead of the one by the office. I am going to get up around 5:00 each morning and head out to the gym and workout till around 6:00 and then shower and head to work. I'll let you know how it goes after a few days.

Today's Eats (no pics - sorry didn't have my phone while eating)

Before Gym - banana
After Gym - Mojo bar (tomorrow will be a protein shake)

Breakfast - Light and Fit yogurt, string cheese made with 2% milk and two small oranges

Lunch - Salad with chicken and FF catalina dressing and pineapple

Drive Home - Planters Nutrition snack pack

Dinner - chicken soup (homemade from the next door neighbor) and some crackers

Good Eats

2011-10-19T07:44:00.001-05:00

Monday was back to the routine for me and I had a normal eating schedule again. Back to lots of good veggies and protein. Monday dinner was the same as Friday dinner from last week - leftovers (first chance I had to eat them) since I made my pulled brisket.

Tuesday
Breakfast - yogurt and cheese for breakfast with some trail mix thrown in there
Lunch - chicken and broccoli and a couple of clementines
Afternoon Snack - some Kettle BBQ chips and a bag of peanut m&ms (fun size bag - about 6 pieces), and a wedge of cheddar cheese
Dinner - Chicken pot pie and green beans

Whirlwind Weekend

2011-10-17T13:22:00.002-05:00

Saturday and Sunday were a blur and this morning I awoke to the alarm and say is it really time to get up. Stayed up late Friday night helping get ready for Saturday's weddings and laughing at my brother and Laura tease each other. They act like brother and sister and have fun picking on each other.

Saturday was wedding set up so breakfast was yogurt and fruit and some more protein with ham and a cup of tea. Then we loaded up and headed out. My awesome brother (James - the other one who doesn't blog) brought lunch so we stopped to eat a bite during set-up. I had a sandwich, Jalapeno chips, and fruit. Then, back to work! We finished up in the later afternoon and headed home. Got home unloaded and organized the boxes and containers for tear down of two weddings and then decided to go to dinner. The three of us (James, Lisa, and I) went to Clay's for burgers and fries. I had the queso burger (no picture - sorry). It is a burger served open faced with pico and queso on it. I love this burger!

Next, off to home to try to unwind and get ready for whirlwind day two! I got to skip the tear down of a wedding for once (my brother helped Lisa) because I had to be up at 3:30 am. Yep, you heard me right 3:30 am! Last year I started volunteering for the air show for a great friend of mine. He runs the motor pool at the air show. We are in charge of all the golf carts for all of the groups to use during the show. I really enjoy doing this! I'm glad he thought of me last year and I will always come back as long as he will have me.

The food was not that great on Sunday and my schedule got all out of whack, but I had a blast. I really enjoy watching the planes and talking with the people (mostly pilots and military) that I get to drive around during the day. It is a privilege to offer these people a lift when they are walking along the flight line from one end to the other and they really appreciate it to.

It's Monday now and back to a normal routine - told you it was a whilwind! Back to Sunday evening - one cool thing that I really enjoy is watching the planes leave Ellington field after the air show. As the sun sets and the jets begin to be taxied to the runway and take off it is really neat to watch a jet take off into the night sky with its jet engine glowing.

Next year - I will have to bring the camera.

Meal Time - Friday October 14

2011-10-14T20:13:00.001-05:00

Same old stuff for breakfast and lunch, but dinner - now that's a different story. I love Fridays at my home! Everyone's here working on flowers so I cook for everyone. If you don't know it by now I love to cook! It is something that brings me much joy and I love to cook for others.

So, here's what I had today:

Breakfast - oatmeal and a yogurt
Lunch - Smartones mini burgers and edamame
Snack - hot dog from SAMS Club. I love their hot dogs!

Drum roll please - Dinner - BBQ sliders with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli. I prepared a trimmed brisket in the slow cooker last night with some onions and BBQ sauce. Lisa put it on this morning and we let it cook for about 9 hours or so. Then I took it out and let it rest for a few minutes and cut the remaining fat off and pulled it. Strained the onions out of the liquid and skimmed the fat off the top. Then I whisked in some brown sugar and flour to thicken and sweeten up the sauce. Added the onions and beef back in and let it cook for about another 45 minutes or so. It was delicious!!! Here's a pic of the finished plate.

No Gym for Me

2011-10-14T07:37:00.001-05:00

Well I was supposed to go to the gym yesterday evening to have another appointment with my trainer so I would have weighed in before our session, but it was a no go. I'm not sure what exactly I ate or what is going on, but I was not doing too good yesterday. Not sure what is going on, but my digestive system is all out of whack. We will have to see if today is any better.

Yesterday's Eats:

Breakfast - oatmeal and a yogurt
Lunch: chicken breast and broccoli and watermelon
Trail mix for a afternoon snack
Mojo Bar before my (what would have been) workout - things really wnet down hill from here on out
Dinner - a few potstickers (not fried) and that was it

I also had some cookies and a danish in the morning during my webinar meeting.

Workout Time

2011-10-12T22:18:00.001-05:00

Today was some cardio and an hour with the trainer. We did chest and back and I tried to tell him that in order to work out the chest and back you have to use your arms and I know that he'll kill those tomorrow along with my legs. I can already feel my arms starting to be sore.

Good Eats

2011-10-12T22:16:00.001-05:00

Wednesday Meals:

Breakfast was some oatmeal and a yogurt.

Lunch was a salad with chicken breast and FF Catalina dressing and some watermelon.

Snack before gym was a few crackers, some cheese and ham.

Smoothie after gym with protein powder in it then some chicken and broccoli when I got home.

I also snacked on some trail mix during the day at work.

Overall - it was a good day.

I've decided to just post pics of things that I eat that are different from the everyday. After all, how many times does everyone want to see a picture of broccoli and a chicken breast or a salad if it has the same thing on it. I will still update with what I am eating, but just not always in picture form.

For example - dinner last night (Tuesday) while reading my book at Panera Bread - Lisa was meeting with a bride at the next table over.

Scone - Strawberries and Creme at Panera Bread - it actually looked better than it tasted

Dinner on Tuesday - Half a steak and cheddar panini with potato soup

Today's Eats

2011-10-10T21:59:00.001-05:00

Today I had some oatmeal for breakfast with some Canadian bacon.

Mid-morning I had some banana chips and butter toffee peanuts.

Lunch was a Smart Ones and some edamame and a few strawberries.

Dinner was baked chicken breast and some broccoli and some not so roasted squash (not sure what happened).

Dessert tonight - ice cream cone!

Emotional Weekend

2011-10-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

Well it was a long weekend and a very emotional one. I'm not going to go into the details with all of you, but just know that some things were said that really upset me and hurt. Maybe they are true, but I don't think so. What I do know is that the stress of my work situation is spilling out and effecting my personal life. I really do enjoy my job, but some of the people I work with have made some poor decisions that are effecting the entire team. I will leave it at that because I don't want to go into any more detail that may have a negative impact on me.

I have decided to do my best to not let these actions of these individuals bring me down and stress me out. All I can control is me and make the best of the situation. I get so worked up about things that it causes everything else about me to get so out of whack and go emotionally crazy. Then I impulsively react and that does not bode well for others or myself.

A good friend of mine had a great conversation with me a few weeks ago and helped put things into perspective and I have not been following that advice. My brother also has an incredible outlook on life and echoes the same thoughts. I am going to focus on what I can change and control. I know it will be a work in progress and I know that I will hit setbacks along the way, but I have to look at life this way or the outcome will not be a positive one.

Back to the things that were said this weekend - they made me start to look at things in a different perspective. I guess that was the one positive thing that came out of the comments! Here is what I can change and focus on:

1. Loving God and loving myself.
2. Being the best husband I can be.
3. Focusing on the positive things in my life.
4. Helping others - because it really does make you feel better.
5. Being more active - aka Get Up and Move!
6. Eating healthy and enjoying what I eat.

and - Living Well, Laughing Often, and Loving Much!

To all my family, friends, and supporters - I love you all very much! You are truly wonderful people who have influenced my life by just being a part of it.

To sum it all up here's a few quotes that I found that are very true and hopefully good words to live by:

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves" - James M. Barrie

"My life is my message" - Mahatma Ghandi

"He who allows this day to pass by without practicing generosity, and enjoying life's pleasures is like a blacksmith's bellows. He breathes, but does not live." - Proverbs

"God loves you not because He's blind, but because He can see" - Andre Rabe

Eating the Last few Days

2011-10-10T07:31:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pics from last week of some things that I ate that were different from my traditional eating patterns. I figured everyone was getting tired of seeing pictures of chicken breast and vegetables so here's what was different!

Ground Turkey, Edamame, and orange slices - I'm on an edamame kick right now - great source of protein and I like the fact that they take a while to eat. It helps slow me down.

Pei Wei - Chicken Lettuce Wraps (no mushrooms) - this was dinner on Sunday night

Pork Chops with Potato Pancake and Grilled Veggies - Thursday night dinner while at the Black Lab for a Spirit of Houston Alumni Board Meeting

Dinner Friday - James, Lisa, Laura, Debbie and myself were all working on flowers (or algebra homework) and I picked up a couple of kits from Sams and whipped up some Chicken Fried Rice and Beef with Broccoli

I cooked up a big thing of ground turkey last week instead of chicken so here was ground turkey and vegetables for lunch one day last week.

Boneless Pork Chops and Edamame (told you I was on a Edamame kick lately)


Breakfast on Sunday morning after wedding set-up (we had to be in Sugarland by 7:00 am). LaMadeline Smart Choice omelet - egg beaters with grilled chicken, onions, and cheddar cheese and a baguette instead of a croissant

Tuesday - October 4, 2011

2011-10-05T08:14:00.001-05:00

No pics from yesterday - they are still on my phone. Last night was a quiet night at home. I should have gone to the gym, but a splitting headache and a severely hurting left eye (thanks allergies) kept me from doing much of anything yesterday in the evening. Made some good choices and some not so great choices. Major accomplishment though - I didn't stop or go out and grab some fast food which is what I typically would do when I don't feel that good. Major accomplishment for me and I'm patting myself on the back.

Pics from this past weekend

2011-10-03T20:46:00.001-05:00

Some of my pics actually loaded tonight so I am posting them now. There are a few from my breakfast and lunch on Saturday and our date Saturday night.

Breakfast

Lunch

Chicken Katsu appetizer - Lisa and I split this

My salad before my entree arrived

Steak Hibachi with steamed rice and vegetables - Lisa at the mushrooms for me

Cremebrulicious dessert - creme brulee custard with strawberries and whipped cream

Food Diary - October 3, 2011

2011-10-03T20:42:00.000-05:00

Today was a good day - I had a small indulgence today at work. I'll get to that in a minute. My day started early and I stayed an extra two hours or so at work until the custodians kicked me out because they wanted to go home.

Banana this morning while on my quest for my wife - I had to go to Home Depot by 6:00 to by succulents for an event today. The 6:00 was so that I could make it to work on time - or at least as close to on time as possible (I made it by the way).

Then the normal day could start - I'm tired now and ready for bed. Good thing there is no real draw to stay up and watch Monday Night Football tonight or I'd be in trouble.

Breakfast: Egg beaters, canadian bacon, 2% cheese stick, 2% string cheese, orange, and vitamins


Lunch: Spinach, cucumber, and carrots with ground turkey salad and FF catalina dressing and some raspberries

Dinner was a boneless pork chop and some normandy vegetable mix.

I also had a new Clif Mojo bar today - trail mix - not bad and a twix bar this afternoon at work.

The Weekend - Wow is it over already?

