Too much food!

(Weight: 247, no change)

Days like today aren't easy. Not only am I fortunate enough to get a free lunch at work every day, but once a month we have a celebration day for the good folks who have had birthdays and anniversaries. This wouldn't be so bad if the festivities weren't always held 5 feet from my desk. As evidenced by the picture to the left, today we had an egg and potato casserole, 4 or 5 different types of homemade cookies, a giant cake from a local bakery, brownies, cupcakes, 3 boxes of donuts, fresh fruit, bagels and cream cheese, chips, and Cheetos (delicately prepared by yours truly). Needless to say, it's not easy sitting at work on this day each month.

In all honesty though, I didn't do too badly. I knew it was coming so I did my best to act accordingly. I didn't graze all day (though the one at a time Cheeto as I walk past my desk continues to be problematic). I had a small portion of the egg casserole and some fruit. I also allowed myself a very small sliver (really, it was tiny) of cake and one of the cookies with the cream cheese icing that I really wanted (the middle of the picture.) I also love Asiago bagels so I decided to have one for lunch. Before you beat me up, remember that in the not too distant past I would have had the cake, cookie, and the bagel in the morning and still had a regular lunch. Today, I skipped the lunch meal and just had a small side salad along with the bagel at my desk. I know that some readers of this blog (Diane) will kill me for this, and I suppose I deserve it. In my defense though, I didn't completely pig out, and I did go to the gym after work. It wasn't good, it certainly could have been better, but it also could have been a whole lot worse.

The rest of the week is going to be challenging as well. Kathy's birthday is Saturday. Friday, Ryan is planning the evening which includes dinner, a movie, and ice cream (three of Mommy's favorites) and Saturday Kathy and I are actually getting a chance to go out to dinner as a couple. It's rare we have a babysitter so we are very thankful for this and are greatly looking forward to our evening. I will do my best to eat smaller healthy meals in advance of these two dinners, and will be sure to run both Thursday and Saturday this week. I'd like to say that I'll eat only half of my restaurant meals and bring the rest home, but I doubt that'll happen. There's no sense in writing or maintaining this blog if I'm not going to tell the truth, so that's the truth. It's a part of my struggle. I feel like I'm doing better. I'm exercising a lot more than I used to (I still need more) and I am paying greater to attention to how much I am eating rather than just ignoring it.

Goals for the week: try to maintain the current weight, get lots of exercise, and drink a ton of water. Survive until Sunday and then get back to what I was successful with last week.

Some movement on the dial...

Weight: 247 (-2, -5 total)

I've had a good week. I haven't been able to take advantage of all of the diet suggestions as I have several food allergies and general disdain for some of the foods that the trainer suggested. But I have a good knowledge of the things that I can eat to help me lose weight. I'm researching alternatives and modifying his suggestions a bit.

I had a great week of exercise since meeting with the trainer. I played basketball one day, and did two other days of cardio and weight training. The weight training has taken some getting used to. I'm pretty sore, especially my arms, but - and it just might be my imagination - I am already feeling "different." I'm excited about this and looking forward to going to the gym more this week. I've done work on my chest, my arms, legs, and abs. I need to do something to strengthen my back a bit though. My left knee has really been bothering me lately though. I'm working on the assumption it's just some mild tendinitis. I'm not worried about it at this point, but it is something I'm going to keep an eye on.

We went to the grocery store yesterday and bought some good foods. As most of you know, we have a tendency to eat out more than we should. Well, we spent our money at the grocery store on healthy foods, so going out won't be in the budget for the next few weeks. We're actively taking meal suggestions if anyone has any for us.

That's it for now. I'm feeling good, and I'm feeling motivated. Goals for the early part of this week: keep writing my food down, two days of cardio, and one day of weight training. Next post Wednesday.

Getting some help...

