5 weeks 15 lbs

So 5 weeks have gone by. 15 lbs total loss.

This week has been tough, but the nice and smooth, gradual loss has been very satisfying. Struggling to find the time for regular workouts now that I am back to 12 hr days.

Back to reality

OK, it's been a little while since I have blogged, I had a little girl on 5/20 and have been a little busy!

But I've been a good boy in the meantime and continued on my course of eating healthy and exercising more.

It was very difficult right around the birth. I had to plan and budget my calorie intake and exercise. I knew we were inducing on Thursday the 20th so I was sure to exercise harder on the 18th and 19th. I also prepared simple foods at home for the 20th and 21st anticipating I would be running back and forth. On the day of the birth, I brought fruit and nuts, but found I wasn't hungry until evening because of the excitement so my calorie count for the day stayed low. Knowing that I had decent food at home gave me all the will-power I needed to avoid the fast food places on trips back and forth from the hospital.

So this is where I am now.

Here are my weigh ins:

5/8 - 270 lbs

5/15 - 262 lbs

5/22 - 258 lbs

5/29 - 258 lbs

6/5 - 257 lbs

Why the plateau you may ask? I got sick shortly after the baby was born and didn't exercise for a whole week. I think it just held me in limbo. As soon as I started exercising again, another lb came off.

I'm feeling very optimistic that I can continue on this track and reach my goal of 200lbs by Jan 1st. It's very aggressive, but I can do it.

1 wk down - 8 lbs off

Survived my first week, and I must say it is getting easier. I think my body is now trained that it will not get those huge surges of sugar and insulin. I treated myself to pizza Sat night for surviving a whole week on a low cal, low sugar, no alcohol, no soda, low carb diet with added exercise.

Weigh in end of week 1 - 262 lbs

Total loss so far - 8 lbs

I KNOW, I KNOW!! Too much too fast. But when you weigh 270 lbs, 8 is not that much. Probably mostly water loss. I do feel much less bloated though. Probably the lower sodium is letting me drop that water.

Clothes are fitting better. Can't wait for week 2 weigh in!

Day 4

Home and school today. Really struggled with major hunger today. Something was off.

breakfast

2x eggs, 2x fake bacon

snack

orange

lunch

mixed green salad with egg, carrot, tomato, oil/vinegar dressing

snack

beef jerkey

dinner

Chk stir fry again with edemame

Feeling the groove Day 3

Day 3 was a day on the ambulance. It seems to be easier when I am at work. THough when I got held over, it was on, I had to eat something and was in the ghetto. I did learn that Burger King now has $1 side salads on the value menu to hold me over an hour.

Day 3

Oatmeal & banana

snack

Apple

Lunch

Chicken/rice/green bean medley

snack

homemade trail mix

pre-dinner

BK $1 side salad

Dinner

Chk stir fry

Day 2 - Mother's Day

This is not as easy as I thought. Temptation is everywhere. Apparently, nobody else realizes I am freaking out as they eat their salami sandwich with mayo and cheese or when my wife orders cheesecake and my daughter orders a huge ice cream sundae after having to settle for the lowest cal meal on the menu and twiddle my thumbs as they ate their decadent desserts......But I survived day 2.

Day 2 eats:

Breakfast

1 hardboiled egg

1 bowl fiber cereal (yack)

Lunch (eaten throughout day)

1 apple

small bag trail mix

Chicken, rice and green beans

Dinner

Jambalaya over rice

That's it. Survived all the Mother's Day pitfalls. Tomorrow in another day.

Sick of it, done with it, not gonna take it anymore

OK, I've blogged about other things before. This time I am trying to use it as motivational tool.

MISSION STATEMENT

I am sick and tired of being fat.

It's not that I have self-esteem issues, I am way too secure and happy for that. I love a life of cheeseburgers and beer. God's best creations. It's not that I don't look good in a Speedo, I honestly don't give a flip about what anyone thinks. This is more about feeling good and being able to do my job well and live comfortably. I want to tie my shoes without feeling out of breath because my gut is pressing into my abdomen. I want to not have to avoid half of my wardrobe simply because it is uncomfortable and too tight. I want to be around for my daughters not in a cardiac unit.

Bottom line is that I am just sick of struggling with my weight.

I've been on diet after diet after diet after diet and had varying degrees of success. In the last five years, I've been as low as 230 lbs and now all the way up to 270 lbs. I've decided I will not follow any of these diet plans or get thin quick scams. I will not work out for 2-3 hrs a day. I will not eat cabbage soup and grapefruit. I will not go carb free. I will not South Beach and I will not go to meetings or use a calculator. I will do this through my own observations of past failures and successes and apply them to the next 30 days.

I have formed my own 10 commandments for survival over the next 30 days.

1. Cut out the bread. THIS IS GOING TO HURT. I am a bread freak. I love bread. I love sandwiches. My favorite snack is pretzels. My life revolves around bread or bread-like products.

2. Eat primarily low glycemic index foods. Takes a bit of thinking.

3. Start exercising more. 5 days a week for at least 30 mins.

4. Beer only once a week. Again, going to leave a mark.

5. No refined sugar. No candy. No sweetened stuff. That one is easy for me.

6. No more chemicals. No artificial sweeteners, flavors, HFCS. Bye bye Diet Pepsi. (sniff)

7. If it is not food, I am not going to eat it. Eat plants and things that eat plants, not food made in plants.

8. EAT A LOT. I will eat healthy, but dammit, I will eat. It is my favorite pastime.

9. Bring my lunch with me on the ambulance EVERY time. This will take planning.

10. Increase my fruit and vegetable intake. Some days I eat none. This will change.

I am not superman. I am not perfect. I have failed many times before.

For the next 30 days I will stick to this and come hell or high water, get started on not being fat. If I get a good result I will continue or modify as necessary.

I will post as often as possible. Certainly once a week if not more.

Saturday 5/8/10 - zero hour. Ground zero. Begin.

Weight - 270 lbs.

Pray for me. (GULP!)