So, wasn't so good about posting the past few days. Despite claims, I did not start getting back to the gym last week, so I need to be better about it this week.
Nor was I great at keeping track of points from Thursday on. By not great, I mean didn't do it. I went out and had a couple beers Thursday night, and that was my end point. So, time to get back to it.
I even missed my "official" weigh in yesterday morning. However, the good news is, according to my unofficial weigh in today, I was 299.4. Back under the 300 barrier, which is it's own relief, and also a bit heartening that even haphazard application of Weight Watchers and trying to eat better can still result in some weight loss. I'm keeping track today, and I'll post how I did tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Day 2
Hit a bit of a setback. I left work early to take our little guy to the dentist, and was ravenous afterward, so I stopped at Taco Bell. Did you know - a cheesy potato burrito is 14 points according to Weight Watchers? I do now.
So, I went way over yesterday, dipping heavily into my weekly points. After the burrito, I calmed down some, and had a dinner comprised of a peach, whole wheat pita with hummus, and a couple of small slices of cheddar cheese, along with a Kashi bar later to fend off the hunger.
Hunger is a bit of a problem - I had Cheerios for breakfast, and was hungrier afterward than I had been before I ate. I think I need to make sure I have at least a little bit of protein to go along with grains, fruits, and vegetables, just to stave off the feeling of being hungry.
But, today is a new day - we'll see how today goes, along with the gym trip this evening.
So, I went way over yesterday, dipping heavily into my weekly points. After the burrito, I calmed down some, and had a dinner comprised of a peach, whole wheat pita with hummus, and a couple of small slices of cheddar cheese, along with a Kashi bar later to fend off the hunger.
Hunger is a bit of a problem - I had Cheerios for breakfast, and was hungrier afterward than I had been before I ate. I think I need to make sure I have at least a little bit of protein to go along with grains, fruits, and vegetables, just to stave off the feeling of being hungry.
But, today is a new day - we'll see how today goes, along with the gym trip this evening.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Day 1
Not a bad start, overall.
At 303 lbs, you get 62 daily points in Weight Watchers. Which seems like an awful lot. And, in fact, by eating a little smarter than I otherwise would've, I did alright, but for getting a soda and popcorn at a movie last night. Without those, I would've come in at 61 points for the day, without really reducing all that much of quantity of what I ate, but changing the nature of what I ate. What does 61 points get you:
Egg McMuffin
Fruit Smoothie
Hummus with pita
Fried egg sandwich with cheese
Black beans with salsa and broccoli
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
16 oz of fat free milk with Hershey's syrup
Oh, and 32 oz of Dr Pepper during the day. As I said earlier, if I can successfully cut out the soda, that will really give me options to stay with the plan and stay satiated. Even with the popcorn and movie soda, I ended up using 7 of the weekly points you're allotted. So, I think a positive first day, especially since I didn't end the day so hungry that I wanted to quit.
We'll see how today goes.
At 303 lbs, you get 62 daily points in Weight Watchers. Which seems like an awful lot. And, in fact, by eating a little smarter than I otherwise would've, I did alright, but for getting a soda and popcorn at a movie last night. Without those, I would've come in at 61 points for the day, without really reducing all that much of quantity of what I ate, but changing the nature of what I ate. What does 61 points get you:
Egg McMuffin
Fruit Smoothie
Hummus with pita
Fried egg sandwich with cheese
Black beans with salsa and broccoli
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
16 oz of fat free milk with Hershey's syrup
Oh, and 32 oz of Dr Pepper during the day. As I said earlier, if I can successfully cut out the soda, that will really give me options to stay with the plan and stay satiated. Even with the popcorn and movie soda, I ended up using 7 of the weekly points you're allotted. So, I think a positive first day, especially since I didn't end the day so hungry that I wanted to quit.
We'll see how today goes.
Monday, August 22, 2011
It begins!
First weigh in of the journey today, before breakfast.
303.4 lbs. So, I've got 83 lbs to go before I'm at my goal weight. We'll see how I do both points wise and food content wise today. Gym to start on Wednesday, for the exercise component.