Weight: 249 (no change, -3 total)

On Tuesday I met with a personal trainer. This was a pretty eye opening experience. We met after work and for the first 15 minutes or so we discussed my goals in regards to weight loss and working out. He explained some foods to me that I should eat, and that I should actually consider altering the way I eat. He encouraged me to eliminate, or at least greatly cut down on the breads, which is a killer for me. I love bread with my dinner, and I more or less eat a sandwich every day for lunch (often for dinner too) and most mornings I eat a bagel with peanut butter. Cutting out bread is going to be difficult. He suggested I get up a little earlier and make some eggs with vegetables, or even eat things like grilled chicken or fish for breakfast. Chicken, maybe. Fish for breakfast? I don't think so. For lunches I am to try to cut back on the sandwiches and eat salads. I'll likely throw a piece or two of ham on the salad if there are no other options available at the salad bar. I don't know what we'll do about dinners here. We'll have to come up with a plan and do some grocery shopping this weekend.

After our meeting we hit the exercise area. This is where the evening took a turn for the worse. Not really, but this is where I realized A: just how out of shape I am, B: that my "running" isn't getting the job done as far as increasing my heart rate, and C: I am not only out of shape, but I am completely inflexible. I have no range of motion and am not as strong as I need to be. He put me through a one hour workout and I thought I was going to vomit and pass out after 10 minutes. The "workout" was just to show me the circuit I am supposed to do 3X a week. It started with a rowing machine and moved to the treadmill. I had no problem with this and actually enjoyed it. I felt my heart rate increase instantly. From there we moved to some agility/strength/core drills. These included: ankle flips, A skips and B skips. All were very awkward for me. From there I did a "Spider man" walk which is a yoga-ish move. Those of you that know me know I am not much of a yoga kind of guy. This was extremely difficult for me, but I managed. I followed that with a series of side steps with a taut rubber band around my ankles. This was kind of like a basketball drill which was a lot easier for me to do.

This led to the weight lifting portion of the workout. I used a 25 lb. kettle bell, then did bench presses (I haven't done a bench press in years) and lunge position rows. After the weight lifting we did an ab workout that included things called bird dogs, planks, and side planks.  I ended the workout with a few minutes on the treadmill.

Needless to say, I was in agony at the end of this workout. I actually felt a little light headed and nauseous for a moment. And the kicker is, this was just a quick series/sample for the workout. I only did one set of each. My actual workouts will be three sets of each, and should take about an hour.

On the nutrition/diet front: I had a lousy eating weekend, and feel fortunate to have maintained. I ate a lot of pizza and ice cream cake. I think the rest of my meals were rather sensible though, so maybe I did alright, after all.

All in all I feel good and inspired today. I had a great eating day today, and got to play basketball outside for an hour. I'm looking forward to the gym tomorrow and to see what happens with the weights. Should be interesting.  

Maintaining

Weight: 249 (0 change, -3 total)

I'm maintaining during this week of endless birthday parties and cake, so a zero weight change is okay with me. We've all been a little under the weather this week so my exercise has been low. On Friday though, I did go for a run with Kathy. It was the first time we ran together. She more or less left me in the dust as she's in better shape than me, but she was a good sport and ran at my much slower pace.

I know I seem to mention that I need to do better on every post, and that is true. This week though I am hoping to get the spark I need. I am meeting with a trainer on Tuesday evening to develop a workout/training plan for the Warrior Dash. This is a hard thing to do on my own. Yes, the blog is making me somewhat accountable for my actions, but paying for a trainer should also help me in that regard. I will not be meeting on a regular basis with him, but plan to check in every two or three weeks to monitor progress and measure specific goals. I am looking forward to getting started.

Today is the last of Ryan's birthday parties (just us on Tuesday, his school friends yesterday, family today). I'm starting to feel a little better, though I'm still having trouble breathing. I'm going to try to get either a jog or a good walk in some time today, and a more strenuous workout in tomorrow. I'll post on Wednesday, after I meet with the trainer.

Post-Ryan's Birthday/Valentine's Day

Weight: 249 (no change, -3 total)

I survived. For Ryan's birthday he wanted to go to Friendly's. We took a mid-afternoon trip there at 3:00 and that allowed me to use the meal as a lunch/dinner hybrid. I got a big cheeseburger, but coupled with my small breakfast, that allowed me plenty of room to have a piece if ice cream cake with him that evening. We really don't have much chocolate in the house right now, so I feel like I'm in good shape to navigate this week. We have two parties scheduled for this weekend, but both are pizza parties - they really shouldn't be any trouble. My goal will be to at least maintain this week, then really start to push to lose next week.

