The Healthy Journey

What a crazy week.  Well maybe not so crazy.  My life has become pretty vanilla.  Black and white.  So maybe not so crazy.  The week started like it normally does.  Eat really good (still not great) and exercise.   I do still like my occasional bar food.  You know, the chicken wings, poppers, Texas toothpics.  Eating 3 chicken wings really sucks!  All that work on 3 wings for chicken wing goodness.  Sometimes it doesn't make it worth it.  We all need our fix every once in a while.  Thats the key right?

For all you calorie counters out there.
3 wings from Applebees is 385 calories and 29 grams of fat! 

So just think about it.  Eat 3 and eat more stuff.  Or eat 12, exercise like a mad man for HOURS.  Then squeeze in some great food.  No thank you.  This is the whole reason why I count my calories.  Its a pain in the ass, but for once, I finally know what goes into my body.   Don't get me wrong.  I'm not going to deny myself these foods.  I LOVE these foods.  I just limit them.  MODERATION is my key.  I've tried eliminating these foods from my diet......scratch that NOT diet.  Take 2.  I've tried eliminating these foods from my new healthy changes.  But it seemed to make it worse.  I craved these foods.  I mean super duper CRAVED!  Once I ate them, it sent me into a downward spiral.  6000+ calories later, I was on an emotional roller coaster.  Anger, guilt, depression.......stuff that nobody should be dealing with.  So I've learned MODERATIONS.  Its taken me years to learn this and not to diet.  Just eat right and exercise.

I'm down 2lbs this week.  I couldn't tell you how.  Normal days earlier in the week.  Then I got sick half way through the week.  No exercise since I've been sick.  To make it worse, I really haven't eaten well or eating food at all!  I'm not too worried about it though.  As soon as I'm not sick, I will be back on track.  Next week is going to be tough.  Lots of baseball stuff going on.  Pretty much will be this way for the next few months.  Finding time to exercise will be tough.  Making sure I eat good meals will also be tough.  Quick and easy will rule the next few months.  We'll have to fight that urge, so lots or pre-meal planning for the next few months.  My goal is to avoid fast food as much as possible.   And to avoid the quick and easy frozen meals.  I know how to do this, we can do this.

If you Tweet, follow this one.  Its been great!  Sometimes its a big eye opener and also DUH!!!!
http://twitter.com/EatThisNotThat

Before and After.....A Step in the Right Direction

Since I started this change last June, I've had my ups and I had my downs.  Seems like there are more downs then ups.  My downs have been over exagerated by my insercurities.  I try not to, but I dwell WAY too much on the negatives.  I spend way too much time trying to figure out why I'm not losing Biggest Loser poundage.  I can't seem to look past this.  I know 1lb a week is good and safe.  But I'm disappointed when its not 10!  What a dork!  What a dweeb!  Insert your insult here!

I finally took another picture.  I could not believe the changes.  I started crying like a damn baby.  Can you believe that?  Like a baby I tell you!  Very very very happy.  What the picture made me realize, FINALLY, that I'm heading the right direction.  My dependance on the scale was a negative for me.  The scale needs to be another tool.  Not a be all, end all.  The last 3 weeks I've been dwelling on why I've stayed the same.  No changes.  The problem.  There has been changes.  My new pants I got over Christmas.  Too big now.  New T-shirts.  Too big now.  I have leg muscles again.  "Hello Mr Bicep!  I haven't seen you since college."  Friends telling me that I'm much thinner.  Husband ears on!  I ignored all of the comments and changes.  Stupid scale!  INSECURE JIMBO!  BAD JIMBO!

Only a select few have seen these.  This is a step for me.  I feel more confident in myself again.  Something that had disappeared.  I still have a long road.  Years and years of abuse.  But I know, the end goal is getting closer.  I love it!

Couple of changes I've made the last couple of weeks that seem to work out great for me.  I've been basically eating 3 big meals a day with snacks if I'm hungry.  The problem was, I was binging some days.  I went back to eating 5 small meals a day.  In the pass, I was ALWAYS hungry doing this.   But some more reading, asking questions.  I changed it up.  My small meals consist of high fiber and good proteins.  I'm eating every 2-4 hours.  Shooting for 21g+ of  fiber a day.  Its amazing how NOT hungry I am.  Thank you Men's Health!

Sample of my meals this week.

Plain oatmeal with bananas

Whole wheat toast with egg and egg whites

Yogurt and orange

Chicken tacos and brocolli

Unsalted mixed nuts, orange, apple sauce.

Healthy Request Chunky Beef Soup and orange or mixed vegtables.

Don't get me wrong.  I did have a burger from Juicy's.  And I ate a lot of chicken tacos this week.  But, I didn't binge on several tacos and burgers and pizza and chips and cookies.  I love cookies.  I'm eating a lot!  But just making better choices.   I love to eat.  I hate dieting.  Its a compromise.

Stay positive, be positive.

Special thanks to John!

Healthy Changes

What a slacker I am.  I can't believe its been two weeks since I last updated my blog.  I like updating it.  I like attempting to write.  I suck at it, but I do find it entertaining.  So why no updates?  I'm just a big ass slacker.  That's the only explanation I have.  A big HUGE slacker.

Speaking of big.  I'm a litte frustrated again.  Actually a lot frustrated.  Since I decided to finally make a healthy change last summer, its been good.  I weighed a ginormous 265.  I've never EVER been that big.  I never thought that I was that big.  I've dropped 30lbs.  But now I've hit the wall again.  That stupid freakin' wall.  Its been nice, consistantly losing about 1/2 - 1 pound a week.  Some weeks gained, but I was always down at the end of the month.  This time not so much.  The thing that bothers me the most is I feel great.  My clothes are huge.  People are noticing the changes.  So why does it not reflect on the scale?  Thats the part that is very frustrating. 

Talked to my friend John again.  He's half the man that he used be.  He's always been good for great advice.  My first step is to not rely on the scale so much.  I know my body, I feel the changes.  Second step, take a picture.  I don't want to.  Who really wants to see that.  Even I don't want to see that.  A picture would be a great tool at how well I've progressed.  So twist my arm, hold me down, duct tape myself to the wall.  I will take a picture.  I believe I still have a picture from last year when I first started.  I would be nice to compare the two.

I've come a long way.  In pass months, if I wasn't losing any weight, I would be really down.  Which would end up me binge eating.  Now I don't let these little things affect me.  There will be ups and there will be downs.  A lot more downs then I would have even known.  I don't look back, I just move on and tackle the next day. 

I like food.  I LOVE food.  I hate dieting.  So I compromise.  I make better, educated decisions of what I eat.  I eat what I like (in moderation) and I most importantly, I exercise.  At least 5 days a week.  This has been the ONLY thing that has worked for me.  No fancy pills, no fancy drinks, not cabbage soup diet, Atkins, South Beach.  Believe me, I've tried some of these, great at first then major disappointment and failure.

Stay positive and be positive.