2011-10-02T20:22:00.004-05:00

What a weekend! It has been a whirlwind. The nice thing is that Lisa and I ate breakfast outside on the deck and patio on Saturday and Sunday. No pics from the weekend, but let me break it down for you. I ate more carbs than I had over the last week, but I made sensible choices and didn't stuff myself - well maybe I indulged a little last night at dinner.

Lisa and I went out on a date last night - yep you heard it right a date on a Saturday night! She did have a wedding, but it was a small one so while I ran to pick up a few groceries and dog food (oops - we ran out) she took the flowers to the bride. We got back home at similar times and we went to dinner at a really good Sushi and Steak place. It's a little place out in Katy and if you are ever in the area you need to go to Nikko Sushi and Sake Lounge! We had a gift certificate so we enjoyed ourselves and had an appetizer and dessert with our meal. Here's what was on the menu for us:

Chicken Katsu for our appetizer
I had the steak hibachi (steak tips, vegetables, and white rice) and a green salad with it
Then we had a custard style dessert with strawberries and whipped cream

Lisa had a california roll and a tuna roll and my mushrooms off of my steak hibachi and she also had some hot sake.

It was a great place and a great time and we will definitely be going back again (and taking my brother so he can have sushi - lots of that on the menu). But wait - the date didn't end there. Are you ready for the excitement of what came next - we went to.........

Academy to buy new tennis shoes! ( I know we are so exciting and young and hip)

Today I had cereal and protein for breakfast a chicken and spinach salad for lunch and then pork chops, small baked potato, and veggies for dinner.

I also worked on a project for work for about 10 hours or so this weekend. Not what I really wanted to do, but it needed to be done and I feel really good about what I accomplished. This is a massive undertaking that I am working on and have redone it twice now to settle my perfectionist tendencies. I am making a flowchart in Microsoft Visio of our electronic course submission system - every click, every action. It is getting quite massive.

So tomorrow is another day and I will start all over again and we will move on!

Food Diary - Sept 30, 2011

2011-09-30T19:56:00.001-05:00

It's the last day of September and I'm in full swing with my food diary. I am actually enjoying this - taking pictures of my food with my cell phone.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Sausage, watermelon, 2% cheddar cheese stick and 2%string cheese and my vitamins

Lunch: Salad with spinach, chicken breast, cucumber, carrots, cheese, and FF catalina dressing

Before the gym I had my Clif bar - the peanut butter one that I love!

At the gym I had a 12 oz smoothie from the smoothie place with whey protein in it right after my workout

Dinner: Chicken potstickers and edamame (after the gym)

Dessert: The infamous Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich

Gym Time - Sept 30, 2011

2011-09-30T19:45:00.001-05:00

Another session with the trainer today - we did legs and I can feel it already. When I stand up everything is a little shaky. I also did some cardio on the elliptical and the rowing machine. It was a good day and despite the shakiness I feel really good.

Activity - Thursday Sept 29

2011-09-30T07:28:00.001-05:00

Gym this evening - my trainer changed my session from one hour to a half hour since he had a conflict. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical at level 10 in the random mode (burned around 300 calories) before our session and then we tackled my core section.

On a brighter note - since my fall around a month ago I have not been able to put any weight on my right knee since then and tonight we tried it on the mats for one of my core activities. I can honestly say that it felt good to be able to kneel again and yes it still hurt, but I didn't jump up right away when I put the slightest amount of pressure on it.

Friday morning - it hurts today, but I am not sure if it is just sore from me kneeling on it yesterday or if it really just hurts. It was a little stiff getting up the stairs this morning at the office, but I will persevere.

Thursday Evening Weigh-In

2011-09-30T07:23:00.001-05:00

Well I stepped on the scale tonight (Thursday - Sept 29) at the gym before my workout and I am down 5 lbs from last week's weigh in. That feels really good right now. Not going to get wrapped up in the number or anything else because we are taking this 1 lb at a time.

Daily Eats

2011-09-29T21:17:00.000-05:00

Here's the low down on what I ate today:

Before leaving for work I had a banana when I got up.

Breakfast: Sausage, 2% cheddar cheese slices, and two corn tortillas and my vitamins

Morning Snack at work: some diced watermelon that I didn't eat at breakfast

Lunch: Fuzzy Picture - Jason's Deli salad bar with two eggs, cheese, bacon, lite ranch, and 3 cornbread muffins and I did have a small ice cream cone for dessert

Afternoon Snack: Pre gym snack Clif Mojo bar and half a banana

Dinner: Post workout - chicken breast, sausage, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts

Week 1 Weigh In

2011-09-28T21:22:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow's the day - I weigh in after week 1. I'm a little nervous about that, but I know that this is a process and it will take time. I will post tomorrow evening how it goes - I will weigh myself on the scale at the gym before my workout since I do not have a scale at home. I feel better even just after one week and I have to focus on 1 at a time just like my brother and I decided!

Food Diary for Wednesday - Sept 28, 2011

2011-09-28T21:18:00.001-05:00

Here's what went in the body today. I discovered that I ate my carbs a little too early before going to the gym today and I was feeling a little weak when I finished the workout today. I will need to eat it a little later tomorrow so that it stays in my system a little longer to sustain me through my workout.

Breakfast: Sausage, hard boiled egg, 2% cheese stick, and 2% string cheese, watermelon, and vitamins

Morning Snack: some nuts - minus the pecans - I don't like pecans

Lunch: chicken breast, broccoli and cheetos (I know - I needed something that crunched and the wending machine was calling)


Dinner: sausage, broccoli, and edamame after the gym - protein and veggies

I also had a Mojo bar - chocolate dipped peanut before the gym. This is what I will have to eat a little later tomorrow so that it stays with me a little longer to sustain me through my workout.

Wonderful Wednesday

2011-09-28T21:11:00.001-05:00

It's the middle of the week and I'm exhausted! It may have something to do with the 25 minutes of cardio - treadmill - forest walk program with a speed of 3.7 and an incline of 10.0. For those of you who are wondering it builds up to a 3.7 mph speed within about 2 minutes and then goes back down after about 6 minutes or so when the incline starts to increase. After that I did about 45 minutes of a hard workout with my trainer. It hurts to type right now just so you know. We did biceps, triceps, shoulders, and back today - tomorrow it's chest and core and then legs on Friday.

Tuesday - Wrap Up and Review

2011-09-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

Well after being at home for a couple of days I have decided it is considerably more difficult for me to keep the momentum going when the structure is not there. Not that I made bad choices on Monday or Tuesday, but I noticed that I wanted to snack more when all I had to do was walk to the kitchen. I wasn't really hungry it was just the fact that it was there. This would be different if I was actively doing something, but just sitting around not doing much due to a splitting headache gave me an urge to want to raid the fridge and pantry.

Here's a wrap-up of Tuesday's eating and activity (pictures are giving me difficulty in loading today):


Breakfast: Quaker lower sugar instant oatmeal with raspberries in it, two hard boiled eggs

Lunch: Turkey breast and cheddar sandwich on wheat bread, cucumber slices, and baked bbq lays

Dinner: Smoked beef sausage, steamed broccoli, green beans, and some corn

Afternoon Snack: celery sticks with reduced fat peanut butter and 5 ritz crackers

Dessert: Skinny Cow Cookies n Cream Ice Cream Sandwich

Not much activity today or Monday due to lack of motivation and splitting headache - will all change on Wednesday - three days of 1 hour sessions with my trainer over the next few days means I will be sore, but it will feel so good!

Activity on Sunday

2011-09-27T10:38:00.004-05:00

I mowed the lawn on Sunday morning - two hours of activity!

Food Diary - Sunday and Monday

2011-09-27T10:28:00.001-05:00

Here's my food diary from this past Sunday and yesterday. Schedule was a little off, but here's what I ate.

Sunday Breakfast: Clif Mojo Dipped Chocolate Peanut Bar

Sunday Brunch: Eggs, raspberries, and vitamins


Sunday Dinner: Grilled pork rib, broccoli, green beans, and grilled onions

I also had a slice of a fruit tart and two min cupcakes (vanilla and red velvet) with some friends that came over for dinner.

Monday was oatmeal with sliced bananas and two hard boiled eggs and my vitamins - no picture I forgot to take one before eating

Monday Lunch: Spinach salad with grilled chicken and a small baked potato with light butter and 2% cheese

Snack: Celery with reduced fat peanut butter


Dinner: Same thing as Sunday night - leftovers and a half a chicken breast

I also had a slice of leftover fruit tart with lunch and a Skinny cow ice cream sandwich after dinner. I indulged a little yesterday.

Activity Time - Sept 24, 2011

2011-09-24T19:59:00.001-05:00

Today's activity was brought to you by Petals By Design - I set up a wedding. While it is not a ton of activity like going to the gym it is walking and lifting so it counts as activity.

Tomorrow morning I will mow the yard (at least the front) and maybe go to the gym!

Food Log - Sept 24

2011-09-24T19:57:00.001-05:00

My first weekend day and I was a little nervous because during the week everything is very structured for me - I make my breakfast, lunch, and snacks the evening before so the only thing left each day is dinner and then Lisa and I keep quite a bit of staples on hand that we can choose from to have a very nutritious dinner.

Still trying to get my water back up to over 100 oz a day. It's a challenge and it really flushes out your system - a lot!

I did splurge today for dinner - I have had a craving for the last few weeks for these and resisted it until today. I figured since Lisa was enjoying an evening out with friends I would enjoy dinner in with my football games. The only thing better would be if I was watching my Coogs right now!

Breakfast: Oscar Mayer turkey breast, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2% cheddar and 2% string cheese, raspberries, black currant tea, and my daily vitamins

Lunch: Spinach, cucumber, 2% cheddar, 2% string cheese, chicken and FF Catalina dressing

Dinner: James Coney Island - chili cheese dogs and small fries

Activity - Sept 23, 2011

2011-09-23T20:31:00.001-05:00

No activity today unless you count taking the stairs at work and walking around Sam's while getting groceries. The gym bag was in the truck and all ready to go, but you know sometimes life gets in the way and that is OK! Plans got changed this afternoon and I had to adjust - I'm not letting it get to me though because tomorrow is another day!

Live Well - Laugh Often - Love Much!

Food Log - Sept 23, 2011

2011-09-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

It was a good day today. I have realized that I cannot deny myself some of the things I love to eat, but I can limit how much of them I eat. Here's how the day shaped up for me.

Breakfast: two hard boiled eggs, Oscar Mayer turkey breast, 2% cheddar and 2% string cheese, watermelon, and my faithful vitamins

Lunch: Chicken breast, edamame, and watermelon

Afternoon snack - Cliff Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel


Dinner: Chicken, green beans, jasmine rice, and baked beans

I splurged a little at dinner and had about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Jasmine rice and about the same amount of baked beans - not the best thing for me, but like I said before it's a lot better than eating a cup or more of them.

Activity - Sept 22, 2011

2011-09-22T20:24:00.002-05:00

Today I went to the gym and did both cardio and weights after work. It was a nice refreshing change and I felt really good afterwards.

30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical
Leg workout

My Food Today - Sept 22, 2011

2011-09-22T20:18:00.003-05:00

Here's what I ate today:

Wake - up: 2 Clementines

Breakfast: Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal, Oscar Mayer sliced turkey, watermelon, vitamins - Yogurt was my mid-morning snack

Lunch: Chicken Breast, Edamame, watermelon

Before Gym: Cliff Mountain Mix Mojo Bar

Dinner: Cauliflower, Green beans, Baked Breaded Tilapia

Looking Back and Moving Forward

2011-09-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

So my brother came and had dinner with me while I was in Richardson for work. That still sounds strange - being somewhere for work. What a huge change from a year ago. That's right - we are coming up on my one year anniversary of leaving Pine Shadows and Spring Branch (I miss my friends) and embarking on my new journey of working for the TxVSN. I wish I could say it has all been uphill and there has been no looking back, but that would be a lie. Don't get me wrong - I love my job and the people I work with! My challenges have been in keeping with the routine of losing weight and eating healthy.