My exercise has been low this week. Ryan, Kathy, and I have been passing a cold back and forth and I just didn't have the energy. In fact, I took TWO naps over the weekend. I can't remember the last time I had even one nap. I have some work to do this evening, but tomorrow I am free and am planning on an evening trip to the gym. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it.

All in all I don't have much to report. Things are kind of slow right now. I'm not as focused as I need to be, but I am making more of an effort to at least be aware of how much I am eating. I've done a good job of hitting, and not surpassing my 2,000 calorie per-day goal. Tomorrow will make 4 months to the day until the Warrior Dash (and 7 weeks till the Phillies 5K). I feel like I have plenty of time, but I need to start increasing my efforts now.

Anne, if you are reading this, would you mind asking your trainer to shoot me an email? Thanks.

Next post Sunday.

Progress!

Weight: 249 (-3 lbs, -3 total)

A shorter post today as I'm dealing with a sick kiddo...

I had a great second half of the week. I drank a ton of water, got in a run, and kept count of my calories. See what happens when I pay attention? I still need to be vigilant about it, but it is nice to see some progress made.

This week will be a little tougher as it is Ryan's birthday (on Valentine's Day) so he is picking the dinner location, and we have two birthday parties this coming weekend. I think I'll be able to manage okay, except the ice cream cake might be a little challenging to stay away from. I'll have to make sure I save some room for a piece and increase my exercise a bit.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. They mean a lot. I'll post again on Wednesday.

Struggling

Weight: 252 (+1, total change 0 lbs.)

I don't have much to say or report this week. I'm struggling. Poor food choices and not enough exercise. I'm doing okay at work, but eating too much for dinner and snacking way too much at home. I think I need some help or some company to help motivate me. MF - I'm in for your challenge. I'll touch base with you tomorrow about it.

I got in some exercise on Sunday, and went for a good run on Monday. Tuesday I took off, and had planned to go to the gym today, but just never made it there. Tomorrow I am scheduled for a 5PM run, and I'm looking forward to that.

I think the reason I am struggling at home is because of the snacks we got for the Super Bowl. There's too much here that we don't normally have on hand, and I'm struggling to restrain myself. Tomorrow is our trash pickup, and I think I may try to talk Kathy into cutting our losses and doing away with some of the food we have. I need to get it out of here. If I was wealthy I think I'd hire a personal shopper to get my groceries and someone to prepare my food. I need some discipline.

The other thing is that I realize I'm really going to struggle trying to do this on my own. Yes, the blog is making me accountable for providing status updates, but there are no consequences for me if I don't lose any weight. A few years ago I lost a good chunk of weight with some friends that I know are reading this blog. If either of you want to meet on occasion to check in I'd be up for it. Send me a note if you do.

Warrior training: my endurance is improving, but I need to start the weight training. I've gotten in touch with the trainer I mentioned, but nothing has been set up yet.

Next post Sunday.

Super Bowl Sunday

Weight: 251 (no change)

On Thursday I had one of my semi-regular doctor appointments to discuss my most recent blood work. I have been on cholesterol medication for some time now. I know that the best thing you can do for elevated cholesterol is to watch your diet and exercise, and while I have been more attentive to my exercise lately, I have not been such in monitoring my diet. It almost seems as if I use the meds that I'm on as an excuse or allowance to eat what I want to eat, with the thinking that the meds will cancel out the bad choices. That is a mistake, and a battle that I must face and I must get better at. My results were as they always are: my total cholesterol is very good , my bad cholesterol is good, and my good cholesterol is bad. My doctor is changing my Tricor medication of 145 mg to Phenofibrate (200 mg). We'll see how it goes. I need to get my next blood work done in mid-March.