303.4 lbs. So, I've got 83 lbs to go before I'm at my goal weight. We'll see how I do both points wise and food content wise today. Gym to start on Wednesday, for the exercise component.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
The Plan
So, yesterday I talked about the general idea, and the why and what of it. Today, it's time to talk the how, and about where I'm starting from.
To begin with, I am thankfully not starting from my highest weight ever. The heaviest I ever weighed was about 315, and that was back in April 09. I tried calorie counting and exercising more, and got down into the 295 range, which is where I'd been til last summer. Last summer, using primarily Weight Watchers for Men online, I'd actually gotten down to 280 before the stress of the aforementioned personal and professional issues, and I've been crawling upward ever since. The last time I weighed myself, 2 days ago, I was at 302. The goal, as I mentioned, is 220, a weight I haven't been since my freshman year of college.
Now, how do I plan to get there. This isn't just supposed to be a diet - I really want to engage in a transformation of how I approach what I eat and how much. To that end, I'm planning on using Weight Watchers again, and to make a number of changes to my dietary habits and exercise habits. I've arranged these from easy to hard.
EASY
- No more french fries. Potatoes are wonderful and all, but you're almost better off eating two cheeseburgers over a cheeseburger and fries.
- Avoid sweets, like candy and ice cream, except for special occasions. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth, and once I start avoiding them, it's pretty easy for me to continue to do so.
- Be more active in the evenings after work. Maybe this should be a medium for now, with 105 degree temperatures every afternoon . . .
MEDIUM
- Eat more vegetables. Lots more vegetables. Regrettably, I skew toward eating meat and cheese, cause, well, they're so yummy and in a lot of ways, easier and quicker to get than veggies. But, I need to eat a lot of veggies, not just for me, but to provide a better example to the kiddo. You can tell them how to eat better, but actions speak louder than words.
- Go to the gym 3 times a week. I still have a gym membership, but it's been hard to find a time to go. I'm going to try to get up about 30 minutes earlier than I do now, and instead of gravitating to the computer, to head out the door and make sure I do 20-30 minutes of cardio a day, along with some weight work as well.
HARD
- Cheese. Aka fat in solid form. So, so yummy, it is one of my two big dietary downfalls. I can plow through an 8 oz block of cheddar at one sitting. This is not good, if you want to be healthy and at a healthy weight. I'm going to try to keep it to 1 or 2 oz a day.
- Dr Pepper. Aka sugar in liquid form. I need to approach soda like I do beer - have it rarely and then only one or two. As opposed as being the go to beverage of choice.
- Meat. I'm really aiming at having only one serving of red meat a week, and avoiding processed meats like salami or hot dogs or sausages except for special occasions. The idea would be to replace it with other protein sources like beans, chicken, turkey and fish.
Weigh in days will be Mondays. Starting this next Monday, I'll be posting my weight weekly. On a daily basis, I'm going to try to post my WW info for the day, as well as any workouts. I'm hoping that the specter of publicly embarrassing myself will be enough to keep me honest, and then we'll see what the outcomes are.
To begin with, I am thankfully not starting from my highest weight ever. The heaviest I ever weighed was about 315, and that was back in April 09. I tried calorie counting and exercising more, and got down into the 295 range, which is where I'd been til last summer. Last summer, using primarily Weight Watchers for Men online, I'd actually gotten down to 280 before the stress of the aforementioned personal and professional issues, and I've been crawling upward ever since. The last time I weighed myself, 2 days ago, I was at 302. The goal, as I mentioned, is 220, a weight I haven't been since my freshman year of college.
Now, how do I plan to get there. This isn't just supposed to be a diet - I really want to engage in a transformation of how I approach what I eat and how much. To that end, I'm planning on using Weight Watchers again, and to make a number of changes to my dietary habits and exercise habits. I've arranged these from easy to hard.
EASY
- No more french fries. Potatoes are wonderful and all, but you're almost better off eating two cheeseburgers over a cheeseburger and fries.
- Avoid sweets, like candy and ice cream, except for special occasions. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth, and once I start avoiding them, it's pretty easy for me to continue to do so.
- Be more active in the evenings after work. Maybe this should be a medium for now, with 105 degree temperatures every afternoon . . .