Anyway - back to the start of this post. We had dinner together and after dinner while sitting in my hotel room we had a chat about our journeys of weight loss and the good, the bad, and the ugly or those journeys. We have decided to make a new challenge with each other - we are taking it 1 pound at a time and the added bonus for me is to take it 1 day at a time. You will see some changes on this blog - there will be a lot more posts from me as I take this journey and I am even going to try and take photos of my food and post them to this blog. My brother is doing this and I think it sounds like a great idea - at least I will do my best.

Another change is that you will see the box with my weight totals change - I will post a starting weight as soon as I get to a scale and can weigh myself and then I will update it each month (I'm going to do my best to be consistent with when I weigh).

You'll also see me post about my activities for the day or week or whenever I feel like it. I know that is a key part to this journey - to get active and stay active! Need to get back that consistency that I had a few months ago.

So here comes your part - encourage, encourage, encourage me! There is a reason why I let everyone read this blog and post to it. I need some encouragement and accountability. That's the other part that I have for you all - help me be accountable. Words of wisdom would be great also as I struggle to figure out why God loves me the way I am and I learn how to love myself.

Wow - that's a big one that I just threw out there at everyone. That is something that I struggle with is understanding why God loves me when I don't love myself. This is my challenge that I face each day as I don't love myself - my brother summed it up the other night while we were talking. He said he loves himself, he likes himself, but he doesn't like the way he looks right now. I wish I could say that I am there or even close to there, but I'm not. I know that God loves me and I believe that, but I don't love myself right now. I let my physical appearance stop all of God's love in it's tracks. So this is another way that you can help me on this journey - any words of advice or wisdom you can provide would be a great help to me as I try to figure this all out.

That's it for now - time to figure this all out and begin this process of changing my eating habits, my weight, and my life - 1 pound at a time!

Love to you all!

Live Well - Laugh Often - Love Much!

Life - and the Pursuit of Happyness

2011-07-08T07:29:00.005-05:00

Wow, It's been a while since I posted anything.

Things are moving along and I am enjoying life. Met some great people last Thursday night at an alumni function for the Spirit of Houston and my wife had a great conversation with the CEO of the UH Alumni Association about business and a new program they just kicked off centered around Cougars doing business with Cougars. I'm excited and hopeful for the doors it will open for her business. Notice I said will - as part of my new "imaging campaign" I'm working on trusting God more and walking in the authority that He has given me and us and Lisa as a business owner. I can honestly say that there is no way that her business would be where it is today without the hand of God being all over it each and every day.

I'm beginning to realize that I need to just trust God and let go, so guess what - I have let go of my weight loss journey and turned it over to Him. I cannot worry about all the little details and live my life trusting Him so there's only one alternative - as I like to say Let Go and Let GOD!

It's amazing how this principle can be applied to so many things in our lives, but it is so hard for us to actually do it. I'm sure I will try my best to take it back over time and time again, but the great thing about that is I have wonderful friends (all of you out there) to keep me on track and help me to remember - Let Go and Let GOD!

My journey is my journey and doesn't compare to anyone else - I'm so excited for all of my friends out there who have lost a ton of weight. I keep reading about all of your accomplishments on Facebook. For those of you who have reached the end of your journey - congratulations and for those of you still on your journey - keep it up - you're looking great! Think about how much healthier you are and how much more energy you have and praise God for that. I have friends that are signing up for marathons and triathlons now and I think that is awesome.

I cannot focus on comparing my journey to theirs. My journey is my journey and I have to respect that they are different and that not everyone changes at the same rate on their journey. I will admit I used to get frustrated when looking at all they had accomplished because my journey had come to a standstill, but what type of person or better yet - what type of friend would I be if I didn't focus on congratulating their accomplishments and successes. God made us all unique and so therefor that's what we are - unique. We all move through our journey differently.

So, with that said I have stopped going to weight watchers and paying for it each month - don't worry I haven't jumped ship or anything I'm just focusing on eating healthy like they have taught me to do for the last few years and listen to my body. Still plugging away at high protein, lots of veggies, and trying to stay away from processed carbs (that's the hard one for me). The difference is - not so focused on the details of measuring and weighing - just living healthy.

I'm still going to the gym and working out (although the last few weeks haven't been that great) and Lisa and I have talked about a plan so that we can actually go together on some days.

Here's my new plan:

Cardio in the mornings at least 45 minutes worth and maybe weights on a couple of days and then weights in the evenings or weekends with my wife when she doesn't have meetings scheduled. BTW if anyone would like to join me I'm at LA Fitness in the Marque shopping center working out most mornings at 5:45 am. So far this week two days down and two days of 1 hour of cardio (yesterday elliptical and today treadmill) - and feeling really GOOD!

Live Well - Laugh Often - Love Much

A Week Later!

2011-05-27T10:13:00.003-05:00

Well it's been a week (see last Thursday's post) since I posted on finding my joy and I thought I would update you all on how things are going.

First of all to all of you who like to text me, email me, post comments, etc... KEEP THEM COMING! It's great and it makes me smile (even LOL somtimes).

So, Lisa asks me if I smiled today in the evenings if I don't say anything to her and that sometimes makes me smile. We watched a few minutes of stupid TV last night and that made me smile and yesterday a friend of mine sent me the People of Walmart Song and even though it was very wrong and it shouldn't have been funny - it made me LOL!

Also - yesterday my boss and I kept using IM to annoy everyone in the office when it was quiet - we use AOL IM here at work and I have mine set up with laser blaster sounds so whenever I send or receive an IM you hear two different laser blasts so we just kept sending random words back and forth so that you would hear laser blasts every few seconds - this lasted until we both cracked up laughing and were asked to stop.

Is it still a struggle - sure, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Actually - the city of Rome was founded roughly in 753 BC (if you go by ancient Roman calendars - even though they can be a bit unreliable) Since that time, the city has been added to and improved upon during its lifespan (especially since then it probably began as wood and straw houses). Even after the Western Roman Empire fell, it was still the center of Italian civilization and it was one of the leading cities during the Renaissance as it experienced huge reconstructions due to Papal orders.

Those of you that know me really, really well - probably just shook your head and SMILED because you know that "random trivial crap" like that comes out of my mouth from time to time. Usually though it centers around sports or science, but every once in a while I like to surprise everyone with a little bit of history.

I have no idea how much I weigh right now - and I'm OK with that. I feel great (except for my sprained ankle) and so far have gone to the gym 4 times this week (both cardio and weights each day) and the week is not done yet!

So I leave you with this final thought - I know it's a process some might even say a marathon instead of a sprint so I'll just take it one step at a time (ok - maybe two or three)

A few thoughts:

When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr Seuss

and finally - Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Things that Make You Smile (and laugh)

2011-05-23T14:16:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine sent this to me with the line of - you'll appreciate this being a red coat and all. I will admit I got a good chuckle out of it (more so because it is quite true and I can picture him saying all this).

ALERTS TO THREATS IN 2011 EUROPE : BY JOHN CLEESE

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels .

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia , meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is cancelled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

-- John Cleese -- British writer, actor and tall person

Update Time - But Seriously

2011-05-19T17:44:00.003-05:00

Well - not much to say except for the fact that the weight is not moving right now. It goes up a few pounds and then it goes down a few pounds and then back up a few pounds and back down a few pounds. My weight loss is a freakin' Yo-Yo! Not such a good thing when you are trying to lose weight.

I still haven't decided if I am going to drop weight watchers - I guess you could say I yo-yo on that one too.

Everyone keeps telling me to stick with everything I'm doing and it will happen - still waiting for it to happen, not sure what is going to happen at this time, but IT is going to happen (not sure when either). All I have to say is when it does finally happen - it's going to be huge (whatever it is).

Right now I'm focusing on finding my joy (if you've seen it can you let me know where to pick it up from). My brother (he's very old and wise) said that I need to laugh each day and he agreed with me that I'm too serious and I need to find the joy in life. So far this week I've laughed each day (a few times so hard I thought I was going to pee in my pants) and played along with some silly jokes at work (paper eyes in glasses, RC cars in the hallway, etc...). These are things that normally would drive me crazy (why - you may ask??? - please refer to a few sentences ago where I stated that I am too serious).

So, along with helping me look for my joy, if you have a funny story that would make me laugh or a good funny website - please share because I have to laugh each day remember.

Along with being too serious I'm trying not to sweat the small stuff! That's a lot harder than you think - at least it is for me. Still working on the other things I have mentioned in previous posts. So, to sum it all up:

Trying to smile and laugh each day
Not sweat the small stuff
Not focus on the number on the scale too much
Not be so driven with the details to lose sight of the big picture (when it comes to my health)
Find my joy
Keep on exercising
Eating healthy (protein rich - low processed carb ritual)

and on and on and on ...

It should be easy - right!

Love you all who actually take the time to read this blog
Love you even more if you actually post a comment ; )

Well - I'm out for the day - thanks for reading the ramblings of a serious man

Been a While

2011-04-01T14:19:00.002-05:00

Wow. What can I say - it's been too long since I posted something. So, here's what's been going on in my life and the lives around me.

Drove to Ft. Worth twice for my brother (I would do it at the drop of a hat because he is my brother) to be with him during his surgery and recovery. Plus, I got to spend some time with my mum (5 hours each time in a vehicle) and I have to say she's a really cool lady. The conversations you can have with your mum are conversations you can have with no one else. She just gets you on a different level - maybe it's because she gave birth to you, but she gets it!

Have been hitting the gym on a regular basis - weights at least 4 times a week and cardio a few days. I know I need to ramp back up the cardio - it is good for me and I am really trying to vary things and not always do the same piece of equipment. I really do enjoy going to the gym - it is good for me. I don't always want to go when I wake up each morning at 4:50, but I get up and go and appreciate it even more. Plus the added bonus is that I get to spend time with my mate - Sean. He's a really great guy that I befriended at the gym (he would say hi to me everyday and we just started talking one day - we have a common bond we're both from England). He keeps me honest about going to the gym and we look for each other and "encourage" each other when we don't see the other person at the gym. He's fast becoming one of my closest friends. I can talk to him about anything and I know he will listen and follow up on topics we discuss and I enjoy spending time with him. Now if we both didn't live so far away from each other and he didn't work so much I think we would hang out a lot more together (at least I like to think we would). We sometimes meet up for lunch during the day and chat. He's a good encouragement for me and I really appreciate his friendship.

We moved offices as work. Just down the hallway, but we have a new space and I really like my new office. I'm all the way at the end of the hall (I picked it). Everyone else is down the other end and I'm all the way in the back of the office suite. I enjoy the added steps to get to my office though.

Lisa and I finally bit the bullet and became life members in the Alumni Association at UH. We have always been really proud of where we went to school and it just seemed natural to become a life member. I had my picture taken at TCEA (state technology conference for education) with one of my old college professors and it was put in the UHCL newsletter - pretty cool. The link to the article is here. It was really neat. Our director from Region 10 actually sent the link to me - she saw it first. I'm also going to be featured in an upcoming UH College of Education newsletter. They conducted an interview with me - I'm excited and nervous about it all at the same time.

Eating Healthy - this is my constant struggle that I face on a daily basis. It is really good for a few weeks and then it goes to pot in a few days. I'm trying a new approach to eating for me. I have cut down on my processed carbs - I'm trying to get most to all of my carbs from natural veggies and fruits. It's not easy, but I make a good effort at it. I've also increased my protein way up. I can tell the difference when I eat this way for a few days consistently - I feel really good. I'm also back to getting in my 100 oz of water a day (most days).