Another ongoing concern that I have is slightly elevated blood pressure (140/80). Unfortunately it has remained around this level for my last few visits. Since I have been more committed to exercise lately we are hopeful that it will bring my blood pressure down. We'll measure that again in March. I really don't want to go on any additional medication. I think I need to increase the intensity of my workouts as well to really see the benefits. All in all, I feel pretty good these days. I'm more energetic (thanks to the exercise), but like I said, I need to watch what I'm eating and get more rest too. I don't get enough sleep.

My eating has actually been okay this week. I have an app to count my calories, but I'm not using it as often as I should. I've been entering every 3 days or so, but I need to commit to recording it daily. My exercise was good this week. I had two good runs, both with a friend. I found that helpful in that since he is in better shape than I am, he was able to push me a little bit. I felt like I had to keep up and keep going in order to run with him. I wasn't as eager to just quit or slow down. It also resulted in me adding in some extra sprints which was great. I know I've been spoiled by the weather, but as long as it's sunny and warm enough, I'm going to try to keep getting him to go with me.

I am also planning to meet with a personal trainer either this week or next. While I certainly can't afford to hire a personal trainer, I can meet with one and come up with a plan. A friend of mine was kind enough to put me in touch with a trainer. I'm looking forward to meeting with him.

Lastly, I'm looking to try some new foods. What are you skinny people eating? What kind of snacks are you enjoying? I'm looking for some changes. I'm a little tired of all the regular things I've been eating and need to branch out. I'd love some suggestions.

As for today? Hopefully we won't go too overboard with the snacks. It is a special occasion though, so I'll likely cut myself some slack. I did go to the gym and burned almost 500 calories on the elliptical. I also did some short sprints while trying to teach Ryan how to ride his bike. I ate a small breakfast and lunch, so I'm okay for the Super Bowl. We have a pizza, some chips and dips, and a plan to make a small plate of nachos for all of us to share. As usual, I'll just drink a lot of water. It shouldn't be too horrible.

And just for the hell of it, here's my Super Bowl pick: Giants 24 Pats 23

Talk to you all on Wednesday. Goals until Wed: enter all my calories; run Monday, elliptical Tuesday, run Wednesday; get in touch with trainer and set up appointment.

Holy cow it's February already!

Weight: 251 (no change, -1 lbs. total)

It's been a long couple of days, and I haven't been in the best of spirits. Usually when I get like this I kind of reach for the comfort food and get a little lazy. I haven't eaten terribly the past few days, but I've probably been eating a little too much. They say you can't really eat too many fruits and vegetables, but I don't really agree with that. It's still calories. Last weekend we bought a ton of fresh fruit to last the week. We made a giant fruit salad and had all intentions of eating it for dessert and snacks. It barely lasted two hours. Not only did I love it, but so did Kathy and Ryan. We actually ate an obscene amount of fruit, which I didn't think was possible.

I've been doing okay at work this week. I've avoided the creamy soups, and I have not had any soda. I did, however, allow myself a small piece of chocolate cake on Monday and Tuesday that had been lingering for a day or two. My work station is about 10 feet from our buffet/party counter. It's amazing - we have access to free lunch, continental breakfasts if so inclined, yet we still find almost daily occasions to bring in cakes and goodies, or to celebrate some achievement. Not that I'm complaining or anything, it just makes it tough sometimes.

I went for a 2.5 mile run on Tuesday. This was the first time that I ever ran with someone else. A friend of mine joined me for the run and it was nice to have the company. It made me feel a little more committed to the workout. We jogged for a mile and a half and then alternated running fast and jogging city blocks for about half a mile. I felt like it was one of my better neighborhood runs lately. I really need to work on my endurance though. I felt pretty gassed a little too early on in the run. Today I was supposed to take the day off, and did, though I actually had planned to work out a bit. Things just got hectic after work/school and I didn't have the time. I have two commitments after work on Thursday, so I won't get a workout in then, but I think I will try to go Thursday evening after Ryan goes to bed.

I don't really have much to report other than the status quo. I don't feel like I have done a good enough job of paying attention to what I'm eating and the calories I'm taking in. I know what I have to do. I just haven't quite found the motivation to do it yet. Hopefully February will yield a stronger commitment from me, and in turn bring some more desirable results.

Next post Sunday!