MEDIUM
- Eat more vegetables. Lots more vegetables. Regrettably, I skew toward eating meat and cheese, cause, well, they're so yummy and in a lot of ways, easier and quicker to get than veggies. But, I need to eat a lot of veggies, not just for me, but to provide a better example to the kiddo. You can tell them how to eat better, but actions speak louder than words.
- Go to the gym 3 times a week. I still have a gym membership, but it's been hard to find a time to go. I'm going to try to get up about 30 minutes earlier than I do now, and instead of gravitating to the computer, to head out the door and make sure I do 20-30 minutes of cardio a day, along with some weight work as well.
HARD
- Cheese. Aka fat in solid form. So, so yummy, it is one of my two big dietary downfalls. I can plow through an 8 oz block of cheddar at one sitting. This is not good, if you want to be healthy and at a healthy weight. I'm going to try to keep it to 1 or 2 oz a day.
- Dr Pepper. Aka sugar in liquid form. I need to approach soda like I do beer - have it rarely and then only one or two. As opposed as being the go to beverage of choice.
- Meat. I'm really aiming at having only one serving of red meat a week, and avoiding processed meats like salami or hot dogs or sausages except for special occasions. The idea would be to replace it with other protein sources like beans, chicken, turkey and fish.
Weigh in days will be Mondays. Starting this next Monday, I'll be posting my weight weekly. On a daily basis, I'm going to try to post my WW info for the day, as well as any workouts. I'm hoping that the specter of publicly embarrassing myself will be enough to keep me honest, and then we'll see what the outcomes are.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Reboot
Anyone who knows me, knows that I've always been big. A big kid, a big teen, and now, a big adult. Big here being a euphemism for overweight. (I'm also pretty tall, but unsurprisingly, that doesn't bother me). After 37 years of being big, and being lucky enough to so far not really have any health consequences from it, I decided it's time to get serious and get to what I've picked as my ideal weight.
Why, you might ask? A number of reasons. One, I'm the father of an 18 month old, and there's nothing I can do about being an old dad chasing a kid around. I just don't want to be an old and fat dad.
Two, I'm tired of pushing my luck with the health consequences. Because of said 18 month old, I was the recipient of some health screenings to get life insurance. The warning signs (high triglycerides, a high ratio of "bad" to "good" cholesterol with an overall average level of cholesterol) are there. So far as I can tell, I don't have any knee or joint problems, but that would just be a matter of time.
Three, I'm following the example of both my father and my father-in-law, both of whom have within the last three years made a big push to lose weight and get healthier themselves.
I'd initially started to do this last summer, around my 36th birthday. I'd started to make some pretty good progress, but the past 12 months not very kind to me and mine, both professionally and personally, and surprise, surprise, that's not particularly conducive to weight loss, better eating habits, and regular exercise. Why the blog? So friends, family, and even complete strangers who happen upon this can keep me honest and encourage me to stick with the gameplan, and, if I'm actually successful at this, maybe I can share some advice with others trying to reboot themselves.
So, that's the gist of it. The next post will lay out my method for the Road to 220. I'd love to be there by the time I'm 38. We'll see how that goes.
Why, you might ask? A number of reasons. One, I'm the father of an 18 month old, and there's nothing I can do about being an old dad chasing a kid around. I just don't want to be an old and fat dad.
Two, I'm tired of pushing my luck with the health consequences. Because of said 18 month old, I was the recipient of some health screenings to get life insurance. The warning signs (high triglycerides, a high ratio of "bad" to "good" cholesterol with an overall average level of cholesterol) are there. So far as I can tell, I don't have any knee or joint problems, but that would just be a matter of time.
Three, I'm following the example of both my father and my father-in-law, both of whom have within the last three years made a big push to lose weight and get healthier themselves.
I'd initially started to do this last summer, around my 36th birthday. I'd started to make some pretty good progress, but the past 12 months not very kind to me and mine, both professionally and personally, and surprise, surprise, that's not particularly conducive to weight loss, better eating habits, and regular exercise. Why the blog? So friends, family, and even complete strangers who happen upon this can keep me honest and encourage me to stick with the gameplan, and, if I'm actually successful at this, maybe I can share some advice with others trying to reboot themselves.
So, that's the gist of it. The next post will lay out my method for the Road to 220. I'd love to be there by the time I'm 38. We'll see how that goes.
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