Some of you by now are thinking - he hasn't mentioned Weight Watchers at all yet in this very long post. That's because I haven't been in several weeks. I'm really struggling with whether or not I should stay with WW and continue going to my meetings. I do not look forwards to Thursday evenings even if I know that I have had a great week. My emotions go all wacky when I do go because I get so down when I get on the scale and nothing has changed. It's extremely frustrating. I have spoken with several people about it and they have all told me the same thing - I'm too focused on the details and number on the scale and that I'm not living my life. I have a really hard time getting off the details and I focus too much on them and it causes a problem and everything falls apart and then the emotions go all crazy and .... (you get the point).

The flip side is that my leader Judy is a wonderful woman and I consider her a great friend. She has stood by me through all of this and encouraged me along the way. I don't want to lose her support and encouragement. Then there's Dawn. My WW buddy! She has had her share of struggles and I don't want to jeopardize anything she is doing if I stop attending WW meetings. We sit together and chat each week and share joys and struggles. We rely on each other and support each other.

So my question is this - I value all of you, my friends who read this blog and honestly want your opinions on whether I should continue to go to WW. Now let me clarify something - if I stop going I am still going to eat healthy and exercise and all of that good stuff I just won't be attending the meetings anymore and weighing in each week. I will still weigh in from time to time at the gym on the scale there and will focus on what I need to do in order to be healthy, but I won't try to focus on the details so much, but rather live life. I know some of you might be thinking - wow, it's a no brainer, but it really is a struggle to know what to do.

Please share a comment with me and offer your advice I really would like to hear it.

That's all the ramblings I have for today - until another day. Love you all and thanks for reading and supporting me as I travel along this journey.

Silver Lining in a World of Frustration

2011-02-03T20:39:00.004-06:00

So my world of frustration is getting larger every week as I continue to gain weight instead of lose it. Yes, I said lose it - for those of you that have been following my blog for a while know that I call it weight shed instead of weight loss because when you lose something you usually go look for it. I guess I'm not really trying to find it, but it appears to be finding me each week. My WW leader gave me some suggestions tonight that we are going to put in motion to try and shake things up and get the ball rolling again with my weight shedding.

Now the silver lining in all of my frustration. When you look at the picture below you will see me as I am today (yes it really is a picture of me today). I am wearing a size 3XLT shirt - I know I'm not a tall guy, but they were a blessing from a friend that had lost weight and he thought I could use them one day (thanks Darren). They have been hanging in my closet for at least a year now - I try them on from time to time to see how they fit and until last night I did not have any success. It's a great accomplishment for me. I'm proud of myself!!!

The picture below is of me before I started my journey.

Can you tell the difference???

Reflection and Goodbyes

2011-01-31T10:26:00.003-06:00

I know I usually post about my journey to thin, but I just wanted to take a moment to break the norm and post a reflection on my blog as a remembrance for my grandmother. The call came on Friday morning from my dad. We all knew it was coming and I thought I was prepared for it, but the realization of knowing she was gone cut straight through my heart. Her two daughters were there (my aunts) and dad had recently come back last week from visiting her and letting her know it was alright for her to go. She basically had been in a coma since my dad had left England to return home this past Tuesday. I'm sad for my dad - having just lost his mother ( I can't begin to think about what that pain must feel like), sad for my wife - she will never get to meet my grandmother and listen to her stories, and sad for me - it has been so long since I have visited her and I missed her so. So as we begin to pick up the pieces and move on with our daily lives I just wanted to take a moment to pause and say I love you grandma! I'll see you one day in heaven. Finally, she is in peace and reunited with grandpa. Love you both and miss you both. Cheerio!

New Year - New US!

2011-01-01T10:55:00.003-06:00

So I've spent a lot of time thinking over the past few days about what I want to accomplish in 2011. I have learned while on this journey that this is a marathon and not a sprint. It will take time to accomplish my goals and it is not going to happen overnight. I am in this for the long haul so sit down, strap in, and get ready for the journey of a lifetime!

I have decided to not set any resolutions for 2011. The word resolution has many different meanings including - a resolve or determination. By setting resolutions you state that you are determining to do something in the new year. Unless your mindset is resolute (determined) to stick with the resolutions made then you will not do it.

This year I am going to set goals for myself instead of making resolutions. So, here are my goals for 2011:

To get a better handle on the PointsPlus program and make sure that I am getting in my necessary healthy guidelines each day.
To drink at least 100 oz of water a day.
To exercise at least 5 times a week.
To complete 1 5K a month.
To grow in my walk with God.
To fall madly in love with my wife all over again.
To foster and build relationships with my friends.
To take time for me.

I know that some of you may be thinking - wow that's a long list of goals for 2011, but they are all doable. I'll keep you updated along the way and I expect all of you that read my blog to ask me along the way how things are going and check in with me on my goals.

Welcome to a whole new me and a whole better life!

Unexpected Gains

2010-12-17T08:19:00.002-06:00

Well last night I weighed in for week 2 of the new PointsPlus WW program and got a very unexpected result. Last week I had a very rewarding loss for the first week of the new program - that was expected. Any time you start a new program and shuffle the deck it is usually a good way to jump start the weight loss again.

Last night though I was expecting - notice I didn't say hoping, but expecting to have gone down another couple of pounds at least, but that was not the results I received.

I gained 1.6 lbs last week. What a shock that was for me to have gained weight! I mean I ate my points each day and I exercised and I did everything I was supposed to do - increased my protein, etc...

Guess what I believe I sabotaged myself in the weight loss division because I managed to rack up over 100 activity points for the week with my training sessions and workouts at the gym and I didn't touch them and I also didn't touch my weekly points (well just a couple of them).

So here I was thinking that I was doing awesome and so impressed with myself, but in reality I should have dipped into those points either the weekly or activity because my body probably freaked out about all the exercise and weight training and thought I was never going to give it enough fuel to keep it going.

This week my goal is to dip into some of those points so that I can hopefully get this ship on the right track again!

So, here we go onto week 3!

Week 1 Weigh In is in the Books

2010-12-10T09:16:00.002-06:00

Last night was the end of week 1 of the new PointsPlus program and I have to say it was a good evening.

I managed to shed 4.2 lbs this past week by using the new program and getting back into the gym groove.

Here is my new schedule for each day of the week (or at least most days of the week) - get up at 5:40 am and throw on some gym clothes and walk out the door and head to the LA Fitness near my work. I pick one of the weight routines from my book (trainer sessions) hit the weights and then at least 25 minutes of cardio (I hope to increase this to at least 35 min). Then off to work and go about my day as normal.

Things I've noticed since doing this:

My energy level has increased.
I feel great once I'm done in the morning.
I need to increase my protein so that I have more fuel for the day.
I'm jump-starting my metabolism into high gear.
I have to be really organized and stick to my evening schedule - preparing meals for the next day and getting my work clothes together.
I can do this and for the most part I enjoy this - I hope to start seeing results in the weight training department soon.

Things about the new plan:

Your body works harder to process protein and fiber so eating foods that are high in protein and fiber contribute to weight loss.
Getting used to the fact that calories are not the center of the plan anymore - since calories from various foods are processed differently by the body.
Now the focus is on the energy available after food is processed by the body so it is a more accurate measure of the food's impact on my weight.
Getting active is so important and critical to my success on this program.

The jury is still out on the new program because it is going to take me a while to get used to it, but so far so good. I'm committed to sticking with it so here we go onto week 2! Let's see what's ahead this week in the challenges to overcome section.

Week 1 of New WW Program - PointsPlus

2010-12-08T14:04:00.004-06:00

Well it has been 1 week at the end of today and I can say that besides the frustration of looking up points values for almost everything I eat (really annoying having to learn all the points values again) and the fact that eTools is not correct on some things or the database seems a lot smaller now than before. It's been a good week!

I have started exercising again and have gone to the gym on Wed, Thurs, Sun, Tues, and today. Not bad for 1 week. On three of those days I did weights and cardio and the other days just cardio. I have another session scheduled this evening with the trainer and we are going to plan out the rest of the month so that I know what is set in place.

So, here goes with the start of week 2 tomorrow. I'll post some new numbers tomorrow evening after my meeting to update everyone on how the scale reflects my hard work this week.

More to come later...

The New and Improved Weight Watchers

2010-12-02T16:36:00.003-06:00

Well I went to a meeting with my fearless leader on Tuesday evening to learn about the new program.

If you watch any type of news program I'm sure you have heard about the revamp of WW to the new PointsPlus system. It's exciting and scary all at the same time.

Exciting because this may be what I need to jumpstart things again and get me heading full steam in the right direction and scary because I have to learn everything all new.

This will be a healthier option for everyone and it is just good science that makes sense about the new program. As with any new program I have already discovered the glitches of tracking my food online with eTools. I had a chicken breast last night and my eTools said it was 10 points - I don't think that is correct based on what I have learned about the new program especially considering it was only 5 ounces.

Maybe paper tracking is in order for a few days or weeks until they work out all the bugs - not to mention that a lot of my foods (brand names) have disappeared from their database and I find myself having to input a lot of information where before when I searched for the food it was there.

More to come as I begin the new WW journey with the new plan!

5K Challenge

2010-11-23T14:48:00.003-06:00

So I set out earlier this year to walk 5 5K events this year. It wasn't a huge commitment to make and I knew that it would involve a little bit of financial support on my part because most of them require a donation or entry fee. Here is where we stand right now with that goal.

1. Walk Now for Lupus - April (Grand Prairie, Tx)
2. Race for the Pennant - ? (Houston, Tx)
3. Turkey Trot - November (Houston, Tx)
4. ???
5. ???

Not sure what the last two are going to be or if I will even get them in, but I'm going to try. I'm open for ideas if you know of any more between Thanksgiving and the end of the year.

Next year - looking for ideas for my new 5K goal???

Back to Life - Back to Reality

2010-11-18T08:01:00.002-06:00

Well I can honestly say that the last week and a half has not gone the way I had it all planned in my head.

My wife started me thinking the other day about something that is so true for me. I have this perfect plan in my head of how my weight loss is supposed to go and of course life and reality have other things in mind. I can honestly say that I am my hardest critic.

I'm so blessed to have people in my life that love me and support me for who I am and in my current state and position. Sure they would love for me to lose the weight because of the health benefits and all of that stuff, but they also love me for me right now - right here. I think that is what I struggle with the most is the fact that I have a hard time loving me right now - right here. I know that the weight needs to come off and I know that it will, but I want it to come off right NOW! That's not reality - that's not life. Maybe if I keep telling myself this over and over it will eventually set in and stick with me. I have to be willing to pick myself up when life gives you a little bump and not let it keep me down and keep moving on. I think that is hardest struggle.

I have realized that when I get my perfect plan all jumbled up and not going the way it should instead of just saying that's life and moving on I tend to let it knock me further down and then throw my hands in the air and it takes me a while to recover instead of just getting up, brushing myself off (not beating myself up) and moving on.

We all have our struggles in life and for everyone they are different and unique. It is how we handle those struggles that is important. We can either let them beat us up and keep us down or we can rise above them and move forward until they no longer are a problem. For the longest time I have let this issue beat me up and keep me down. Am I rising above it - not yet. I think right now I'm treading water and sometimes I get tired and being to sink and other times I get a renewed burst of energy and begin to swim.

Changes are coming to WW - I don't know what to expect from them and I'm a little worried about them, but sometimes change is not always scary and bad. Recently I changed jobs and it was a great move for me and my family. Lisa and I changed health clubs and I am renewing an enjoyment for activities that I haven't done in a while (racquetball).

I hope that this change will be a good one and maybe it will be that little boost of energy I need to renew the passion I have in this journey. I am running a marathon and not a sprint and I think that my mind if finally starting to realize that this IS a marathon and we are not going to get there by sprinting.

My meeting is tonight and I don't know what to expect, but you know what that's ok with me. I'm going to go and get on the scale and not get knocked down by the results and keep on moving along. There are a few things that I need from all my followers and supporters out there. I need lots of encouragement and support - I have no idea what that looks like yet so don't ask. The best advice I have for all of you is to just do what comes naturally to you for you to encourage and support. Now the tricky part - please keep it up - not just on the day that I text some of you with my results (by the way if you want to be included on the texting group on Thursday nights - just let me know).

Well that's enough ramblings for now - I apologize to all of you for the ramblings that go on in my head sometimes. More to come!!!

Metabolism

2010-11-05T07:21:00.002-05:00

Did you know that muscle burns more calories than fat - even when you are sitting there watching TV?

So...

What is metabolism?

Hormones and enzymes that convert food into fuel and regulate how your body burns that fuel.

Your metabolism is influenced by your age (metabolism naturally slows about 5% per decade after age 40); your sex (men generally burn more calories at rest than women); and proportion of lean body mass (the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be).

How do I increase my metabolism?

Among the best ways is exercise. This includes aerobic workouts to burn more calories in the short term, and weight training to build the muscles that will boost your metabolism in the long run.

Since muscle burns more calories than fat -- even while at rest -- the more muscles you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate, which means the more calories your body will be burning just to sustain you.

Also eat small, but frequent, meals help keep your metabolism in high gear, and that means you'll burn more calories overall. If you put too many hours between meals, your metabolism actually slows down to compensate for the time between fuel being added to your body.

So to sum it all up - Your best bet for keeping metabolism revved: Build muscles, snack on low-calorie, high-protein foods, and keep moving!

The trick is doing this - I know that I need to get better about doing this and one way that I am working on this goal is Lisa and I signed up for a year of personal training at the gym. I know it was a huge commitment of both time and finances, but I figure if I am willing to go out and spend a couple of hundred dollars at the store on "stuff" then why can't I invest some money into something that will make a change for me in a positive way.

So far I have had 3 sessions with a great trainer (number 4 is today) and he knows how to motivate me and encourage me all at the same time. He is a great guy - it may help that he has been doing this for over 22 years and knows what he is talking about. He has me working on the things above - some cardio to increase my resting heart rate and burn some calories and some weight training to build lean muscle mass. We talked about this from the beginning and he told me what he was going to work on with me - increasing flexibility, endurance, core strength, and building lean muscle. He said that he is not going to focus on the number on the scale, but instead focus on my measurements and how much they change and my body fat percentage. That is the target for our time together.

I'll keep you posted as I travel along this journey and we will see where I am a year from October and I know there will be big changes by then!!!

Here We Go!

2010-10-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

Went back to WW after a month off (a very stressful month at that - filled with lots of changes and emotional eating). I have gained 7.2 lbs back so it's back to the drawing board for me and time to reboot. Like I told my close circle of peeps this evening - this is the last reboot for me ever! From here on it's only forward. No more going back and starting over. I know there may be some bumps along the way, but I just have to keep on moving forward. That means get ready my FB friends. There is going to be lots more blog posts and updates because I need the support and prayers. Let's get ready to rumble!!!

Portion Control

2010-06-25T17:21:00.002-05:00

We discussed portion control this week at my WW meeting and "guesstimating" based on a few helpful handy tricks.

Did you know:

A deck of cards is about 3 oz of meat (5 pts).
A large bagel is about the size of a CD (6 pts).
A small side dish (like coleslaw) serving is the size of a computer mouse (4 pts).
A cup of rice is the size of a tennis ball (4 pts).
A large potato is as long as lightbulb (3 pts).

You can also use your hand to help you guesstimate your points:

Fist = 1 cup
Thumb (tip to base) = 1 ounce of meat or cheese
Thumb Tip (tip to first joint) = t Tbsp
Fingertip (tip to first joint) = 1 tsp
Index Finger (first to second joint) = 1 inch
Cupped hand = 1 to 2 oz of nuts or pretzels
Palm (minus fingers) = 3 ounces of meat, fish, or poultry

Just some helpful things to consider as you go out to eat. Portion control is the key to everything and sometimes we don't realize how many servings we are actually eating when we eat out. I know that I have to watch it and err on the high side when we eat out. At home I weigh and measure everything so it's not a problem and I learned that it doesn't matter what people think about me when I go out to friends' homes I take my measuring cups and scale and do the same there. You'd be surprised at how much people respect what I am doing and support my quirkiness.

Know Your Points Values

2010-06-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

Which has more points?

1. A serving of reduced fat tortilla chips or a serving of small pretzel twists?

2. What has fewer points - a slice of white bread or a light, whole-grain English muffin?

3. Can you eat all the zero points values foods you want?

4. Which 1 Tbsp serving has the highest pts: regular cream cheese, whipped cream cheese, or light cream cheese?

There are more, but I think we will start with these for now. For answers see below:

1. The chips have 3 pts and the pretzels have 2 - how'd you do with that one? Sometimes the "reduced fat" label on an item doesn't mean that it has less fat than a regular item - compare the labels.

2. The bread has 2 pts and the muffin has 1. It has fewer calories and more fiber so choose the whole-grain option.

3. No, all foods have calories so you can only eat o pts foods in moderation.

4. They all have a points value of 1. Since WW rounds points values they all come out to be 1 point. regular cream cheese has 50 calories and 5 grams of fat, whipped has 35 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, and light has 30 calories and 2.3 grams of fat.

Breaking Through

2010-06-05T09:01:00.002-05:00

FINALLY!!! What a week so I followed the advice of Judy (my wonderful WW leader) and increased my protein this past week. It paid off. I lost a total of 4.6 lbs so it finally broke the 50 lb mark for WW. So far that means that I have lost 72.2 lbs total. That's two bags of dog food worth of weight that I no longer carry around with me.

So here's a run down of things that have happened this past week:

1. Increased my protein (no less than 3 to 4 oz at each meal). That means there's less room for the carb or not so good stuff.

2. Walked a 5K last Saturday - it took me 1 hr to complete. That is less time than my first one earlier this year. I made a commitment to walk or jog (building up to this one) at least 5 5Ks this year. two down and 3 to go so if you know of any let me know so I can sign up for them.

3. Played disc golf with one of my best friends on Memorial Day. We haven't seen each other in a while (we talk a lot on the phone) and it was great to catch up - let's not wait till another holiday to do it again Jimbo!

4. Started working on another flower bed in the back yard - one of the last two to go (it's activity - so I don't mind).

5. Wrapped up another school year by cleaning the science lab and rearranging a few cabinets to get it ready for next year.

So here goes with another week - let's keep the ball rolling with another great week!

Plateaus or Stay Points

2010-06-01T21:01:00.002-05:00

So it appears that I have hit a plateau or "stay point". They are basically the same thing. They occur when the difference between energy intake and energy expenditure gradually balances. The human body must restore energy balance in order to survive. Imagine the potential for human survival if we kept losing weight because we couldn't find enough food (energy intake) when roaming the land thousands of years ago!

Our body needs these natural physiological mechanisms to help maintain energy balance relatively quickly.

How to get past a plateau (article source - Weight Watchers website):

1. Change your routine
"Eventually, your body will become accustomed to the diet and exercise it's being exposed to," says Thomas Bruno, CSCS of Training Effects in Grand Canyon, Arizona. Trick your body with new movement patterns like two weeks on the treadmill and then two weeks on the bike followed by two weeks in the pool.

2. Challenge yourself
"A year into the program I decided I wanted to take up running," says Torry Bruce, who's lost 100.2 pounds*. "I started training for a 5K and the weight literally started to melt off." Set reasonable goals for yourself that you normally would never think twice about. You're more likely to stick to something if you have a big event, like a marathon, in your future.

3. Keep a food diary
After making progress, it's easy to let your food—and POINTS® values—get away from you. "I got back to consistently tracking my food," says Joe Adelantar, who's lost over 40 pounds* but hit a plateau after the first 30. "I had gotten lazy and just kept a general diet diary, but when I stopped loosing weight I started writing down everything to an extreme point."

4. Pump it up
In this case, "it" refers to resistance and frequency. Adelantar began a cardio routine seven days a week (instead of just a few days) and added weight training to his repertoire. Both are great, proven ways to stimulate calorie burning during down time.

5. Eat less
"The more weight you lose, the lower your caloric demand will be," says Christopher Leavy, CSCS of Human Performance Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. As you lose weight, you'll need less calories. So, if you were eating 2,700 calories a day last month, you should try eating 2,500 calories this month.

6. Organize your life
Exercise is fantastic, but if you’re under stress, you may find it harder to lose weight. Maybe you’re subconsciously snacking more or forgetting to track. Make it easier on yourself by minimizing stress and improving your time-management skills.

7. Have realistic expectations
Of course you'd like your weight to melt off overnight but that's not going to happen and that's a good thing, too, because it's not healthy. Normal—and healthy—weight loss is about one to two pounds a week, says Leavy, so don't set a goal to lose 30 pounds the month before your high school reunion.

8. See a trainer
When you're desperate to lose weight it's easy to go to the gym and run yourself into the ground on the treadmill or weight machines but that might be the worst thing for you, warns Bruno. Instead, he suggests consulting a personal trainer who can create a workout plan that's right for you.

Eating Breakfast

2010-05-21T20:05:00.002-05:00

Some tips for breakfast from my meeting this week.

Anti-Breakfast Fixes:
1. If you're never hungry in the morning - drink 1/2 cup of FF milk or yogurt (the drinkable kind) to boost your energy level and prevent overeating later in the day. Eat within a couple of hours.

2. Eat something else if you hate breakfast foods - there's nothing wrong with eating non breakfast foods for breakfast. Remember - everything in moderation.

3. Don't have time - think quick prep or ready to eat breakfast options.

Breakfast Boosters:
1. cayenne pepper
2. cinnamon and vanilla
3. salsa

Remember you need to kick start your metabolism every day with a nutritious breakfast!

What the ???

2010-05-21T07:45:00.002-05:00

Last night was rough. Like I said in my text message (to all of you who get them - thanks for the support back). I'm doing the plan. I'm following the plan. I'm doing everything I need to be doing. The weight is not coming off.

It was hard last night - I knew I had a good week. I had tracked everything and had made sure to get my 8 healthy habits in each day (water, dairy, lean protein, fruits and veggies, healthy oil, multivitamin, whole grains, and activity). The weight went up though - 1.6 lbs up. What the...??? I guess this is the true meaning of a plateau. I go up some and then I go down some - then I go up some and then down some. It is extremely frustrating!

That was a huge slap in the face to me - I was expecting to get my 50 lb. star last night which would have meant 70 lbs. total since starting this journey almost 1 and a half years ago. I was depressed - I cried (yes - real men do cry!). Not sure what is going on. I had a good talk with Judy and Dawn after the meeting (thanks Judy and Dawn - I love you two very much) and we are trying to change things up this week. I am going to eat at least 3 oz of protein with every meal and see if that helps (I was only eating about 1 oz with breakfast and lunch each day) and adjust my quantities of everything (carbs to protein ratio). I am also going to bring my trackers in next week and let her look at what I am eating and at what time I am eating those things.

It should be interesting to see what she has to say. So here we go - it's time to figure out what the heck is going on and try to break this plateau and get things rolling again in the weight shed department!!!

Time for an Update

2010-05-14T10:47:00.002-05:00

Good morning all my faithful readers. I hope you are having a blessed week! I realized last night that I haven't updated in a while and I needed to so here goes with what has been going on in my life lately.

1. My brother and I have "beefed up" our efforts to lose weight and we are going strong. We needed a little friendly sibling rivalry to get things going so we are having a little challenge. So far so good. We are both "shedding" the weight and are moving right along. Hopefully, next week I will hit 50 lbs since joining WW and that will give me a total weight loss of 70 lbs. That would be awesome!!!

2. The last two weeks have been great. Dawn (my friend from WW) and I have been emailing each other every night or the next morning with our daily points total and whether or not we got any activity in that day. However, I have noticed that it has turned more into numbers and any celebrations or challenges we may have had that day. It is great - I truly am blessed to have someone like Dawn in my life. It is nice to open an email and read that someone has had the same challenges that you have had and can relate to what you are going through.

3. Support is crucial to success! You have to have a support network around you because there are going to be bumps along the road. I know that I could not do this without my lovely wife, family, and friends. They all have their own unique way to encourage and motivate me along this journey. Thank you all for everything you do.

4. It's amazing how much the program works when you do what you are supposed to do. Since my birthday I have managed to drop almost 8 lbs in one month. I decided a few weeks ago that it was time to get back to it and put it in gear. It has been great and the cool thing about it is that even when I am having a bad day (I'm an emotional eater) I find myself reaching for healthier alternatives to the fast food drive through.

More to come later...

Laying it all out there...

2010-04-19T20:17:00.002-05:00

This is what I posted on my brother's blog and I wanted to share it here with you all - my readers and supporters. "Haven't read this in a while. Sorry I am a little out of touch. Not to say that I would like to go away with you and Tammy, but I would like to get in on this little challenge - for me, Lisa, and everyone else. I need your help right now. I'm not sure if you are in a place to give it, but I know that I need you to check up on me and hold me accountable.

I remember when we were going to WW together we would keep each other in line and make sure we were doing the right things. Even when we weren't together we still kept plugging along and checking in with each other to help each other stay on track. I miss that and I think that I need to! So here we are on April 19, 2010 and I have gone back up with my weight and am frustrated. Not sure why, but I am! I'm sick of doing the same thing every day and am just getting burned out. I have to do this and I need to do this so I just need to "buck up" and do it!

I would like to shoot for about 38 pounds or so because that would put me at 300 lbs. This would be the lowest I have weighed in over 10 years. I was around 300 lbs. when Lisa and I go married and this would be a great accomplishment. I have not been below 276 in over 15 years so after 300 then comes 275!

I need everyone to help me out. Hold me accountable, encourage me, check in with me, and help me stay on track.

I ask this as a brother and a friend to you all that read this that may know me. "

Just wanted to get that out there and share my thoughts with you all. It seems like I am playing the weight shed YoYo over the last few months. It is both frustrating and draining - emotionally. I know what I need to be doing, but I just can't seem to get in gear and do it. It is like I have lost all of my desire to continue to shed weight. I AM FRUSTRATED SO MUCH!!!!! I just need to get back on the horse and bite the bullet and do it (that's enough cliches for one email).

So here we go - everyone jump on in here with me and get moving (literally and figuratively).

Back on Track with the Buddy System

2010-04-02T21:24:00.002-05:00

I know - it's been a few weeks since I posted, but sometimes life gets in the way. Our topic this week was about having a buddy. I'd like to tell everyone about some of my buddies in my journey.

First - Lisa my wife is my buddy. She is my support system at home. She encourages me and sometimes gives me a good swift kick in the butt! She is the love of my life and one of the reasons I am taking this journey.

Second - Philip. My brother in Ft. Worth is venturing along his own journey. We encourage each other and challenge each other and are a good support system for each other. I know that I couldn't do this without him.

Third - Dawn. She is fast becoming a great friend. We sit next to each other at my WW meetings and bounce ideas off of each other. We communicate each week via email just to check in and see how things are going. We spend time talking about our ups and downs and successes and journeys.

Fourth - My friends at school. I couldn't do what I do without this group of friends. They are my support system while at work and help me stay honest with myself.

Fifth - Lee. Lee's my neighbor across the street and a good friend. We ride our bikes together and he challenges me to try harder and his sarcasm is a great motivator. I know that if I'm not doing what I should be doing I can rely on Lee to get me back in line.

These are some of my buddies that help shape my life. I could not do this without them. Thank you to all of you who help me along my journey.

To all my readers out there - who's YOUR buddy???

Been a Couple of Weeks

2010-02-22T15:18:00.002-06:00

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I posted - sorry! Sometimes life catches up to you and runs you over and then you have to run to catch up (but that earns you activity points). It was a good couple of weeks. Two weeks ago I was out of town at a conference and I took my own food for lunch and breakfast and ate a sensible dinner.

Last week it was back to the grind of work and planning out my meals. The exercising each morning is going well (yes I know it's at some crazy hour - but it's working). On Thursday we talked about eating out. Some good tips that I try to stick to are:

1. Plan ahead - if I know I'm going to be eating out I look up the menu or even better nutritional information online to determine what I am going to eat.

2. Think green - I try to make sure that I have at least one healthy vegetable in my choice. If it doesn't have one then I don't order it. Make wiser choices - that's what it's all about.

3. Make good decisions about where to go for dinner - I am beginning to tell people when it's not a good choice. Before I would keep my mouth shut and just go and eat whatever, but now I suggest another place and usually it works.

4. Get picky - ask the server to adjust your meal. Fix something grilled with sauce on the side instead of the regular way that it's listed on the menu.

Just some helpful things to think about. Check out the new numbers on the right!!!

Weekly Update

2010-02-04T20:53:00.002-06:00

It was a good week. Lisa and I celebrated our anniversary (10 years). I went to the gym on Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and today!

Got on the elliptical and did the cross training program. There's one out of the 4 that I rotate between that kicks my butt! I now know what I need to work up to - that program. Been working my way back up to an hour - up to 40 minutes each day.

Check out the numbers on the right - lost some weight this week. It was a good week!!!!

Back to the Basics

2010-01-30T08:42:00.003-06:00

This was a week of getting back to the basics. For me, that's tracking my points, eating right, and going to the gym. It's amazing how these three little things can make all the difference in the world - yet be so difficult to do at times!

On my weight tracker you will see that I lost 6.2 lbs, but my current weight is still the same as it was the last time I posted. Here's what happened - last week I gained 6.2 lbs and then through my dedication this week I took it back off again this week. It was a huge success!!!!

Back to square one!

I started some new things this week to help get back on track. Here's what's new:

I go to the gym every weekday morning at 4:30 am - that means I now get up at 4:00 am. I pack my lunch and breakfast the night before and get all my clothes ready. This allows for me to know exactly how many points I'm using for 2/3 of my next day. There have been challenges, but I feel great each day.
I now take a vitamin regime each day. I have increased my fiber intake to an extra 4 grams over what I get in my food.I still take my multivitamin, but now I have also added an extra vitamin c as well as a vitamin b complex and vitamin d. I have noticed an increase in my energy level and it helps me get through the day - especially since I have been up since 4:00.
I am also trying to use the magazine subscription my brother bought me to Men's Health. There are lots of great tips in there as well as workouts and nutritional information.
I bought the "Eat This - Not That" books at Sam's club so that I can make better choices about what I eat, cook, and buy at the store. Great resources - I highly recommend them to anyone trying to be healthier.
I'm working on adjusting my attitude and view of this - thanks to my brother. Here's what he said to me: "1st things first. This is it. Commit to losing weight. It is a harsh reality but you have to try. Let's think of it in your terminology. Commit to Christ. You believe in that right? You believe in faith. Well this is having faith in you like God does that you will do this. Thus your mind needs to equate committing to losing weight as strongly as committing to Christ." It was great advice so I'm working on it!

We talked about emotional eating this week - here's some quick bits from the meeting:

If you eat because you're bored - engage your mind and hands with a hobby.
If you eat because you're stressed - pop a piece of gum. Chewing relieves tension.
If you eat because you're angry - call a close friend - it's better to vent then to stuff.
If you eat because you're anxious - take deep breath's instead - it eases nervousness.
If you eat because you're sad - get out and move - it stimulates endorphins.
If you eat because you're happy - celebrations are good, but think ahead to control what you choose to eat.

So, that was our meeting this week - good information, especially since I tend to be an emotional eat.

Now on to the weekend and I need to remember to get active and move - Lisa has a wedding today where the ballroom is upstairs so I say bring on those stairs. Let's shed some more weight!!!

New Year = New ME

2010-01-03T20:15:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!

The year didn't turn out the way I would have liked in the area of my weight loss, but let's focus on the positives.

1. I lost over 50 pounds last year.

2. My health has improved because of the loss.

3. I am more active now then I have been in a long time.

4. Lisa and I are about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary.

5. Petals by Design (Lisa's business) is blooming (Ha, Ha!).

6. Great things are on the horizon for me.

7. Family is healthy and happy.

8. GOD is GREAT!!!

So, it's time to move forward and kick this weight loss into gear again. My next immediate goal is to get back to where I was before I fell off the band wagon and then on to under 300 lbs. So rally the troops and get ready for the whol enew me in 2010!

Long Time No Weigh

2009-12-03T21:39:00.002-06:00

I know it's been a while. Almost a month since my last post. I've been dealing with some stuff lately and have not been really motivated to do anything - track, exercise, etc... So needless to say the weight has gone up. Not as much as I was expecting it to, but it did go up. Time to get back on track and kick this funk I've been in. I figure - if I can do this during the holiday season then I can do it anytime!

I can't change the past so there is no point dwelling on it. I can only effect the present and the future by the choices I make in the now. SO I need to stop dwelling on the past and live for NOW!

Time for a REBOOT!!!

Thank you to those of you who have stuck by my side through the last month of funk.

Life Lately

2009-11-17T19:21:00.002-06:00

Well I thought I would post an update because I haven't lately. It has been a few rough weeks lately with everything in general. I have been struggling with weight loss, counting points, and getting to the gym. My motivation has been lacking in most areas. Need to get back on track, but it's so difficult!

Update Time

2009-10-29T21:58:00.002-05:00

Well - it was a great week! I have gone to the gym on Monday, tuesday, and Wednesday and I exercised over the weekend so it was a good week of getting back into the swing of things.

I tracked my points each day and stayed within my point totals and it is amazing what happens when you do what you are supposed to do.

Check out the updated totals and let me hear your support!

Weekly Updates

2009-10-22T20:47:00.002-05:00

Time to reboot! It is necessary to start again sometimes so let's go back to the basics that were so successful that have gotten me to 60 pounds of weight shed (20 before WW and 40 on WW). So .... tomorrow brings about a reboot that hopefully will get everything clicking on the right path again.

Love you all lots and thanks for reading and taking this journey with me!

Week in Review

2009-10-17T10:42:00.002-05:00

What a week it has been - no numbers this week. It has been a rough one with lots of late nights and a lesson that did not go so well for the Rice people, but what can you do???

I say - pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and begin again today! Fresh starts - that's what today is - a fresh start! Time to get tracking again (counting my points) and exercising. No more excuses, felling depressed, or just plain not caring. I have to do this - for my health, my family, and because I know it's what God wants for my life.

More to come next week - should be a busy day today with a large wedding to set up!

Love to you all who offer support each and every day to me! Keep it up!!!!

Revelation

2009-10-08T20:57:00.002-05:00

WOW, what a week! After a few late nights at work this week - I'm almost done! Big wedding Saturday so I'll be busy at that. I decided tonight - or at least realized that while I thought it would come off a little quicker I think I am OK with it only being about a pound a week. I'm not totally sure about that, but pretty close. As I have been told - "you didn't put it on overnight - so it's not going to come off overnight." If anything comes out of WW it will be the skill of patience.

Thanks to everyone for their support during this journey. I know that I will need the encouragement to do this because it is going to take a while, but that's OK.

Weekly Totals

2009-10-01T20:41:00.002-05:00

Not sure what is going on this week. I had a loss, but it was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be bigger. It was a bit of a disappointment, but it was still a loss for the week. It was one of those frustrating weeks when you know you count all your points and follow the plan and the numbers don't line up.

New goal to focus on - losing 50 pounds. I'm still trying for my original goal of 300 by January 1st, but I need to not focus on that right now and take little steps so - 50 pounds. I'm almost at 40 so ten more to go to get there. I can do this - I have to do this!!!

Weigh In this Week

2009-09-26T13:20:00.002-05:00

I weighed in this morning since I was at school late on Thursday evening and could not attend my weekly meeting. We were talking about goals today and the importance of setting goals. I know that if I look at the whole picture which is still about 150 pounds still to go, then I will get discouraged and it will be hard to reach that goal so I have to set meaningful goals in the meantime.

I reached my 10% goal and now I have set a goal of 300 pounds by January 1st. I know that this may not be reachable now, but that is OK - I'm going to do my best to reach that goal! Please encourage and support me along the way. I basically have 3 months to get it in gear and lose 40 pounds. That is more than 10 pounds per month (WOW). I'm not going to give up though! I can't give up!

No Posts this Week

2009-09-16T14:44:00.001-05:00

Just letting everyone know that there will not be any numbers posted this week. I will be out of town on Thursday evening and there are no other meetings I can attend this week. I was hoping to go tonight, but I won't be able to make it at the time that the meeting is scheduled for to weigh in. So, you'll all have to wait till next week.

Update

2009-09-10T20:50:00.002-05:00

Well - what can I say it wasn't a good week, but when you are struggling and feeling cruddy (I had a cold last week - or something else) and don't feel like going to the gym and not eating very well - it's gonna happen.

Also, I didn't do to well over the holiday weekend at counting points and tracking so at least I know why it happened. Am I ok with the fact that it happened - heck no! At least I know how to fix it for next week.

I have gone to the gym this week and stayed within my points each day since Monday so here's to a good current week. It's a fresh new day and everything starts over today on my weigh in day.

Weekly Update

2009-09-03T21:43:00.002-05:00

Well I made it just in time to weigh in tonight. Then off to an alumni board meeting. I had a good week and I lost (see the update to the right), but that's not all. I hit my 10 percent goal weight tonight. What that means is that I have lost 10 percent of my total weight. The benefits of losing 10 percent are below:

By losing just 10 percent of your body weight, you can lower your cholesterol and reduce your blood pressure.
By losing just 10 percent of your body weight, you'll improve your body's ability to use the insulin it makes, possibly preventing the onset of the disease.
A 10 percent weight loss increases feelings of vigor and vitality - you feel better and have more energy.
Losing 10 percent can give you the self-confidence and motivation you need to keep going. "Success builds on success."
After losing 10 percent, you gain a sense of what it will take to lose the rest and reach your final goal weight.

I think these are all great reasons to stand up and celebrate and motivate myself to keep going.

State of the Shedding Address

2009-09-02T17:29:00.002-05:00

A great friend of mine who cannot post to my blog because of security at his job sent me an awesome email so I thought I would address what he sent to me so that everyone could read it. He asked a ton of questions about how things are going and stuff so here goes. I'll post his question and my response and we will get through this and I think it will be a great reflection for me and everyone who reads this.

Here are parts from Lee's original message and my replies:

So give us a smidgen of a State of the Union address on your next Blog. You’ve got 1/3^rd of the year left. That’s a ton of time but it will fly by! Below are some suggestions for points to be addressed:

How do you feel the program of WW’s has been for you thus far?

I think that it has been a good system for me. I have tried many things in the past to lose the weight and nothing has ever worked. I'm the kind of guy who needs some structure and organization and this provides that for me. I have a total number of points each day and I eat until I hit that number. If I choose to not make some good choices then I have to pay the consequences at the end of the day when I'm still hungry and have no points left. Is it difficult at times - you bet, but I made a commitment to see this through and I'm going to do so. I also like the flexibility of being able to eat what I want - it's about training your body, mind, and spirit that everything in moderation is ok and any decision I make has consequences to it - I can either focus on the positives or the negatives.

How do you feel about where you are now with regards to your Transformation?

I feel that my transformation is going well. I know that I get frustrated, but I also know that it is going to take time. I didn't get this way over night so it is going to take time to get back to where I need to be. I have to not focus on the scale so much and look at how my body feels and looks. I have noticed that clothes that I couldn't wear at this time last year now fit and I feel better about myself and I have more energy.

What changes if any are you making to your year end goal?

I have thought about this long and hard - I'm not adjusting my year end goal of 300 lbs. I have decided that I am still going to shoot for it as hard as I can. I may make it and I may not, but that's OK! If I don't then I just keep on plugging away, if I do then awesome!!!

What’s something you wished you would have done in the first two thirds of the year? Weight shedding/health specific.

I wish that I had signed up with weight watchers earlier in the year. If I would have done it at the beginning of January who knows where I would be now, but on the flipside if my brother had not had his stroke then I porbably would not have been as committed to this life change and would, by now, have given up on this because it was too hard or I had a gain, or something stupid like that! It's sad that sometimes something dramatic has to happen for us to wake up, but I have now and there is no stopping me (make sure you remind me of that when things get difficult - I may need some convincing later in this process).

People at your meeting talking about their problems motivate you or bring you down? Misery loves company. Omit if you wish to abstain more of a personal observation.

I like my meetings and the people that are there. Judy is a great leader and I really enjoy talking with others about what is going on. We have a good support group. It's nice to know that other people are going through the same things that I am and some of them are in a lot better health than I am. It is refreshing to know that I'm not alone in this journey and there are people who "get it" that it's not as easy as some people think it is or "why you just can't do it". To all my meeting buddies - thank you for being there to support me!

In the home stretch what are your plans on hitting your goal? Same plan as the first two thirds of year or something more intense? Question is more addressed to exercise since it sounds like you’ve gotten good at calculating portions. You can only cut back on eating and eating only super healthy foods so much. You can however always increase activity.

My plans are to keep on plugging away. I hope to increase my activity back to where it was at the beginning of the summer. I know that the last two weeks have been rough on me and I need to get back into a rhythm. This will come as I am adjusting to my new schedule. Counting points I'm good at - calculating portions sizes not too much! I still find this a struggle and I want to get better at it so that I do not feel so overwhelmed or pressured when I eat out or at someone's house. I have no problem taking my measuring cups and scale with me, but it would be nice to get to a point of not having to do this.

I have set a personal goal when it comes to activity to enter at least 3 to 5 events each year and complete them. I will start out with some 5K events and work my way up so that over time I would like to eventually complete a marathon (not running - at least not at this point) or complete the MS150.

Do you realize the great success you’ve had so far or do you focus on the weight you need to still shed? You have to afford yourself a little taste of victory to keep you focused on the next success. But don’t let it go to your head and get complacent or comfortable with were your at…Don’t worry too much about this, I won’t let you. You have to admit you’ve shed a lot. You said it. Next time you buy that 40# bag of dog food, carry it from the car to the mail box first then back inside (don’t set it down) and tell your heart your sorry for making it work so damn hard. Then tell your heart sorry you can only put one bag down and you’re working relentlessly on shedding the other bag by year end. Lisa, Make sure you ask (so are going to do it?) next time you buy a new bag of dog food. Our bags are 45#’s and I was like crap Matthew lost this since April!!!

Great question Lee - I know I have self esteem issues and I do not focus on what I have accomplished. I look at it as I have so much more to go, but I need to take the time to reflect and go - dang, I'm proud of myself! I am - I just have to get the mind to align with the heart and let me feel that so that I can stay pumped about what I am doing.

What’s your total Year To Date weight loss/shed? Didn’t you have a 100day jump start in January? I could be making something up.

I did have a jumpstart before I started WW. I lost right at about 19 pounds during our 100 day challenge so total that would put me at about 55 pounds lost this year so far.

Where do you envision yourself Year End 2010 as it pertains to your Transformations?

By the end of 2010 I would love to be around 220 lbs and have built up some good muscle in my body so that my weight doesn't look heavy on me because I have increased my muscle mass by a lot. I know that my doctor would like me to be right around 200 lbs., but I would be happy and I know he would too if I was a healthy 220 (not a fat 220, but a muscular 220). That is my overall goal. Personally I would love to be able to bench press my old weight which would mean that I can lift over 400 pounds - I need to hit the weights!

Are you often reminded of the saying “you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your neighbors”?????

Not at all Lee - I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything! I value your friendship and what you mean to me. You are way more than my neighbor and I hope that you realize that. I'm just so sorry it took us so long to actually meet and get to know each other.

So there it is - the state of the weight shed address. I hope that you actually take the time to read it and know that I value all of you very much. I couldn't do this without your support, encouragement, prayers, and sometimes a good swift kick in the rear to get me back in gear!

Thank you everyone!!!

New weekly totals to come tomorrow evening (they may be late thought I have a alumni board meeting)

Update

2009-08-28T09:44:00.001-05:00

Sorry it took a while to get this out, but I couldn't get to it last night for personal reasons and this morning has been hectic at work. My totals for the week have been updated. I'll post more later about the meeting topic last night.

Weekly Update

2009-08-20T20:02:00.002-05:00

We did something a little different tonight at my meeting and it was kind of cool. I learned some more people's names (that I will probably forget by next week) and also that some of the people I talk to every week are really going through some tough situations right now. I feel for them.

Even though this week has been stressful and I have not been counting like I should or eating what I should I had a good week on the scale. I need to get my rear in gear and get to the gym between now and next Thursday so I can make sure that the trend continues in the right direction.

Check out the totals to the right and drop me a line!

Weekly Update

2009-08-13T21:05:00.001-05:00

It was a rough day today, but a good week. I have updated my totals to the right so check them out. I managed to take off all of the weight I gained last week as well as another half a pound. Pretty good I think! I have spent a lot of time exercising this week and making sure I count all my points so it paid off. Drop a line and let me know what you think.

Back to Work

2009-08-10T21:15:00.002-05:00

Well my school year officially started today and it felt oddly good. I like structure and it was nice to fall back into a routine and plan out all my meals before breakfast. It helps me stay on track. Even though the days with the kiddos don't start for another two weeks it was nice to be back among friends and support since they all read my blog.

Went to the gym today - that felt good too. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical (cross training program) and my hour long water aerobics class. Came home and fixed shrimp stir-fry (yummy!) with a Birds Eye Steamfresh long grain rice (highly recommend it - tastes really good).

I have to make sure to get in the gym tomorrow before going out with Lisa (date night). We're going to Studio Movie Grill to see GI Joe (gotta love free passes and buy one - get one free coupons on the food). Not sure what I will eat yet, but I'll plan accordingly for breakfast and lunch.

It feels good to be back on track!!!

Weekly Update

2009-08-07T09:13:00.002-05:00

Well I went up. I'm not sure how I feel right now. In the back of my mind I was hoping that I could pull it out and that it wouldn't go up, but I also felt like it could go up and probably should go up since I have not been tracking as much as I should and my activity level has gone down over the last two weeks.

I'm bummed, but I can write a list of whys so at least I know why and I am not sitting here shaking my head and wondering why did this happen.

Time to stop and refocus and get back on track - starting this morning I am back to tracking, exercising, and moving on with my life and goal of getting healthy. I am still sticking to my goal of getting to 300 by January. So it's time to get busy!!!

Weekly Totals Update

2009-07-30T23:05:00.002-05:00

WOW! I don't believe it. I actually had a weight loss for the week. I am not sure if I will actually have a loss next week, but I am going to do everything possible to make that happen. Tomorrow I start tracking again and following the plan like I should have been doing all week. I feel much better now we have lots of fresh produce in the house and I am ready to go.

I find it hard to believe I have lost around 50 pounds. If you add my WW loss with the 100 day challenge we did starting in January it is right at about 50 lbs. That is more than a bag of dog food that we buy the pups. I'm proud of myself.

Check out the totals on the right - it's not much, but I'll take it.

Sorry No Updates

2009-07-27T09:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry everyone I have not updated in a while. As most of you know I was on vacation and I weighed in the Friday morning before we left. I was planning on weighing in when we got back, but we got in after my usual meeting and then I was off an running - helping Lisa get ready for the bridal show this past weekend.

While on vacation I did a lot of walking and swimming so I know that I got my exercise in for the week and we ate healthy for the most part. I did indulge a little and have a few things that the points were higher than I would ever spend on something so small.

Since coming back from vacation things have been rough - the bridal show did not help much this past weekend, but now I am back on track. I just hope that I did not sabotage myself too much with my eating over the weekend.

More to come later - I will definitely attend my meeting this week and post regardless of what the numbers show.

Weekly Totals Update

2009-07-17T12:57:00.001-05:00

I went to a meeting this morning and I have updated the totals for the week. It was a good week. I have finally hit the 30 pounds mark so on to my next goal of 10% of my weight which will be 38 pounds. After that I will work on getting down to 300 pounds by the end of the year.

Weekly Totals

2009-07-16T22:36:00.002-05:00

OK everyone - you will have to wait one more day for weekly totals. I was helping a friend of mine move tonight (I hate stairs) so I didn't go to my meeting. I will go tomorrow to a meeting so I will update tomorrow.

Weekly Totals Update

2009-07-09T21:26:00.002-05:00

Well the totals are in and the update is posted so check it out. Exercise has been a little rough this week, but I have managed to get in 30 points so far. Tomorrow morning - disc golf with Jim so that will earn me some points and then walking with my brother in the evening.

More to come later!

Weekly Totals Update

2009-07-03T10:20:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's a little late, but we had some errands to run last night after my meeting so I did not get to the computer. I would have posted earlier today, but I took my father-in-law and wife out for a round of disc golf. I really love this sport (not very good at it though). It's great exercise! I took the pedometer with me (thanks Philip for the recommendation) and calculated how long of a walk it was and it is about 2.4 miles. That's a good amount of walking so I am happy with that!

Check out the totals on the right - it was a good week. My next goal I set for myself is 350 and I'm almost there (hopefully next week) and then I am going to shoot for 300 by the end of the year. That would be about 10 pounds per month - not sure if I can do it, but I am going to try my best to get there.

So stop on by and post some encouragement along the way or any thought for that matter.

Weekly Totals Update

2009-06-25T20:42:00.002-05:00

My weekly totals did not change this week, but it was a good week. I know that I ate all my points this week like I should have and I got my 8 healthy guidelines in each day. Some weeks are just going to be that way. I will keep on plugging away at it and I am sure that I will reap the rewards next week.

My brother and I have started walking together three times a week (two this week because Lisa has a wedding tomorrow) and I think it may kill us before we actually see results - it's really hot out there at 5:00 (I know we're crazy for walking at that time, but it's the only time we can fit it in). I really enjoy the time and the conversation!

I asked the question tonight about eating my activity points and I found out that I need to be eating at least half my points when I earn more than 3 at a time. I need to eat protein and a little bit of carbs so I will work on that next week.

Exercise Exercise Exercise

2009-06-23T17:22:00.003-05:00

Just thought I would update you all to my weekly exercise this week. WW in their exercise book woulod like you to earn 28 weekly points worth of exercise. In two days this week I have earned 33!

Yesterday I met a friend at the gym and we did 30 minutes on the elliptical (cross training program) = it was worth 9 points

then

I took her to her first Aqua class (it lasts an hour) = that was worth 7 points

Today I did another cross training program on the elliptical (number 2) for 60 minutes = it was worth 17 points (WOW!!!)

The workout might explain why right now I am feeling weak and kind of sick. I believe I need to go and use some of those points and eat. If you earn that much in a day it probably means that you need to consume some of those points.

Tomorrow, my brother and I are going to go walk outside (we'll see if we survive) and then I will go to Aqua class again (I think my friend is going to join me again - Yippee!).

If we live and survive the outdoors (too darn hot down here in Houston) - we will walk again on Thursday before I go to my WW meeting.

That might round off the exercise for the week since Lisa has a wedding on both Friday and Saturday, but who knows???

Weekly Totals Update

2009-06-20T08:37:00.002-05:00

OK - so I went to my meeting up here in Ft. Worth this morning and wow what a week. I did a lot of walking yesterday and I have been really good this week with keeping track of my points so I should not have been surprised. A great friend of mine told me I should rename my blog to "memoirs of a vanishing man". I kind of like the ring of that.

Meeting This Week

2009-06-17T18:53:00.003-05:00

I'm going to try to find a meeting in Ft. Worth this weekend since I will be up there with my brother. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon with mum. So there may be an update this week and there may not be one. Tune in for more info later.

Weekly Totals Update

2009-06-11T19:38:00.002-05:00

WOW!!! What can I say. I was hoping, but I wasn't sure and it paid off. I followed the plan and stayed within my points total (even at the ballgame) and exercised - man do I love my aqua class at 24 hour fitness and I have been rewarded. Thank God!

Check out the updated totals in my weekly box on the right hand side.

Baseball Game Tonight

2009-06-09T12:45:00.003-05:00

Lisa and I are joining some great friends this evening for the Astros game at the juice box. I'm a little nervous about what to eat there so if anyone has any healthy suggestions they can get me before 4:00 (that's what time we will leave) I would greatly appreciate it.

Awesome Weekend

2009-06-08T06:54:00.002-05:00

What a weekend! Things got back on track on Friday and hopefully everything is smooth sailing from here on out (at least as much as possible). I stayed within my points total every day and got most of my 8 healthy guidelines in each day. Need to get my exercise in each day this week. I have to go with Lisa to Galveston to look at a venue where she has a wedding later this year so a walk on the beach will be in order (she'll appreciate that). More to come later!

Weekly Totals

2009-06-04T22:21:00.002-05:00

Sorry this is a bit delayed and you all are probably not going to be happy about this, but I didn't make it to my meeting. I had every intention of going anyway (thanks Bro), but life got in the way. For those of you who know my job - it was the last day of school. I had to move an entire science lab, science storage, and my office into the new science learning center (basically a big classroom with lots of storage) and I did too much! After we got it all moved I should have just called it a day, but instead I started to put things away, unpack boxes, and move furniture. By the time Lisa and I left it was 5:30 and we didn't get home till about 6:20 and I couldn't move. Hopefully it is just soreness and I did not pull anything.

Once home I had a bit of a panic attack, broke down, and lost it. For those of you who don't know we had to take Roxy to the vet on Sunday (very expensive), then all of the move and stuff, and when we got home the floral cooler wasn't working and when I went to check it - sparks flew and burning set in (of course this is the day before Lisa needs it for two events this weekend). O had to go and buy a new plug, figure out how to put it on and get it running again. We had an electrician out to the hose today and we found out how much it will cost to put a dedicated line into the breaker box for the cooler - much needed since it trips the breaker several times a week.

Lisa told me that we used 1000 rollover minutes last month and when we checked we only had 48 anytime minutes left (not sure how this is possible), but we will have to do - can't afford to go up on the plan right now so we have to make due.

All of this at one time - I know that lots of people have a lot worse happen on a daily basis - but coupled with the rough time I have been having lately with my weight loss and my weakened state just put me over the edge and I broke down.

Hopefully I can put it all behind me and move on and know that tomorrow is another day and it all begins again - on the right foot!

Having Difficulty

2009-06-03T20:28:00.002-05:00

OK - it has been a strange week needless to say and things have not gone the way I would have liked them to. Every day I tell myself that this is the day that I get back on track and headed in the right direction and then wham, before I know it - stuff happens. I'm not doing that great right now, a little depressed that I can't seem to get back on track the way I was doing before.

Tomorrow's a new day and I know that I have to do this, but it is really difficult right now!

I could really use some encouragement right now from my friends and family. So give me a post and let me know that you're behind me and offer some words of encouragement.

Rough Weekend

2009-06-01T08:17:00.002-05:00

Well I was waiting for it to happen and it did. I had one of those weekends where I didn't count my points and I didn't care what I was eating (it was a rough one), between being very busy, the TV breaking, and the dog getting sick (vet bills are expensive) on Sunday - I just didn't care and was kind of blah. The question is - how much damage did this weekend do? I will have to wait till later on this week to find out. I am going to resist the urge to step on a scale until my meeting because a lot can change in 4 days.

I am back to counting today and I know I will get exercise in because I have to go to the gym 3 times between now and Thursday and mow the lawn. My points for breakfast are recorded and I am off and running for the week.

Motivation

2009-05-28T21:54:00.002-05:00

Tonight we had a good talk about motivation and what motivates us to make a lifestyle change and keep moving forward. The more I think about it - the following things motivate me:

My faith in God (He is the reason I am here)
My wife (I don't want her to be a widow)
My family (want to be around to spend lots of time with them)
My life ( I have not accomplished all my goals yet - earn a doctorate degree, have kids, etc...)
My friends (you encourage me and support me)
This blog (when you know you are accountable to all your viewers it really motivates you)

I'm sure there are more, but I think that is a good start for now. I have a lot to live for and look forward to so I'm going to keep on going - just like the energizer bunny!

Week 8 Totals

2009-05-28T21:16:00.003-05:00

Well it was a great week. I got another star for hitting another 5 pounds mark. I am on a roll - just have to keep the momentum going!!!!

Holiday Weekends - Not the Norm

2009-05-25T09:14:00.002-05:00

Saturday we were hosting garage sale and then taking about 30 kids to the Dynamo game. I had no problem at home because I could eat my own food. We stopped off at a birthday party for some friends (their daughter was turing one). I ate a piece of corn that had been roasted on the grill and a hamburger patty wrapped in lettuce. At the game Lisa and I split a chicken strip basket and I had a bag of chips and a few handfuls of popcorn. I managed to stay within my points for the day, but I just didn't feel full or like I should have (not enough healthy food).

Wow - what a day yesterday! Lisa had a wedding in Spring so we were up and running from the get go and then we went to a birthday party for my niece at my parent's house and then to an alumni board meeting that involved a potluck dinner. I used one of our tools that they teach us at WW to make sure the day was a success.

I didn't care what anyone thought at the b-day party and I took the time to weigh and measure all my food and make good choices because I knew that the evening potluck might be more of a challenge for me. My parents had lots of fresh fruit and veggies and my brother had grilled chicken breasts and shrimp so it was easy to eat healthy. Lisa and I split a cupcake and I had a piece of mum's homemade shortbread (yummy!!!).

Our contribution to the potluck was a fresh salad made from spinach, field greens, strawberries, cucumber, and cashews. It was delicious and I served it with a raspberry vinagrete (sp) dressing. I took my own chicken breast since I didn't know what to expect and I took my own dressing (FF catalina - my favorite). I made a big plate of salad and put my chicken breast on top then I had a 1/2 a cup of homemade macaroni and cheese with a little bit of baked beans. I did indulge a little with peach crisp (homemade by Trish) and blue bell vanilla ice cream (just a dollup) - but I stayed within my points total for the day.

I wasn't sure how I would feel weighing and measuring everything in front of people or bringing my own food with me, but I knew I had to do it no matter what. It felt weird, but I knew my family understood and were supportive and I really don't think anyone noticed at the board meeting except our host and hostess (and they support what I am doing).

That has been my weekend so far.